Scan barcode
A review by haileycee
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
5.0
I first started this book right out of high school and could not get through the first 100 pages (as so many people on here have already noted about the first 100 pages). I was also wonderfully naive and did not really understand how the rape of one girl could possibly disrupt her entire family.
I returned to this book as a 30 year old, unfortunately much more educated and ready to give it a shot. I knew the book would be sad; what book about rape, a family falling apart, wouldn’t be? I did not expect how truly heart-wrenching parts of this book would be, to the point that, at times, I found I needed to set it down and take a break.
The Mulvaneys, I felt, were well-written and fleshed-out characters that developed over time, and not always for the better. I cheered for them, I cried for them, I cursed them, but when the book was done I was left tearful and happily relieved for them.
The writing itself I found engaging, and despite the slow start, the plot moved fairly quickly. I personally enjoyed hearing how each family member was coping (or not) and how one event continued to ripple through their lives. As a survivor, I was left grateful that my family was not torn apart in this way, and are much more supportive of me than the senior Mulvaneys were at times of Marianne.
Though it’s hard to explain, this is a five-star book that you don’t really appreciate is five stars until it is wrapped up in the end. From the first doe sighting to the last, this is truly a masterpiece.
I returned to this book as a 30 year old, unfortunately much more educated and ready to give it a shot. I knew the book would be sad; what book about rape, a family falling apart, wouldn’t be? I did not expect how truly heart-wrenching parts of this book would be, to the point that, at times, I found I needed to set it down and take a break.
The Mulvaneys, I felt, were well-written and fleshed-out characters that developed over time, and not always for the better. I cheered for them, I cried for them, I cursed them, but when the book was done I was left tearful and happily relieved for them.
The writing itself I found engaging, and despite the slow start, the plot moved fairly quickly. I personally enjoyed hearing how each family member was coping (or not) and how one event continued to ripple through their lives. As a survivor, I was left grateful that my family was not torn apart in this way, and are much more supportive of me than the senior Mulvaneys were at times of Marianne.
Though it’s hard to explain, this is a five-star book that you don’t really appreciate is five stars until it is wrapped up in the end. From the first doe sighting to the last, this is truly a masterpiece.