Rating: 
Summary: BEAUTIFULLY HAUNTING FROM A NURSE WHO KNOWS
Review: Moran's writing style flows & encourages your own mind to do the same...as I was reading, I would stop occasionally & remember the severely ill all too young patients in my care whom died. Although most could not speak; their eyes would tell me that yes there was a very real person there in spite of a body which was being ravaged by disease. Long after I was through; the novel & James stayed with me, as have some of the once real James that I had the opportunity to know.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books I've read in Years
Review: Moving, well written, tragic but very imaginative plot. I found it a remarkable contrast between his character's fluency in narration and his frustrated inability to articulate to those around him. Couldn't put the book down. I'm now looking forward to purchasing and reading The Man in the Box.
Rating:
Summary: This is fiction at its best.
Review: Mr. Moran is a genius of an author. He takes you totally inside the brain of a paralyzed but fully coherent young man. The book is somewhat traumatic, but "The World I Made for Her" takes you into a whole new place, it stretches your intellect, and isn't that what great fiction is all about? It's a love story, a medical mystery-thriller, and a great psychological study. It gets you thinking, "What would I do if this happened to me?"
Rating:
Summary: The most poignant, soul-searching book I have read in years.
Review: Reading this book was one of the most touching literary experiences I have had in a very long time. It is fascinating to me how much the author can accomplish and still hold the reader's attention with so little action on the part of the main character. It has been almost 24 hours since I finished reading the book and the raw emotions I felt are still with me. The author's exploration of life, relationships, and loneliness are priceless. Any book that can arouse this level of emotion is well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: May be the most moving book I've read in five years.
Review: superb writing, no dead wood or wasted words.The scene is frightening, an ordinary man felled by a runaway virsus - strapped to a hospital bed, helpless, tubes running everywhere, drifting in and out of comas and drug inducted trances, unable to speak, no control whatsoever. All the more poignant, because the story is actually about love, the choice to be. The man, James Blanchely, has every reason to be consumed with fear and self-pity, but he choses the other path and decides to love his two Irish nurses instead: Bridget for her wicked humor and buccaneer ways, Nuala for her strength and approach to the art of life. He loves them both, but he loves Nuala best. As he drifts between conscious and unconscious worlds, not always sure is more real, James dreams a better world for Nuala than might be hers in real life. So vivid are the dreams and so much does he want her to enjoy a happy life that Nuala begins to share in the same dreams. Thus does their lives merge in a way that surpasses physical undrstanding. I cared about all three of these characters, cheering them on, from near the beginning to the final fleeting kiss of life. Against the odds, against conventional wisdom, they chose love and had the courage to pursue it to the very end. Heroes!
Rating: 
Summary: Mystical but not lyrical
Review: The author has an obvious ability with words and a fine imagination, the best points of this book. I purchased it on the stunning review in Time magazine although, in hindsight, I might have been better to have checked it out from the library. Although my time reading it was not wasted, I doubt that it will be one of those books that will always remain on my shelf through all the library donation book drives. I found it to be haunting in its premise and some of its descriptions but was unable to find much connection to the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: This book brought back memories of Hemmingway's "A Farewell to Arms", and Oondatje's "The English Patient". Mesmerizing, aching, a truly worthwile read!!!
Rating:
Summary: A moving, beautifully written book.
Review: This book is quite moving. It is extremely well written and it has an exceptional ending. I would highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect piece
Review: This is a small book, but one you'll never forget. It's like the work of Nicholson Baker in a way, but with even more heart. It made me cry and made my wife cry. I also loaned it to my friend, and he hasn't returned it, so this book has made me cry twice.
Rating:
Summary: One of those books
Review: This is one of those books that make a reader work. The prose is compelling, the story engaging but Moran forces the reader to pay attention -- is James hallucinating? Is it fantasy or is it real? This would be a difficult book for some people to read because on one level it is about the loss of control -- of your mind and your body. I think Moran chooses his words carefully but achieves an astonishing balance -- his writing is not at all self-conscious. I will admit that I began to care about James so much that I worried about being able to finish the book -- so, I skipped ahead, read the end and then was able to go back and read the rest. If I hadn't, I doubt I would have been able to finish for the emotion. This is a wonderful book, and you should buy it.
| 
