Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: The Sweet Hereafter by Russel Banks is a masterpiece. He writes the book from four different narrator's perspectives. This gives the book an interesting point of view that any reader can enjoy. Even those people that don't like to read. The way he writes this book gives you a sense that the four character are actually sitting in front of you and giving you there side of the story. He also gives you a sense of what a small town is like when big things happen. Every point of view that Banks expresses in this book can be seen clearly which makes this book very compelling. Another compelling thing about this book is the way that the characters deal with the accident. The characters react in different ways to the lawyers and media swarming the town. During this time the characters lose and gain relationship due to the accident. The one thing that remains consistent in the book is that every character personality changes after the accident. This novel shows how real people react to tragedy and heartache. It also shows themes that we see in everyday life. Such as, losses of people we love, alcoholism, divorce, and secret affairs are just a few of them! This book sucks you in and wont let go until you get to the end. It was much better than I anticipated and you might be able to see yourself in the themes of this book. This book keeps its perspective in a realistic point of view and is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Small Town Tragedy Hits Home
Review: The Sweet Hereafter Review I found The Sweet hereafter to be a very stimulating book. The story describes those affected by a terrible car accident that kills and injures many of the town's children. It clearly points out the varying perspectives of a tragedy; the victims, the scared, the hurt and even those taking advantages. The book also vividly describes the feelings that go along with a tragedy and how individuals overcome those feelings. In the book there is the first hand account of a variety of people involved in this tragedy. The one that really made me think was the story of a young girl named, Nicole Burnell. She was paralyzed in the bus crash that took place on her way to school one morning. I genuinely felt sorry for her because her outlook on her future was so grim. Her negative outlook was apparent when she didn't go to her own graduation (of which she was a valedictorian.) She also mentions some sexual abuse incidents with her father before the accident. All these terrible events in her life surely made her quiet introverted. The story also details the lives of many others in the community and the way they were affected by the event. The driver of the bus that crashed, Delores Driscoll, was another severely affected party in the tragedy. She was dealing with the guilt and shame that comes with being responsible for getting the kids to school safely and not fulfilling that responsibility. Overall, the book makes you feel, really feel for these people and the horror the have to live through. The theme of the book can be interpreted a number of ways. I think the book makes you realize how people really are their bare selves when a terrible thing happens. The book also helps me to realize the importance of children in our daily lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Infinitely sad and yet almost therapeutic
Review: This is the story of a town that lost many of its children in a schoolbus accident. I read this book a long time ago after suffering a great loss of my own, but rather than making me sadder strangely it made me feel better. Banks communicates the terrible loneliness and isolation that surrounds and overwhelms the parents, the surviving victim, and even an attorney who is planning to sue for damages (who has himself lost a daughter to drugs). Banks' chacters have feelings that are genuine and human rather than stereotypically "bad" or "good." Because the characters are flawed and struggling with those faults, it avoids sentimentality. I identified with many of them. If you have avoided this book because of its tragic story, I urge you, "Don't". I can think of no other author who can convey the emotions of ordinary people as well as Banks. I would not have believed it, but it made me feel better.
Rating:
Summary: Really Enjoyed
Review: Wasn't as depressing as I thought it would be- very insightful story- Makes you think
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