A Map of the World

Rating:
Summary: Not For Everyone
Review: No, this book is not good for everyone and is not good if you are looking to be uplifted, but if you like getting inside the characters instead of the action you will be wrapped up in this book. The significance of the title is subtle but gripping, and the idea that anyone's life could turn so wrong so fast is a little unsettling. The strength of the family unit is very realistically portrayed. If you've ever sat back and wondered where you went wrong, you will relate to Alice in no time.

Rating:
Summary: Have never so intensely disliked a book as I did this one!
Review: I really looked forward to reading this book. I read Book of Ruth and enjoyed it quite a bit. However, had I known what a disappointment I was in for, then I would have saved my money. I found the main characters unsympathetic (which I thought would be impossible given the subject matter of this book) and completely unbelievable. The only characters I liked was the spunky daughter and the husband. Plus, there was just way too much going on in this book - I won't go into details, in case you are determined to read it (don't be!), but suffice it to say, that Hamilton could have cut the issues in half and still had a "meaty" book. Then there was the ending - don't even get me started on the ending! If anyone needs forgiving, then it must be me - for letting myself even open this book!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This beautifully written book allows the reader to know these characters from the inside. Their thoughts, emotions, and inner dialog are explored in an unsentimental and clear way. You can't read this book without facing a few dark corners in your own psyche, which is probably a big reason for the wildly varying reviews contained in this website. It's an intimate journey, one which I found well worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: Someone stop me from finishing this book!
Review: I am half way through this book and am determined to continue to the bitter end. It is so boring that I skim over all the emotional descriptions which seem to just go on and on and on..... I am making myself finish the book only because I spent money buying it.

Rating:
Summary: A Map of the World
Review: It is an amazing book. I would have stayed up all night reading if I could have slept in when I finished it. The book is so detailed. You can picture perfectly every scene, every character. Hamilton allows you to feel as if you are there within the action. You want to give the characters advice. You want to help them and you want to kick them some times. It is a great book that must be read very carefully.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This book jumped right into action to catch your attention. The characters were portrayed in a very realistic manner so that you could identify with "their type". The author left no guessing as to how anything was to be visualized: this is good, but can become a little too much sometimes. It is a story of the family down the street that could be found in any of our communities. Coming from a small midwest town in Iowa, I can relate to the choices that ended up having to be made for this family. This book is not a super thriller - so don't expect it. However, it is a very mild truthful story that keeps your attention. It's like hearing a days worth of gossip at the coffee shop! I liked it very much. I hope the movie does the book justice. And for all of you big city people.....No! We are not all like this in the midwest! (smile)

Rating:
Summary: mixed feelings
Review: As a rule, a movie isn't as good as the novel is aspires to live up to. Pat Metheny, composer and performer of a soundtrack of the up and coming film 'map of the world', claims that the movie is of the highest calibur. So, when I saw the book on the shelves I went for it, thinking that if the movie is going to be good (I trust Pat's judgement) then the book has got to be REALLY good. Well, since I'm no writer, I'm not going to criticize Jane Hamilton as some readers have. I'm just going to say that I think that this could very well be an exception to the rule of the book always being better than the movie. or should I say more tolerable?

Rating:
Summary: A Map of the World
Review: If I had more time (i have newborn) I would write a more lengthly review. Just READ this book ~ you will be glad that you did...it's EXCELLENT!

Rating:
Summary: Very, very depressing
Review: I attempted to read this book-Jane Hamilton is an excellent writer but this is a profoundly depressing book and I caution readers to avoid it unless they really want to give it a shot.(Don't let Oprah's recommendation sway you-(See Bridges of Madison County- an apalling book- read the reviews for a laugh- her choices are generally very weak) Jane Hamilton is a better author than most on Oprah's list. I was unable to finish this and felt drained & depressed which is unusual with me because I am really a happy person. Actually, my husband asked me to stop reading it!

Rating:
Summary: beautifully eloquent, Hamilton is a great writer
Review: I read A Short History of A Prince last year and I was incredibly impressed with Hamilton's work. So when Oprah picked A Map of the World for her Bookclub I was anxiously anticipating a good read. I must say that I was far from disappointed for the novel which traces the fall and rise of a farm workers family is indeed a sharply beautiful and elegant work. I feel that the triptych like structure is an excellent way of highlighting the different points of view - Alice, her husband Howard and then back to Alice for the final court room scenes. The psychological descriptions of Alice's inability to cope with Lizzie's drowning are riveting. Also, masterful are the decriptions of her husband Howard as he tries to hold up the "home front" when Alice is incarcerated for suspected child abuse. Hamilton's eye for natural detail is great and her use of metaphor terrific. She has a keen ear for natural dialogue and a remarkable capacity to present wonderfully complex three dimensional characters. She really makes us feel Alice, Howard's and Teresa's pain and hurt. The novel works on many levels: as a "map" of family life which slowly disintergrates; a psychological analysis of death grief and loss; and also as a cinematic court room drama (I can't wait to see the film!). The fragilities of economic circumstance are also explored. Nothing in life is ever guaranteed. Hamilton shows the closed mindedness of small town life: the Goodwins were percieved as different, eccentic and hippyish. They didn't fit in and the "god fearing" citizens of the town new it. By writing this novel Hamilton is perhaps making us not only aware of the shortcomings of being different in a homogenious environment but also the pitfalls of trying to build a life in such an insulated and ultimately prejudiced community. A great, important work of literature.

Michael Leonard