Songs in Ordinary Time

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Summary: Extremely well written...but terribly depressing!!
Review: I would have enjoyed this book tremendously had it not been so depressing. The author is exceptional, but I never could get over feeling totally depressed all the way through the book! In fact, this book is depressing right up to the last line!! I kept hoping something good would happen to someone, but it never did!

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Summary: Re: Idaho summary (part 2)
Review: This book is a masterpiece - it is a long poem and I, for one will have the town of Atkinson and the people that live within it reverberating throughout my thoughts for sometime to come. Morris has given us an American Classic in "Songs in Ordinary Time." It is an elegy to what made America great. It is the "Song" for all those who, when faced with every reason in the world to give up, instead chose to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, keep working hard and make their situation better. Morris weaved the "Songs" of each character into such a wonderfully rich fabric - their lives are all interdependent upon another in only the ways that fate can dream up - and if the "Songs" that make up a community can actually come together as one in real life, then Morris has constructed for all of us a beautiful CHORUS that brilliantly evokes what community and persevearance are all about. I only wish I was still teaching English, so that I could show my students what great writing is all about. It was the best book I have ever read. I congratulate Oprah Winfrey for selecting it. And I thank the author for having the courage and vision to write it. Remember, the sounds of the hammers are the sounds that we may all hear in our lives, sometimes we just never get the opportunity to hear the sounds of goodness breaking through to us when we most need it and most deserve it

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Summary: Re: Idaho summary, part 1
Review: "Idaho", you are exactly correct about Ms. Morris's other books and writing. I am a retired English professor from a well-known university in California and I have had the great fortune to read all of Mary McGarry Morris's books. "Vanished" (One of my former colleagues informs me that it was only one of two books nominated for both the National Book Award and also the prestigious Penn/Faulkner Award in 1989) was a tour de force - the gripping plot was only surpassed in its greatness by the characters who reside within it. Aubrey Wallace will be one of those great American characters that students of the future will look back to - mythic in proportion, gargantuan in his love - an amazing feat by Morris given the type of person that Aubrey was in "Vanished." "A Dangerous Woman" was by far one of the best books I have ever read. In fact, it says on its cover that Time Magazine picked it as one of the five best books of 1991. Martha Horgan - what can I say?!? You will never forget her, she'll annoy you, anger you, make you laugh, and make you cry. She'll make you nervous, get under your skin, make you love her and make you cringe. But most of all, she'll scare you - not so much because what she does is frightening, but more because of what she makes you realize about yourself. I don't want to ruin anything for other readers out there by giving anything away, but it suffices to say that everyone out there should do themselves an enormous favor and get "Vanished" and "A Dangerous Woman" - they are nowhere as long as "Songs in Ordinary Time" and all three books are different from eachother, but all three will leave you for weeks thinking about them and wishing that they would just continue forever. As for "Songs," it was the greatest book I have ever read. Despite its proportions it remained absolutely gripping, fluid and rythmic - like the drone of Cicaidas on a long hot summer day. I read this book in a week last April, even before Oprah announced it as part of her club. I have read it twice since, because there are so many layers to the book. As for those readers who say that the ending didn't wrap things up, you are totally missing the point of the book and you should really go back and read it again. Like its title and the hot summer that envelops the community within it, the book slows to an ending that can only be described as "unusually poignant", as the London Times put it. Yes, Omar gets away - but then that is reality. So many men like Omar get away to blend into their environs, re-invent themselves, only to prey upon others far away. It would be far too easy and far too "Hollywood-like" to have Omar meet some murderous or legal demise. If you understand the book and understood Omar, then you would realize that his having to leave Atkinson was his 'just dessert.' His dream was to finally have that family and that staid life and to be respected and to be part of the community. Having to flee in disgrace was severe punishment for someone who wanted so badly to belong. And as for the final scene with Marie - she sits there in her kitchen in tears with the pounding on the roofs and walls that surrounds her - it is as if the community is trying to break down her barriers to tell her "We care and you are NOT alone." It is Marie's indomitable strength and determination that sees her through to getting her first child into the University of Vermont, even though she can barely afford it. Her main goal is unquestionably to give her children a life she has never known and will never know. And Marie's incredible determination, hope and will are also her very weaknesses. She is stubborn, she refuses to accept excuses, she tries to rid her children of the weaknesses that she knows will hold them back forever - all to the point of nearly stultifying the growth of her children. But once her children give into her will and start to do the things that will make their futures easier, the carful reader will notice that Marie eases up. Her unwillingness to ask for charity from anyone else and her pride, despite being divorced and having her alcoholic husband (the embarrasment of the town) live nearby, have put her in the place of an "outsider" in a Catholic community during the early 1960's. Marie was my favorite character - about as well developed, incredibly complex and unique as any other character I have read in the last ten years. But Marie was also simple in one way, which was her incredibly forceful and somewhat flawed love for her children. It is Marie's main dream to provide them the chance she never had or could dream of - to have the ability to choose one's life, one's profession and one's happiness. It is obvious to all readers that Marie never truly had those chances or those choices. The last scene in the kitchen demonstrates how beautiful of a writer Morris is - Marie is thankful, she is touched, but she is entirely incapable of saying anything. The very strength and determination that has seen her provide her children with their own house to grow up in (like almost all the children in town) and simultaneously raise three children by herself - all on a bookkeeper's salary - prevents her from sharing her gratitude with those around her. She has had to be so unbending to raise her children the best she can and she avoids utter self-destruction only by misplacing the love she so desires to share with someone in Omar (who as the predator can quickly size up his prey). How people are missing the multi-layered texture of Marie Fermoyle, I wiil never know!!! To see that ending as anything short of a triumph meant that you missed a lot. This is a very serious work of fiction, one that will be taught for years to come, and you must not cheat yourself and feel that because Omar isn't dead and Marie isn't jumping for joy, then the book fell short in the end. This book ends with the pace and the rythym that only a summer in the country ends with. The days are shorter, the nights are cooler, the kids are off to school, and you have to go back and focus once more on what is next. Your family is the better, the closer and the richer for the tribulations that you all suffered through and for the joys that you all have experienced together. Like the sound of the hammering on the roofs and walls, Marie finally realizes that she is not alone, she belongs to something greater than herself. It is as if the sounds of the hammering are the sounds of a community breaking through - they break through despite the barriers that Marie constructed in order to provide for her children by having a house and food and a collegiate education all on a secretary's salary - they break through as if to convey that all her effort and determination is worthwhile - they break through as if to say to her "do not give up, we know your pain." If providing for your children given that set of circumstances isn't a triumph, then I do not know what is a triumph. And if you missed the interaction of the community and the Fermoyle family then you missed the main tenet of the book. For all those readers out there who don't agree with me, perhaps you should think a little bit more and ask yourselves why Oprah selected this book in the first place. This book is a very realistic piece on the beauty of the human will, its ability to overcome obstacles and the goodness of a community - despite all of the pitfalls that lie in wait for each one of us within our own lives and despite the cruelties that visit upon us from time to time. (continued

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Summary: I've been here before!
Review: I am reading and reading and reading this novel and find that I was one of those children in the book. The only difference between these children and myself is that I was in a home with the stepfather there all the time. But I felt the difference these children do from the other kids in town. I never understood my mom staying in the situation, but this book is helping me to understand better. All young people should read this and understand that not everything is what it appears to be. The book hurts but it also gives to you a new sense of belonging in this world. My heart goes out to the Mom who finds herself in this predicament.

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Summary: I'm a Huge Fan of Marry McGary Morris!
Review: I have been reading Mary McGary Morris (MMM) books since they have first been released, and have found each and everyone to be filled with characters of great depth and emotional strength. MMM has an uncanny ability to develop characters who in our every day lives may or may not appear to be memorable, but through her writing we are absolutely captivated by their view on life. Songs, takes her talent to the next level, with such depth and intertwined story lines that keep the reader captivated for the full length of the novel (700 plus pages). For those of you have not read her previous books. I would have to stay, "These are must read books." If you confused by the list of books written by MMM, since the on-line list contains books written by both Marry Morris intermixed with the Marry McGary Morris books. The other books written by the author of "Songs" are the following, "Vanished" and "A Dangerous Woman." Please Enjoy

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Summary: I miss the Fermoyles!
Review: I found myself telling a friend the other evening that I miss Marie, Benjy, Norm, Alice, Sam and Renie! They became a part of my life for 2 weeks and I now find myself wondering how they all turned out! I agree with other reviewers about the beginning of the book; it was hard to understand and get involved with, but persistence pays off--the result being a 'can't put it down' book. Bravo to Mary McGarry Morris for penning a winner! How about a sequel

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Summary: I love a good story!!! And this book has one!
Review: At first I thought what a big book, 700+ pages is a little daunting. Especially, considering that it is one of Oprah's picks, who has made book club choices that I have not always agreed with. But I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The beginning, which is the hardest part of the book, is a little tiring. All of these characters, I wondered how I would ever keep up. I did and you will too. I could not put it down. The characters are real, with real emotionns and your are drawn to them. I found myself laughing and yelling at the characters with "How can you be so stupid?" being the most used phrase. The author creates such three dimensional characters that you understand their motive and you sympathize with them. 700+ pages is too short. Even now I find myself wondering what happened to the Fermoyle family. I don't know about you, but I'm praying for a sequel

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Summary: Gripping, disturbing-dreading and anticipating...
Review: It's difficult to catagorize a book when you become so involved with the characters you begin to dread their next misfortune while you can barely stifle your own anticipation. I read primarily for enjoyment and it is difficult to "enjoy" the sad, sad life of Marie and her children. The main characters are so finely drawn, you can feel the misery and despair as keenly as if you are inhabiting their minds. At first, the number of characters and subplots is a bit daunting, but the reader who persists will be richly rewarded. I wish this book had another 700 pages

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Summary: Disturbingly GOOD!
Review: I was looking for something good-but unusual. This book fits both catagories nicely. Am lending it to friends (with the proviso they return it!

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Summary: Far from Ordinary
Review: Initially, Songs In Ordinary Time seems to be confusing--a mass of characters and relationships that are difficult to connect to one another. However, as the reader is drawn more deeply into the novel, he/she begins to recognize Morris' uncanny ability to expose individual lives in relation to a collective soul. At times reminiscent of Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, Morris' story delves into the consequenses of lapses in communication, the intricate connection of individuals' experiences in small town America, and the results of poor decisions and misspent lives. What marks the novel as extraordinary is the author's amazing ability to make the reader an intimate part of so many diverse lives and emotions. Experiencing feelings ranging from joy to sorrow, rage to apathy, no reader will emerge from the experience unchanged. Songs In Ordinary Time is the story of unfortunate circumstances and the ability of the individual to rise above them and find the joy in the everyday