Rating: 
Summary: Oates Finest Hour
Review: A long time Oates fan, I was thrilled to see Oprah had chosen "We Were The Mulvaneys" for February. This is the most accessible of Oates books to date, lacking the amorality of "Zombie", and the feminist power of books of like "Solstice" and "Foxfire" yet emerging as a more commercial book, a more kind book, a book for everyone. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The Mulvaneys were a family which seemed at once farmiliar to me, possibly because I lived in the region the book takes place in. We see the story of the family's decline through the eyes of all the members except Mike "Mule" Mulvaney the oldest. I found Marianne to be one of the most magical literary characters I have encountered for a long time. She is simply saintlike and beautiful and giving. The tragic portrait of humanity of the citizens of Mt Ephraim is both believable and tragic. The character of Patrick is endearingly complex and never predictable. The story moves at a fast gallop, sending your emotions searing. I think that this book is very telling in how easy it is for families to disintegrate in the modern era. It is heartwrenching to witness how a lack of understanding and miscommunication can split a family up, and splinter them permanently. I found the book moving, true to life, and a triumph. Not to be missed. If you like it try reading Oates's "Because it is bitter, and because it is my heart" and the marvelous "Foxfire".
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected!
Review: This was the first Oprah pick I've read. It may be the last. At times the story was hard to follow due to not knowing in what time of the youngest's child's memory this was coming from. I read a review on the back cover, and from it assumed, things would work out OK. The dysfunction is very real in many families today; however, I feel it would be better if we could have some meat to handle the process of healing. I would not recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: What???
Review: #1 Did Corrine end up with (and being)a lesbian? Her co-homeowner Sable has hair cut in a flat-top, calls Corrine "Sweetie" while patting her on the knee, wear one "ear clamp",etc. Corrine says "Sable and I fell in love with the property and just had to have it," and blushes when Sable says something about sex. ?? #2 I thought Corrine had Alzheimer's. She sits in the dark on the top stair leading to the basement. She has cleaning implements in her hand, but can't remember how or why she got where she is. And then just keeps sitting there until Judd comes hoe from school and coaxes her back into the kitchen? Or she tries to garden in inappropriate weather and doesn't recognize the yard? And then all of a sudden she's perfectly fine and normal? I don't get it. ? #3 For over 400 pages, the Mulvaneys were about the most disfunctional family, both individually and collectively, that one could imagine. And then in the Epilogue, all is peachy and normal? ?? This book isn't a "3", it's an averaged "1" and "5". The former for the above listed reasons, the latter for it's captivating writing and great story and literary style.
Rating:
Summary: It will make you angry, sad, and yet you cannot put it down.
Review: This book is one that I do not regret finishing. It is long, somewhat depressing, but it is very realistic. The father is the character I am most troubled with. I would characterize him as the self-centered villian. Marriane-the innocent victim (of course), Patrick & Judd- two very alike, yet very different brothers and Mike Jr.- extremely self-centered and in denial. I fell in love with Corrine, the mother, but I must question her values because she chose her husband over her children. BIG MISTAKE!!! It is a good read. You will want to read an uplifting novel afterwards in order to recover from this one.
Rating:
Summary: depressed on the farm
Review: Reading is a form of relaxation for me. I love getting caught up in characters and a new world. This book made me extremely depressed and angry. I felt it was NOT a realistic way of dealing with the problem of rape. I wanted to throttle every character in the book except the animals. Rape is real. You deal with it. And move on. For this to ruin everyone's lives was totally ludicrous. I realize we have problems in life but this book truly blew them up. It gave me a serious migraine. It might have been more interesting if the author did not go on and on and on about the most minute things . . .
Rating: 
Summary: A modern American classic
Review: This book should be listed as a modern American classic and Ms Oates as one of the finest contemporary writers of fiction. It is a superbly written piece that it going to keep me pondering and thinking for weeks to come. A tragic tale of a family's elevated perception of itself and its inability to deal with any event that strays from the ordinary. I am sure that if I read this again in a few year's time, I will find even more within its pages.
Rating:
Summary: Great writing, but plot doesn't really thicken....
Review: The author is a great writer. It's a sweeping novel and she touches several subjects. The storyline is great and believable. It makes a person think twice of families that you see that seem so "perfect." However, I was a little disappointed - the book was rather anticlimactic. Other than that, it was a good read.
Rating:
Summary: I hated this book
Review: This was one of the worst books I have ever read. It was choppy, the author was all over the place with details that were not needed. And to top it off the parents in the novel made so angry. What kind of woman stands by and ships off her raped teenaged daughter to some cousin she barely knows, all to make her drunk husband happy. And then all he does is stay drunk, lose the business and farm, then dies. Save your time and money and skip this Oprah pick
Rating:
Summary: IF you arent looking for a feel good book
Review: you will like this one. I liked the book for the most part but it was too real life and depressing for me to say I enjoyed it. I was extremely excited when I bought the book but mid way through I decided it wasnt going to be a favorite of mine. If you arent prone to depression or if you feel like a good cry by all means read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A moving book with the proportions of a Greek tragedy.
Review: No one needs me to tell them that Joyce Carol Oates is one of our greatest living writers. Her use of words is powerful and often poetic. And the book has power in its characters and situations. Her message? We're just human, we all make mistakes, and we can heal but it takes time. I did finish the book, but I must say I didn't really enjoy it. It's way too long: Too much digression into detailed side discussions I didn't care about. Too much annoying repetition. Until the last pages, this book is really depressing. No wonder Oprah picked it.
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