The Brothers K

Rating:
Summary: The Best I've Read in Years
Review: WOW. David Duncan has written the most enjoyable, if not the best, book that I have read in years. From start to finish, the story, the characters, the writing are engrossing. This book will stick with me for years.

Rating:
Summary: Our own, modernized Hemmingway...
Review: At a time in which books found on shelves aim for post-modern themes of the fast-paced, rip-roaring, high-speed chase, The Brothers K is no doubt endlessly refreshing. Duncan's book returns readers to an earthy story not visited since the likes of Gatsby or Hemmingway or Salinger. Duncan's novel chronicles family and baseball, Vietnam and religion. It is well-crafted, intelligent, and addicting. Must be read.

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Summary: The book you tell everyone to read
Review: A family of eight - four boys and twin girls - being raised in small-town Camas, Washington by their very mormon mother and ex could-have-been-pro baseball playing dad. It spans the decades of the 50's, 60's and 70's as narrated by Kincaid, one of the younger boys. It's so immense and chock full of drama, life, and baseball statistics, I can't even begin to tell you the plot, since it holds so many sub-plots over so much time. ALL of the characters are memorable and the book is so long you really have a sense of completion after you read it (which is great for people who read too fast!) Let's just say it's one of those books you end up telling everyone to read.

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Summary: !
Review: THIS BOOK IS TRULY AMAZING! Not knowing anything about baseball, the 60's, organized religion, or having a large family, i found I could relate to every character in an infinite number of ways! Duncan's writing is fabulous and the characters are wonderful, the story is epic, and the book with its 700 pages was far too short in my mind! I wish every book was as joyful, bitter, heartwrenching and funny as this one. EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT! The world would be a better place.

Rating:
Summary: Well Worth the 700 Pages
Review: I should preface this review by telling you I have four brothers (and a sister) of my own. Whether that had an impact on how well I related to the work, I do not know. However, don't let the thickness and small print get to you. Anyone with a family (meaning the vast majority of people) should find Duncan's anecdotal style strangely easy to relate to and very funny at the same time. The novel traces the lives of the members of the appropriately named Chance family. The brothers, though very different from one another, share a love for baseball and for one another. Duncan lends a specific voice, body and depth of character to each individual in the novel. Each person is a vivid, breathing archetype. There is Everett, the rebel; Peter, the seeker of Truth; Irwin, the oaf with the personality of a Teddy Bear and many more whom we see in various lights and perspectives as the plot progresses. Should you read "The Brother's K," prepare to laugh out loud, shed a tear or two, get a little silly and a little nostalgic. For Duncan, nothing is trite; no sentament is wasted and no emotion untrue. He made me miss my brothers, kiss my mother and shake my father's hand. It was the best therapy a human can buy...and it was only 700 pages.

Rating:
Summary: Indescribable
Review: If you are currently breathing, and have heard of things like: Heros, Americana, Baseball, Religion and Family. If you have ever questioned authority or been questioned by authority. If you have ever been in love. Then you should have started reading this book yesterday. In the words of Duncan himself "anything worth describing, is indescribable. While reading this book I discovered and experienced emotions that have been dormant in me for a long time - I'm not exagerating. I found myself at times overwhelmed and having to put the book down to regroup. Reminds me a little of Conrad, with stronger and weaker characters. Do yourself a favor.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book...your life depends on it!
Review: I absolutely LOVE this book more than anything i have EVER read. I just finished my sixth read through in less than three years. Duncan expresses emotions and ideas, that you were never able to put into words, perfectly. In most every case, you know exactly the feeling he is writing about even if you have never felt it before. I have never laughed out loud while reading a book before i read The Brothers K. I laughed so hard i cried. But the best part about this book is that you walk away feeling like you just made eight new, very close friends. Don't be discouraged by the length, you won't even notice you've read 600 pages.

Rating:
Summary: I don't love this book
Review: I wrote the title for my review, because I believe that we shouldn't love books. Instead we should let books teach us, accept what we can accept, swallow what we can swallow, and, if we must, disagree--in the end we should turn back to life and be better thinkers and feelers. Duncan is dangerously talented in the sphere of fiction writing, particularly the Brothers K--dangerous in that his prose paralyzes your awareness of thoughts and emotion, and you are so tempted to just LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! the book that you almost fall into a trap of endless appreciation. Quick comment though. He does move you, and as much he moves you, he makes you think in new ways, but for me, I gathered the message that he wants us to find our own epic stories as well, our Chance dynasties--whether they'll be written and read by others or not. That's what his book makes me obligated to do: find a story that is equally great, to me if not to anybody else, and be thankful that i have lived it. Good literature we love. GReat literature teaches us to use that same love to be worthy livers of life. ARt is successful if it does that much. Thank you Mr. Duncan. Godspeed on your next work (but no pressure if you do want to take a break for a while--you deserved it with this one). Yours in writing.

Rating:
Summary: An Exciting, Moving, Captivating Story
Review: This was perhaps the best and most powerful novel I've ever read. It seems a little long at first glance, but after the first 200 pages, the reader is so caught-up in the lives of the characters that the remaining 400 pages seem to fly past. On one level, it's the story of a family trying to survive through difficulties. On another level, it's a stark examination of personal values and inner convictions, in which the author voices questions few people would dare ask. It's been two years since I read it, and I still haven't fully recovered.

Rating:
Summary: The Brother's K
Review: A great family story that ties sports, politics, and troubles at home into a suspense filled novel. Do not confuse with "The Brother's Karamazov"

A great book for a serious reader.