Rating: 
Summary: Finally
Review: I am also stunned by the negative reviews here. But this book, in its big, sad way, made me a little happy. Finally I've read a woman's coming of age story where it was all about the bad things. Sometimes all some people want to read about themselves. If you aren't one of those people, don't pick up this book. If so, do. I am impressed with this, a fiction about someone's terrible life. Not a true life story of an actual person, but that's what's so brilliant about what the author did. I wish more authors would do it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most entertaining books i've ever read
Review: i absolutely love this book.Wally lamb as far as i'm concerned is an amazing writer.He keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens to dolores.It's as if somehow he got into the mind of a teenage girl and lived her entire life. It's just such an amazing work.I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book...
Review: ...but dissapointing when compared to Lamb's other novel (which I read first) called I Know This Much Is True. This novel was still an interesting story about a troubled and unfortunate girl. It's depressing but still held my attention. Buy it used; I wouldn't spend full price on this one. But I Know This Much Is True should be bought new and read often!
Rating: 
Summary: I actually liked it!
Review: I was expecting this book to be really lame, but I just finished it a few hours ago, and I must say that Wally Lamb is actually a very talented writer. Sure, the book is not perfect. There are flaws- overly simplified characters, sentimental plot wrap-ups at the end. But nonetheless, the story itself is captivating. It's nice to know Lamb was successful in creating a character who you could both be angry with, and ultimately care about.. I really got a sense of who Dolores Price was and why she made the choices she did. That in itself, is enough to recommend this book. On a side note, Lamb did manage to capture what it feels like to be a young woman, at least for *some* of us young women..
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely mixed feelings.
Review: No doubt about it, this is an exceptionally well written book-- consistently engaging and entertaining. Readers are drawn into Delores's ongoing dilemmas and kept there by Lamb's skillful writing. We sympathasize with her. We root for her. We feel sorry for her. But that's why it's ultimately so frustrating that the author wraps up the entire story the way he does. On reflection, all Delores really does is to careen from one disaster to another. She doesn't learn from her mistakes. She doesn't grow. And in the last analysis, she never actually does anything besides reacting to the actions of the other characters in the book. She is raped at thirteen, and it ruins her life. She has a brief lesbian affair, and it sends her to a mental hospital. She finds her college roomate's boyfriend's nude pictures, and it puts her on a destructive track to obsession. And so on, and on, and on. Frankly, I'm not nearly as impressed as everyone else seems to be that a male author managed to write from a woman's point of view, and maybe that's the whole problem. It's like watching a dog walk on its hind legs-- it may not be done all that well, but you don't really notice, because you're so amazed to see it done at all. This has been done before, and it does seem to result in female characters that, while well drawn, do little but react, react, react (a good example is the film script for Thelma and Louise.) A sure sign that this is happening is that, towards the end, all the author can think of to do is to have the female character start that wearisome whining about a "biological clock" (!) Female authors, of course, can be every bit as bad in this respect, but that's no excuse. In short, by the end I was itching to see Delores actually do something for and by herself, rather than waiting for the next man to come along and send her on a nutty new path. And as good as this book sometimes is, that final irritating quality is why I'm giving it two stars.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully depressing depiction of a troubled life.
Review: Wally Lamb painted a disturbing portrait of Dolores Price's life in writing the novel 'She's Come Undone.' By using vivid imagery and brutal honesty, Lamb gathers emotions from the readers more negative than usual. The reader follows Dolores as she grows up, starting before her father cheated on her mother and left, then continuing on to Dolores and her mother moving to Dolores' grandmother's home in New Jersey. Things just can't seem to go right for the overweight Dolores as she suffers through middle school and then is viciously raped by a man whom she trusted. When reading this one can't help but feel sorry for her, one can't help but pity her. Pity is an emotion that is not too often felt after reading a modern novel. The most disturbing part of the novel is not what happens to Dolores, it's what she doesn't do to prevent it from happening again. A box of tissues are recommended if anyone wants to read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Seven for Seven
Review: Okay let's see, a coming-of-age story about a girl, okay? Well, she can't be too normal, you know, because normal girls--let's face it--are difficult to make interesting. So, let's see, why don't we have her father leave her mother when she's a very young age? Good, good. Good start. We'll make him a real bastard, too, show him hitting the mom. Great! Nice touch! What next? How about having her get raped? By a handsome neighbor? Great! Good idea. We'll make him a real swine, too, showing him cheating on his cute little nurse wife. Yeah, good. Is it enough? No, not yet. Let's make the girl have an eating disorder, make her a huge fat person. A big, fat, misunderstood girl who everybody hates. All right, good! But what else can we do to her? I got it! Have her Mom get run over by a truck! Ahh, you're a genius! Excellent! That'll send her into a tailspin! Suicide attempt? Of course. We'll have her almost drown while swimming next to a beached whale! Symbolic, eh? Oh boy! Besides, how else can we find a pretext for getting her sent to the nuthouse? You don't think we'd write a story like this without having the girl spend at least a LITTLE time in the nuthouse, do you? We'll have her psychiatrist be kind of a quirky jerk. Remember, all the men have to be jerks, okay? What next? Well, we have to get her to lose some weight now, you know, because she's cured, and well, we want to have her get married. Besides, nobody wants to read a 560 page book about a fat girl--she's got to turn pretty eventually. The husband? Well, he's got to be a real bastard, of course. Let's see, let's have him get fired from his teaching job for fooling around with an underage student! Okay, so far so good. Let's have him cheat on her. Of course. And a few other things, too, in case the reader misses the point that he's a real pig. How about having him blow all of her hard-earned money on a useless vehicle? Nice touch! Yeah! When she gets her revenge on him we want to make sure the reader knows he deserves it. What else? Well, we probably need to make another sympathetic character or two die. You know, the reader might get bored. I got it! How about a gay guy? A real nice guy--one of her few "pals"--and we'll make him die of AIDS! Perfect! Boy, they'll lap this up! Now, did we get everything? Let's see: death, rape, child abandonment, infidelity, wife-beating, AIDS and attempted suicide. Yep, we got it! Make sure to have some lurid sex scenes--including a lesbian one--and we're all set! Oprah'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Favorable review by a Psychologist
Review: Of course, this is a wonderful, moving novel, as many of you know. From a clinical psychologist's perspective, I found this book satisfying for a number of reasons. The book includes vivid pictures of abuse, depression, gender issues, personality problems, effective clinical interventions, and personal growth. It paints a dramatic picture, but it also gives readers a more general image of how we can improve our own lives in sophisticated ways. I liked his other book even more. There is a certain sameness to the two. The general format of each takes us from abusive family origins, to destructive adolescence and early adulthood and clinical psychology, to additional personal growth and better coping. Like everyone else, I am impressed by his ability to write from a woman's perspective. At the same time, it is amusing to see men and women *in awe* of this ability. Hey, c'mon. Do we really believe that nearly all men are total dopes when it comes to understanding women? Also, it is a little odd to see people refer to "the" woman's perspective here. This is *a* woman's perspective; an unusual one at that.
Rating: 
Summary: How much can I hate Dolores???
Review: I picked this book up in an airport on the way to Hawaii thinking it would be a good plane/beach read--and in a sense, it was: totally mindless and unengaging reading involving a heroine whom I couldn't care less about and tasteless material that made me pray no one was reading over my shoulder. It's been my experience that Oprah's reads tend to be these pseudo-politically-correct works that are conniving and manipulative, and "She's Come Undone" certainly falls into this category.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. Dolores Price is one of the most intriguing characters that I have ever encountered. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, though some parts were difficult (emotionally) to read. After I finished reading it, I passed it along to my older sister. Many ages and types of people can enjoy this book. However, some parts are graphic and can be disturbing, so be careful. I hope you enjoy She's Come Undone!
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