Flesh And Blood

Rating:
Summary: Poetic!
Review: One of those books I always look for. You know, you can't put it down but you don't want to finish it. You feel so attached to the characters that you want to keep them in your life forever. This is a beautifully written epic with characters so colorful, experiences so profound, that it brings out the true meaning of life. Those who lived in both Boston and NY (such as I) will find it especially emotional. One of the best gay novels, and novels in general, that I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Read another book this summer.
Review: Our book club read "Flesh and Blood" and found no discussion material in it at all. The characters were left undeveloped and situations left hanging all over the place. Did Constantine ever harvest anything from his childhood garden after carrying all that dirt in his mouth? Did Cassandra have any final parting wisdom before she died? She just disappears from the book. The truth is, at the end of the book I found myself wondering what the point was. Was the author trying to say homosexuality is hereditary? That theme was the only consistent one in the novel. There was, of course, the brutal physical and subtle sexual abuse themes, the self- and other-destruction theme, the Mom finds herself (sort of) at 50 theme. Read "Stones from the River" by Ursula Hegi instead. You will find realistic and well-developed characters, universal themes of love, hate, ignorance, and redemption, and a well-written and highly discussible book

Rating:
Summary: Flesh & Blood, Michael Cunningham
Review: the characters and story are so interesting

you don't want it to end

Rating:
Summary: Good story albeit depressing
Review: The ending of this book comes out of nowhere and left me devastated. It depressed me so much that I was sobbing in my bed for about 10 minutes. I could not recommend this book to anyone as the ending upset me so much..

That said, I thought this was a very good book and I found I was always anxious to return to these characters to follow their journey with them.

Rating:
Summary: Read all of his books
Review: This being one of Cunningham's earlier books, I wasn't expecting much. But this book surpirsed me. It was brilliant in its portayal of the different levels family operates on, The strain of past events that are never fully delt with. Cunningham in this three generation saga presents a cast of characters that are each deep enough to have thier own books written about them. I found myself identifying with all of them at different times. No one here is purely bad, though they sometimes are miserable to one another. Cunningham's prose is so lovely. There is alot in here about the way peoples designs for thier lives come in conflict with the reality. (who can't identify with that). I have now read all three of Cunningham's books, and I have to say its a three way tie as to which is my favorite- can't wait to read the next one!

Rating:
Summary: intriguing if not much else
Review: This book pretty much HAS to hold your attention as its pretty long (the copy I had was over 500 pages)! But it manages to! Michael's spectacular writing is definately a factor, as are the supremely interesting characters and some of the best dialogue I've ever read! I was thoroughly intrigued all the way through this giant of a story.

HOWEVER!!! I literally threw the book down in disgust at the end because after holding my attention that long I don't feel the ending does justice to the characters or respects the reader at ALL! It must be one of the dullest, most depressing, raw endings I've ever encountered! And to be sucked along for 500 pages for that is a MAJOR let down! I realize Michael is not the kind of author you expect a fairytale ending from but after dedicating myself to for so long to the story I definately felt SOMETHING positive could've happened. Hell, something NEGATIVE could've happend! Something needed to happen! The ending really falls off. Maybe that would work in a short story but NOT in such a thick novel!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, inspiring, engrossing & singular. Get it.
Review: This extraordinary novel has sat on my shelf for a number of years. I didn't try it, seeing as it was so long and came with so many literary raves that it seemed like it might be like medicine---good for you but no fun taking it in.

I picked it up after having finally caved and read the brilliant THE HOURS earlier this year (a book that I loved whose film adaptation matched its excellence effortlessly), and I became easily engrossed in this novel.

I feel this novel works as a classic family saga, as a craft-driven piece of writing and as a very forward-thinking, analytical piece of literature. Basically, it feels like---at least in my adventures with his writings so far---Cunningham is incapable of failing no matter how ballsy the undertaking.

The story follows several generations of a family started by a volatile Greek capitalist and his detached Italian wife. Cunningham seems to capture many stock characters and breathe new life into them via often uncomfortably finely observed insights into their minds, their actions and the larger human tides that put them into play.

The book was very hard to leave when it was time to finish it, so that might be why I did not love the very ending, or it could be that I disliked the list of eventualities that capped it all off.

But there is so much poetry in this book, such great storytelling and so many sharp takes that I have to recommend it. Better late than never!

Oh, and...

Reading the very few very bad reviews other readers wrote for this novel, I can only guess they either did not read it or take an inordinate amount of pleasure in bashing things that are highly praised. I can understand not liking this novel in the same way I can understand some people don't like or are even allergic to chocolate, but I can't believe anyone reading this book could consider it worthy of only one star out of five. (Note that two in a row were written years after the book's release and were both anonymous curmudgeons from SF, CA. Hmmmm. Sounds like a vendetta! IGNORE them.

Rating:
Summary: A literary masterpiece
Review: This is an absolutely amazing novel by an amazing author. It follows a family that becomes torn and battered over the years but always manages to stay strong and find their way through. It was a very long novel, but I finished it in a matter of days because I simply could not put it down. Cunningham presents the Stassos family to you so vividly and dramatically that you are practically there to experience every heartache and tear of joy with them. You deeply care and understand the characters because you have observed them in their everyday lives and you feel their pain as if you knew them personally. This is an amazing book and definitely worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: Truly Illuminating
Review: This is one of those rare books that, when you put it down, you know it has changed your life.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written and haunting book
Review: This is quite simply one of the finest books I've ever read. Cunningham has a fantastic talent for being able to make you empathize with his characters--even the "bad guys." Some people may think there's no real "plot" here, but whether or not that's truly the case, Cunningham does such a wonderful job at telling a story, and telling it so beautifully, there's nothing more you could ask for without over-analyzing.