Songs in Ordinary Time

Rating:
Summary: Apparently I'm not the only one who was disappointed!
Review: When I chose this book, I thought "Great! Oprah likes it. I respect her opinion." But what a disappointment. The story-line was fragmented and the prose unremarkable. It appeared to me that the author, in trying to develop this "cast of thousands" into multi-faceted characters, was only able to manufacture caricatures of real people. The entire book seemed superficial and unreal. In the end, I had to force myself to finish reading this tome. At first I thought perhaps I had missed something, but, I see from the other reveiws that I am not alone. Phew!

Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: Captivating, realistic, couldn't put it down till the end. I only wish it had a stronger ending.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated, unpleasant book without a redeeming character
Review: Eight of us in a book club hated the book. The writing rambled, and the story didn't really go anywhere. Book was overlong. The hardest part of reading 700 or so pages was there was no redeeming character among the many described and the story was boring. If it weren't for Oprah recommending it, we doubt this book would have been noticed.

Rating:
Summary: The jury is still out!
Review: Finished this one yesterday-and have mixed feelings which may be the one redeeming feature of this long and sometimes depressing story. Am I really disgusted with these people? Or is is just that after such a long and arduous journey the author seemed at a loss as to how to finally end it. I appreciate the complexity of their lives and struggles, but there are just too many lives and too few successes-not to say too much screaming. And I must take issue with the other reviewers who claim that those of us who question the whole thing should stick to Danielle Steele-rather presumptuous, dont you think? I am extremely well read as I am sure are others-perhaps I might recommend something by Reynolds Price or Wallace Stegner? Bye bye Oprah-after Rapture of Canaan and this one I believe I'll select my own.

Rating:
Summary: Dull, quiet Vermont town filled with characters worthy of it
Review: Slow, dull-witted plot woven around a group of characters that can only be described as pathetic. It isn't that the story is bad, but that the story meanders like cold molasses and for what seems like an eternity. The stock characters include a pathetic woman, acon-man, a lust-tainted catholic priest, a small town, poor black victims of murder. Trite and unconvincing not a novel worthy of all the hooplah.

Rating:
Summary: After 740 pages I STILL DON'T CARE!
Review: I waited until we went on vacation so I could savor Oprah's "Summer Winner". After ploughing through the book, I wished I had spent the time with a comic book. It might have left me with a better taste in my mouth. Marie and her brood were just too clueless and Omar sailed into the sunset too rue-less.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Although difficult at the beginning to get into, I did find myself wanting to see what was going to happen next. I truly expected things to get better for Marie & her kids....but much to my disappointment that was not achieved...... I was also disappointed in Oprah selecting this as one of her "Book Club" recommendations.

Rating:
Summary: I loved reading this book until the end.
Review: I fell in love with Mary McGarry Morris' writing. She wove a tapistry of words tieing together a town of sad souls, all of whom are crying out for our love and help. I was intrigued by and did my best to be patient, like Marie, for "the soap" to arrive, and for Duval to be "found out". But I was left with too many loose threads. After such a finely detailed picture of every nook, cranny and characteristic of every player and scene, why were we left to leap with only our own imaginations from the powerful life and death scene in the ocean to Duvals simple get away down the dusty road? Who paid for Alice's college tuition? Did Marie ever go to therapy? Would she really go back to Sam? Is there a sequel to this book? I was left hanging. Something I feared Alice would do long before she ever got to college! Whew!

Rating:
Summary: Frustration
Review: This novel proved to be very disappointing. One-third of the way through I started to feel let down. I found the characters with out any substance. The story seemed to go around and around not building on any foundation. I kept reading in hopes that it would get better but it never did. It talked about a dysfunctional family but the book was more dysfunctional. Nothing was ever accomplished in the writing and the characters were superficial. I found I could not get attached to any of them. The ending was depressing as it never solved anything. The author for some reason could not pull the story together. Did she not want to take a stand with her characters? Couldn't Marie have found courage and less feeling sorry for herself? That just about drove me nuts! I know our world consists of all types of people but surely the author could have found one character with strength to speak out. I feel I wasted my time and money with this novel not to say how frustrated I felt after reading it. Anita Nazaruk ([e-mail]) Sorrento, B.C. Canad

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting from Start to Finish
Review: This book is sheer poetry! The characters are richly described and the home in which Marie lives with her family could almost be smelled and tasted as they went about their daily, sordid lives. If I have any disappointment in this book it is the ending which is a bit weak, or maybe it's because I just wanted MORE