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A Dangerous Woman
Martha Horgan is different. She stares at people. She can't stop telling the truth. She is prone to crushes so violent that she will call someone she likes dozens of times in a single night. The genius of Mary McGarry Morris's latest novel lies in its uncannily felt portrait of a woman who teeters on the edge of madness.
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
June 1st 1997
by Penguin Books
(first published 1991)
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Although I can completely understand why some felt this book was not their cup of tea, I really love Mary McGarry Morris' novels and this is no exception. I think she is one of the most underrated novelists in part because she does her job so well as she tends to focus on the different, the uncomfortable and the painful. And, she does it exceptionally well here with the story of Martha. This character is so interesting to me - fascinating really. We never really find out for 'sure' what Martha i...more
I basically skimmed the book for book club. I normally don't do that with fiction.
There is no happy ending in this novel with Martha Organ, a maybe autistic adult, who gets all-consuming crushes and who literally cannot lie to save her life. Maratha struggles for love and independence, but every child in town knows how to tease her to blind fury and every adult remembers the frightening and pivotal sexual humiliation she would like to forget. The town funeral director both likes and is somewhat like Martha--he's awkward socially and people make fun of him--but his passions ar...more
I was able to finish this book and somewhat enjoyed it, but the story tends to circle 'round and 'round without ever really arriving anywhere until the very unsurprising end.
One aspect of the book that I liked is that Martha is to some degree mentally challenged (Aspbergers, perhaps?) but she doesn't evoke much sympathy as she is rather unlikeable; yet, she embodies a much stronger moral character than most of her more "normal" cohorts. I feel that the author, by present...more
One aspect of the book that I liked is that Martha is to some degree mentally challenged (Aspbergers, perhaps?) but she doesn't evoke much sympathy as she is rather unlikeable; yet, she embodies a much stronger moral character than most of her more "normal" cohorts. I feel that the author, by present...more
I can describe this book in two words. Unrelentingly disturbing.
You know from the first page how this book will end and every page takes you closer to that place you don't want to go. It's like you are a prisoner on a forced march to certain doom. There is not one moment of reprieve, of lightness, of possible hope, in the entire book.
If you like this sort of thing, I do have to say that the author is a good writer and it is a well done story of a woman mistreated by almost ...more
You know from the first page how this book will end and every page takes you closer to that place you don't want to go. It's like you are a prisoner on a forced march to certain doom. There is not one moment of reprieve, of lightness, of possible hope, in the entire book.
If you like this sort of thing, I do have to say that the author is a good writer and it is a well done story of a woman mistreated by almost ...more
I guess I could give this 3 stars because I was engaged throughout the whole book. It was an interesting character that this book revolves around, however after reading Songs in an Ordinary Time, the first book I read of her's, I felt that the way she tells a story was not all that different between the two books....even the settings of the towns felt similar, and unfortunately that lessened my opinion of this author. I looked her up just this morning to find the title, Songs in an Ordinary Time...more
After reading A Dangerous Woman I've decided that Mary McGarry Morris is my new favorite author. She is amazingly perceptive about people and life in small towns and makes you feel like you are there watching the story unfold--sometimes like you are a part of it! I think we all know someone like Martha Horgan: "different", difficult to talk to or to be around and someone who is just "weird". There's been something "different" about Martha her whole life. She is...more
Although I agree that this book was very disturbing & made me quite sad, I feel like it's important to read about people who we don't "get." it definitely makes you think about how understanding we, as a society, are not towards people who are different. It definitely was upsetting, especially the way almost nobody seemed to try & truly get help for her, but LIFE is upsetting.
People like Martha often become the homeless person on the corner who talks to herself or the dange...more
People like Martha often become the homeless person on the corner who talks to herself or the dange...more
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I get really annoyed with those obsessive female stalker movies where teh beautiful woman can't stop thinking about some pathetic guy and eventually goes batshit crazy, but at least I can say, "Well, that's some sex-starved male screenwriter's fantasy" and try to understand. This book was written by a woman, though, and it's worse than any of those movies. Craptastic.
Fishmansj
added it
An insightful portrayal of a young to middle aged woman who is different, who can't seem to fit in, who fixates on people or tasks. Nevertheless, she has feelings of self-worth, desires, & justice which she tries to put into action. Others entangled in her life seem almost as unstable as she is--but no one else murders a creep.
The author created a very interesting and different main character. I think I would have liked this more if the flawed supporting characters learned from their actions throughout the book and throughout their lives, but I'm not so sure they did. An engaging and quick read, but not without frustration.
This story made me uncomfortable in parts..made me think about how I..we..treat people who are different. It brought home how one misunderstanding can lead to many more...I'll be more careful before making judgments...I hope. Books that change the way I plan to proceed in life always get a high mark!!
a very good book..Martha is alien and totally relatable at the same time. the writing style makes you feel as compulsive and obsessed as Martha, and by the horrifying climax of the book you can totally sympathize for her. a quick juicy read, that is disturbing and thought provoking.
This story takes the reader on the life journey of a young woman who has been tormented by others her entire life. Attacked by male classmates as a teenager, never loved, always in search of a friend, and never learning how to fit in, Martha is a on a downward spiral as the people in her life remain either remote or overbearing.
Reading this book is stressful and, at least for me, made me feel bad. While the main character Martha Horgan is certainly pitiable and doesn't deserve the terrible treatment she gets, I couldn't help thinking about how I would react if I met someone like her -- a desperately lonely person who gloms onto people, obsessively calls them over and over and over, and is generally terribly unpleasant to be around. Who would go willingly into a friendship with that type of person?
Anyway, t...more
Anyway, t...more
Interesting story of a woman who doesn't fit in and what she goes through.
Good, "cozy" read.
Good, "cozy" read.
I thought this was a great book. Teaches tolerance and that everyone is different.
you will get completely frustrated along with the main character in this! I liked:)
This is a heartbreaking story that I couldn't put down and have never forgotten...
Struck out on this one. :( just read The Lost Mother which was great and then back to....bleh. Not my style.
Greg Wolfson
added it
powerful, scary, moving
inscribed by author
The dedication page says to so and so, "who wanted a love story". Don't be fooled. This is some depressing shiite here. Martha is socially outcast and treated like the village idiot because of her ausberger-like behavior. Her desperate, obsessive attachments to people who show her any affection result in mayhem and despair for everyone involved. She is a thyphoid-Mary of the heart. Despite the dark note of the novel, the story kept pulling me. Good writing and characters that you l...more
Picked this gem up at a second hand book shop in Madrid on Sunday, I read it in two days. Don't you love books like that? Where you gotta finish or you'll die? It was tragic, fabulous and engaging. The kind of book that makes you think you too, are mentally ill. Also the kind of book that makes you wish the author had more for you, much more. You wind through the charcters lives and can't quite believe it's fiction...I love books about nuts, makes me feel less alone. And less nuts.
story of a woman, Martha, who lives in a small town in New England. Martha has many issues, anxiety, social problems and almost everyone in the town relates because of a horrible night when she was abused by a gang of boys when she was 15; she is the town's weirdo and most people are not nice to her. the story's time frame is one of about a year. it was written wonderfully; you felt the anxiety and stress of Martha, but you also felt for the people she encountered. Good Read! :-)
Good story about a mentally challenged woman and what happens to her.
Sarah
added it
Dark and disturbing.
I think this book is mistitled, Marthorgan isn't dangerous she's misunderstood.
This is both a disturbing and fascinating book that held me captive the entire time. It is a glimpse into a very different life full of pain but also a desire for love and friendship. It gave me insight into what a painful life some lead in a society that still is not accepting of those who are "different."
A fascinating look into the life of a complex and misunderstood young woman...manic, obsessive, brutally honest, and basically out-of-control...I felt a lot of compassion and anger as I read and I have never forgotten this main character.
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As the author of several novels, Mary McGarry Morris has received considerable attention from critics and readers, as well as from prestigious awards panels.
Her books are noted for their depictions of mentally and emotionally impaired individuals who have difficulty coping with an inhospitable world.
As New York Times Book Review contributor Alice McDermott put it, “Morris does not de...more
More about Mary McGarry Morris...
Her books are noted for their depictions of mentally and emotionally impaired individuals who have difficulty coping with an inhospitable world.
As New York Times Book Review contributor Alice McDermott put it, “Morris does not de...more
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