The Deep End of the Ocean

Rating:
Summary: finding Hope
Review: Deep end of the ocean, brings characters alive though use of imagery. The description of losing her made me feel sad.I would have not given up on her with all the hope she had in finding her son and moving on with the family she had left to care for.Beth who tried to move on with her family had to deal with her son vincent who does try to act like the rebel. His mother tried to move on but was doing things to make him feel worse and make her cry and worry about her family more.Beth who tries every day to make her life better would try more things to get her mind off the time she left her son for a few moments. When she returned he was gone. Reading this book may build your self esteem in finding hope for yourself in the world.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it.
Review: I'm always amazed at how disparate all these reader reviews are. For the most part, I really liked this book. It was incredibly depressing for most of the novel and I suppose that really isn't great for reviews; however, though I've never lost a child, I can't imagine the experience could be any less painful and horrendous for a family than was depicted here. Beth's not very likeable because there really isn't much left of her after her child disappears. Though a few of the characters were a little over the top (Candy Bliss, Nick what's-his-name) I liked the story. I thought the ending was hopeful. The book had emotion, mystery, humor, struggle, plot, various points of view, a different premise, interesting resolution. I definitely think it's worth reading if you like to read. I laughed. I cried. I give it an 8.

Rating:
Summary: Intensely absorbing opening shifts into wallowing self-pity
Review: Initial reviews of "Deep End of the Ocean" lavishly praised the provocative situation - a child abduction - and the entire family's subsequent nightmareof not knowing what had become of their child. Over time, the family literally comes apart, slowly, inexorably. I found the shifts in point- of-view disconcerting - from Beth the angry, guiltridden, nearly catatonic, bereaved(?) mother to Sam the workaholic father, to Vincent, the sullen teenager brother, and back. The opening sequence with Beth's panic-stricken anguish is riveting. The book, however, drags after the opening scenes and the family drifts into lethargy and dissolution. It's amazing the father holds his side of the family together and continues to support Beth. The son Vicent could be any teenager but with a more significant reason for his angst. The younger daughter is undeveloped. Perhaps, from a man's viewpoint, I was disappointed that the "spin" near the end of the book didn't live up to expectations. It's truthful in revealing that men handle tragedy, no less deeply, but differently then women. I too, slowly devoured this book, partially because after the opening highlight, it moves so slowly forward. I will give "Deep End" credit: it is more of a character study of an American family in crisis than a suspense thriller with a tidy ending. Mitchard has not opted for easy answers or easy characters and it's this feature that encourages thoughtful discussion.

Rating:
Summary: The real deap end
Review: Story focuses on a woman who has lost her child. She goes through a lot and looses even more in the meantime. Ending is very good and realistic. But the book is a bit slow at times.

Rating:
Summary: Great story about a mother's biggest fear
Review: The Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's Book Club) by Jacquelyn Mitchard - The Deep End of the Ocean imagines every mother's worst nightmare,the disappearance of a child,as it explores a family's struggle to live, even against extraordinary odds. Filled with compassion, humor, and brilliant observations about the texture of real life. This novel will touch readers' hearts. A must read. It compares to these other great reads: It compares to "Memoriors of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden, "I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel" by Rebecca Wells; "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb, "When It Rains" by Marjorie Spoto, "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier, "Mystic River" by Dennis Lehane. "Drowning Ruth" by CHRISTINA SCHWARZ and "The Josephine Bonaparte Collection: The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, and The Last Great Dance on Earth" by Sandra Gulland A Must Read.

Rating:
Summary: The Deep End of the Ocean
Review: The Deep End of the Ocean was a provocative story of a mother's search for her son, kidnapped nearly a decade ago. Or was it? In the story, Beth, a seemingly well to do wife has a bit of a dark side. What with the loathing of her own children, and the stirred-up feelings of a past romance, she is definitely not the normal mommy. But all that changes when her middle child, Ben, is kidnapped during her high school reunion. She could have cared less who took him, but she realized that all she really wanted was her bubbly energetic four year old.
So what does it really take to make a mother realize that she loves and needs her family? The kidnapping of one of her children? It seemed as if that's what it really took for this woman in Jacquelyn Mitchard's story. Although it does break the mold of most mother's stories, and even though it was just a fictional character, it makes you wonder what levels has our society stooped to, to regret even having her children, her own flesh and blood. And the fact that the story was a bit long winded and repetitive made it one of my harder reads.
But even with the cons, the pros well outnumber that. Beth's newfound determination to find her son, never giving up hope, was spiritually uplifting. And with Vincent's struggle to find his own place in life and his family, this makes it a story to teens too.


Rating:
Summary: Powerful, emotionally-charged family saga. .
Review: This novel tells the story of the average American family living in the nightmare of an all too common phenomenon: child abduction. Three-year-old Ben disappears, and we as readers ache along with the family, desperate for any clue as to what has become of him, hoping that against all odds he will be found. When he isn't, we see how his family and those involved in the search for him are left to pick up the pieces and struggle to move on with life. This novel is so honest with its heartfelt, raw, not-so-pretty emotion that the reader cannot help but feel a part of the story, and when the circle is completed, we are are left with a new outlook on family dynamics in general, and on the role of the parent in particular. This is an outstanding book in its true emotional grit, honest to goodness story, and full, fleshed-out characters: people we feel we know, people we feel we are. Parents will come away from this novel with a much greater respect for their role in their children's lives. The movie rights to this one have been sold, and should the movie be as strong as the novel, it will be a blockbuster.


Rating:
Summary: The potential was there, but she blew it
Review: This story began as a real gut-wrencher with a kidnapping and its devastating impact on the victimized family. However, it was difficult to ever sympathize with the mother because she came across as so selfish throughout the book. That could be forgiven, but the ending (which I will not give away) was so ridiculously implausible that it ruined the entire book. By that point the story had pretty much run out of steam anyway, so it would have been difficult for any ending to wrap things up satisfactorily. This book would have gone nowhere had it not been pimped by Oprah.