Rating: 
Summary: Songs in Ordinary Time lacks plot
Review: After reading Morris' "Songs In Ordinary Time" I was greatly disappointed. The book didn't go anywhere. Nothing happened. The story line was bland and incredibly unexciting. The novel just seemed to have no plot. I do not reccommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: The search for Truth
Review: This story is an excellent snapshot of small town life and an intimate portrait of vulnerable people. My life has been less than perfect, so I felt a kinship with the characters in Songs in Ordinary Time and their struggles. I was especially impressed with the accuracy and detail which the author delivered in portraying the emotions and behavior of the alcoholic ex-husband, the lonely divorced mother, the ostracized teenagers, the timid child, and the master of manipulation, the con man. This book has something for everyone: love, sex, drama, murder, and best of all, lessons in living. I almost forgot it was fiction. The story seemed so real to me, that my heart ached for justice for the unfortunate family. Yet the frustrations of the characters are so drawn out that I hoped for resolution long before the end came. I couldn't put it down and spent the morning of my day off finishing it. I highly recommend it for the drama and sentiment. It is not just entertaining, it blooms with the pain, longing and unfulfilled dreams of real life.
Rating:
Summary: Please don't waste your money!
Review: I don't think I have ever read a book that left such a bad taste in my mouth. To start, some of the author's descriptions should definately not be read while eating. It is possible to be graphic without being gross, but Morris must not know this! Also, every character in the book is bitter and/or disturbed. The only person I liked was the bad guy - he was the only one not continually complaining! Lastly, the book ends on what should have been a turning point for the most bitter character, but true to her nature, she ruins not only a potentially beautiful moment, but the end of the book as well.
Rating:
Summary: Get a Life!
Review: I could not fininsh this book. Each time I picked it up to continue to read, I wanted to throw the book through a window. The mother needed to get a life. She put her misery onto her children, and insisted on believing in lies. To be honest, I could not finish it. It is currently holding up my computer monitor.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book of the year
Review: So much has already been written by previous reviewers that I am reluctant to add more. However, what stays in my mind two weeks after finishing this wonderful book is the fact that none of the characters, no matter their difficulties and unhappiness, was a victim. They all had choices to make and chances to make other choices. Often they made poor choices, but there was another chance, and another. Even Renie LECHANCE got a second and then third and even fourth chance. Now at the end, Norm and Benjy made their brave choices; Alice made hers and Marie will too. Sam finally made the choice to seek treatment on his own. This book was fascinating. Even evil Omar Duvall at times had my sympathy. I really believe he did not set out to hurt anyone. I was touched by his offer of the wood to help Benjy at the end, the very piece of wood that Benjy used to hit him with. Enough. Read the book yourself. It is a real page turner and good entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: I've got a Mary McGarry Morris jones happening here ...
Review: Between Tony Hillerman and Mary McGarry Morris, they could keep me in reading material if they could write about one book a day. Hillerman is more prolific but McGarry Morris is deeper. I will instantly buy anything published by either and rate it five stars before reading. If I'm ever disappointed, I'll revisit the Amazon site and say so.Ms. McGarry Morris, if you're reading this, you're sorely overdue.
Rating:
Summary: songs in ordinary time
Review: Someone once said that the only normal people in the world are those that you haven't met yet. Morris has given us a deep and penetrating look at the inhabitants of Atkinson, Vermont in this tremendous opus and they are us! If you don't think they're normal, then think again and this time think of your friends, neighbors and relatives and all of their little foibles and experiences-not to mention your own. The fact is all of our lives have countless secrets and little ugly facts and twists and turns and when someone like Morris comes along and chronicles them for us a lot of people get damn uneasy. Well, too bad for those not disposed to deal with truth. Morris grabs you by the neck and shoves life right under your nose and a lot of people can't take that and try to find release in Danielle Steele--that dosen't make them bad peolple but it does make them poor judges of real literature in the vein of Cather, Faulkner, Dickens and, more recently, the mighty voice of Mary Mcgarry Morris. Where is her next book? I just can't wait.
Rating: 
Summary: A Touching Slice of Life
Review: I was so suprised to see so many negative reviews for this book. I enjoyed it immensely. The author creates characters so real I felt like I really knew Marie and her children. I will concede that the book was somewhat depressing, but at the same time I found it so engrossing and lyrical that I could not put it down. For a book to elicit such feeling--be it depression or not, is a credit to a gifted author with a special ability to touch her readers. Benjie tore at my heart strings and I feel the better person for it!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, amusing, as usual, for this author
Review: I am a big McGarry-Morris fan, so I'll admit I was probably prejudiced going in. I knew there would be some big pay-offs, and I was right. This woman knows how to write a truly QUIRKY book, and I just adore the quirky. Reminds me of a Hogarth print; also very Boschian - a dancing carnival, a bizarre bazaar. Loved it but - I wish it had a bad ending, like her other books. She knuckled under with this book and gave us a happy ending, which spoiled it just a tad for me. Love you, though, Mary - keep 'em coming!
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A WONDERFUL BOOK !
Review: I absolutely loved this book and became increasingly sad the closer I came to the end. Morris does it again - her wonderful characters who you love to hate and who you hate to love and who in the end no matter how despicable or disgusting or disagreeable engender your empathy -how she does this I will never know. This is truly one of the finest works of fiction I have read in the last few years and I cannot wait for her next novel.
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