Rating: 
Summary: The book I thought couldn't...
Review: I was not sure of this book in the first chapter. The author was brillant with how she phrased things but it took me the first chapter to have a feel for it. But after that it was smooth sailing. A complete page turner. It might be cliche to say that but hey it's true. I was floored at how it ended. This is a book I will cherish always. I'm not one to give two hoots about Oprah's opinion but she nailed this one good!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Like so many "literary" reads this was disappointing. Oprah's "picks" tend to lean towards too much in the depressing/dysfunctional mode. Too many other "worthwhile" books out there to read than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking and Beautifully Written
Review: This book has so much depth and intensity that it is difficult to find the words to review it with. From racial boundries and war to familial issues, incest, religion and different levels of relationships, there is little this book leaves out. And yet, unlike some authors who try to tackle too much, Ms. MacDonald succeeds in covering it all beautifully.This book is about multi-generations of a family from Nova Scotia. The most compelling stories lie within the four surviving children of the family -- four girls, each one incredibly different from the next. The parents of the girls are an interesting component of the book, as are the grandparents -- and the father plays a large, highly impactful, role in the lives of the girls. Some characters you will love others not, but undoubtedly no one in the Piper family will leave your mind for a long time. The stories and plights of this family are unbelievable and breathtaking. The book brings in different twists, turns and surprises on every page, and I found myself having to turn back pages in order to gain new insights into what really happened. Nothing is ever what it seems, and nothing is what you expect it to be. This book is incredible -- anyone who appreciates artistry in writing, and compelling stories that take you through a full gamut of emotions and thoughts -- that develop your mind as a reader,will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark, human, tragic, compelling!
Review: This book, a saga of a family, is difficult to read at times. It is not the writing style of the author, which is beautiful and held my interest at all times, but the subject matter - a family with many secrets and tragic events. I could not wait to get home from work to pick the book back up, and didn't turn on the television once. The writing envelopes, entertains, and in the end brought me to tears. I hope this author writes many more books that I can enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: One to read and re-read
Review: This is a novel that captures the soul and heart. What I liked about this one - the finely tuned characterizations of the Piper family, the unpredictable and very realistic plot twists and turn, the descriptions of the environment on Cape Breton Island. In fact, I had to turn up the heat in our house while reading this one, so realistically did the author capture the bleak, cold isolation of Nova Scotia.
Settle in for a long spell of reading if you begin this one and have some snacks nearby because you won't want to get up - trust me on this. The book starts off with a bang as James Piper falls head over heels in love (or is it just lust?) for Materia Mahmoud and lures her into a marriage with him, against her family's strong objections.
It isn't long before the couple realize they have little but physical attraction in common but the marriage produces several children, each of them intriguing in turn. I did think this had some of the earmarks of an early writer's work but it didn't detract from the spell the author wove. Sensual, often bittersweet and very powerful.
Rating:
Summary: Evokes sympathy
Review: Well written, thought provoking... Well developed characters who, through their own personal strengths and faults, make the reader empathize with the often misfortunate turns their lives take. Even the not-so-good characters invoke some sympathy. I found the story sad, overall, but it gave me another perspective on what life might have been in such a time and such a place.
Rating:
Summary: Wow... Exquisite literary gift...
Review: From the onset of this novel, one is intrigued by the realism of the narration. No narrator is plagued with a God-like knowledge of their surroundings, they know only what they experience. That is the key to the beauty of Fall on Your Knees.
Macdonald manages to create a dark world, focusing on the Piper family. Her ability to immerse the reader in the experiences of this family is a gift. When I began reading, however, I was not quite so enthralled with it. I thought it was strange, a bit wordy, and confusing. It was so intense and disturbing, however, that I was unable to set it aside. So, I continued reading, and I am so glad I did. It was only the end that made me fall in love with this book. The ending sums up the book, and you begin to realize what everything you previously read meant. It was a moment of realization when everything comes together. You realize that every word that Macdonald uses has been chosen for a particular reason, nothing in this book, contrary to what it seems is haphazard. At the end, I found myself wanting to go back and reread certain parts, knowing what I knew from the end of the book, to see what I had miss. It was like a movie, that needed to be watched again knowing the 'secret' and wanting to test the limits to see how well-written it was that certain subteleties that escaped the first time are blatant, important scenes, after all. This is one book that won't leave me for a long time. It is so incredibly well-written, the world of the Pipers now exists somewhere inside of me, no matter how disturbing that may be.
Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: I finished this book and my first thought was I need someone else to read this. It is a remarkable book. Another person that reviewed this said they thought the characters weren't developed. PLEASE. Did we read the same book? Terrific characters. James was a sick man. He did not love his wife, so he transfered his feelings to his daughters. Materia was weak. Mercedes was determined. Frances was wild but a loving soul. Kathleen was sheltered and spoiled until she reached NY then she bloomed. Lily was literaly a saint. I was overwhelmed by this book. I am not a big Oprah fan but she sure can pick 'em.
Rating:
Summary: Fall on Your Knees
Review: Yuck! If you like sad, depressing stuff, this book's for you! From the beginning, this story about a mother, father and daughters living in Canada was dark and foreboding. And I kept thinking the ending would show some redeeming quality in the characters to lift it up a bit, no such luck. Sorry , this is the LAST book club book I'll ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Dark and difficult, with all manner of dysfunction.
Review: Once I started this novel, I could not put it down. And now I can't keep the story and characters out of my mind. I was hooked from the first sentence, "They are all dead now," and found myself going back to the book's prologue to review how "they" found their end. The book has mystery and misery, the voice of children and adults, secrets slowly revealed, and unforgettable characters. When Ann-Marie MacDonald writes about the new home the Pipers move into. "...But just because it was new, doesn't mean it wasn't haunted," you know you are in for a great ride of a novel. It's a very difficult book to get through, but Ann-Marie MacDonald writes so well, that it is hard to believe this is a first novel. It spares little, and should not be missed.
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