Fall on Your Knees

Rating:
Summary: A bit of muddied gold
Review: At times, the prose shines, but I think the author falls in love with her words and neglects her characters, which devolve into literary cliches - as other reviewers have noted, the theme of this story is that men are bad/weak/lustful, while only lesbian love (preferably, in lit fic, interracial lesbian love) is the only true love -- and only there to be ruined by that bad old man again. The characters act out of character when it's convenient for the author for them to do so. Babies are born just so they can die and cause more guilt on these already directionless people. Sheesh, even the cat, the best character in the book and the only one with a brain in its head, dies. Too over-the-top.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, yet compelling.
Review: This was a book I couldn't put down...yet I wish I had never picked it up.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read in a long time...
Review: The character descriptions whether hidden or deliberate in this book were phenonmenal! I did not think this was a tough read in the least. There were nights when I practically had to tape my eyes open to keep reading. I would force myself to stay awake to the end of the chapter even if there were 30 pages left. Amazing detail and imagery. Anyone who did not like this book is not a lover of a great novel....

Rating:
Summary: Read the online excerpt and stop.
Review: Fall on Your Knees gets two stars instead of one because the author's writing is very good. Read the online excerpt, appreciate her craftsmanship and stop. The plot, about a diseased family and their journey to ruin is heart sickening. The main character James, inspires hatred by the third chapter. Upon finishing each chapter, I asked myself, "Do I throw the book in the trash now or continue to see if the family ever gets out of the mire he created?" No matter how well the words were written, finishing the book and finding out what happened to the family did not bring satisfaction.

Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable epic
Review: Playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald proves herself a shining talent as a novelist with her ambitious debut, FALL ON YOUR KNEES.
FALL ON YOUR KNEES is the story of the Piper family of Cape Breton Island-James and his four daughters, Kathleen, Mercedes, Frances and Lily. MacDonald shifts the story backward and forward in time deftly, as illicit love, religion, music and family secrets keep the Pipers together even as it threatens to ruin them.
As the Piper family secrets are slowly revealed, and the book comes to its stunning conclusion, at 500 pages, the reader will hardly be aware of its length as you are drawn into the story by its almost mythical quality, subtle metaphors, graceful narrative and memorable characters.
FALL ON YOUR KNEES is truly a fine first novel.

Rating:
Summary: Depressing....
Review: I don't think that it's possible for so many horrible things to happen to one family. I believe the author's intent was to bring you closer to the characters by taking part in their tragedies. But actually, she acheives just the opposite. There's a certain point where their sorrows become unbelievable and that's when I stopped reading.

Rating:
Summary: Men are evil....yet again...
Review: How many books do I have to read where men are evil and women are struggling and the only "perfect" love in the book is interracial lesbianism in the early 1900's? And the spunky character is totally unsympathetic and manipulates the only decent man, a black man, into siring her only offspring.
It started out so promising and interesting and then the last half was the pits. I was hoping it would redeem itself at the end but was sorely disappointed. Beyond the realm of believable or engendering any empathy to the characters. The only sympathetic character I liked was Materia's dad who had the sense to kick that nut out of his house at the beginning of the book!!

Rating:
Summary: Overwrought, Overwordy, Overdone
Review: I cannot recommend Fall on Your Knees. While it is well-written, the story is just a series of tragedy piled upon tragedy. After a while, I couldn't care at all about any of the characters because I knew they were all doomed, and there was nothing in them to like anyway. This is the story of a Canadian family which essentially destroys itself. Reading it is like watching a train wreck in slow motion over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: Most compelling book I've read in a long time!
Review: This was definately one of the most riveting books I have read in a long time. Dark? -- yes; but full of intense characterizations and interesting plot twists. I truly could not put it down, and I rarely say that about a book. A great read.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and terribly boring
Review: I read half of this book and quit, something I rarely do. The story was pretty good at first but then it began to go on and on and on about the sisters giving so much detail that I finally lost interest. I got to the point where I no longer cared what happened to any of them and went on to read something else. I was terribly disappointed in this book and don't think I would care to read another one by this author in the future.