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kparry's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
chevy_2222's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
sarakuhn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pam2375's review against another edition
5.0
This is a story of the Oh family. Each member of this family has secrets. Some of them have darker secrets than others.
I absolutely LOVED the way these secrets are revealed and the way that they all related to one another without anyone realizing it. The way it is written makes me feel like I am a part of this family with secrets of my own.
This book is filled with so much emotion and it has taken me 2 weeks to get through it. I felt like it has been such an investment of my time. This has not been an easy breezy summer read. It is involved, it is dark, it is deep and it is disturbing.
It wasn't until the very end that the reason for the title is revealed and it made perfect sense. The ending also reminded me of Mr. Lamb's other book She's Come Undone (which I loved).
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone! Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishing and Edelweiss for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled for release in October 2013.
I absolutely LOVED the way these secrets are revealed and the way that they all related to one another without anyone realizing it. The way it is written makes me feel like I am a part of this family with secrets of my own.
This book is filled with so much emotion and it has taken me 2 weeks to get through it. I felt like it has been such an investment of my time. This has not been an easy breezy summer read. It is involved, it is dark, it is deep and it is disturbing.
It wasn't until the very end that the reason for the title is revealed and it made perfect sense. The ending also reminded me of Mr. Lamb's other book She's Come Undone (which I loved).
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone! Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishing and Edelweiss for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled for release in October 2013.
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
From the dust jacket: In middle age, Annie Oh—wife, mother, and outsider artist—has shaken her family to its core. After twenty-seven years of marriage and three children, Annie has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy, cultured, confident Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her professional success. Annie and Viveca plan to wed in the Oh family's hometown of Three Rivers, Connecticut, where gay marriage has recently been legalized. But the impending wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora's box of toxic secrets—dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs' lives.
My reactions
Wow. Intricate and nuanced, Wally Lamb has given us a portrait of one American family’s disintegration and coming back together. Rather than use a single narrator, Lamb gives voice to various characters, switching point of view from chapter to chapter. In this way we learn not only Annie’s story, but also ex-husband Orion’s and that of their children: Andrew, Ariane and Marissa. We also hear from some ancillary characters, including a neighbor and Annie’s cousin, Kent.
All these characters suffer trauma and loss, and struggle to find their way back to hope. They make poor decisions, or are targeted victims. But the various members of the Oh family also face tragic events and show resilience and courage in facing their futures.
There were some scenes that really bothered me, especially dealing with pedophilia and hate crimes. But we should be bothered by those kinds of events / issues and facing what makes us uncomfortable is part of the theme of this book. Frequently the characters refuse to face what is so distressing, choosing instead to hide behind alcohol or showing displaced rage or justifying their actions with weak arguments. But it is only when we confront our demons that we can conquer them.
The audio book is voiced by a variety of talented artists, including Wally Lamb (who voices Orion Oh). I found this very effective when listening, though I do wish the jacket of the playaway gave some clue as to which artist voiced which character. The only reason I know who Lamb portrayed was because the audio includes an author interview at the end.
My reactions
Wow. Intricate and nuanced, Wally Lamb has given us a portrait of one American family’s disintegration and coming back together. Rather than use a single narrator, Lamb gives voice to various characters, switching point of view from chapter to chapter. In this way we learn not only Annie’s story, but also ex-husband Orion’s and that of their children: Andrew, Ariane and Marissa. We also hear from some ancillary characters, including a neighbor and Annie’s cousin, Kent.
All these characters suffer trauma and loss, and struggle to find their way back to hope. They make poor decisions, or are targeted victims. But the various members of the Oh family also face tragic events and show resilience and courage in facing their futures.
There were some scenes that really bothered me, especially dealing with pedophilia and hate crimes. But we should be bothered by those kinds of events / issues and facing what makes us uncomfortable is part of the theme of this book. Frequently the characters refuse to face what is so distressing, choosing instead to hide behind alcohol or showing displaced rage or justifying their actions with weak arguments. But it is only when we confront our demons that we can conquer them.
The audio book is voiced by a variety of talented artists, including Wally Lamb (who voices Orion Oh). I found this very effective when listening, though I do wish the jacket of the playaway gave some clue as to which artist voiced which character. The only reason I know who Lamb portrayed was because the audio includes an author interview at the end.
abrooklynbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
This book was entirely based on shock value and every single stereotype known to man. Hated it.
jnjmitch's review against another edition
4.0
Could have used a hundred or so pages of editing, and becomes a bit melodramatic and contrived by the end. But as with WL's other books, I still end of loving it because his characters seem like real people with real problems (even if I can't completely identify with the lives of rich Manhattanite art brokers). As usual, a deep, dark backstory slowly unravels to come to a climax in the forefront of the story.
sandygx260's review against another edition
1.0
The title of this book should have been "We are a Collection of Characters that This Reader Cared Nothing About." Another good title could be "We are Too Many Pages in Need of a Weed-Wacker Edit."
I had never read Lamb before this book. I read about him in a Literary Hub articles about long, depressing family sagas and why one critic loves to read them. I thought "Hey, look, it has a lesbian artist and secrets. Sounds intriguing...wait, it's 900 pages long? Huh."
It's fine for the main character to be unlikable. Annie Oh artist, comes off as petty, shallow and cruel. She's an ill-tempered person who seems to care only for herself. During the slog... oh pardon, the read, she becomes worse. It appears even Lamb doesn't like her character, because at the end she's almost a cartoon villain. Lamb gives up on her and concentrates on Orion, her psychologist husband.
I'm surprised their marriage lasted two years with all the secrets and lies.
The narrative bounces around from character to character and includes some chapters you can speed read. They add nothing to the book. There is one torturous chapter which takes on a plane featuring the older daughter that tried to break me from finishing this mess. In fact, the chapters featuring the couple's children are stunningly banal--yes, Lamb even makes violence banal.
But I finished, only to see what point Lamb made. Guess what? He never made his point. The big reveal about the book's title made me giggle.
Seriously, Lamb does not suit this vegetarian's taste.
I had never read Lamb before this book. I read about him in a Literary Hub articles about long, depressing family sagas and why one critic loves to read them. I thought "Hey, look, it has a lesbian artist and secrets. Sounds intriguing...wait, it's 900 pages long? Huh."
It's fine for the main character to be unlikable. Annie Oh artist, comes off as petty, shallow and cruel. She's an ill-tempered person who seems to care only for herself. During the slog... oh pardon, the read, she becomes worse. It appears even Lamb doesn't like her character, because at the end she's almost a cartoon villain. Lamb gives up on her and concentrates on Orion, her psychologist husband.
I'm surprised their marriage lasted two years with all the secrets and lies.
The narrative bounces around from character to character and includes some chapters you can speed read. They add nothing to the book. There is one torturous chapter which takes on a plane featuring the older daughter that tried to break me from finishing this mess. In fact, the chapters featuring the couple's children are stunningly banal--yes, Lamb even makes violence banal.
But I finished, only to see what point Lamb made. Guess what? He never made his point. The big reveal about the book's title made me giggle.
Seriously, Lamb does not suit this vegetarian's taste.