Rating: 
Summary: fantastic book
Review: The Brothers K by Duncan is by far one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Duncan has an uncanny ability to immerse the reader in his world, so much so that I wish the characters were real. His characters are well developed, each believable in their struggles and good times. He writes with such compassion and authenticity, it's hard to believe that this is a work of fiction. His novel spans decades, but flows seamlessly. It is written with such feeling and honesty that this book can appeal to anyone. Everyone can find a character that they can connect to. I cannot recommend this book any more....other than to say that every time I read it I find something new that makes me love it more.
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Summary: An Incredible Story
Review: David James Duncan's brilliant work is the story of a family living in the Northwest through the 1960s. The family Chance makes it through four boys, two twin girls, Hugh's (the father) life in baseball and at the mill, a fanatically religious mother, college, draft dodging, Buddhist enlightenment, and comes out as one of the most intriguing and genuinely special families I have ever known. I must say that the Brothers K is my favorite book. Duncan's prose [draws] you in and won't let you out. His writing is witty, eye opening, hilarious, and wonderful. I would recommend this book for just about anyone, even if you know nothing about...especially if you know nothing about baseball, Eastern religions, Vietnam, the 60s, or living in a large family and making it through all that life throws your way.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book
Review: The Brothers K is a masterpiece to say the least, for a single man to put into words the insights of another mans life would be miraculous undertaking in itself. In this case the author David James Duncan not only undertakes such a task, He goes well beyond. His Epic journey weaves us through the dynamic progression of an entire family. Involuntarily immersing you on a level so personal you can't help but align your self to the novels humanity. This book is a chronicle of not only the progression of its characters souls on their path through life as it is a glimpse into a time still to close commentary. The way in witch this book is written is unlike any I have ever read but it does not strike you as radical in any way, Until you have read and can fully begin to comprehend and understand its power. It is almost as if one man some how channeled the energy of an age that could not express its self in history books. There is not much that can be said to really pitch this book except maybe that if you lived in the time of Beethoven you probably would not have heard of him or his music but if you were ignorant to such and integral part of a culture as Beethoven now it would be at the least a personal loss, I'm not trying to say Duncan is a genius. But as a writer he is a master and this is his masterpiece his 9th symphony.
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Summary: Converted to Baseball
Review: I was never a fan of baseball until I read David James Duncan's The Brothers K. However, this is a story that is not just about a sport, but an extraordinary family of four brothers, twin sisters, a 7th Day Adventist mother, and a father who had to forego his dream of pitching to provide for his family. What sets this novel apart aside from the wonderful characters, is the author's ability to weave a good yarn. Anyone familiar with John Irving's a Widow for One Year or The World According to Garp will adore this book. It charts the course of a family through a lifetime of ups and downs, pain and growth. Read it! It may be long, but every page is worth it.
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Summary: This is America's Book
Review: I found this book about five years ago, one copy on the bookstore shelf. I pulled it down, read the back flap, and took it home with me. I was fifteen at the time. The Brothers K became a part of me. It followed me everywhere--to school(to be read right up until the bell), to the orthodontist(to take my mind off more painful issues), in the car, in the bath. I could not put this book down. My paperback copy of this book is water-stained and dog-eared from repeated readings. I couldn't bear to stop reading even when the electricity was out--the top back corner of my book is singed from the flame of the candle I read by. As I grew older, I found the book asking to be read again and again. And each time I found new and more meaningful ideas. New levels emerged and I grew to love the book even more. I've read this book a total of five times now, and I recommend it to every lover of good fiction. But this story is more than fiction. It's real. Irwin Chance is my brother; I am Kinkaid.
Rating: 
Summary: Steigleder Book Report Review-Cassie B
Review: Out of all of the brothers, I found myself connecting mostly with Everett, the eldest. He was the first one of the children to challenge the existence of God, therefore challenging his mother's beliefs and authority. He became a radical that the other brothers found comfort in. "Dear God, if you exist," says Everett while praying aloud at the dinner table (Duncan, 168). Never before had any one of the children contravened the values of their mother, and Everett's actions earned him three strikes to the face from Laura as well as one to Irwin. Three of the brothers, Everett, Peter, and Kade, all grew closer from these events due to the consequences they each endured by going against their mother in what later becomes known as the "Psalm Wars." Irwin, however, remained faithful to his mother's wishes and continued in his devout ways. I too have grown up around a very religious environment and have never been allowed to really question my faith. For twelve years, I have learned about God and the wonders he has created. Like Everett, I am continually challenged with the topic of whether God exists or not. "Unlike Irwin, Bet, of Mama, I don't even believe in God" (Duncan, 547). I find this quote rather harsh and my feelings, although independent, are not as strong as this passage expresses. Though I believe in a greater being, I am not positive about the existence of God.
Rating:
Summary: western lit
Review: "Prem se bhiksha dijiye." David James Duncan ends his novel The Brothers K with these Arabic words. Translated into English, the phrase means "what you give, with love I accept." Everett, the power-crazed agnostic, struggles to accept the situations life presents him, particularly the loss of his college fame and his love, Natasha. Irwin, however, is the embodiment of this attitude, and accepts what life gives him including an untimely tour of duty in Vietnam and a visit to the asylum. These brothers have vastly different approaches to life, but by the end of The Brothers K they have both learned to accept with love what life has given them.
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Summary: The strength of one woman in a family
Review: David James Duncan wrote the novel, The Brothers K, which depicts the four Chance Family brothers. The novel is written through the voice of the youngest brother, Kincaid, yet the plot also follows the dark life of their mother, Laura Chance. The protagonist of this novel could easily be argued to be many characters, but I believe that the true protagonist is the boys' mother. This novel follows Laura through her horrific childhood, her falling in love, her struggle to be a mother, her devotion to religion, and her coping with the loss of her husband. The strength of this woman is so amazing by the end of the novel, that it practically jumps off the pages.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, Mr. Stigleder
Review: The Brothers K is a heartfelt journey through the life of the Chance family. You are drawn in deeper and deeper with each turn of the page and fall madly in love with the characters. You hope with them, you hurt with them and you even dream with them. The Chance family trials are something that an everyday mom, dad or kid could relate to. You hope with the family as the father, once a pitching phenomenon, is hoping for a surgery to help him pitch again after losing a finger in a mill accident. You are bummed when they tell you that its not going to happen. Throughout the whole story you are enticed by the hardships they face. The families diverse views on religion, for me at least, played a fairly recognizable role in the story. The mom, a devout Seventh-day Adventist, boycotts motherly things for the three children that chose not to attend church. The dad is attempting to build back the family he feels like he is slowly losing to religious battles, athletic competitions and science experiments. While the children are trying to find their place in the scheme of things.
The athletic talents, or lack thereof, of the sons in the Chance family is something to be reckoned with. Irwin, the amazing javelin thrower, is wanted by the baseball coach to hit behind Peter, the two-time All-State centerfielder, heir to the Chance Baseball Dynasty throne, who is also wanted by the track coach to sprint and take the team to the championship. While Kinkade and Everett were set on the JV-B team. The story explores athletics from all angles, the ups, the downs, and the placebos, like eyeglasses, placed by the athlete himself. This story is really about the hardships that families in the 60's faced everyday, while throwing in the occasional problem that even the families of the 2000's could face. The baseball represents a struggle, a struggle to do something that you truly want, to be able to work in a place you love, instead of working somewhere like a mill where you are just working to survive. It teaches you to never stop trying, to believe in yourself. As papa Chance said, "...There are two ways for a baseball player to get the pitch he wants. The simplest way is not to want any pitch in particular. But the best way, he said-which sounds almost the same, but is really very different-is to handle the very pitch you're gonna get. Including the one you can handle. But also that's the one that's gonna strike you out looking. And even the one that's maybe gonna bounce off your head." This quote explains the way baseball can relate to life. Never stop trying to work with what you can handle, don't stop at what you can handle but persevere and keep trying.
Rating:
Summary: an American epic
Review: If you're looking for a grand, all-American epic with strong characters, a complex story, and some real depth, The Brothers K is about as good as it gets. It reminded me of John Irving's large-scale storytelling, but where Irving tends to stretch his novels into somewhat improbable situations, challenging what you're willing to accept, Duncan kept the whole story grounded and believable, making it all the more effective. The setting is pure Americana from the 50's to the 70's, focusing on baseball, Vietnam, and old-time Protestant religion, and how four brothers found their places in the middle of that cultural environment. The story is told with the right balance of poignance and humor, and an interesting mix of voices. It's a serious book, dealing with difficult issues of religion, faith, morality, love, and family, but does it without being "heavy" or moralistic. I found it a very satisfying book to read, a big banquet feast of a novel.
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