Rating: 
Summary: Raising Marianne
Review: To begin, I will not repeat the plot of this book as it has been summarized by other reviewers. The central issue of the book is is Marianne's removal from the family. I feel that a precedent was set in Michael Sr.'s family because of his own father's rejection, and I could understand him to some degree, but I had real problems with Corinne. What on earth would motivate a mother, so willing to send her daughter away? Could she not have become Marianne's advocate and argued with her husband that sending their daughter to some distant relative would be perceived by Marianne as blaming the VICTIM? Was she, with all her Christian beliefs, not very Christian, in a practical sense,at all? I understand her devotion to and love for her husband, but she seemed to have no mind of her own, no backbone in this affair. As a person with such religious devotion, here was her moment to practice her faith and she failed to protect her daughter. I feel that Oates cleverely exiles Marianne in one of the shortest chapters in the book, thus emphasizing the amount of time it took to make and carry out the expulsion. Further, she beautifully draws Marianne after her exile as an incomplete, childlike, and confused being, stuck emotionally at the age of her tragedy (the rape AND the removal from the family which could have supported her and help her grow more surely into a woman). Other issues which concerned me were the excrutiating detail of every aspect of the Mulvaney Family from where they sat at the dinner table to where they put their mail each day. I get the picture: They were Perfect. I also agree with another reviewer that the end was like an unrealistic return to this idealized version of a family. How did they heal so well and so quickly? They knew eachother so little, in fact not at all. All in all, WWTM is a well written, complex book, both thought and conversation-provoking. I recommend it to anyone in a book discussion group.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth every page
Review: Very enjoyable read. This novel really brings to light the inner workings of the family structure. It also reveals how vulnerable our lifes are. The novel's characters are well developed and very real. This is one of the best books I have read in awhile.
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Summary: We were the Mulvaneys
Review: I read this book after recommendation from Oprahs Book Club & was thoroughly disappointed. The book was a good 200 pages too long & the family unrealistic & therefore hard to identify with. The concept of the book could have made such an interesting read, but Joyce Carol Oates' method of writing and the overall length of the book ultimately destroyed any story or indeed climax. I would not recommend this book & I must say am put off reading any more of this authors work.
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Summary: Monster - Walter Dean Myers - By: Lisa Mills
Review: In Monster, sixteen-year old Steve Harmon is in prison for his alleged involvement in a murder. Wanting to be a screenwriter, Steve dictates much of the novel in the form of a screenplay. Like many of Myers' works, this novel is set in Harlem. Themes focus on fear, violence, decision-making, family relationships, and morality. Interestingly, Myers conducted approximately 600 pages of interviews with imprisoned youths prior to writing Monster. In the novel, Steve Harmon never confesses to the crime. However, he cannot write anything in the novel that might suggest his involvement, since the prosecutor might use this information against him. Throughout the book, Steve's primary focus is being released from prison by whatever means necessary. Is this wish granted? Read the novel and find out!
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Summary: We Were the Mulvaneys - Joyce Carol Oates
Review: We Were The Mulvaneys_ New York: Penguin Putnam, 1997. **Oprah Book Club Selection, January 2001 We Were The Mulvaneys is a gripping novel of family destruction. This realistic novel narrated by Judd, the youngest Mulvaney, details the lives of each family member. From the High Point Farm and Mt. Ephraim Country Club days of happiness and social climbing, we witness the elder Mulvaneys later forced into financial ruin, alcoholism, and the ultimate betrayal of their own child. The plot centers around Marianne Mulvaney, the only daughter. Marianne is a popular, outgoing, smart cheerleader, until she is raped after attending Senior Prom. This incident has drastic consequences for the entire family. The father, Michael Mulvaney, Sr., seeks to render justice through his own means. This results in his being jailed and labeled a social outcast in the community. Because he is unable to deal with the fact that Marianne will not testify against her perpetrator, and her presence is a constant reminder of the incident, he and his wife, Corrine, agree to send Marianne to live with an aunt in another state. Essentially, from this point forward Marianne is exiled from the family when she needed them most. The novel takes us through the intricacies and psychological and emotional damage caused by the rape of a family member. Ultimately, Marianne is able to cope with what happened to her and establish a family of her own. In the end, there is a semblance of reconciliation for Marianne and the Mulvaneys, but in my opinion this is a rather contrived ending. It is difficult to fathom how someone exiled for so long could reconcile so easily, but perhaps Joyce Carol Oates knows much more about family ties than I do.
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Summary: what were you thinking
Review: in a family, in any social group, what we are thinking, feeling, not saying, is the most important bit of information...how in the world could a family, even in the 70s, NOT talk about what had happened to one their own...how could the mother not pull her daughter into her chest and tell her it was not her fault....to be truthful, i cant imagine such ignorance...i was appalled...who loved who in this family?...the children can be forgiven of course...they simply ran from the weirdness...but the parents....what the hell were they thinking...only of themselves...why do such people have children in the first place
Rating: 
Summary: lovely
Review: beautifully written. I just wanted to know more and more about the Mulvaneys.
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Summary: Couldn't get past the insult
Review: As an intelligent, successful and proud graduate of a New York State university, I was thoroughly insulted by Ms. Oates repeated and ignorant slams on New York State universities and colleges (and, indeed, state universities in general). Her only references to state universities were made in derogatory terms and applied only to characters who weren't all that bright or who admitted their attendance in an embarrassed manner. Her bright characters, of course, attended Ivy League schools. A writer of her stature should not have had to bow to such ignorant cliches. I was very disappointed and have discouraged many a person from honoring her degradation by reading her book.
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Summary: Oprah picks a winner
Review: I think some people are annoyed by this book because it is literature and therefore a shock to their system. Most people want stories to be wrapped up in a nice little package where everything is resolved in a sweet little story written at a 6th Grade reading level. Oates is an excellent writer and storyteller and this is one of her best books. I've read a few and enjoyed most of them. The others I would recommend are Them, Because Is Is Bitter and Because It Is My Heart, Wonderland and You Must Remember This.
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Summary: Horribly Drawn Out and Depressing
Review: I like, many others extremely disliked this book. I started this book in January and put it down about after the first 200 pages and do not plan on picking up again. I refuse to subject myself to the long drawn out character development etc. This could have been an excellant book but Ms. Oates refused to tell the story, but instead subjects readers to endless pages of details that are so compeletly inconsequential that it gives me a headache to think about it. Please save your money - or better yet I will sell you my like new copy for a buck!
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