Rating: 
Summary: Too Many Crises
Review: I read the book without knowing it was an Oprah selection. I was attracted to the book, and engrossed in the plot quickly due to the weight struggle of the primary character. I ended up disappointed because the character was not developed, and the weight issue was somewhat trivialized, esp. the process of losing weight. Instead of truly understanding the psyche of the main character, the author chose to toss trauma after trauma on her. After a while, I didn't particularly care about the next trauma, I didn't admire her coping skills or her self-actualization, and I didn't wish the best on her. I wished that the book would end, and felt obligated to finish it. I read another person's review, and agreed, that in some ways this book reminded me of an adult version of a Judy Blume novel. I have also read a lot of positive reviews, and if the book served to awaken or help others, then it can't be all bad. But for me, having faced some similar life experiences and feelings, I could gain no insight
Rating: 
Summary: What a story!
Review: I bought this book when it first came out but never could get into reading it (stupid me). I ran out of books to read last week and decided to give it another try...needless to say, I couldn't put it down once I started. I stayed up all night until I had finished cover to cover. Having grown up during the same time period it was sometimes a trip down memory lane...I hated to see it end
Rating: 
Summary: Glad it was a gift!
Review: I got this book for my birthday. That's the good news. At least I didn't buy it. I enjoyed most of it however I was disappointed with the ending that Mr. Lamb's chose. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I was enthralled with the idea of a man writing in the voice of a woman. I felt failed in several areas. Delores was a good character but she is NOT one that will become a rocking chair memory for me
Rating:
Summary: Completely absorbing - loved it.
Review: I really, really enjoyed this book. It's very well-written and moves quickly. One of the best things about this book is that it's written by a man. I was amazed at how well Wally Lamb was able to handle a female main character and portray her in a believable manner. I was moved to tears several times and found Dolores Price to be an unforgettable character. She's not your typical protagonist --- as much as I liked this book I'm not quite sure if I liked her or not. Some friends who've also read this book found her extremely frustrating because they felt like she wallowed in her misery. I disagree and found her reactions to be very touching. But, even if you don't quite get Dolores it's still a good read
Rating:
Summary: You will never forget her
Review: On the inside flap of this book it says two things that couldn't be more true. The first is that you will never forget Dolores Price, love her or hate her. The second is that you will have to keep checking the back flap to make sure that it was a man who wrote this story. How can a man be so familiar with things that many women feel everyday but never speak about?
Some may say that she did some horrible things, and I'm not saying she didn't. But she is not a perfect person, she is full of flaws like the rest of us. If you want a perfect heroine, read one of those mindless romance novels
Rating: 
Summary: I can't believe this was so bad.
Review: This is what I would say to Mr. Lamb. Shame on you. This is an unbelievable bad piece of fiction. You not only trivialize what amounts to the most tragic moments in a woman's life you display a sarcasm about these events which is slightly mysogynist. The death, the raping and the violence were all gratuitous and the characters were tabloid. You killed off the characters just as they started to develop, you left loose ends hanging. And you displayed absolutely no creative ability in vocabulary or visual imagery. I thought your obvious and judgemental atitude toward abortion, the fact that Dolores had an abortion and then later in life could not concieve, was tactless and tainted the ending of the book. I am sure it served to anger any woman who considers herself even remotely feminist or has had any experience with abortion or rape. You also exhibited supreme arrogance in your character description of Dante, you managed to make him the vehicle in which you show off your own knowledge of literature. This is a common mistake of many recent male authors all too anxious to make the reader feel that somehow the author is more knowledgeable about literature than the reader.You offended me by pretending to be in the mind of a young woman. No man can relate to the events in which Dolores finds herself, you did not come close to the real emotion or result. Despite this, you probably have a good story in you so try again, just aim higher and at times I found this book extremely funny, Oprah. What was she thinking?
j.c. holme
Rating:
Summary: This is the BEST book I have ever read!!!! Two thumbs up!!!
Review: This book changed my entire outlook on life! Dolores went from a "white picket fence" child to a unhappy ungrateful down in the dumps woman. This story is UNBELIVEABLY terrific!!
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Coming-of-Age Account
Review: There are better "coming-of-age" books out there: Sheri Reynold's 'Rapture of Canaan" is one.
Lamb's book is a good read; it doesn't demand your intellectual capacity for hidden insights (if there were any at all). Dolores' torments did not shine through for me; in fact Lamb tries too hard to find a lyrical voice! The character of Dolores doesn't mature; I find the protagonist rather detached from her inner self. Not much soul.
If you want a book for a lazy afternoon that doesn't require much effort, get this by all means. But it won't be shortlisted for your books of the decade. Try Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' instead. That IS a masterpiece
Rating:
Summary: This book will haunt you in ways you don't even realize.
Review: This was a marvelous work. Rarely do I read a book where I discover a character who is so unforgettable. And what was especially wonderful about Dolores Price is that she was unforgettable for both the good and the bad things she had done. I think so many people appreciate this book because they see pieces of themselves in Dolores- the unattractive, scary, crazy, insecure parts of themselves that they know are there but seek to hide. Dolores' coming undone was essentially an unravelling of all the parts of herself that she wanted to keep tightly bundled up inside. She was a very real character with a very believable life, a credit to Wally Lamb. It's amazing that he was able to write so convincingly in the voice of Dolores Price...a woman who we will now never forget, because we'll see her everywhere...on the street, on television, and most of all, in ourselves. This book should be read by women and men of all ages as an example of just what goes on inside the twisted human psyche. It wasn't only the story of Dolores' life for me. During some parts of it, I could have sworn I was reading about my own life. Read this book
Rating: 
Summary: It was art.
Review: True art isn't necessarily beautiful. True art stirs something in you. Art can disturb and repulse you just as easily as it can soothe.
I hated Dolores through much of the book...wanted to slap her and tell her to snap out of it! But at the same time, I was in her corner, hoping she would find whatever it was she was looking for.
I was impressed by the author's not so subtle comment about television and what it can do to you if you let it.
Read this book...you will cry, you will cringe, you will love and you will hope
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