A Map of the World

Rating:
Summary: A Map of The World
Review: Things like Jane Hamilton wrote about in this book really do happen in this world. Children really do die and for a number of reasons. Communities have been banding together to prosecute people for a long time. Life really can turn on a dime. This book was not boring, it was real. The characters were not sappy or lovable, they were real. I noticed many of the reviewers have a very strong emotional response to this book. This actually speaks very well of the book and the author. Obviously not all subject matter is precisely what we want to think about.

Rating:
Summary: A Map of Excellence!
Review: I found Hamilton's novel to be compelling, literate, and one that resounded within me long after the last page was read. Howard and Alice are a study in paradoxes especially Alice, a nurse, ergo a "healer" who is an indirect cause of death and a falsely accused abuser. This novel is complex and reaches the reader on many levels. It is a study of friendship, illusion and reality, the individual and society. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Although I don't agree with all of Oprah's selections, I have to admit that she picked a winner here. This was a very powerful read and was hard to put down. Although it is probably more suited for women, I think men would enjoy it as well. If you like this book, I would also recommend Long Highway Home by Amy Collier.

Rating:
Summary: A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
Review: I found myself wondering if this book had an editor. I enjoyed the facinating story line but such details as the fact that a school nurse with her duties would have been a RN but the character was given a background that barely said LPN/LVN. And her world view was not informed by the kind of problem solving skills a nurse would have. It is details like this that made me shout, "where is the editor for this book?" The story is compelling. It is a testiment to the story line that I read through to the gripping end. However, this very talented writer showed many times that she was not writing what she knew but practicing fiction. The real question is, where was her editor?

Rating:
Summary: A Map of Disappointment
Review: I started reading Ms. Hamilton's work with great anticipation. It held my attention for about the first 100 pages but then I found that the story deteriorated rapidly. Alice's emotional responses following Lizzie's death were very well written. I was disappointed in how the book developed and while I initially was telling all my friends to read the book (during the reading of the first 100 pages) I later recanted my recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: could have been a good book
Review: It is a good story, but poorly written. It was slow, wordy and boring at times. I was VERY tempted to skip a few paragraphs (and chapters). I didn't want read chapter after chapter about how Howard milks his cows. I also didn't like the dialogue between the characters. It was wordy and seemed fake. As a result, I was unable to relate or sympathize for any of the characters.

Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read
Review: I found this book to definitely be a worthwhile read. In fact, I had a hard time putting it down. The complexity of Alice, her family, children, friends and the devastation that depression can have on a person was written in a way to capture the reader and hold you there. I loved the way she switched to Howard's point of view and how it differed from Alice's. Their inability to communicate with each other was something that struck me throughout the book and something I could definitely relate to. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book.
Review: Yes it's a wonderful book. I read it all night. In this book i see my won world.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely slow
Review: It took me longer than usual to read this book. I felt the writer had some mixed thoughts and put them down on paper. I was always looking for something good to happen and it wasn't til the end that I realized I just read a bomb. try the Pilots Wife, or river, Cross My Heart or even Vinegar Hill was better than this.

Rating:
Summary: This book is too good to lend to your friends.
Review: This book will make you laugh, but mostly cry. Ms Hamilton certainly does have a way with words. I found myself reading parts outloud to try to reinforce their beauty. To tell the truth, I haven't finished the book yet but am dreading the end to such a fabulous tale.