Rating: 
Summary: Good read but lacked a point
Review: I enjoyed reading this book but at the end not only did I feel I missed the point of the book, I wasn't even really sure what the point was supposed to be. It was like the book started with the intent of getting to point A but arrived at point Z after brushing on lots of stuff in the middle. It's worth borrowing but not buying
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing character ....
Review: While I was intrigued with Jo's character in the beginning, the more I read the more she disappointed me. She becomes obsessed with her desire to visit her past and to remember and in doing so she becomes a tedious character. I wanted to finish the book and yet I had no motivation to pick it up once I was half way through. I continued to read on wishing that the book would take a dramatic turn back to interesting but unfortunately rhe ending is disappointing as well.
Rating: 
Summary: while the book dragged on
Review: I think the three biggest flaws of this book are how disjointed the plot line is, how unstable and inconsistent the character developments are, and the fact that the past and the present read as if they belong in two seperate novels. I've read countless other Oprah book club picks, and this was BY FAR the most dissapointing...maybe I'm just too young (22) to understand the middle-age crisis of the main author, but she seemed entirely too self-serving and seemed incapable of developing strong relationships with ANY of the other characters, least of all her husband and daughters...I kept reading on, thinking that something toward the end of the book would salvage the story but, alas, the further I read, the more I disliked it...all in all, the book just made me feel angry and empty and I was GLAD when the experience was over.
Rating:
Summary: While Who Was Gone?
Review: This month's book club selection took both Joey and me on a journey into past lives. Having experienced communal living in the suburbs of Boston as a frustrated college coed, the similarities in the social perceptions of the inhabitants and the life style of the household clearly brought back my own memories. Thankfully I did not experience a brutal murder of a housemate yet I found the young girl's death symbolic of the so-called existence of independent,liberated women living in an ever male dominated American culture. As the mother of a daughter and college freshman in the year 2000, I found myself cautioning her to the social pressures of the individual vs. the peer group idea of freedom,and how integrity becomes apparent in how one chooses to interpret the rhetoric of such. Basically I was trying to warn her about being extremely protective of herself. As Janis Joplin said "Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got." Fortunately, I think that the characters of my past were more in touch with reality than Sue Miller's communal "guests." Our household had a past and a future before and after my time there because we lived as a community. Many serious life-long relationships were formed in our commune. I married one of my housemates because I loved the guy. I still do,and so I act accordingly. When I see old housemates, I don't begin planning an affair. Isn't that what growing up is all about? Being a responsible adult and living in the present? Sue Miller doesn't give women the credit that we deserve for living through a period in social America that promised us freedom and equality as responsible and intelligent individuals no matter what life style we chose. Maybe I'll write a book about a strong ,smart, successful woman who works at personal growth while also being sensitive to loved ones and their growth process as well.
Rating:
Summary: While I Was Gone...escaped me!
Review: I usually give a book 50 pages...by then it's a "go" or "no go"!On this one I stopped at page 47...just didn't seem to be going anywhere. I don't like to work that hard at reading! Sorry!
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly Thought Provoking
Review: Speaking as a 23 year old woman who is trying to find herself after college, starting a career and entering a wonderful longterm relationship, I found the book to be very benefitial. It is an incredible story that made me realize the consequences that making bad choices can have on not only yourself, but everyone around you. Jo faced losing a blessed life with her husband and family due to curiosity and bad decisions. It really brought the idea home that even if one does not go through with something, the thought that you even considered it is enough to shatter your life. I would recomend this book to anyone. While I thought the story was very entertaining, I finished it with a sense of self realization as well.
Rating:
Summary: Utterly Devoid of any Style
Review: This book is absolutely stupid! It really is a horribly boring storyline punctuated by the pathetic "insights" and emotions of its main character, Jo. I recommend leaving it on the shelf and buying another boook that's worth reading!
Rating:
Summary: While I was gone
Review: I was really disappointed with this book. I kept hoping that the story line would pick up. It got just a little hopeful with her conversation about the murder with Eli but dropped off again. This is an excellent book to put you to sleep. The idea for the book was a good one but it drug on with no surprises.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping, unsettling, melancholy
Review: My title says it all! I found the story to be very well written and interesting enough to read overnight. However, the main charater, Jo, continually makes bad decisions which come to unsettling, upsetting conclusions. I didn't feel good after reading this story -- I felt quite melancholy reading about this woman nearly destroying a good marriage and her good life. I could have lived without reading this book...
Rating:
Summary: Impossible to put down
Review: A must read for the middle aged woman. I was able to relate to this book in more ways than one. Life in the sixties ... life as mother of an emotionally exhausting daughter, sibling rivalry, and all of those questions of who am I? Where would I be had I'd traveled that other road? Is this what life is all about ? This was one of those books I couldn't wait to get back to, but ... didn't want to finish.
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