Rating: 
Summary: Better than Most of Oprah's Picks
Review: I have to be honest, I usually find Oprah Winfrey's picks to be, well, boring. Sometimes lofty. Sometimes pretentious. Sometimes sterile. I often wish she would give her readers something with more life, maybe more contemporary, biting, passionate. "Fall on Your Knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald is better than most of Ms. Winfrey's picks, and although it's quite long, gives great characters, storyline, and dialogue. Even if you're not one of Oprah's followers, you might like this.
Rating: 
Summary: Fall On Your Knees
Review: I read this book a couple of years ago. We lived in the area of Cape Breton that the author talks about in the book, so it was like being back there. I could not put this book down and was excited to see if on Oprah's list for this month.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: "Fall on Your Knees" was over-dramatic for my taste. It's hard not to identify with something in each of the four sisters in the story, but I've grown weary of stories about dysfunctional families. I read this book a number of months ago, and it is well written, (the characters stayed fresh in my mind) but it's really not a "guys" read. I'd recommend "Home in One Piece" by John Thompson as a story of courage and inspiration instead of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreakingly beautiful
Review: Ann-Marie MacDonald is an incredible writer. Her characters are real, human, joyful, and tragic. This story is a bit on the dark side, but that is not a bad thing in my opinion. There is sparkling magic interwoven with the darkness. The first book I've read in a very long time that really absorbed me, excited me, transformed me. A top-5 favorite for sure.
Rating:
Summary: A Haunting First Novel
Review: In her debut novel, Canadian author MacDonald lures readers with her amazing insight into the human soul and its darkest secrets. She visits the town of New Waterford, Cape Breton, an island near Nova Scotia. Near the turn of the twentieth century, ambitious young piano tuner James Piper meets thirteen-year-old Materia Mahmoud. Against the wishes of her Catholic Lebanese parents, the two marry, Materia is disowned, and they set up housekeeping in a house her father had built for them. Previously pampered Materia finds difficulty adjusting to married life, even more so after she becomes pregnant. It seems as if her only friend is neighbor Mrs. Luvovitz, the wife of the Jewish town butcher. With the birth of Kathleen, Materia encounters feelings of guilt for her inability to bond with her daughter, the joy of James' life. As their marriage continues unhappily, Materia gives birth to two other thriving children, Mercedes and Frances. Though she does her best to mother them, part of Materia is missing, as James grows increasingly disgruntled with her. And while the years roll by, the Piper family seems to face more tragedy than triumph as life continues on with more births, deaths, and purposeful self-destruction. Ms. MacDonald hooks her readers with the resonance of her characters, explored in such a way as to expose their various layers. With every character, there are many faces, none all good or evil, each providing a different face to the world. And the combination of religions, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, is creatively meshed with the every day world of the times, often to justify actions taken or not taken. This is definitely a read not to be missed, whose characters will fill the heart and soul for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful--a must read
Review: I loved this book; it was just so well written and beautiful. And it was definately epic--it is long and wordy, but I am pretty sure that's what "epic" means. Don't let the length put you off to discovering a truly gifted writer and a moving and wonderful tale. You won't be sorry
Rating:
Summary: Oprah has made a good choice
Review: This book, recommended to me by one of my college students, is one of those novels you can simply dive into and lose yourself in. Although I also read, and enjoy, punchy, sardonic, razor-edge writing like "The Corrections" (Franzen) and "White Noise" (DeLillo), this book is far from those styles. It's an old-fashioned "good read," focusing deeply on each character and twisting them around one another in endless ways.
There is obsession here, the darkest kind, and yet the book is also, in places, heartbreaking in its compassion for the characters. The most interesting of the four sisters, to me, was Frances. Mostly because her spinning out of control was unlike any I've read before. Her longing and misery, and her many idiosyncrasies, make her an unforgettable character. The story of the parents in this story is so dismal in spots, that it brought to mind "Angela's Ashes," though the plot is nothing close.
I think that what makes this book stand apart from other good reads is the feeling that the author truly came to love her characters. And the story is so multi-faceted and surprising that it fully earns its 500-plus pages.
Great book. I haven't read many of "Oprah's" book club choices, but I applaud her on this choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Overrated Oprah Pick Filled with Despair
Review: Anne-Marie McDonald is no doubt a very talented author. But this is yet another Oprah pick that the critics adore while middle America snores. What would an Oprah pick be without:
1. 500 pages of despair and dysfunction
2. The abandonment and unraveling of a child
3. A harrowing Cesarian performed on (you guessed it) an illegitimately pregnant daughter.
4. Incest as a recurrent theme throughout the novel.
Consider these questions from the reader's guide: James enlists in the army during WWI in part due to his sexual feelings for his daughter Kathleen, but later acts on these urges with Frances. Did you realize what Mercedes witnessed on the "rocking chair" before or after she did? And, what role do you think that incest plays in how Frances earns money? Enough already, Oprah. I love well-written novels that move me and make me feel empathy and gratitude. But there are hundreds of other titles that are moving, inspiring and uplifting...and that reflect the struggles of middle America. Save your time and money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: my advice beofre you read this!
Review: out of all the current reviews, i think mine is a mix of all of them.. im not going to go into a long detailed description or anything but this is definitely a crazy-weird book if u have the time (its really long!!) Read it BUT im warning you though..its hard to put down! the characters are quite messed up and theres a lot of things that are really depressing and scary.. i think she's a good writer, its a good book, though not amazing, and theres so many characters and time switches that it confuses you at first.. and i really hated the way it ended it didn't leave me with a sense of satisfaction or happiness but then, its not supposed to be one of those feel-good books! im just rambling here but basically, read it if u have the patience, but be prepared for strange *horrible* things [that really make you hate some characters!!!] to happen ...
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down!
Review: The saga of this family is mesmorizing. Its a sad and strange story, but also encouraging. The end makes it all worthwhile.
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