Rating: 
Summary: Haunting
Review: That is one way to describe this absolute masterpiece of a novel. Eugenides really does it in his debut, and I want more from this extremely talented author.Virgin Suicides is very dark, and as a bit of a coinicdence, struck deep chords within me because a friend committed suicide four days before I read this book. (I had ordered it about a week before from Amazon). I love this book because the main characters are hidden, the guys teeling the story, although you catch glimpses of them, they remain in the background, preferring simply to narrate the story behind the five sisters who commit suicide in succession. This novel will remain with you forever. Read and Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: The Good, the Bad, and the Pointless
Review: I finally finished "The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffery Eugenides. By my choice of word ("Finally"), you can probably surmise that I'm not as thrilled with the outcome of the book as I was with the beginning and early progression. What started out and even ended interesting, too often dissolved into nonsense and digression. A very beautiful prosaic style was marred by obsessive detail, too. One other problem, I think, was that we never get to see the Lisbon girls in any other way, but through the eyes of the neighbourhood boys that loved them. This probably stifled some very interesting possibilities and leads me to question the voice of the narrator, how reliable he is, and to what extent he altered the story's truth, as well as to what extent he infused the story with his own fantasy. I'm not at all sorry I read the book, or that I payed for it. What I am sorry for is the time and patience I invested in reading it and not realizing sooner that half of it skimmed would not at all have taken away from the (yes, indeed) lyrical sadness, yet strong impact of the narrative as a whole.
Rating:
Summary: In a word: Atmospheric!
Review: From the very title to the opening words of Jeffrey Eugenides' atmospheric novel, you the reader know what you are in for. There is no surprise in the outcome of the book -- and that's the beauty of it. Eugenides instead concentrates on bringing to life the characters, suburban neighborhood and atmosphere of the Lisbon girls and their lives. The novel is about both the sisters and the boys who are infatuated with them. On a personal level I could relate having grown up in suburbia just five house down the block from the beautiful Williams sisters. My friends and I would sit outside their house on the curb dying to know what goes on in those rooms. Eugenides' treatment of the suicides is dark and real. He takes these moments and details them as if they were poetry. Without trying to sound morbid, you seriously will be dying to get to the climax of the novel which takes it's time and occurs with such straighforward description that you can almost hear the ominous music that should accompany the situation. I'm not a literary scholar and I don't pretend to be; I read and finish about 30 books a year (which I think is a goodly amount) and watch a lot of movies; I work as a copywriter in a big city publishing house and am trying to finish my own novel at the same time; and I have to say that this is the BEST book I have ever read. I've never really felt a book as much as this one.
Rating:
Summary: TEEN LOVE, ANGST AND DEATH.
Review: Cecilia, Lux, Bonnie, Mary, and Therese. Since reading this novel, these names have echoed in the recess of my mind with adolescent curiosity. In this novel, Jeffrey Eugenides paints a hauntingly beautiful picture of the short lives of the 5 Lisbon sisters. Those seeking all the answers to the mystery of these five girls will surely be disappointed, as Eugenides' story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged man whom, along with his balding friends, is still perplexed and enchanted with 5 teenage girls that took their own lives so many years ago. Eugenides' powers of description make every minor detail so real, and so beautiful, proof that the narrator savored each every moment that those 5 doomed girls graced this earth. This novel deals with the complexities of suburban life and the mysteries that surround the opposite sex during the tumultuous years of adolescence in a way that one can easily relate.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny
Review: I live in the setting of this book, and I go to the same school as the writer Jeffery Eugendies went to, this book is amazing to me as it makes refrences to many places that I hang out with my friends, and some of the teachers are the same teachers I have (of course not the same names) I would recomend this book to anyone that loves to read!!
Rating:
Summary: Well written
Review: I was not sure what to expect from this book and now that I have finished it, I can hardly imagine how this was translated to the big screen. That being said, this book is more about what stays with us as the years pass; the details of our childhood that never leave our memories. Whether that be the cutting down of Elm trees, the characters who live in your neighborhood, or the 5 sisters across the street that kill themselves. The Virgin Suicides chronicles the pain and grief one family endures as the neighborhood watches on. Eugenides language is amazing and his descriptions are clever. This is a book that must be read 2 times to fully appreciate what the author has done. The last chapter is the best and Eugenides leaves the reader quite impressed. I was most interested in what Eugenides had to say about human nature.
Rating:
Summary: Could've Been Much Better
Review: I'd been recommended this book by Amazon, so in search of a page turner, I took my chance and made the thirteen dollar investment. From the first page, it proved addicting. I couldn't wait to read what would happen next, anticipating huge moments that would blow my socks off and give me that electrical satisfaction you get when a book has gone beyond your already high expectations. That was how the entire book was written -as a page turner. Each page made me want to read the next, as though that next page would bring me to the plot's huge climax. It never did. Now, this is not to say that the book wasn't exciting and powerful. It was; every single page of it. However, in the way it was written, with the reader always waiting for something bigger to happen, there was no way to appreciate the mind-blowing events that actually did occur. Even when Cecilia threw herself out the window, when Mary had her head in the oven,and the other three sisters took their own turns at suicide, you were waiting for something bigger to happen on the next page. The impact of those huge events was almost neutralized by the writer's way of making you want more, and you were never satisfied when you got it. This book had the potential for excellence, but proved that there is such a thing as TOO MUCH suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book despite what I say- it is worth it
Review: It is unquestionable that the novel is a veritable tour de force of anecdotal subtlety and insight - the kind that most writers wish they could indulge themselves in and get away with in their writing. The interesting thing about this novel is that Eugenides does get away with it, but just barely. Although the dozens of secondary character sketches are admirably concise and vivid, they are at times distracting and at rare moments steal the show from the Lisbon women, who should rightfully be the stars. This coupled with the continual point of view shift (which could be substantiated if the narrator were characterized more specifically) leaves the reader as disconnected with the narrator as the Lisbon sisters become with the rest of the world. The only reason that I bring up these minor shortcomings, however, is that I did find the novel to be immensely poetic and insightful (and rather envy-provoking, speaking as a fellow writer); I was simply frustrated to be unable to connect with the narrator whose voice is too close to third person to be treated as a first person. I suppose this was Eugenides vision and purpose: to create a sort of in between narrator to work every angle possible. Though it was an admirable effort, it is a bit too gimmicky for me. All in all, however, this is definitely a worthwhile read, one that any writer should pick up. Eugenides transfers his extraordinary perceptive abilities to the page while managing to avoid verbosity or triteness. And that is something to be admired in itself.
Rating:
Summary: Not That Mysterious
Review: In reading the reviews of other people who have read this book, I am quite amazed at the frustration they have in understanding the Lisbon sisters. Being an adolescent girl myself, I can only somehow relate to their frustrations and complications in their short lives. These girls felt they had nobody to turn to. Their parents took them out of school; they weren't allowed to even leave their yard. Their only source of entertainment they had was to play songs back and forth to the obsessive neighborhood boys. It was like they somehow knew that even if their parents let them have a normal life, things were always going to be different for them. People were always going to talk; boys were always going to stare. So, why not commit suicide and end the trauma they were inevitably going to face the rest of their lives? It is a tragic tale of the hopelessness a teenager can face in today's society....even though this story took place in the 70's. So, in closing, I believe it can be a wake up call that no man is an island, and what we do does affect the people around us.
Rating:
Summary: One fantistic book
Review: The Virgin Suicides is a difficult book to classify because of its many faces. Is about growing up, finding out who you are, and realizing that death can be preferable to life. Overall, the book is one of the best that I have ever read. The last twenty pages are the most powerful words written in modern literature. The book plays with your mind with its humor and brutal truth and honesty about life and emotions. A great read!
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