Songs in Ordinary Time

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Summary: Songs in ordinary time took too much of my time
Review: The story was totally unbelievable with the characters shown as being gullible and weak. The beginning of the book was confusing with too many characters being introduced too soon. But once you finally figured out who was who you wanted to forget them. Definately a must miss in my book

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Summary: What an awful woman!
Review: As I was reading the book I kept asking myself why was this woman (Marie) was so angry and nasty towards her children? Why couldn't she just enjoy them and give them the unconditional love that they deserved? As a young woman myself who is thinking of having children in the future, I would never look up to a woman like the one described in this book. I did not like her in any of her roles - not as a mother, not as woman and not even as a lover. This is a work of fiction and I still feel sorry for her kids

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Summary: Less than satisfying
Review: This story takes place circa 1960 in a small town in Vermont where everyone knows everyone; where exists a clear-cut system of status and the classes. Somewhere toward the bottom, is the fallen family of Fermoyle; badly damaged by the alcoholism of Sam, the heir unapparent to a small fortune that no longer exists due the debilitating illness of his mother and the expensive damage Sam has wrought over the years. Staggering amidst the fallout from Sam's dereliction is his ex-wife, the desperately unhappy Marie, and their children: Alice, Norman, and Benjy. Marie, in her frantic efforts to keep her sanity and the shreds of her reputation, forces the children into situations they cannot handle without the guidance she hasn't the time or ability to give. As if things are not difficult enough, Omar Duvall enters Marie's home, her life, and her confidence taking what little she has and offering nothing in return but false hopes and more unneeded disappointment. Though I did not have a particularly good time hating Duvall and cursing the stupidity of the Fermoyles, I continued to read. (Ms. Morris' writing is compelling.) In the end, however, the story takes far too long to tell for a less than satisfying ending

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Summary: Readable but slow
Review: Tough to get into. Beginning was slow and confusing. There were too many characters thrown in at once. Once you figure out who's who it does move along, albeit slowly. One thing that I appreciated was Morris' effort to fully develop each character so they weren't just good/bad guys. There was a depth to each of them which made them more real. I was a bit frustrated with the characters. You kind of want to slap each one of them and point them in the right direction and tell them what they're doing wrong. I kept hoping the next page would be a bit more uplifiting or bring some good fortune to this bunch of losers. But it's a slow, painful death and the only reason I got through it was because I found myself liking some of the characters and hoping for their well-being. Not the kind of book to make you feel warm and fuzzy, if that's what you're looking for

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Summary: Depressing!
Review: I wanted to believe Oprah, she has such good taste! But all I felt after finally finishing this book was depression. It was a good story with interesting characters, and Ms. Morris did an excellent job of weaving them throughout the story, but there was no triumph, no lasting impression of what the book was about. I didn't expect a fairy-tale ending, but I did expect a purpose for the book being written, and for me reading it. This book made me feel like I had wasted time reading it expecting to learn something

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Summary: A good story of a family trying to survive life's curveballs
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the Fermoyles and their struggles to make ends meet in every sense of the word; however, there were too many characters in the book and I think the author wasn't too careful about details surrounding them. For example,on page 69 in the paperback version Mr. Klubock is celebrating his 40th birthday. On page 422 he is 49 years old even though the book takes place in a span of one summer. It was also difficult to believe that a boy as fearful as Benjy could calmly let Omar know that he knew about the murder, or that Joey Seldon suddenly regained his sight well enough to shoot someone. Norm was my favorite character, but the book ended and I really wasn't sure that there was any closure for him. I'd like to think that his fighting and drinking days were over. Once I got involved in the story, I couldn't wait to finish it, but the discrepancies bothered me and took some of the credibility away for me. I could have gone with a little more character development of the Fermoyles and closure to their story, and less of some of the peripheral characters.

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Summary: Songs in Ordinary Times - a Modern Classic.
Review: This was one of the best books I have ever read. After reading this book, I rushed to my local bookstore and purchased every novel published by Ms. Morris. I can only conclude that she is both a genious writer and a brilliant psychologist. Few writers posess the talent and make the effort to develop the round characters that this author does. Having read some of the reviews by other readers, I can only comment that those who criticize this master piece as being long and boring, lack the ability to understand the message about human frailty that this author protrays. I was actually made uncomfrtable, finding elements of myself in every character that she develops. A good book is not one which necessarily makes you feel good about the world. The merit of a good novel is defined by the insight you gain into yourself and others around you. Readers who complain about the less- than- perfect lives of the characters, should just stick to being spoon fed fantasies by Danielle Steel. This book is for serious readers

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Summary: A wonderful book right up to the Ordinary ending!
Review: While reading this book, I couldn't stop turning the pages. I began to feel as if I lived in the town of Atkinson. Morris has the talent to make her characters come to life. Some of her descriptive paragraphs are a bit difficult to read and others may leave the average reader lost. My advice is to hang in there. Morris comes back to some of these later in the book and clarifies them. My feelings on the ending, which initially disappointed my emotional needs, became very poignant to me after some thought. The way Marie was thinking "alone, alone, alone" while the whole neighborhood pitched in to help fix up her house, emphasized the point that she was keeping people out of her life, not that they didn't want to let her in. Also, Duvall fell victim to the comfort of having a family and being respected in the town. When he came so close to having it all, his own misdeeds caused him the punishment of losing what he wanted most. Although the book seemed to leave a few loose ends (How long had Joey Seldon been able to see?) it was thoroughly an enjoyable and a glimpse into the Ordinary lives of the Fermoyle family

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Summary: I keep reading it because I thought it has to get better.
Review: I knew this book had been chosen for Oprah's Book Club. So I keep reading it thinking it had to get better to have been chosen. Right? Wrong. It's very long with a great many minor characters who don't really add anything. One error is that the book is set in 1960 and a Mustang pulls into the gas station. I don't think the Mustang was made before 1964. I also found it unbelieavable that the daughter, Alice, would be going to college. She doesn't have a scholarship, the family has no money for college, and in 1960 I don't think your poor girl from the wrong side of town would have been going off to college unless she was really extraordinary or determined. She'd have been getting a full time job in a shop or factory. I sort of cared about the son, Norm and I felt sorry for the Mother. But, at the end of the book, I didn't really care about these people

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Summary: Perhaps the worst book that I have ever read.
Review: I was swayed by Oprah to purchase Songs in Ordinary Time. Never again will I follow her book recommendations. She kept hyping the book saying that it was long but not to let that bother the reader. She said that you wouldn't be able to put it down! Put it down!?!? I dreaded picking it up! There was no redeeming grace whatsoever in ANY of the characters. There was not one smidgen of storyline that merits Song in Ordinary Time being a bestseller.Beware of celebrities hawking books