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Summary: We Were the Mulvaneys
Review: This was the first time I read a book by this author; Joyce Carol Oates, and I wasn't very impressed. I (as well as other readers) find it hard to believe that a tragedy can tear a family apart, especially in the way that this tragedy did. I kept reading on, in hopes that I would find some sense in the story, but unfortunately that never happened. I am an avid reader of a lot of Oprah's selections, but this one just didn't stand out in my opinion. I will give this author one more chance, and hope that the next book is a better choice.
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Summary: My first Oates but not my last...
Review: This book is so real it hurts to read it. Yes, you can say it's wordy. Yes, the choices characters make may seem unlike the choices you might make. But it is nevertheless a hauntingly beautiful portrait of a family where everyone is dyfunctional but makes it in the end- with the exception of Dad. And frankly, we are ready for a happy ending by the time this book ends. Oates is masterful at character development and motivation. You will feel like you know each of the Mulvaneys personally by the time the book is over. Her words (reminds me of Annie Proulx) paint full-color pictures of people, places, and emotions- so poignant at times I was moved to tears. As difficult and dark are the situations in this book, they were understandable and profound. If there was one thing I didn't like, it was the portrayal of Christian faith as a form of denying reality instead of as a genuine comfort. But then again, to many, this might just be the case. This is the kind of book you'll want to talk to someone about after you read it. I've never been able to get through another Oates book before this one but I'm going back to try. You'll feel strong emotions towards each of the characters in the book, good or bad, and if you're like me, you'll leave the pages wet when you finish.
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Summary: Too Much Detail - Never a Point
Review: I too finally made it through the book. I kept waiting for a point to it, but never found one. I could not believe that any parents would treat their daughter the way Marianne was treated. It was painful to read right up until the last page. P.S. I like almost all of Oprah's picks, but NOT this one!
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Summary: Joyce Carol Oates' writing is, a best, childish
Review: I've read so many great books in my short 23 years, and I really have tried to like Oates' work. But I can't. Her work always has the same childish voice. I find it impossible to believe in or identify with her characters. I think she missed her calling to be a children's writer.
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Summary: what really happens in "perfect families"
Review: Absolutely brilliant. Even when the book enfuriates you, you can't stop reading. The first part of the book you're enveloped in the kind of warm, affectionate, funny family everyone envies. And then one jolt of evil unravels the entire facade. Just like life. Oates shows the destructive power of a woman's unconditional love for her husband, the evil our gender roles, beliefs, and ideals cause. And yet, there is reconciliation, beauty, and triumph. I loved and hated these people. And I've known them. Every one.
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Summary: We Were the One-Dimensional Mulvaneys
Review: I could barely make it throught this book. If Ms. Oates had spent as much time on character development as she did with the excruciating details of the Mulvaney's homestead, she might have had something. The farm animals have more personality than the people. Whether it's the cheerfully shallow mother, or the superficially gregarious, loving father who turns into an alcoholic ogre, I just couldn't feel anything for these people. Then, to top it all off, the author wraps everything up neatly in a one-chpater epilogue that seems to ignore the magnitude of everything else that's gone on in the book. It seemed false and jarring after the agony of a book rife with boring details.
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Summary: I hate this book!
Review: This was the most depressing book I've read in the past year. The parents were awful people and the children lost souls. I would not recommend this book to anyone. I'm no longer taking Oprah's recommondations, without other input.
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Summary: Reality Bites
Review: So many people want a happy ending. But, unfortunately, life doesn't always give us what we want; many times what we deserve, but not want. This book is a prime example of just that. A too good to be true type of family is hit with a megadose of reality when their perfect world is shattered by their daughter's assault after her prom. Their inability to deal with the circumstances and choice to keep their pain within themselves, individually and collectively, ultimately destroys their world. The characters are well developed and I felt the book clipped along at a decent pace. The bouncing back and forth between characters and their thoughts, feelings, and actions were indicative of the scattered thoughts we all feel when bombarded with family tragedy. Persons who aren't afraid of pain, of passion, or circumstances less than ideal will enjoy this book. It drives home the notion that your world can change within a heartbeat. If you can't adjust and adapt, you can destroy yourself and everything you've come to know and understand.
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Summary: This book is brilliant
Review: I am so glad I hadn't seen the not-so-good reviews before I bought this book. What happened to the Mulvaneys rings true to me. I think it would for anyone who has been through an event or events that changed their lives. Whose family isn't somewhat fragile? Who hasn't seen someone else's life unravel over an even that may not seem powerful enough to destroy. I had a hard time putting the book down.
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Summary: Wonderfully boring!!!
Review: I read 31 pages of this mess and couldn't go on. The author didn't give me anything to hold my interest. I wanted to read it because Oprah raved about it...but well, Ms Oates' work is boring, the writing disjointed, the style a pain. No thanks, I will read something else.
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