Rating: 
Summary: Another Slow Paced Oprah Pick
Review: Oprah picks generally have rich characters, but a slow pace. In We Were The Mulvaneys, however, some of the intriguing characters do things that seem completely incongruous when they ostracize their beautiful, popular, teenaged daughter because she was the victim of a crime. It doesn't ring true. Ms. Oats has a lot of talent, but this book was depressing.
Rating: 
Summary: What I read was boring
Review: Thank goodness I got this book from the Library and didn't spend good money on it. I read about three chapters and couldn't get into it. Very boring.
Rating:
Summary: Great Characters But Theme Gets Lost
Review: This book has all of the tools it needs, yet somehow it doesn't quite get there in the end. The Mulvaneys are a lovely family that descends into madness when the only Mulvaney daughter is raped. The narrative and explanation about this descent is compelling and gripping, and the characters invoke sympathy and affection. Through this narrative, Ms. Oates effectively weaves themes of evolution and religion as reflective of humanity's moral failures and successes. After thoroughly explaining the family's descent with an excruciating attention detail and development of characters though 350 pages,Ms. Oates takes the family from complete destruction to total reconicilliation in the remaining 20 pages of the book. The theme, the direction and the author's message are lost in this simplistic conclusion, so that the reader is left with nothing to show for 400 pages worth of reading. I was sad to put the book down because I felt like the characters I had fallen in love with didn't get the closure they deserved.
Rating:
Summary: A WASTE!
Review: I have never been so bored in my entire life! From page 1 I thought WE WERE THE MULVANEYS was an awful read, however, because it was an OPRAH book I thought I would give it a chance. So on I read and the book only got worse and worse. Sure there were a few parts here and there that kept my interest, but overall I could not wait for the end. I know I could have just put it down and stopped reading it all together but I thought, just maybe there would be a big payoff at the end, but the only thing I was left with was DISAPPOINTMENT!!! I urge all of you not to WASTE your time like I wasted mine!
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Tale
Review: The Mulvaney's are a wonderful family that has to deal with an unspeakable act that happens to one of the family members. This is a tale of a picture-perfect family dealing with a real life crisis. A wonderful story about somewhat real life.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully Written. Heartbreaking and Evocative.
Review: (...) Oates should not be read by those looking for instant gratification, by those who do not have the patience to take the time to appreciate her sweeping, grand, poetic vision. Her descriptions are incredibly evocative and bring us into the hearts and minds of the Mulvaney family. Such descriptions are vitally important in order to understand the breakdown of the Mulvaney way of life. This novel is a powerful and deeply moving narrative on the fragility of family - a family as seemingly strong as the Mulvaneys are torn apart by a single incident, which affects all of their lives, forever. (...)
Rating:
Summary: The best American author of all times
Review: Since the 60's Joyce Carol Oates has been the paragon for American fiction writers, from books like Expensive People and Them. Now in a more modern novel Oates has not lost her touch in the least. As opposed to popular belief the family of the story is disgusting yet wholly realistic at the same time. Many people remarked that no parents could ever treat a daughter so horribly, yet Ive seen very similar situations handled just the same by parents of young adults that I knew. Around the world, and in America especially, parents can be amazingly appalling and Oates portrays this in this novel. Very few families are stable and Oates unmasks the veil of perfectness that permeates through mainstream thought. Thus her realism juxtaposed with an unbelievable situation in this novel is a complete success as per usual.
Rating:
Summary: Sad I spent the money!
Review: For the most part, everything Oprah recommends, I read. For the most part, I am satisfied when I am done. But "We Were The Mulvaneys" is the exception. Never have I been so frustrated, so angry and so bored within the pages of a book! What happened Oprah!? What happened Ms. Oates? Did you both fall asleep at the wheel?
This drawn out, unlikely, pitifully ill-written book made me wish I'd used the money for a manicure, instead. Ugh! How sad that this author is permitted to get away with so many blantantly obvious grammatcial errors.
The ONLY thing that put a smile on my face was realizing that I was not alone in my opinions. Judging from the average ... review, I see many of us thought the same. This book is not worth the paper on the press.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I kept thinking something was going to happen and it just got more boring.
Rating:
Summary: A Big Mess
Review: Too much going on with no direction. The writing is needlessly detailed. The character development and story line are not believable. And none of the family members are likeable. Ms. Oates tries to explore themes of familial alienation, religion, evolution, rape and redemption, yet does so only superficially. The result is a self indulgent 450 + page disconnected writing exercise. Don't waste your time.
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