Rating: 
Summary: Tedious. Tangential. Disappointing.
Review: I was so excited to read this book. Intrigued, even. The result is that I feel utterly disappointed and as if I wasted my time. It took me 6 months to finish this book. It was always on the bottom of the rotation and my diligence is due only to obligation and the obsessive-compulsive trait that keeps me from abandoning a book, however bad, once I've started it. The author clearly is a master of vocabulary, structure and plot. Rhythm, however, eludes him. The male characters are underdeveloped. I am at a loss to explain their morbid fascination with the Lisbon sisters, save for simple and predictable pubescent fascination. Moreover, the reason for the suicides is never revealed. Is that the point? I think not. I don't want a bestseller. I don't want predictability. But I do want closure. This novel was a waste of time. Period. And the glowing reviews, perhaps notably, are all written by men who -- I wonder and suspect -- probably have never had a decent, clear, poignant or relevant connection and/or understanding of a real, actual, living and breathing woman whatsoever. If you like Maxim, you'll love this book. You can fantasize about "misunderstood" adolescent girls who you could have "saved" if you were ever brave enough to talk to them.
Rating: 
Summary: Chills to the Bone
Review: I'm not an avid reader. I have lots of trouble getting into books, but his one was different. Granted, I saw the movie first and just wanted to see what the book was like. It was one of the best books I've ever read. It reached me in ways that I never thought I could be reached. It takes you to another place where all the cares and fears of the world disappear. I would recommend it to anyone, no matter what your taste is. This is a good one.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking and haunting, but I don't know why...
Review: And that is the beauty of the book. The answer to the question as to why the Lisbon sisters killed themselves seems readily apparent--their mother was an unreasonable, overprotective witch, and the girls could not come up with another viable option for escaping the house. But Eugenides makes us wonder if there is more to it than that--that maybe we the readers and the neighborhood boys who pined after them were missing something about the Lisbon family.
Rating:
Summary: floating through a literary dream
Review: Excellent. Eugenides' prose weaves in and out of the story, looping it together but still leaving enough questions to leave you unsettled at the end of the book. Although disturbing at points, there is never enough to warrant placing it aside. It captures the white lace agony of the Lisbon sisters excellently - which is precisely where the film version fails, at times rocking between kitsch and subdued elegance. My only criticism of the book is the manner of the ending - rather anticlimactic given that you know the end from the first page - the title, even. However, this is not enough to warrant skipping over this read. Five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting yet touching look at adolescent suburbia
Review: The story of the 5 Lisbon sisters who all take their own lives one by one is told by a neighboring boy who along with his friends have a kind of obsession over the girls. They watch the sisters from slightly afar and imagine what they could possibly be doing and Oh if they could just know for sure! Their beauty and angelicness only adds to the question, what caused them to do it? Through the eyes of the boys we learn various facts and even communicate with the girls on occasion. Never do we see first hand what goes on in their lives and certainly not their minds. But this is part of the genius of Jeffrey Eugenides narrative style. We quickly join the boys in their quest, eager to discover more about the Lisbons and the tragedy that is their lives. As if we too are part of the community witnessing first hand their demise. Not as depressing as the title would suggest, though certainly not a happy-go-lucky tale by any means. There are actually several humorous and touching moments leading up to the big finale.
Rating:
Summary: GET IT RIGHT AND READ THIS ONE
Review: Look, everyone else who wrote a review for this book is completely missing the point of it all. It is not about the girls themselves. It is about the boys, through whose point of view the story is told. Realize this, and you will then see the deeper meaning of the book and how incredibly well it is written.
Rating:
Summary: wheeeeeeeeeeee
Review: First of all, this book is my new God. I loved it and anyone who borrows it must sign a waiver. I just wanted to say, if any of you know where I can get this book in its different covers, PLEASE email me. Thanks! CsmicLux@aol.com
Rating:
Summary: very funny!!
Review: What can I say? this book is a real bellyacher, a laugh a minute rollercoaster ride! From the opening moment, when the hero roger the clown gets slapped in the face with a custard pie, you know you are in for a real treat! I must say, I think this is the first book I have ever read that is set in a circus, but now I want to read more! My personal favourite character was chachi the monkey; what a cheeky little scamp! Although I feel obliged to point out that monkey rape is not something I would normally condone, the way it's written here is just so danged funny! Highly recommended for anyone who needs a good laugh!
Rating:
Summary: wonderfully written- biting humor
Review: A wonderfully written account of the five Lisbon sisters from the perpsective of the boys who across the street and remained infatuated with them, even after their deaths, from the first days of puberty. They placed the sisters upon a pedestal and dedicated their juvenile lives to getting into the girls' pants. If only they could get into the girls' house, or even minds, first. Written as a past account penned during the boys' middle age, it is full of the nostalgia for the innocence and excitement of homecoming dances, poorly fitting blazers, and watermelon-flavored bubblegum. A sad story written in humorous fashion with biting lines like, "We had never learned the girls might love us back. The notion made us dizzy, and we lay down on the Larsons' carpet, which smelled of pet deodorizer, and deeper down, of pet." Pretty darned good novel, very stylish, rather innovative, and lots of fun.
Rating:
Summary: a 1970s suburban family on the road to ruin
Review: Upon reading The Virgin Suicides one feels totally depressed by the very unsettling story, in awe of how it was cleverly written, and how much one can relate to the story ... especially, if like me, you were a teenager in 1970s America. While just a story, The Virgin Suicides is an oh-too-believable macabre nightmare. But like bad-tasting medicine, it's good for you. As most everyone probably knows The Virgin Suicides is about the deaths of teenage sisters. But this is only the 'headline' attraction if you will. The story delves actually, in an indirect fashion (the story is narrated by some unnamed neighbor, often in the form of flashbacks), into the lives (not deaths) of the sisters and their parents. The author examines how their 'unusual' behaviour had an affect on the community, and how obsessive behaviour on the part of parents, despite best intentions, had devastating consequences. Most interestingly, we don't directly involve ourselves with the girls themselves per se. However by the end of the book I felt as if I lost my own siblings. Bottom line: a clever, depressing yet ultimately moving book. A must read. (no, I did not see the film)
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