Love Warps the Mind a Little

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Have Ever Read
Review: 'Love Warps The Mind A Little' is my all time favorite book. I read about 50 books a year, and first read this one a few years ago, but haven't found one to match it yet. Makes you laugh, makes you cry, kiss your old favorite author good-bye!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Have Ever Read
Review: 'Love Warps The Mind A Little' is my all time favorite book. I read about 50 books a year, and first read this one a few years ago, but haven't found one to match it yet. Makes you laugh, makes you cry, kiss your old favorite author good-bye!

Rating:
Summary: Read This Book--Now!!
Review: Am not sure what possessed me to buy this book--I had never heard of the author and didn't know anyone else who had read it.
What a pleasant surprise! I fell in love almost instantly with the narrator and his faithful Irish setter, Spot. The description and details of chemotherapy are pretty graphic, but it addresses this topic--and death itself--without being morbid or melodramatic. It moves along with a wonderful cadence. It's funny and sad in equal measure--get ready to laugh while you're crying!

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Summary: Irving does it better, but this isn't half bad.
Review: I found lots of similarities with the writing of John Irving--book or books within a book, the main character a writer, quirky characters and humor. I particularly like short chapters and fast pacing, which this book had in spades. Actually, I found the first part of the book quite amusing, but then it turned deadly serious in the last half. All in all, it was a good read, and I'm planning to take a look at Louisiana Power & Light.

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Summary: Tragically yet wonderfully entertaining
Review: I loved reading this book, I found it extremely entertaining, despite it's tragic undertones. The author really dragged me into the lives of these characters, so much so that I felt as if they lived next door. Though death plays a major part in this story, it rises above being morbid, and instead it is sweet and genuinely touching. John Dufresne is one of the most underrated authors!

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Summary: ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL
Review: I read this book quite a while ago, but thought of it today and had to share my thoughts! I am surprised about the common theme amongst these reviews regarding females not caring that much for this book. I am definitely female, and this is positively one of my all-time top ten books! Laf was entirely real and, therefore, entirely likeable, and this story was charming, funny, sad, and utterly engrossing! I enjoyed Judy's "dysfunctional" family and their all-too-real problems. I thought that this book dug beneath the surface to show the reader the bare bones of each character, making me feel like they were people next door. John Dufresne is a very talented writer, and I am anxiously awaiting his next gift!

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Summary: This Book is NOT Full of Joy
Review: If you're looking for a book to lift your spirits and set your heart soaring, "Love Warps the Mind A Little" is not the book you're looking for. Dufresne's novel tells the story of Laf Proulx, a man who has quit his regular job (he is an aspiring writer) and left his wife (or more accurately been thrown out for his indescretions with another woman). More accurately, perhaps, this novel tells the moving story of the other woman -- Judi Dubey. Not long after Laf moves in with Judi, she discovers she has Term IV cancer and the majority of the novel deals with the wrenching, painful reality of her disease and poignently describes how she (and to a lesser extent those around her) deals with the disease.
This is a powerful novel with some lightness early on as Laf tries to figure out what to do with his life and whether or not he loves Judi or the wife he left (the only sure thing is his love for his dog Spot). Once Judi's cancer is diagnosed the novel moves quickly and despondently toward its conclusion. Judi's suffering through chemotherapy and desire to live are documented in such a way that the reader actually feels involved (albeit miserable) with the characters in this story (most of whom are fairly quirky). There's some talk of life after death, reincarnation (Judi believes she's led several lives), hope for an afterlife and salvation, but the narrator (Laf is apparently an agnostic) offers little encouragement for these ideas thus adding to the weight of dread ensconcing the reader as this book lunges toward its end.
Overall, this is more a well told story of a woman's bout with cancer and those who surround her than a story about love and its trials. It's not uplifting, but it is thought provoking and poignent. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: This Book is NOT Full of Joy
Review: If you're looking for a book to lift your spirits and set your heart soaring, "Love Warps the Mind A Little" is not the book you're looking for. Dufresne's novel tells the story of Laf Proulx, a man who has quit his regular job (he is an aspiring writer) and left his wife (or more accurately been thrown out for his indescretions with another woman). More accurately, perhaps, this novel tells the moving story of the other woman -- Judi Dubey. Not long after Laf moves in with Judi, she discovers she has Term IV cancer and the majority of the novel deals with the wrenching, painful reality of her disease and poignently describes how she (and to a lesser extent those around her) deals with the disease.
This is a powerful novel with some lightness early on as Laf tries to figure out what to do with his life and whether or not he loves Judi or the wife he left (the only sure thing is his love for his dog Spot). Once Judi's cancer is diagnosed the novel moves quickly and despondently toward its conclusion. Judi's suffering through chemotherapy and desire to live are documented in such a way that the reader actually feels involved (albeit miserable) with the characters in this story (most of whom are fairly quirky). There's some talk of life after death, reincarnation (Judi believes she's led several lives), hope for an afterlife and salvation, but the narrator (Laf is apparently an agnostic) offers little encouragement for these ideas thus adding to the weight of dread ensconcing the reader as this book lunges toward its end.
Overall, this is more a well told story of a woman's bout with cancer and those who surround her than a story about love and its trials. It's not uplifting, but it is thought provoking and poignent. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A good book with real life situations.
Review: When he sticks to the heart of his touching story about death, caretakers, and searching for love, Dufresne's book is powerful. Unfortunately, his "story within a story" about Laf's unpublished novella concerning Dale and Theresa is boring and adds nothing to the book; I kept wishing he'd just get back to the main story line. The best parts of this up-and-down novel are the insights into the pain and suffering a cancer patient must endure; Defresne handles the age-old dilemma of whether the "cure" is worse than the disease itself with unusual insight and compassion.It's a shame that he marred this insightful story with his ramblings about Laf's unpublished (and rightfully so) works-in-progress.

Rating:
Summary: My feelings about this book were mixed.
Review: When he sticks to the heart of his touching story about death, caretakers, and searching for love, Dufresne's book is powerful. Unfortunately, his "story within a story" about Laf's unpublished novella concerning Dale and Theresa is boring and adds nothing to the book; I kept wishing he'd just get back to the main story line. The best parts of this up-and-down novel are the insights into the pain and suffering a cancer patient must endure; Defresne handles the age-old dilemma of whether the "cure" is worse than the disease itself with unusual insight and compassion.It's a shame that he marred this insightful story with his ramblings about Laf's unpublished (and rightfully so) works-in-progress.