Back Roads

Rating:
Summary: False and Forced
Review: I realized recently that I automatically assume that when Oprah picks a book for his reading group that there is a pretty good chance that it is going to be a bad novel. In all honesty, however, I had never read any of the books she had plucked out of obscurity, so I decided to challenge my own expectations and read one of her selections. I chose something that I considered to be primary Oprah: that is, something that was brought to the public's attention specifically because of her book group. Writers like Toni Morrison and Joyce Carol Oates seem to me to be secondary Oprah: they have existences outside of the reading group.

If "Back Roads" is a typical example of Oprah's tastes, then my bias has proven itself more than just. What a bad book. This is the tale of a poor young man in rural Pennsylvania who is forced to take charge of his three younger sisters after his mother is sent to jail for murdering her father. We start out firmly ensconced in the neo-rural grotesque, but this novel ultimately degenerates into a twisted morass of dark family secrets so gothic it would make Ann Radcliffe blush. Now, the subject matter in itself could be fine, but the fact is that O'Dell is not nearly deft enough a writer to handle her material. Her wise but ignorant first person narrative lacks even the most remote shred of credibility. Harley's bouts with madness are forced and utterly unbelievable, and since the novel's conclusion hinges on them, they cause the entire structure to collapse.

The bottom line is that O'Dell has a tin ear for language. Her dialogue is stiff, and her use of ALL CAPITAL LETTERS for EMPHASIS comes across as nothing but AMATEURISH. On top of that, the all-to-often used device of the sickly sweet misspellings of the protagonists baby sister made me feel like I needed a shower. Perhaps most distressing, however, were the sudden revelations that force the climax, where characters just remember (gasp!) the family secrets that have haunted them and that they have repressed. Goodness me!

Although this book represents but one fairly random sample, it seems to me indicative of the bad reading habits encouraged by Oprah and her reading group. Why does this novel have value for her ilk? Probably because it deals with "real" issues like abuse and incest, and it is "truthful" in its depiction of human suffering. Sure, incest, abuse and familial trauma are worth writing and reading about, but the ability of a reader to see his or her suffering in the pages does not make a novel great. It may make it satisfying, but it hardly is the mark of good fiction. If anything, good fiction is about make what is foreign and unknown seem familiar. Sadly, the most familiar thing about "Back Roads" is its substandard writing, its cartoonish characters and its unsatisfying revelations.

Rating:
Summary: A Painted House - John Grisham
Review: This was not the usual exciting work of Grisham. It lacked that grasping, take hold, affect his books always have had. Book as a whole was very slow going and and had a lack luster ending.

Rating:
Summary: no thanks
Review: I read the book because a friend said she heard it was very good. I did not like it and found satisfaction only when I threw it in the fireplace and watched it burn.

Rating:
Summary: no title
Review: If you like the book Catcher in the Rye, you will like this book.

Rating:
Summary: A lesson in Western Pennsylvania "Culture"
Review: Having been born and grown up in western PA around the same time as Tawni O'Dell (though I didn't know her), she painted the perfect picture of the area and the people. I laughed so many times at just how she made me remember.

The plot, though peppered with humor, is a sad story. However, it could easily be true which, to me, makes a good novel. It's a "depressed" area with little to offer culturally or socially and unfortunately, I can imagine reading a story of this kind in the weekly-published, local newspaper. It isn't beyond belief. This family could easily be your next door neighbor in the "back roads" of Pennsylvania.

Her style of writing is easy to follow and it has a little of everything to offer - humor, twists, suspense, invokes emotion.

Overall, I would recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Challenging, but well worth the effort.
Review: This is a brilliant and frequently difficult book. It is the story of Harley, a nineteen year old singlehandedly raising his three sisters after his mother is imprisoned for killing their father. Not only is he struggling to support his family, but he is also grappling with a family legacy of abuse, the magnitude of which is initially unclear. Harley is one of the most complex characters in modern fiction. He is simultaneously heroic, pathetic, frightening, sympathetic and abhorent. The increasingly awful events in his life and the overwhelming responsibilities he has assumed magnify the usual child/adult dichotomy common to his age.

Sensitive readers should be forwarned that there are many unpleasant issues in this book - child abuse, adultery, incest. Nevertheless, O'Dell is a compelling storyteller and does an excellent job of making you care about the fate of her characters. It's interesting to compare this book to Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much Is True". Both books are about a man trying to maintain his sanity despite a tramatic past and in the face of horrendous circumstances. O'Dell's book is by far the darker of the two and in many ways the more realistic. Lamb's book is about the anguish of living with a schizophrenic identical twin, not an everyday occurence. O'Dell's premise - children left to fend for themselves after their sole surviving parent is imprisoned - is unfortunately more common than we care to believe. I did think the ending of "Back Roads" was overdone, but not so much as to overshadow the finesse of the rest of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written but the back cover lied
Review: This book was well-written, but I was completely mislead by the back cover. It implied that it was a kind of fun-loving story of struggle and "bumbling heroics". Uh-uh. It was funny at times, but also dark, sad, shocking, and upsetting. Do not think this is a happy book. It is different, but also very traumatizing, even to those of us who have read loads of very traumatizing material. I'm looking forward to her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Whew!
Review: From what I've gathered, people either really love this book or really hate this book. It is very smartly written and I think can almost compare to "Catcher in the Rye," in that Harley's quest is as surreal and heartbreaking and truthful as that of Holden Caulfield. This book is shocking. It is written VERY truthfully and does not gloss over real-world issues. I wouldn't recommend this book for the squeamish, or those readers who read to forget the world and feel good at the end. But if you like eye-opening literature with no holds barred, this is a book for you!

Rating:
Summary: Just started reading......
Review: I don't have any comments quite yet. Just started reading this book yesterday. It is kind of hard to get into. Depressing with Harley taking care of his 3 sisters while their Mother is in prison for killing their father. Will have to come back and give a thourough review when I am finished with BACK ROADS.

Rating:
Summary: An introduction to suicidal thoughts.
Review: Read this book if you are in serious need of feelings of depression and suicide.