Rating: 
Summary: Homebody falls short
Review: It's dangerous for an author to write fiction set in the South, because of the comparisons he invites. There are a lot of good Southern stories, and Homebody is not among Card's best. It starts strong, but gradually warps and settles like a house with a poorly-built foundation. Homebody is missing the subtlety of good Southern fiction and the dark mystery of good Southern ghost stories. It reveals too much.Homebody has the elements of a good Southern ghost story--an aging mansion house, characters with dark pasts or who are particularly Southern. Yet despite the setting and the main plot, the story is ultimately executed with all the subtlety and grace of a Hollywood horror flick. Mr. Card has forgotten that the best stories are those that play to the reader's imagination. Card's ability shows clearly in some very nice characterizations and interesting relationship dynamics based on manners and upbringing. Still, readers who have worked on houses or demolition jobs in the past will be amazed at how quickly the protagonist's work goes in this story. Indeed, the plot feels a bit like walking through an unfinished demolition job, with its odd gaps in flow, plot twists, and jumps the reader is asked to accept, including the love interest that provides the foundation for the book's second half. The book feels like it was put together in too much haste. This story has been written before in a very similar way, as a short story that appeared years ago in one of the science fiction magazines--perhaps Fantasy & Science Fiction. A friend of mine had the misfortune to read *that* story, about a malevolent old mansion that resisted and fought back against a contractor's best efforts to demolish it, late one night in her basement. She did not sleep that night and did not return to her basement for weeks. If you like Card & Lost Boys, take a look at this story--there's enough there that it's worth a brief read-through, but keep your expectations at "maintstream Hollywood feature at the multiplex" level. If you're after good eerie Southern fiction, though, try something else. Perhaps some of Jim Grimsley's stuff (Winter Birds, Dream Boy, or My Drowning), or take a look through back issues of Fantasy and Science Fiction and maybe you'll stumble across that old short story about the house. Just don't read it in your basement.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-done novel for fans of urban fantasy
Review: First off, though this novel centers around a haunted house, be aware that there's a reason it's shelved under fantasy rather than horror. It's simply not very scary. Now that we've established what it's not, what is it? I'll tell you what it is: a darn good novel. Though it's first and foremost a story of paranormal suspense with multiple twists and turns (avoid the Kirkus review above if you want them to be a surprise!), Card's characterization is also superb (Renovator Don and unwelcome houseguest Sylvie especially are realistically-drawn and sympathetic) and he adds a touch of quirky humor in the form of Don's genteel next-door neighbors. While Orson Scott Card is best known for his science fiction novels, such as Ender's Game, his fantasy - both historical (Tales of Alvin Maker) and modern (Homebody) - is just as deft, and in some ways more satisfying. If you're a fan of urban fantasy, or fantasy in general, I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: less than I was hoping for
Review: This was the first Orson Scott Card book I've read but I'd heard good things about his writing so I thought I'd check it out. While the premise of a ghost so strongly attached to a house that its "life" is dependent on it was interesting, I just didn't get into the characters that much. Who we think is the female lead just stops a few chapters into the book. The reason for the house's powers and what that power is was unclear to me. The neighbor ladies were probably the best characters in the book but without a fuller explanation of why they were so afraid and attached to the house, I felt empyt as I kept reading.
Rating:
Summary: Not his genre...
Review: Homebody is a light, mildly entertaining read that tries desperately to make us feel the depth of the characters. "Desperately" because Card's usual gift for characterization through an evolving inner life is notably absent. In his science fiction and fantasy, Card pulls highly believable, well-rounded characters from alien plots and settings. In this uninspired haunted house story, with its characters interacting primarily in the non-fantastical world, Card reveals personality through exposition of the characters' histories, which usually involve a tragic story about children (a la Lost Boys, the only other Card novel I haven't enjoyed thoroughly). The main character, a house builder who has lost his daughter because of his ex-wife's substance abuse, lives out of a truck and the homes he now renovates. Two years have passed since her death, and he actively examines every present action through the lens of her memory. The reaction to such an event is unimagineable to anyone that has not lost a child, but it is so primary a plot device and life-defining experience that it needed better development and more subtlety. Constant ruminating over the event does not make the experience authentic to the reader. We never even get the chance to decide whether the man is acting like we would expect a man in such a situation to act - the character is actively deciding for us on almost every page. He is too aware of his own motivation, even in the moment, for the two potential romances of the story to be believable. The first potentially interesting character isthe real estate agent that sells him the house, but when we learn of the tragedy of her children, she is quickly written out of the novel, one suspects because she was too complex to continue writing. The second, a vagrant occupant of the run-down house, is the most fully realized even though she is the least human (it is a ghost story and you would have figured it out anyway). Even as a haunted house read, Homebody falls as far short of, say, The Shining as Illustrated Classics fall short of the originals. This leads me to believe Card should stick to what he does best (Pastwatch, Ender, Alvin Maker) and stay out of the "real world" - his characters there just aren't real enough.
Rating:
Summary: Non-horrifying horror
Review: This novel, by one of the great modern science fiction authors, was not what I was expecting. Homebody isn't science fiction, it's more of a light horror/romance. I almost stopped reading during the first half, because the story seemed like a misplaced romance novel, a genre I have absolutely no interest in. The second half was definitely an improvement over the earlier chapters, but the overall book was a disappointment. The plot and its twists were extremely predictable, and it never really reached what I would consider horror. I was annoyed by the disappearance of the first female lead--she was written as if she would be a main character, then she diappeared halfway through and was never heard from again. Very sloppy. I think I'll stick to Card's sci-fi, if this is what happens when he switches genres...
Rating:
Summary: Not his genre...
Review: Homebody is a light, mildly entertaining read that tries desperately to make us feel the depth of the characters. "Desperately" because Card's usual gift for characterization through an evolving inner life is notably absent. In his science fiction and fantasy, Card pulls highly believable, well-rounded characters from alien plots and settings. In this uninspired haunted house story, with its characters interacting primarily in the non-fantastical world, Card reveals personality through exposition of the characters' histories, which usually involve a tragic story about children (a la Lost Boys, the only other Card novel I haven't enjoyed thoroughly). The main character, a house builder who has lost his daughter because of his ex-wife's substance abuse, lives out of a truck and the homes he now renovates. Two years have passed since her death, and he actively examines every present action through the lens of her memory. The reaction to such an event is unimagineable to anyone that has not lost a child, but it is so primary a plot device and life-defining experience that it needed better development and more subtlety. Constant ruminating over the event does not make the experience authentic to the reader. We never even get the chance to decide whether the man is acting like we would expect a man in such a situation to act - the character is actively deciding for us on almost every page. He is too aware of his own motivation, even in the moment, for the two potential romances of the story to be believable. The first potentially interesting character isthe real estate agent that sells him the house, but when we learn of the tragedy of her children, she is quickly written out of the novel, one suspects because she was too complex to continue writing. The second, a vagrant occupant of the run-down house, is the most fully realized even though she is the least human (it is a ghost story and you would have figured it out anyway). Even as a haunted house read, Homebody falls as far short of, say, The Shining as Illustrated Classics fall short of the originals. This leads me to believe Card should stick to what he does best (Pastwatch, Ender, Alvin Maker) and stay out of the "real world" - his characters there just aren't real enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: If you like Orson Scott Card, Homebody won't disappoint you. If you love Orson Scott Card stories, it may leave you wanting more. Homebody is about a simple man with a bad past who buys a house with an even worse history than he does. The story is simple and straight forward and is relatively predictable. Don Lark, the main character is flushed out well, but somehow everyone else seems a little hollow. The characters seem a little too convenient and there is very little, if no background characters. Unfortunately, Lark's character believes in the story of Sylvie, the old ladies and the house too easily. Not enough struggle in the acceptance of the supernatural. The story is good and you'll enjoy it. However, readers who go out of their way for a Card book for the depth of the characters and the storyline will be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: less than I was hoping for
Review: This was the first Orson Scott Card book I've read but I'd heard good things about his writing so I thought I'd check it out. While the premise of a ghost so strongly attached to a house that its "life" is dependent on it was interesting, I just didn't get into the characters that much. Who we think is the female lead just stops a few chapters into the book. The reason for the house's powers and what that power is was unclear to me. The neighbor ladies were probably the best characters in the book but without a fuller explanation of why they were so afraid and attached to the house, I felt empyt as I kept reading.
Rating:
Summary: Obviously a good writer
Review: Though I admit this novel doesn't strike me as the sort to become a classic anytime soon, I also must admit that Orson Scott Card's writing is very good. It shines through a plot that could have been better developed. Not to say that HOMEBODY has a terrible plot. I merely feel that it would have been an even more gripping and involving piece of literature if the house were given more of a thoroughly discussed history just to give the novel even more depth. I recommend this book to readers who appreciate fine writing and not just the cookie-cutter sort so readily available in commercial fiction today.
Rating:
Summary: Competent, but bland
Review: Normally I like Orson Scott Card. In fact, the Ender series tops my list for best SF series ever. Homebody, however, is a disappointment. The plot is bland, the cliches abound, and it's not very moving or scary. The writing, as in all of Card's work, is clear and well presented. But, alas, here Card is just moving his pen for no reason.
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