Rating:  Summary: A thoughtful, smart book Review: This is a thoughtful, smart book. If you like this, you might also like Goats by Mark Jude Poirier.
Rating:  Summary: Good but only for one reason! Review: This is an excellent screenplay, however, in my mind, only for one reason. One of the actresses is the greatest- Katie Holmes, she is in this and that's why it's great!!!
Rating:  Summary: a great novel Review: this is one of the best books i have read in a long time becuase it dives down to the center of life. Every aspect of the characters is laid out bare for you to see. The writing is also amazing. It flows like no book I have ever read. Moody has one of the most distinctive styles ever and is going to be a great author. My personal favorite scene was the one with Libbets Casey, it sent shivers up my spine.
Rating:  Summary: Ice Storm: Amazing and slow Review: This is with out a doubt a great novel. Rick Moody perfectly draws the hood family as a typical dysfunctional family in the 70's. Each character is relatable and stands out on their own, yet helps complete the family and story. Considering the time this book was written, it is really is remarkable how honest moody's characters are. The things this family goes through are timeless. If you enjoyed American Beauty, you'll like this book. I personally found some reading to be a little slow. I hear that if you "survived" the 70's this is the book for you. I was born in the 80's. Maybe that explains a little disappointment? Definately a must read.
Rating:  Summary: So cold it's dead Review: this novel, like all of Moody's work, is empty. Hollow eyed navel gazing. Save your money.
Rating:  Summary: The Ice Storm: Good or Bad? Review: Though it starts out somewhat slow, Rick Moody's novel The Ice Storm provides some excellent insights as to how life was for middle class families in the 1970s. Much of the novel actually takes place in the characters minds, through their thoughts which I personally think is a great way to tell a story. There are very vivid descriptions, the characters are easy to "attach oneself to," and the novel is filled with many different emotions. Overall, I can definately see why this book has become a National Bestseller and I would reccomend it to others. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I plan to read "Purple America" and "the Garden State", Moody's other two novels, next.
Rating:  Summary: The movie's better! Review: Usually books are superior to the movies adapted from them. This however is an instance where I believe the movie is better than the book. I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, but The Ice Storm is written over my head. Even though I feel Rick Moody is a talented writer, this seems more like a book to be dissected in the college classroom. I kept finding myself looking forward to reading snippets that showed up in the movie, so I could relate to something. The characters never seemed real to me, and certainly not likable, unlike in the movie. Even with their character flaws, I enjoyed getting to know the Hoods & the Williams (Carvers in the movie)and their weaknesses in the movie.
Rating:  Summary: Suburbanites in crisis and bad weather Review: Very taken with Moody's novel Purple America, and having recently endured a like weather phenomenon, I recently read and enjoyed Moody's 1994 novel The Ice Storm. Like Purple America, Moody compresses his entire narrative into one 24-hour period, and takes as his subject suburbanites in crisis. In this novel, unerringly capturing the zeitgeist of 1973, Moody tells of marital infidelity, youthful sexual exploration, spouse-swapping (one of the best scenes is a "key" party, where the married couples place their housekeys in a bowl, and the women later draw keys and go home with whichever men to whom the keys belong), and senseless tragedy when a teenager is electricuted during the storm. Moody once again demonstrates his skill as a writer: his prose is never less than interesting, and is often spell-binding both in its language and story. (I understand that The Ice Storm has been made into a movie, and I am curious as to how Moody would translate into film. A trip to the video store is in order).
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