Rating: 
Summary: Well written but slow
Review: This is a book about the severe hardships a woman, and consequently her family, endures during a particularly turbulent time of their life. the book well written and semi-interesting, but it is slow...the plot inches at a snail's pace, and is often distracted by the author's flashbacks, tangents, descriptions, etc...Particularly mind-numbing were the chapters relating to Alice's flashbacks of her prison experience...Maybe I didnt like Alice too much, but at that point in the book, I could honestly care less what happened to her. the only excitement the plot offered were the courtroom scenes towards the very end. Finally, I would not highly reccommend this book, it's just too boring...
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Engaging Book
Review: I am one of the readers who could not put this book down--I did not always like or admire the main characters, but they, as well as the circumstances, were so realistic,how could anyone deny them, their feelings or their actions? As a retired teacher, we've all seen the societal changes in dealing with students and, most of all, their parents--kiss of death, when Alice said she would report the mother! At that point, anyone involved in education knew her career was over! This book was extremely well written and the plot and its ramifications and outcome very well done--what a refreshing departure from some of the everyday trash!
Rating:
Summary: Compelling story, insightful study of personalities
Review: In A Map of the World, Alice and Howard Goodwin own a family farm in a northern midwest town called Prarie Center. They have two daughters and are close to another family with two girls of similar ages, although they are shunned by the rest of the mainly suburban community. Despite their dreams of a simple life, they encounter two serious tragedies that dramatically change their lives, one a terrible accident in which one of the girls dies and another a terrible injustice that lands Alice in jail, accused of child molestation. The book is about how the two families and the community reacts to and copes with the events. I loved this book. I was on a business trip and hadn't brought a "backup book," and it was a struggle to keep myself from reading too much so I'd have enough to last the cross-country flight home. I loved the book because it was compelling on so many levels. Told from both Alice's and Howard's perspective, it delves into their complex reactions to the events and how it affected their understanding of themselves. It also characterizes the effect it has on their relationship with each other, with their children, and with their friends. It is also an insightful if painful commentary on people's reaction to sexual abuse and how they treat those who are accused vs. the children who accuse them. It richly describes Alice's time in jail and her reaction to the mostly lower-income women who share her "pod." And it has an intriguing description of how the case makes it way through the legal process, culminating in a compelling courtroom drama. At all these levels, nothing seemed contrived or predictable. Even though I don't think I'd react the way these characters did, their behavior always seemed true and genuine, and I felt I learned something as I read about how they handled and came to accept their situation. Usually I find it difficult to read about great misfortune, especially unjust misfortune. But this book was so rich in its understanding of how people deal with such problems that I found it cathartic to identify with the characters and live through it with them. If you like books with rich characters and relationships, and complex social situations, I'd highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A slow go.
Review: While parts of this book kept me turning the pages, on the whole, I was bored to tears. I found Alice to be a pitiful soul, and her husband, Howard, to be a pathetic man. His perspective was the most frustrating. I have found Oprah's picks to be pretty awful so far - Snow Falling on Cedars, is another one that dragged on for what seemed to be an eternity. I honestly am recommending people to avoid this book.
Rating:
Summary: Tear jerker
Review: If you have kids, watch out! This one will hit home. I read this on the airplane and I was so busy boo-hooing that the flight attendant bought me a tissue. Excellent!
Rating:
Summary: Great book but maybe not for Oprah's fans . . .
Review: I found this book by accident a couple of years ago and could not put it down. Alice makes one mistake; the result is huge & horrifying; her life and those of everyone around her can never be the same again. And that's just the start. Sure she should have been paying attention, she should have been a better mother. She should have had more patience, more foresight. She shouldn't have left the kids alone, not even to grab a swim suit. But is there anyone this couldn't happen to? It's beautifully written. Particularly convincing portrayal of depression, & the conflict between 'country' & 'city' where the suburbs encroach on rural areas. This is not an uplifting, comfortable book. If you read for light entertainment, this is perhaps not the book for you, but I loved it--the characters are real, the writing vivid, the story only too believable.
Rating: 
Summary: Know better now.
Review: I am amazed that one review recommended this book to anyone 13 and older. Of all of the wonderful literature today and throughout the ages, why would you suggest this. Granted, I am always amazed at the subtle changes in one's life that can wreak havoc on the future, this book is just not that great. Nice writing style but I wouldn't read it had I known better.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing & depressing
Review: I like this author's writing style. Easy to read and get a feel for characters and their environment. This book in particular starts out very interesting and intriguing but then drags on a bit and keeps leading you downhill. I read it rather quickly hoping it would pick up again. Seems believable maybe that's why it's depressing. Not a bad read but wouldn't highly recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: Who are these depressing people!
Review: I could only manage to read about 1/3 of this thoroughly depressing novel before I gave myself the permission to put it down and stop torturing myself. I felt no compassion for any of the characters except Theresa. The plot is rather contrived (accidental drowning, charges of sexual abuse, arrest - talk about bad karma!) and I felt that I really didn't care what Alice had to say or what happened to her. Some of the other reader reviews were glowing; guess it goes to show you that people do have wildly different tastes when it comes to literature. I will not recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been so much more
Review: I don't like to criticize but in this case I must. The book had so much more potential than the author provided to readers. I would liked to have read more intrinsic qualities about each main character and not so much of superficial distended judicial rhetoric. Howard seemed an empty shell of a man, Alice a lost victim, and Theresa, although not begrudging of Alice, showed more compassion for Howard's attraction to her than her own sorrow of losing a precious daughter.
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