Rating: 
Summary: Great until the end, then stumbles
Review: I loved this book and couldn't stop reading it-- until nearly the end, when the author does something so unbelievable -- an obvious structural device -- that it ruined the book for me. Then he does three more things like that. These outlandish events move the plot, but they not only strain credulity, they throw it on the floor and stamp all over it. Until then, the writing is wonderful -- everything is wonderful. Such passion. Such good writing. Such nuances of character. Scott Spencer understands romantic passion and family life like no other writer. He renders romantic love and familial love and the deep vagaries of the human heart. But he doesn't understand how badly a deus ex machina can ruin a story. I love the theme of obsessive love. (Another good novel like this is "Here On Earth" by Alice Hoffman -- a great read.) I feel sorry for Scott Spencer and I feel sorry about "A Ship Made Of Paper." It was almost a clear winner. Oh well.
Rating: 
Summary: I totally disagree with some of the other reviewers.
Review: This is a fabulous read, and a gorgeous, sexy, lusty and insightful story. A Ship Made of Paper is an important book, not just for its comments about race in modern day America, but also for its sly depiction of modern day love. I've never read any Scott Spencer before A Ship Made of Paper, but I can assure you that I was just "blown away" by this story. This story doesn't have any pretensions, but it can't help being an absolutely sensational melodrama. I thought the characterizations of all four characters - Iris, Daniel, Hampton, and Kate were spot on. He is such an honest writer in the way he exemplifies all their insecurities on sex, race, family, and infidelity. Spencer shows that is affairs of the heart there are no easy answers, which is why I think the book ended as it did. Iris and Daniel just couldn't stop loving each other. But of course, the real irony of the story was the totally innocent relationship between the two children, Ruby and Nelson - one black, one white. This is a haunting and intelligent love story, that is sly, cynical and yet at the same time an incredibly astute character study of middle class American life. I also thought the story provided an interesting depiction of small town American life, and it was somewhat debunking the myth that "safety" lies in small towns. Of course, the title "A Ship Made of Paper" is totally symbolic of the fragility of human relationships, and how they can so easily be destroyed by the pursuit reckless romantic love. Wickedly insightful and passionate - this is a must read. Michael
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Not a word wasted, this is a brilliantly crafted novel from every aspect.Absolutely beautiful prose, deep, almost mystical character development and well plotted, but all in an effortless style that makes this book true literary art. I've just finished a number of best selling and well reviewed fiction books for 2004, and among all of them, this book is a standout because of not only the author's vast talent, but the maturity of his voice as a writer and observer of humanity. There is no neat ending, and there is no need for one, not because the author is aiming for tragedy as much as documenting a believable reality for the ficitonal world he has constructed. The beauty is that it all rings true and is a riveting read from start to finish.
Rating: 
Summary: Endless Lust?
Review: I read several years ago ENDLESS LOVE, a novel I liked immensely and was therefore eager to start this one. The novel is certainly an easy read. You can race right through it. It's all about Daniel Emerson's obsession with Iris Davenport and his pursuit of her come hell or high water as he rides out his passion in a fragile "paper boat," if you want to mix your metaphors. The characters for the most part are well developed although I thought Iris's husband may have been almost a stereotype. Spencer tackles head-on the dicey subject of an affair between a black woman and white man, certainly an area not every writer is willing to explore. Having finished the novel, I was troubled by the character Daniel, however. Although his lover Kate continuously describes him as a good man, I'm not at all sure he is. I believe the moral question is this: does anyone have a right to insist on getting whatever he thinks he wants, no matter who gets hurt or destroyed along the way, in order that he can have an all consuming affair? There are of course similarities in Daniel and the young man in ENDLESS LOVE who, as I recall, in a fit of passionate love, burns down the home the young girl he's crazy about lives in. We may be able to forgive youth their folly. I'm not sure we can overlook as easily the sins of people entering middle age. Having said that, if you accept the premise that everyone here gets hurt or destroyed, you'll find this compelling reading.
Rating:
Summary: My first but not last Scott Spencer book!
Review: This was my first time reading Scott Spencer, but it won't be my last. Some of the sentences in this book moved me deeply. . . there's something very poetic about his writing and I really enjoyed this book. I agree with one of the reviews that there was a definite contemporary feel to this book. The topic of adultery in contemporary fiction is certainly nothing new, but there is something different about the way Scott Spencer presents it. His storytelling evokes real and sympathetic emotions. The reader can be morally outraged yet still be able to empathize because the characters are human, we feel as if we know them. I do have to admit the ending left me a bit unsatisfied, but there again, at least Mr. Spencer didn't wrap it all up in a nice package (even if part of me wanted him to). He stuck to the true nature of the story, and I admire his talent. I'm thinking of picking up a copy of "Endless Love" now that I've been introduced to this author, the movie may've "hurt" his reputation, but A Ship Made of Paper should redeem him as a talented writer!
Rating: 
Summary: what's love got to do with it
Review: I agree with many reviewers that the writing was good in part but wasted on unlikeable characters, a weak romance and unpleasant stereotypes (why are all the young black male characters violent, why doesn't the devoted mother get counseling for a 5 yr old who left a babysitter needing 20+ stitches and shot at another kid, why does the caring stepfather let these kids play together unsupervised?) And I think there was a glaring error in the very first sentence that foreshadows a critical scene when it says Kate has to leave the party to relieve the daughter's babysitter because they took the daughter with them to the party.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, but not perfect
Review: A Ship Made of Paper works as kind of a riveting, emotional page-turner. This is rear for a piece of literary fiction, which can usually be easily put down, as much as I like the "genre." Some of the dealings with race are clumsy, and the plot turns push the boundries of plausibility, but Spencer also demonstrates real skill jumping in and out of his various characters' perspectives. Ultimately, it's just a terribly entertaining read. PS
Don't read the Publisher's Weekly review. They give away too much.
Rating:
Summary: Of Love And Human Frailty
Review: A Ship Made of Paper is an excellent rendering of the deep morass two married people can sink into when they get involved in a love affair. Daniel isn't legally married, but he is in a committed relationship with another woman and her child. He is smitten with a black married woman, Iris, that he meets while taking the child to a day care center, and the relationship soon develops. Iris's husband, Hampton, is a cold, aloof banker who is consumed with feelings about race and discrimination. Author Spencer does a good job of showing the difficulties of such a relationship, how they eventually cause anguish for those involved and those they live with. Can anything good come from infidelity? The question is asked not from a standpoint of morality, but from the reference point of psychological stress, and the effect such a relationship ultimately has on the physical, mental, social, and economic life of those touched by the event. Spencer deals with these issues. His characters are all decent people who perhaps have made unfortunate choices. Daniel's mate, Kate, can be shrewish, and Iris's husband is definitely not the romantic sort. Kate says frequently that Daniel is basically a decent man who has gone astray. But perhaps we might question Spencer's characterization of this foursome. His attribution of flaws to the victimized spouses make it somewhat easier to elicit a few drops of sympathy for the wayward characters, who seem to really have no psychological deficits other than that they are unfaithful. Sure Daniel is passive, and lacks ambition, but Kate has no difficulty with this. How would this tale have spun out if the two victimized people had been a bit less flawed? All in all SP does a good job of portraying the turmoil and destruction to relationships caused by an extramarital affair. Does everything work out in the end? That you will have to find out for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Wha?
Review: I gave this book a 2 because the writing is excellent. However, the characters are all unlikeable. They act irresponsibly and disrespectfully and none of them seems to learn anything. The whole race thing seems disassociated. Daniel and Iris are not torn apart because of color. They're torn apart because they are in committed relationships with other people and worse, kids are involved. I disagree with some of the other reviewers that the ending is unsatisfying; there is no ending. What about Hampton? Will their son improve or become a serial killer? Is Iris pregnant and why would that be a good thing at that point? Will Kate get on with her life and move back to NYC already? It doesn't have to be tied up in a neat little package, but give me something.
Rating:
Summary: This Ship Did Not Sink
Review: I loved this book! I felt it was a magnificent exploration of race, gender, and forbidden love. I hated the character Kate from the first moment she appeared on the page and I felt sympathy for Daniel who had to raise her child and endure her drunken rages. His forbidden relationship with Iris grows out of their mutual emotional bankruptcy. His whiteness and her blackness seems to disappear after the first half of the novel as they grown closer. I would suggest this novel to anyone who love to read about the controversial and the forbidden. The writing itself is concise. I never felt there were any useless sentences. I hope that he decides to write a sequel. I want to know what becomes of them.
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