A Map of the World

Rating:
Summary: God, I hated this book
Review: It's rare that I come across a story where I could care less about any of the characters but Jane Hamilton's rambling, aimless prose actually managed to do just that. To sum up: I hated this book. I just couldn't get into it; could not relate to or identify with any of the self-absorbed, passive, boring, unsympathetic characters. But I continued to trudge on---hoping that it'll 'kick in' eventually. But "A Map of the World" never took off. It took me over a month to finish reading it. And when I did finally finish, it was more of a relief to finally be done with it than of any literary satisfaction. This book was a huge waste of time. This will be my first and last experience reading Jane Hamilton. ...

Rating:
Summary: YUK! The worst book I ever read
Review: Map of the World is depressing. The characters have no depth, just sadness. They don't attempt to DO anything to relieve their sadness. One horrible event after another, and only one issue is ever resolved (the trial). Thumbs down! Rent the movie if you have to - it's better.

Rating:
Summary: One of only 2 books I actually couldn't get through....
Review: I found this book so slow, so dull and so shamelessly heart-wrenching that I never did finish it. Who knows, maybe it was the time of year I was reading it in, or maybe something interesting happened 2 pages from where I stopped, but I just could not even feign interest. Uninspirational work by and for those who don't have enough misery in their lives.

Rating:
Summary: The Desolation of Depression
Review: Jane Hamilton's A Map of the World is a novel that has moved her among the major writers of our time. A great piece of literature, Hamilton beautifully portrays the hard times of suburbia America and the hardships many families face everday. This adult novel faces such touchy topics as death of children, stress in relationships among friends, and the coping of a life not wanted but is truly necessity. This book was given to me by my AP English teacher who described it with one word-"sad". Not one to get emotional over literature, Hamilton's diction, syntax, and description allow the reader to actually feel the emotions of the average farming family. By sectioning of parts of the book by character titles, the author permits a deeper look into the mind and lives of certain characters drawing the reader deeper into the depths of dispair as the family continues to struggle with Life. A "normal" American family with a mother, Alice, a father, Howard, and two daughters, Alice and Emma, Hamilton discusses the fears that so many citizens are afraid to bring forward, even into their own thoughts. With only one real family friend, Alice faces the rough life of not only being considered the outcast of the perfect little town of Prarie Center, but also the scrutinous routine of the farmer's wife. Forced into marriage by the conception of their older daughter, Emma. Following the footsteps of her husband, she agrees to buy a farm due to her husband's dream of becoming a dairy farmer. With the accidental death of her only friend's daughter, Lizzy, Alice loses touch with not only herself but also the rest of her family. She falls into a deep depression which only escalates further with Lizzy's funeral. This unforgetable journey of sadness and desolate commiseration leaves the reader compelled and wanting more of the exquisite individual passages. With a gripping sense of the human heart and uncharted country between author and reader, A Map of the World assembles an engrossing, powerful portrayal of the life that nearly every woman in America is afraid of living.

Rating:
Summary: boring
Review: I had to force myself to finish reading this book. I actually skipped to the end to see if the main character was indited or not. I would rather pluck out all the hair on my body with a tweezer than to read this book again. I dont know what Oprah was thinking.

Rating:
Summary: Failed to do research
Review: I was bothered right away by the author's lack of reserach. When the main character is described as a "licensed practitioner nurse," it was clear that Hamilton didn't even bother to do rudimentary research. There are licensed practical nurses and nurse practitioners, but Hamilton's jumble of the two was disappointing and confusing. Also, it was clear Hamilton relied on pure speculation to guide her writing about child abuse. Overall, a good enough story, marred by the author's failure to do her homework.

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Summary: A Fall From Grace
Review: A Map of the World reminds us of the fragility and vulnerability of our lives. Two events, occurring within a short time of each other, forever change the life of a woman and her family. Alice Goodwin is a farmer's wife, mother of two young girls, and nurse at the local elementary school. The stability of her world is rocked like the foundation of a building in an earthquake when her best friend's child drowns while she's left under Alice's care. Not long after, Alice finds herself accused of child and sexual abuse at her job. The events, seemingly disparate, show how unpredictable our lives can be-- not because we choose to behave erratically, but because a single accidental event can change how we are perceived by society. As Alice calls it, she "fell from grace" once the first tragedy occurred. The second event is the direct result of her being perceived as "wounded prey" after the child's accidental death.

By changing narration from Alice's point of view to her husband Howard's, Hamilton allows us to see the effect that her fall from grace has on all. We come to understand the complexity of emotions and hardships endured by all. The feelings and thoughts of Alice, Howard, their daughters, as well as their grieving friends, Theresa and Dan Collins, are all adeptly explored. Through Alice we see the futility of creating "a map of the world" for ourselves; as precise and secure as we may think our place in the world is, we are ultimately vulnerable individuals. Our only hope is the preservation of loving relationships. This is an excellent book that will make you think, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

Rating:
Summary: Way too wordy, and difficult to get absorbed...
Review: I put this book down after reading almost 100 pages of it. It takes a lot for me to put a book down! The descriptions were WAY TOO WORDY - the author often uses almost an entire page to describe a simple emotion. While I found the plot an interesting one (from previous reviews), I think the book could have been written in quite a few less pages. After 100 pages, I was not absorbed into the book, and was still struggling to continue reading. That's when it wasn't worth my time anymore.

Rating:
Summary: Stark reality...
Review: A beautifully written and moving novel that I could not put down.
Jane Hamilton's prose is fluid and exact, and I welcomed each page with open arms.

I found Alice's story alarming in that it is so ordinary. Her tragedy bears a thread common to everyday life and I found myself gripped with what to do should I ever be in her predicament. I pondered which of my friends would forgive me as easily as Theresa forgave Alice; would my relationship endure the strains that gripped Alice and Howard; would I ever forgive myself such negligence; would I rise above the collapse of my world or would I crumble as Alice initially did?

Alice's story is so real, so frightening and unnerving, that it could be any of us.

Rating:
Summary: I never thought I'd finish it, but I did & I liked it :-)
Review: The story kind'a started real slow. The major action only took place in the 1st few pages when a kid drowned accidentally in the pond. After that, the following chapters just crawled & slithered, & I have been tempted many times to put it down & leave it unfinished.

After being able to read it through (finally), it was a relief to know that it was not a waste of time afterall. Alice was a character you have to understand. She's not the typical predictable, one-dimensioned, character often portrayed in easy-to-read books. She was multi-faceted & only reading the book through would allow the reader to get into Alice's deepest core & learn to understand, & yes, accept her as one of us in this ill society.

After reading Alice's first chapters bearing her chaotic mind, then Howard's chapters on self preservation, then back to Alice's chapters on acceptance & survival, I couldn't help but admire this fictional character. She may not be the heroine we would normally look up to (considering her own personal flaws), but we, especially the women, can learn fromher mistakes & draw strength from her character.