Rating:  Summary: Realistic portrayal of severe female depression and recovery Review: She's Come Undone is a fairly realistic portrayal of the suffering that a mentally ill person can experience. Although several reviewers have stated that they cannot relate to the female character of Dolores Price, and not all mentally ill people experience this degree of difficulty, I found Wally Lamb's portrayal of her to be a fairly realistic representation. As a social worker who works with psychiatric patients, Dolores' struggles and family background reminded me of my clients and their many attempts towards building better lives for themselves in spite of many obstacles. It's understandable that some people would reject this character and see her as "weak"; however, I would ask those who reject the character to see her as a realistic glimpse of the difficulties that many psychiatric patients experience. Wally Lamb does a nice job portraying this world and is almost too kind to the helping professions in this novel! The ending of the novel is a little contrived but nonetheless, a great read.
Rating:  Summary: Some strong points, but a lot of shortcomings Review: The first few chapters of this book were interesting. Then it slowly declined. Wally Lamb went from poignant to trashy in a matter of six chapters. He portrays Delores Price as a weak, stupid boar who has nothing better to do than eat and fall in love with the wrong people. Delores makes the female gender look weak and easy to take advantage of. I thought that whole lesbian scenario was a waste of paper and words. Mr. Lamb, you can use your talent in better places
Rating:  Summary: A page turner! Review: I really enjoyed this book! I can't get into books about people whose lives are perfect and Wally Lamb writes about people that are REAL. People with problems. Definitely a great book to take on vacation since you won't be doing much else until you finish it.
Rating:  Summary: What an inspiration! Review: When I began reading this book, I found it unbelievable depressing. However, upon finishing the novel, I felt completely inspired and uplifted. Lamb does an amazing job writing as a female narrator. Read this book...you won't regret it!
Rating:  Summary: An almost-total triumph! Review: The first half of Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone" is the closest I've ever seen to literary perfection. In the second half of the book, when Lamb's protagonist Dolores grows into womanhood, some character-based inconsistencies arise -- primarily, her voice undergoes some very radical changes. *But* those only serve to add to the book's raw honesty and steamrolling emotion. Dolores is a wholly, heartbreakingly real person, and Lamb's mastery of her stems not as an ironic contrast to his own gender but as eloquent proof of his talent. I've read this wonderful book time and again -- and it never fails to make me laugh, make me weep, make me think.
Rating:  Summary: thoroughly enjoyable Review: Lamb made the reader aware that every persons existance is separate and unique, even if they may live an existance parrallel to your own. Dolores rarely drew attention to herself, yet she lived the most morbid but fascinating life, stimulated by the extremeties of her family situation, her weight, and the strain of having to grow up in a stereotyped 'perfect' culture that she definately didn't belong in. Dolores represents how inner conflict and torment can have a drastic consequence on a person's physical being and their perception of themselves and the world in which they live. Never again will I presume a persons thoughts, history or hopes.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointed Review: I heard friends rave about this book so I thought I'd better read it. To my surprise, I didn't enjoy it very much. The heroine is wild and I tried to like her; but she did some really outrageous things. I hope I don't meet anyone like her in my life. The writing is good; the plot is very far-fetched. When I finished the book, I felt like I had wasted my time reading it.
Rating:  Summary: Good to read, maybe not to buy Review: I was truly amazed at how intimately a male writer could express a female's point of view. Granted, I was a little disappointed that Dolores never ended up doing anything in her life, but I agonized with her every step of the way. This novel was recommended to me by a close friend, and it was worthwhile. It is a good novel to read and discuss with friends, but I don't see much else.
Rating:  Summary: Amazingly affecting! Review: Friends have recommended that I read this novel for well over a year and I just found time to begin reading it. While on vacation this past weekend, people would see the title and ask if I'd gotten to "Whales" yet. Apparently I'm the last person on Earth to read this incredible page-turner. I'm not an easy touch by any stretch of the imagination but the plight of Dolores Price is keeping me up at night and making me feel things that have apparently been bottled up in me for a very long time. Kudos to Wally Lamb!!
Rating:  Summary: Shallow and silly Review: This book really got on my nerves. One thing that bugged me is that before Doloras loses weight shes outspoken and wickedly funny (I didnt really find her very amusing but I got the feeling that Lamb meant her to be anyway)and then after she loses weight shes really weak and lets her boyfriend boss her around. Its like Wally Lamb cant see a sexy desirable female as being strong minded, only an "undesirable fat girl" can have a sharp edge. Maybe he doesnt see overweight women as being "real females" since they arent desirable to him so that made it easier for him to write about a woman. Its odd that when Doloras gets some sex appeal she also becomes weak and dumb. Not that she was so great a character in the first place. I found this plot silly and soap operaish. If you want to read a "realistic" story about depression, then read the Bell Jar and leave this shallow crap alone.
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