She's Come Undone

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining.
Review: Entertaining, funny, at times moving and affecting book..as well as overwritten, containing some weak characters poorly developed, and a skewed sense of male/female relationships and male/female representations. Wally Lamb has a knack for smooth, easy writing which makes for smooth, easy reading. Unfortunately, he has the tendency to over-write...not resulting in either fleshed out characters, a profound discovery for the readeror something of literary value and quality. Can he beat you over the head with patterns about Dolores' life even more- its like Oliver Stone writing a book- highlighting every SIGNIFICANT moment with a hi-liter the size of a baseball bat. ie: Dolores believing she is a baby-killer says she's a baby killer pointing out all the times she's "killed" babies from shrinky dinks to Jack and Rita's, etc. Or take a gander at this passage: "We were naked together in the water bed. I was rereading The Old Man and the Sea for my new class,! ! American Lit., underlining the parts I suspected were symbollic." Kind of neat how Lamb can merge form and content. Here's a girl who was overweight and has a connection with whales in bed with a guy who, especially compared to the previous men in her life, is great. But notice the obvious nod to the situtation and its symbollism- Dolores is, in her book, underlining the parts she thought were symbollic. Its like Lamb is yelling to the reader- "Take note: the fat girl has landed a man. IMPORTANT." A few passages later Dolores adds "I waved The Old Man and The Sea at him. 'Good catches are a mixed blessing.' I said. And Dolores' life is a mixed blessing. She's lost weight, battled mental illness, found a decent healthy relationship but has been raped, lost her mother and is estranged from her father. Lamb could use a dose of subtlety. He can't seem to, just like his protaganist in the early parts of the story, control himself with making conncec! ! tions, that are blatantly obvious, to the reader. A commen! t that I've heard being thrown around by many readers of this book, female readers of this book, is that Lamb has captured the stages of a woman's life and the feelings they go through so perfectly. The 'People' magazine review (that barometer of literary genius) so prominently displayed in the opening pages of the novel states that "This male writes so convincingly in the voice of a female...that you have to keep looking back at the jacket picture just to make sure." In Lamb's books, men hurt the women. Tony beats Bernice. The Canuck beats Roberta. Jack rapes Dolores. Eric 'rape-dances'Dolores. Dante takes advantage and emotionally sucks the life out of Dolores. The men that have redeeming qualities or in the position of helping are flawed or weak, or at least certainly against the monolith of the straight male. Mr. Pucci is gay. Dr. Shaw is vulnerable (almsot crying when Dolores leaves him.) Thayer is a gentle goofy giant. I think what Lamb captures may ! ! not exclusively be THE female experience but perceptions of men- they're bastards.

Rating:
Summary: I don't think I've ever been so moved by a book before!
Review: I began reading the book quite blindly...in other words, I didn't know what it was about, and had assumed Wally Lamb was a female. When I finished this book that takes the reader along in incredible emotional rollercoster, I was amazed. Did a man really write this!? I just loved it.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books, if not THE best book I've ever read!
Review: This book is a page turner. I couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Dolores is someone that I could identify with from time-to-time! Wally Lamb weaves such an incredible, fascinating story. The characters seem so real and the events (although coincidental at times) seem real too since truth is stranger than fiction. I would recommend this book to any woman between the ages of 16 and 60!

Rating:
Summary: Really Depressing
Review: This book is so depressing, I will never read another Oprah selected book again. I thought it was terrible, but I actually read it through to the end. I wonder why the man who wrote this book thinks he can write as a woman?

Rating:
Summary: It reads just like a rollercoaster, ups and downs.
Review: I found myself becoming Dolores' personal cheerleader. I kept reading with the hope that her life would turn around without any more catastrophies. Unfortunately, more terror and pain was waiting for her at every turn. It became clear that this poor woman would continue on the path of bad luck. I have about 20 more pages to go and frankly, I don't know if I can take any more.

Rating:
Summary: so realistic
Review: This is a really realistic book, some of the things that happen happen to everyone as they're growing up. While I was reading this book I wanted to scream at Dolores because she did some really stupid things, but at the same time I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Best read in a while
Review: This novel had me captivated from the first page. It was funny and sad at the same time but extremely inventive. Thank you Oprah, and I cannot wait to read Lamb's next.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read!
Review: I've read thousands of books in my 37 years, and of those there are probably only a handful that I truly "loved." This would be one of them. It was compelling and captivating, funny, well written and easy to read. Wally Lamb gave you an honest reason to care about the main charachters, and it left me cheering for her in the end. If you love stories of remarkable people who, for the most part alone in the world, are able to rise above their circumstances, add this to your summer reading list. If you're anything like me, you'll need to have another book waiting for you in about 2 days. A very, very satisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: How did he KNOW?!!
Review: I still can't get over how completely understood I felt with every paragraph I read in this book. How did Wally Lamb KNOW?!? It's more than his adroit way at defining the undefinable moments that hit all our lives' he grasps the female/male struggles we all experience. I feel like someone peeled back the onion skin over my emotions and peeked inside. I feel KNOWN, by someone I've never met! I read this book in almost one session, in Hawaii, on vacation. I can't wait for his next book!

Rating:
Summary: A truly phenomenal novel that keeps you begging for more.
Review: Wally Lamb has somehow managed to delve deep into the very essence that is Dolores Price and he is able to take the reader along for the journey. So remarkably sad, triumphant, mesmerizing and unequalled by any other book thus far. The reader becomes Dolores and for each of her remarkable journeys, we become better ourselves.