Rating: 
Summary: too long and too weird
Review: First, let me state that I was reading this book as part of a book club that I am a member of. I say this because if it weren't for the fact that I HAD to finish this book, it never would have happened!
Fall on Your Knees starts very slowly. So slowly that it is hard to care about any of the characters. (None of them are really sympathetic creatures anyways).
The middle of the book actually does get things rolling and it becomes quite a page turner. I read the middle portion quickly in one sitting.
However, by the end, what was interesting has ended, and you are no longer interested in any member of this pathetic family.
There are some plot twists within this book; however, any trained reader can spot them from a mile away.
If at all possible, unless you are a glutton for punishment, avoid the chore of reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth your time reading
Review: The story is mostly about the Piper's family and their internal struggle to love, protect, and take care of one another. This book is a bit long, and I found it to be quite disturbing. I would tell the story to my friends as I read and it strikes them all as disturbing because of the incest theme which is the highlight of this novel. Most of the characters portrayed are interesting, yet I did not fully get to know them because many of their problems are not resolved. It's not a 'happily ever after' story for many of the characters and the resolution is a bit abrupt. The story is not too bad, but I would've rather spent my time reading something else, such as "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" or "Fallen Angels".
Rating: 
Summary: Faulkner like?
Review: An epic story of a family with four girls who live in a coal mining town on Cape Breton Island. Lovely descriptive writing and gripping plot . (Too bad many reviewers reveal parts of the plot! Amazon should not publish reviews like that!) Reminiescent of Faulkner's Absalom Absalom with characterization of a domineering father, female victims, dark family mysteries, and the use of flashbacks by each character to reveal the story to the reader. My only complaint was over-dramatization. Some parts were so far-out that the tragedy was almost comic. But overall, a very lovely well-written book.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner
Review: I kept on wanting to read to find out what would happen to
these characters. The sisters are interesting characters.I can't
wait to discuss this book with my book club members. There are
somany things I don't understand--why Francis wanted the
particular person to be the father of her baby. Why did Lily do
what she did at the end of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Atrocious
Review: I could hardly wait for this book to end that I gave up reading it with a few pages left. First of all, the book is well written. There's no doubt about it. However, even a writer who could even make me "taste the sky" so to speak could not urge me to finish this book. The book goes on and on as terrible version of one of those trashy soap operas. From James' self involved attitude, to the shotgun wedding between James and Materia, to the annoyingly narcissistic Katherine, to Bible-thumping Mercedes, to rebel Frances (the only loveable character), to corny/innocent Lily. At the end of the story I wanted to lock everyone up in a house and light it on fire. Don't waste you're time! It's 512 pages too long. The book left me begging for all my wasted time back.
Rating: 
Summary: Brought tears to my eyes... of boredom!
Review: An in-depth portrayal of spoiled, shallow characters with no apparent depth of their own, other than their various bouts with mental illness, which seems to impress book critics and Oprah, but bores me half to tears. Unless you are already at that point yourself, in life, don't waste your time. There are better books in the sea. I love historical fiction, but like other posters here, I made it half way through this one, hoping it would get more interesting, but I'm not even going to finish it for drill. Annoying, at best.
Rating:
Summary: A Tragic Story of a Family
Review: Fall on Your Knees chronicles the tragic Piper family. MacDonald uses her playwright background to bring the characters to life before your eyes and draw you in to the story. The book depicts James and his naive bride, Materia as they marry against her family's wishes and struggle throughout the remainder of the remainder of their lives. Materia cannot be the woman that James wants her to be, hence their family is doomed from the start. His actions have a longterm tragic effect on their children. Beware that although the book is very well written, it is quite depressing and paints out horrifying scenes of torment and secrets that destroy a family.
Rating:
Summary: A good book club read
Review: This is not a happy book. But, I did have a hard time putting it down once I started. It's the story of an immensely dysfunctional family, struggling to define and forgive in their own relationships. The characters evolve in bizarre and baffling ways; I found myself empathizing with a character who, only a few chapters before, I loathed, and hating one whose self-proclaimed piety and love for others disintegrated into brutal, selfish cruelty. I was really surprised by parts of the book, and don't want to name characters because the revelations in the book are what make it worth reading. One of the things which still irritates me is Materia; I don't feel that the author ever gives more than hints at who she is before she more-or-less fades away, and her metamorphosis -- both physical and psychological -- just doesn't hold up. The book does jump around between characters and periods in their lives; it can be confusing. But, so much is revealed in the final summary that you understand the meaning behind the author's technique. All in all, it's worth picking up.
Rating:
Summary: Do not waste your time
Review: Could not wait for it to end!
Rating:
Summary: Basically Sad and Boring
Review: Ugh! Kept waiting for this book to get good and it just didn't happen. Another sad tale involving Catholics and tragic family circumstances. I really wanted to like some of the characters, or even one of the characters and I just couldn't bring myself to empathize at all. I did finish reading it but I would have to say that it is a book to pass on.
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