Rating: 
Summary: Wow, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster.
Review: This story had so many twists and turns I felt like I was on a rollercoaster every time I picked it up. What a dark, dark tale. If you are looking for happy you won't find it here. I highly recommended this book to many of my friends and they all agreed, "What a well written, well developed novel."
Rating: 
Summary: Laboring
Review: Just about every family in the world has some level of dysfunction, but this family is beyond the pale, making the story basically unbelievable and the majority of the characters unlikable. I found this novel to be hugely disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Too depressing for me
Review: I don't mind reading an occasional tragedy but this book went overkill on tragedy. I am a big fan of Oprah Winfrey, but I've yet to enjoy any of the books from her book club. They are all so depressing and full of disfunctional characters. I usually read before going to bed and every night that I read this book I would have horrible dreams/nightmares. The night after I finished this book I slept very soundly :)
Rating: 
Summary: Shame on Oprah!
Review: No wonder Oprah had to cancel her reading group after endorsing this...!Confession: I didn't get past the first 134 pages in Large Print. I knew what was coming though. Thing is, even if I disagree with the subject matter, I will still keep reading for great writing. You don't even have that much, here. The writing is such a jumble of styles, foreign languages, mixed 1st and 3rd person, weird humor, religious parody etc.... I decided to cut my losses early. I like to be uplifted and entertained. I don't mind suffering characters and tragedy if the writing's good. This is the last Oprah's book I will even attempt. I have found they are all about suffering women, no romance, really dark, and frankly, no fun. At least the one's I've tried. Sorry, no more Oprah's Books!
Rating: 
Summary: An absorbing read
Review: Not for the conservative folks. Incest and homosexuality are weaved into a gripping tale about small town folk in the early 20th century. I found the historical element to be quite believable and the characters well developed. I did think the novel took a too-modern turn when the focus shifted to the young adult Kathleen, and it threw me off a bit. But overall it was a satisfying novel.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, rich novel
Review: I have never written a review on here before, but felt like I had to in this instance since the first review displayed for this book was so negative. Although some incidents in the novel strain credulity, I enjoyed this book a great deal. I was most taken with the way she developed layers of family secrets that have gradually evolved into myth, and the rich portraits of women constrained by circumstance and tragedy. It's true that there are several very upsetting scenes in the novel, but I think the writing of these scenes is some of the most skillful in the book. I have a lot of ambivalence about the Oprah book club, but I have to admit that she (or her staff) often chose some excellent books. I very much look forward to the next novel by MacDonald.
Rating:
Summary: What a Stinker!
Review: This is one of the worst books I have ever read. The characters are completely unlikable if not despicable. The storyline is very dark and obsessed with incestuous relationships. There was one scene that was so graphic, it gave me a stomach ache. I felt like I was living through a nightmare.
The weirdest thing is that my grandmother sent me this book. The entire time I was reading this, I just kept thinking to myself, "Why would she send this to me? Why did she read this?" About a week after finishing the book, I learned it was an "Oprah" book and I realized what a blessing it is that Ms. Winfrey has discontinued her club. If this is the kind of book she's reccomending to the masses, I want no part of it.
Rating:
Summary: Little Women meets The Color Purple on Cape Breton Island
Review: Fall on your knees, is aptly named as it begins solemnly, briefly raises your spirits before thrusting you "to your knees". There are moments of respite as you get to know the characters which are so very well written, some you will love immediately, some you will have to grow to love, others you will despise. The characters: Materia, Kathleen and Frances Piper are just so heartbreakingly tragic, you'll want to bring them home and give them a "cuppa" tea and a hug. Throughout the entire novel, I was torn between loving it and hating it. I feel any fiction that will illicit such real feelings is worth a read. This story will wrench your heart out time and again. It does have it's funny moments, as the critics claim on the back of the dust cover, but you will need a firm grasp on the darker side of humor to find them. I know only that I will hold, the characters especially sweet little Lily and brave, brazen Frances Piper close to my heart for a long while to come. This may well be one of the best books I've ever read, but make no mistake this isn't a really "fun" read or for those faint of heart. When describing it to friends I have likened it to "The Color Purple", but more tragic. If your looking for a beutifully written literary novel, that provokes heart, soul and mind, and don't mind the more than 500 page length Fall on your knees will find a place in your heart. I will be reading MacDonalds future novels, and can only hope that the characters can equal those of the Piper women.
Rating: 
Summary: A male perspective
Review: Fall On Your Knees is the story of a family in the Cape Breton company town of New Waterford. James is a piano tuner who spirits away the daughter of a Lebanese merchant, and they have 3 daughters. The eldest has the gift for singing and goes to New York, which is where the turning point of the book occurs. It's hard to describe without giving away too much of the plot, but it definitely becomes a tale of family secrets, denial, incest, and other themes such as racism and class division. For the first third of the book, MacDonald paints a convincing portrait of early 20th century Cape Breton. Unfortunately, she goes overboard in trying to cover too much ground; it might work fine for the criteria of Oprah's book club but the novel just becomes a cauldron of dysfunction. There is an overload of Catholic imagery; even though it is a vital part of the story MacDonald is relentless with this imagery, too much so. The characters of James and the daughters ring true to a point, but again, when Frances starts "performing" at a speakeasy, it is not credible in that time, even if it was the roaring 20's, those scenes are simply not believable. Lily's long walk in the last part of the book is also not credible, metaphorical as it might be. The relationship of Kathleen and her friend in Harlem is intriguing, but again it goes too far into implausibility. The last third of the book is very good, many questions are answered, yet there is no effort to tie up all the loose ends in a happy way (which is one of the things I found to be well done). Many of the secondary characters are quite interesting, the Lebanese family, the Jewish storekeepers, and the black characters who intertwine with James' family. The novel is well written overall, and despite my reservations and a very slow middle stretch, it was a worthwhile read, even for someone not in the "target audience". One more thing, it does get vividly morbid and horrifying in one major incident which dominates this book. The other reviewers weren't kidding about that.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: I read this book in 1997, and have yet to read anything I've liked better. It is my favorite book and I recommend it to everyone I talk to. If you enjoy human life dramas, you will enjoy this book. I was very excited when it was added to the Oprah book club, because the writer will now earn the millions she deserves. I am hoping that Ann-Marie MacDonald will write another book one day.
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