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Summary: Morris has young, new fans!!!
Review: Morris lures you into a world of realistic characters that grab for your attention and beg for an emotional connection. Songs in Ordinary Time flows smoothly from the first page to the last. This is THE book to read this summer.
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Summary: Did I Miss Something?
Review: OK, I admit...I'm not a literary genius! In fact (shudder) I even read for pleasure. But I failed to find the deep meaning in this novel. For me, Songs in Ordinary Time was..well, ordinary.
The book provided a colorful and intriguing description of life in a small town. But, I found it really difficult to have any sympathy for Marie. I'm certain it was a struggle raising three children, on a limited income, as a single mother. Wait, was this novel set in 1997?
The only character to arouse my sympathy was Benjy. I'd love to be his mother!!
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Summary: Excellent 1960s setting--realistic, takes you back in time
Review: Even though it's long--which I like--it lures you onward by entwining you more and more with every page. I don't know if the author lived during the 60s, I did, or did extensive research, but it was so real you could picture the people, places, and feel the heat of summer. I had rooted for Omar to get his comeuppance; but I can see Marie's attitude that she didn't want to see him again or face further humiliation. I also hoped that Alice and Blue got together
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Summary: Gee, can this author write!!!
Review: When was the last time you found it hard to put a book down? I could not put SONGS IN ORDINARY TIME down long enough even to eat lunch. I was literally standing in my kitchen one night preparing dinner and had to stop reading only because the boiling water for my linguine was starting to fog up my glasses! The characters are so real and you will find yourself actually caring about them long after the book is finished. I kept thinking to myself "will Norm be o.k. and will he also go to college?", "will Sam really stay sober and put his life together?" I really enjoyed reading about Marie's three kids and how they manage to make it through adolescence! It is one heck of a story. I feel as though these characters are really alive and living in Atkinson and that somewhere Omar Duvall is still running around trying to con someone new. Gee, can this author WRITE!!!
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Summary: Oprah does it again!
Review: Oprah picks another winner for her bookclub! People will find themselves in Akinson,Vermont. It is our town, no matter what in America. I have to echo what another reviewer said: At 741 pages, it was too damn short
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Summary: Ms. Morris, Ms. Morris, Ms. More, more, more...
Review: At 700+ pages, it was just too damn short
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Summary: Songs in Ordinary Time -A long dreary book
Review: I devoted a week to reading the 740 pages of this book. I can't remember when I was more disappointed by an author particularty one selected by Oprah's book club. The book is without a character with redeeming qualities and filled with despair and self pitying adults who continue theit self-destructive bahaviors without acknowledging them . Even the children fail to engender any sympathy or much pity. The few characters the reader has some hopeful feelings for ( Sam,Blue,Norm) are left incomplete by the author. Mary McGarry Morris has written a depressing book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was ready to put this down after 150 pages because it was SO depressing, but I stuck it out on principle. After about 350 pages I decided to finish it just because I already had so much time invested in it, and I was curious to see how all the plots would come out in the end. Well, nothing was tied up neatly. I was hoping for at least one of these sorry characters to have an uplifting experience, but alas it was not to be. This was the first book I have read by this author, and I believe it will be my last.
Rating:
Summary: Songs in Ordinary Time
Review: A fascinating story about a poor and lonely woman who tried to raise 3 kids with an alcoholic husband. It described her pain and frustration very realistically living in a small town... The plot was amazing, taking the reader through a forbidden romance and a crime as well as other family mishaps. McGarry Morris painted an overall sense of urgency and hopelessness that made you feel sorry for the characters. My favorite part was when Marie Fermoyle decided to take control of her life and sell soap powder for a living.
I was easily pulled into the plot and I had trouble putting it down until I got to the end!
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Summary: Like Seeing the Skeletons Inside The Closets of Everyone
Review: This was the first McGarry Morris book I've ever read and I have mixed feelings on it. The entire mood of the book was quite depressing. No happy endings here, no sir. I also found the behavior of many of the characters to be unbelievable, thereby causing the entire tale to lose credit. For instance, I found it amazing that, after commiting murder, con-man Omar Duvall chose to take up residence in the same town where he killed a man, and the rotting, putrid body still lies. I'm not a criminal myself, but if I commited such an act, I imagine I'd want to miles away from the scene of the crime!
Next, we have Marie Fermoyle and her three unusual children. I found it sad that she was so desperate for love, that she fell for the fat, slovenly Omar Duval in his one and only shabby suit and his see-through lies.
Overall, the entire cast of characters and their individual miseries interweave into an overall story that plays out rather well. Basket-case USA.
One thing that really stuck in my craw was Alice Fermoyle's treatment of Blue Mooney. Maybe because I've always been attracted to just such a guy, I thought she should have given Blue more of a chance. Oh well. That's my opinion.
If you want to read a book that has a multitude of characters and sub-plots, this is a good choice. But don't expect a happily ever after.
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