Blame

Oct 20, 2011 Jade Eby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

So my review of this novel is kind of like reviewing an old friend because I’ve been reading this book over the course of the last couple months for my Novel Writing class. Reading something over a couple months span I’ve realized has its pros. I feel like I have a really firm grasp on this novel and the characters because I’ve spent so much time with it. For my class, I had to break down the novel and really spend an adequate amount of time...more Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

So my review of this novel is kind of like reviewing an old friend because I’ve been reading this book over the course of the last couple months for my Novel Writing class. Reading something over a couple months span I’ve realized has its pros. I feel like I have a really firm grasp on this novel and the characters because I’ve spent so much time with it. For my class, I had to break down the novel and really spend an adequate amount of time with the chapters analyzing plot, character, pacing etc. Normally I don’t spend that much time with a novel so I feel like this might just be one of the most well informed reviews I’ll ever have up here.

The Good: Michelle Huneven really knows how to develop memorable characters. Joey, Brice, Patsy and Gilles are brilliant characters. Huneven takes her time developing them and by the end of the novel, Patsy pretty much jumps off the pages. I love the concept of Blame because it’s based on a situation that could (and probably has) happened. A woman gets black out drunk and runs over two people killing them. It’s not an overly abnormal situation, it’s happened and it’s not too hard to imagine a situation like that happening to someone today. Huneven takes this reality and really delves into the consequences with Patsy. We get a real sense of what prison is like for someone like Patsy and we learn how someone might handle their guilt and transition into society after their prison term has ended. We learn that Patsy settles for things in life that she normally wouldn’t have just because she feels it’s all she deserves. It’s a way to punish herself, to remind herself of the crime she committed. I love the slight but powerful nod to the gay community and the start of the HIV virus that Huneven slides into the story. She also throws an enormous wrench in the plot towards the end that is crazy awesome and makes the story that much more deep and meaningful. I also thought Huneven did well adding comic relief to the parts that were a little depressing. It’s not a book I felt utterly sad about when I was done. I felt a sense of accomplishment when it was over. I also thought the ending was very well done. It wraps up the loose ends but not in the “everything-ends-so-perfectly” way.

The Bad: Nothing really negative to say about the novel except that I HATE IT when authors don’t put dialogue in quotations. I don’t know why it irritates me as much as it does, but really…. That’s why the quotations were made. What is the reasoning behind not using them? It bugs the crap out of me. But that really is just a nit-picky detail. I really don’t have anything else negative to say about it.

Overall, I really thought this was a great book. It was well written, the plot and characters were fully and wonderfully developed and it was really a polished piece of literature. I give it an A!
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Jun 17, 2013 Abby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent writing, characterization, and-in the beginning- pacing. Pasty MacLemoore, successful alcoholic college professor, goes on an alcoholic binge and loses two days. When she comes to, she's been arrested for running over two Jehovah's Witnesses in her driveway and allegedly driving with a suspended license. She goes to prison, sobers up (in, I have to say, an almost too-easy way- not even a sip of alcohol after her arrest) and, after two years, attempts to ease back into life.

This is the...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Vegantrav rated it 4 of 5 stars

Blame is an incredible example of a character study: the protagonist, Patsy, as well as Gilles, Brice, and Cal are all brilliantly drawn. We readers come to know and understand these characters intimately, deeply. And we grow to love Patsy and Gilles, and even Brice.

The plot itself is extremely intriguing though there's not a lot of action: this story is a slow simmer throughout, never quite coming to a boil; even the critical moment is reserved and quiet, though nonetheless enthralling.

When one...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Patsy wakes up in a jail cell to find out she's killed two people while driving drunk. After serving time in jail, Patsy must adjust to life after such a horrible experience and the guilt she feels.

One of my biggest problems with this book is the fact that it tells you there's a "huge twist" on the dust jacket. Once you start reading it you are just waiting for the twist, which is obvious from the start, but doesn't happen until almost the end of the book. I was incredibly disappointed that the...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Nancy Mahanay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read this book after seeing the author on a tv news program.
First, in terms if her writing, I would give that 5 stars. Excellent.The book, however, was a disappointment for me.

It starts out very strong--which is what I expected after reading the remarks on the jacket, and remarks as I remembered from the interviewer on the TV news program. But, the "page turner" turned into a "do I really want to finish this".

Briefly, Patsy is a professor with a horrible drinking problem, and when you meet h...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Natasha rated it 2 of 5 stars

"Michelle Huneven, Richard Russo once wrote, is 'a writer of extraordinary and thrilling talent.' That talent explodes with her third book, Blame..." The only thing that exploded for me was a large blood vessel in my forehead, brought on by acute frustration. This was a 2-for-1 deal, meaning there are 2 different books between the 2 covers. The first "book" or half I found engaging. The author's writing style took some getting used to, but overall, I was enjoying myself. The description of life...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Jackie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book started out really strong. Patsy is an intelligent, gregarious, beautiful alcoholic professor who ends up waking in jail after running over two people in her driveway after a blackout drinking binge. She is consumed with guilt over what she has done, although she can't remember anything. The story follows her as she tries to make up for what she has done even after going to prison for two years. After she is released, she has a hard time reacclimating to her world, and never regains th...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Todd Carper rated it 1 of 5 stars

Here's the plot. A fairly wealthy women (college professor) has a drinking problem and blacks out frequently. One morning she wakes up in jail and finds out she killed two people after drinking then driving. She doesn't remember any of it, but takes full responsibilty, spends time in jail, sobers up, gets out and gets on with her life. Quite honestly, that is about as exciting as the book got for me. I like books that leave you with hope at the end, without solving everything...and I guess that...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Bruce Stern rated it 4 of 5 stars

Last night I finished reading a book that for three-quarters of it I disliked. My dislike was exacerbated by the hoopla about it, including a nomination for a National Book Critics Circle award. Was I missing something, or many somethings, in my reading? How come many Amazon.com reviewers liked this book? I submitted a comment—no more reviews were permitted—in response to one of the reviewers. A woman who enjoyed the book answered me, in part, by encouraging me to finish the book. I did, and I'm...more Last night I finished reading a book that for three-quarters of it I disliked. My dislike was exacerbated by the hoopla about it, including a nomination for a National Book Critics Circle award. Was I missing something, or many somethings, in my reading? How come many Amazon.com reviewers liked this book? I submitted a comment—no more reviews were permitted—in response to one of the reviewers. A woman who enjoyed the book answered me, in part, by encouraging me to finish the book. I did, and I'm glad I did.

Patsy MacLemoore is a recently minted, twenty-eight year old Ph.D. graduate in history, teaching at a small Southern California college. She's full of life, full of herself, a party girl, and an alcoholic. With several DUI arrests already, she is convicted of killing a young mother and her daughter while driving her car, an event she doesn't remember.
While serving two-years in prison, she reluctantly begins attending AA meetings. Patsy is aware of her responsibility for the tragedy, an awareness that has her consider how she's lived her life.
After prison she works to re-establish her life. There's uncertainty. She takes redemptive action, attends AA meetings where she forms new attachments, new friends, who along with the friends and family who stuck by her after her imprisonment form a family for her. She eventually marries. Most significantly, she grows up. Over the twenty-plus years of the story, beginning in 1980, she develops a strength of character, a strength of being, a loving compassion for herself and others, including a raffish and devoted former lover, a young gay AA confidante and close friend, who gets HIV/AIDS, and others who she is able to see the beauty within, and the flaws, as she sees and accepts her own imperfections. She practices fidelity to her marriage despite her encounter with a man who almost sweeps her away. She's loyal and supportive of friends and family; gaining strength and learning to trust her own voice and her intuition. Patsy becomes a self-actualizing person.

My one significant dislike of the book was the author's writing of dialog without quotation marks. It was challenging, confusing and made for unnecessary work for me.

"Blame", in short, is a quiet and intimate look into what makes life worth living, how does one live with a burden of responsibility which could incapacitate so many, and what is important about being in the world, and with other people.(less)

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Dec 08, 2010 Constance rated it 3 of 5 stars

i really enjoyed this book as i was reading it and kept staying up really late to read more. the writing is good - it flows really well and does a good job following the feelings and internal narratives of the main character as she goes through a lot of different experiences.

but actually, the more i think about this book, the more i don't like it, which almost never happens. the plot seems more suitable for a short story, and i got restless in the middle. also, even though you feel like you know...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was another strange read for me; even though I knew this was a "three-star" book for me, I finished it. Here's why:

- Again, I liked the author's writing style. A lot. She rivals my favorite authors with her use of language and her descriptions.
- The plot was somewhat compelling... but in an almost trashy sort of way.

Given #1 (and also #2) it made sense for me to finish it. I also thought it was worthwhile to finish this book because I wanted to explore what it was that I didn't like about i...more This was another strange read for me; even though I knew this was a "three-star" book for me, I finished it. Here's why:

- Again, I liked the author's writing style. A lot. She rivals my favorite authors with her use of language and her descriptions.
- The plot was somewhat compelling... but in an almost trashy sort of way.

Given #1 (and also #2) it made sense for me to finish it. I also thought it was worthwhile to finish this book because I wanted to explore what it was that I didn't like about it. And the plot and writing were tolerable enough that I was able to read on.

Here's the rough plot: Woman goes to prison for killing two pedestrians while driving drunk. The book is about her life in prison and her life afterward.

Here's what I didn't like:

- Reading the book felt like looking through a camera that went in and out of focus. The first chapter is told from the point of view of a young girl, and the book's protagonist is only a minor character in this chapter. The rest of the book is told from the point of view of the woman mentioned before. The girl reenters the action later in the story, but the first chapter felt VERY odd as a starting point. It felt that way at the beginning of the book and by the end of the book. It almost felt like the author was exploring a different genre (interrelated short stories?) or doing a character sketch and she just switched gears. I saw no reason for the switch in perspective. It wasn't mirrored elsewhere or used again. Just there. Strange decision and/or editing, IMO.

- To continue the "out of focus" metaphor, I didn't like the way in which the main character was developed. Again, she began as a bit character in the first chapter. In the second chapter she is charged with the crime, sent to prison, etc. And the author focuses in on the details of her life after realizing her crime, the mechanics of the trial, and her entry into prison. But the author goes light on the emotional detail, and I felt like I had very little background insight into who this woman was. We are to believe that the protagonist is a young (under 30) college professor with a horrible drinking problem, but we learn very little about her past initially or her immediate past -- just her present emotions. And at that point in the story she was a very improbable character to me. And I felt completely detached from her. Slowly throughout the story more of her character and history emerges, but I would have liked it sooner and I would have liked more. She still remained an enigma to me, as well as somewhat improbable. I kept feeling like the author was "writing what she knew" (young woman, academia) instead of writing a more probably character. Then again, I think that perhaps one of the messages was that alcoholism can afflict anyone, including somewhat improbable characters.

- Finally on the "out of focus" metaphor, I didn't like the way time was handled in the book. Parts of the story were told in great detail, and then parts flew by very quickly. It was hard to get the rhythm or pacing of the book. Initially it didn't feel like a Someset Maugham or E.M. Forster or... some sort of epic story. But ultimately the story did take place over the course of decades, and we moved forward far into the future from where the book began. This can of course be done well, but in this book it felt erratic.

- There were a few characters in the book who also bothered me immensely, because they felt like stock characters or a woman's fantasy characters. There was the handsome ne'er-do-well rich boy with whom the protagonist cavorts in the first chapter. Then there was a cloying gay man later in the book who never worked for me, and I think there was supposed to be a lot of emotion around his character and his relationship with the protagonist. There were also two love affairs that also didn't feel worthy of a literary novel.

Ultimately I think that Michelle Huneven is talented in the mechanics of writing (sentences, descriptions) but not in theme or character development.(less)

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Jun 13, 2010 Johnsergeant rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiblecom, audiobook, mystery

Narrated by Hillary Huber

10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary
Patsy MacLemoore, a history professor in her late 20s, has a brand-new Ph.D. from Berkeley and a wild streak. She wakes up in jail after an epic alcoholic blackout. "Okay, what'd I do?" she asks her lawyer and jailers.

In fact, two Jehovah's Witnesses, a mother and daughter, are dead, run over in Patsy's driveway, and Patsy will spend the rest of her life trying to atone. She goes to prison, gets sober, and upon her release finds a new...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Terry rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 04, 2009 AJ Conroy marked it as to-read

Shelves: potential-book-group

Recommendation from NPR

To show just what a mess of a woman Patsy McLemoore is, our first glimpse of her is through the eyes of a young family friend who's about to be subject to a rather raw ear piercing. But then it's Patsy's story, and our piercee has nothing on Patsy, who's about to go to prison for running over two Jehovah's Witnesses. The prison scenes are brutal and set the stage for what follows, which is a meditation on overcoming obstacles.

In her writing style, Huneven reminds me of Ri...more

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Sep 24, 2009 Jjanovyak rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm sure I should reflect a bit before I post this, but I think I'll decline to control the impulse and just go with it. I enjoyed this novel thoroughly and I want to say so right now.

Huneven is a beautiful writer and I am off next to reserve her earlier titles at my local library. She moves this story unflinchingly through pain and betrayal, and doesn't cut anyone any slack. Yet she treats the characters kindly, and doesn't reduce anyone to a cartoon.

My vote for best quote from this book comes...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Lulu rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really, really liked this book. The main character, Patsy Maclemoore, goes through so much! it's kind of amazing that she is still breathing. She is a very educated person, a history professor with a PHD. However, she loves to drink. Even though her license has been suspended, she is out driving around. She goes into a blackout.

Unfortunately, two people, a mother and a daughter, both Jehova's Witnesses, are found dead in her driveway. Patsy goes to jail for two years. During that time, she doe...more

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Feb 27, 2011 switterbug (Betsey) rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's another morning in the county drunk tank for Patsy, who is sadly inured to this ritual. She wakes up in her vomit and her filth, with no recall of last night--she experiences frequent blackouts when she drinks. A young, talented, comely, and statuesque college professor, Patsy is nevertheless on a grease skid to oblivion due to untreated alcoholism. This time she is accused of running down and killing a mother and daughter in her driveway, and her life subsequently takes a turn to prison.

T...more
It's another morning in the county drunk tank for Patsy, who is sadly inured to this ritual. She wakes up in her vomit and her filth, with no recall of last night--she experiences frequent blackouts when she drinks. A young, talented, comely, and statuesque college professor, Patsy is nevertheless on a grease skid to oblivion due to untreated alcoholism. This time she is accused of running down and killing a mother and daughter in her driveway, and her life subsequently takes a turn to prison.

The first part of Patsy's story reflects the jacket blurb and marketing for Blame--bracing, taut, suspenseful. The book description even contains an unnecessary, thoughtless spoiler, which doesn't affect my rating of the author's work but does illustrate that the publishers are intent to mislead readers into thinking that it is one kind of book when it is entirely another. The author is a superbly talented writer, i.e. her use of language, the written word, is obviously what earned a sterling endorsement from Richard Russo. Her metaphors and turns of phrase are verdant, fragrant, lyrical. Her characters are sympathetic and genuine. There were no false notes there. Her erudition is in the contemplative, the characterizations.

I adjusted to the temperament of the story, which often meanders and slows down to a staid portraiture of a collection of people. The narration actually reads like a 19th century novel at times, even though 20th century issues were involved. Now, that was unexpected. The author seemed to forgo what she started out to do and then changed course. The fuel-injected thriller morphed into a balmy sea. I went with it, but I want to warn readers--if you are looking for a tight, twisting, adrenaline-pumping thriller, look elsewhere. This is a cerebral look at rehabilitation and redemption. AA plays a vital role in this story, and the author does a stellar job of capturing the impact and life-altering possibilities of its sobering influences on existence.

Blame opens in 1981 and spans twenty years. The weakest area of this story is its architecture and structure. Some characters are introduced as poignant, but elusive. And then they recede or disappear awkwardly (which is too bad, since she creates compelling characters). Direction is lacking, uneven; it is as if the author had several books or story ideas and then labored strenuously to fuse them together. It came off as choppy and indistinct. She kept my interest up because of her beautiful passages; the warm and dusky tone; and the characters of Patsy and her gay friend, Gilles, whose brio is scene-stealing.

The concocted denouement was prosaic, tipping toward bathetic. As if the author decided to get back to writing a thriller again. I sighed. And the anticlimax was dour. Events felt cobbled together, the story was circumvented--and yet I read every word. And I would read her next book, too. She is a classy wordsmith, a sensuous writer, a fathomless thinker. Another draft or two would have helped this story to coalesce.
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Oct 31, 2009 Dennis D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

After a brief prelude to set the table, the story proper opens with Patsy MacLemoore awakening in jail. Or, more precisely, she comes to in jail. She’s a raging alcoholic, and has no idea how she wound up there, or what she’s 'in for', until she is led to an interrogation room with two cops, and her lawyer, Benny.

Was I driving again? Moi? Sans license?
The men gazed at the nicked and thinning oak veneer as if they were poring over a war map, as if she were not in the room.
Okay, what’d I do? Or do

...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Twenty-eight year old college professor Patsy is an alcoholic. When she runs over a mother and daughter in her driveway during a drunken blackout episode, she is sentenced to a few years in prison. Faced with the knowledge that she killed two innocent people, Patsy gets sober, becomes an active member of AA and eventually marries a much older man. As Patsy rebuilds her life and career, she is forced to analyze her past behavior and actions, as well as those of others. Ultimately, this book chall...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Jessa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Blame is a great quick read beach read or something to read on a lazy rainy day. Michelle Huneven creates an intricate and complex novel that explores the concepts of guilt, forgiveness, and most importantly self-acceptance. The plot centers around Patsy, who while a successful thirty-year-old college history professor, gets blacked-out drunk and apparently kills a mother and her daughter.

What follows is a two year stint in prison; however, when Patsy comes out her world is not the same as she a...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Khaya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, should-ve-been-shorter

Once again, a great premise and decent writing, while important, are not sufficient conditions for a great book. Once again, an author takes a complex story idea with rich potential and cops out by having it degenerate into Harlequin-worthy romance and ordinary family tale. Sigh.

Imagine waking up from an alcohol-induced blackout to be informed that you’ve killed two innocent people by driving drunk and are now in jail, awaiting sentencing. You, leading a standard middle-class life except for thi...more Once again, a great premise and decent writing, while important, are not sufficient conditions for a great book. Once again, an author takes a complex story idea with rich potential and cops out by having it degenerate into Harlequin-worthy romance and ordinary family tale. Sigh.

Imagine waking up from an alcohol-induced blackout to be informed that you’ve killed two innocent people by driving drunk and are now in jail, awaiting sentencing. You, leading a standard middle-class life except for this unfortunate little alcohol problem, suddenly find yourself in a women’s prison with people you never imagined you’d rub shoulders with. Great story concept, right?

Sadly, the execution left a lot to be desired. First, to borrow a line from one of Lisa’s reviews, it’s pretty annoying when books don’t start on page 1. Instead of opening with the above scenario as I was led to expect, the book began with a long, marginally relevant anecdote in which the main character played a minor role. This anecdote introduced some of the side characters but didn’t do much else for the narrative other than delaying the story I thought I was going to read.

Eventually there was an abrupt shift in viewpoint and I arrived at Patsy’s (the main character) shocking discovery. For me, this was the strongest part of the book – although I’ve never been in prison, the descriptions and interactions rang true and were gripping at times. Unfortunately the book began to go downhill and never made it back up. Patsy’s return to sobriety, beginning with prison AA meetings and continuing after her release, seemed way too easy. When Patsy was released from prison, we were told it was a difficult adjustment for her but she seemed to be instantly surrounded by devoted new friends, including a young gay man who was clearly meant to be lovable and adorable but reminded me of Jar Jar Binks from Episode I of Star Wars. Patsy got involved with men again but this, too, was pretty simplistic and clichéd – eventually realizing that her first post-prison relationship was all about chemistry and didn’t go deeper than that, Patsy rejected that guy for Mr. AA saint, who, like everyone else in the book, loved her with an unequivocal devotion that was difficult to understand. Some later ups and downs with Mr. AA Saint appeared to be more about Patsy’s selfishness and somewhat inexplicable dissatisfaction than about anything AA Saint did wrong.

Other problems I had with this book included uneven pacing – some events were told in long, drawn-out detail while others were quickly summarized and moved past. I could not detect any rhyme or reason for the author’s choosing to do this; the events which were described in full, even overwritten, were no more interesting or relevant than the ones which were mentioned in passing. In fact, overall much of Patsy’s post-prison life was pretty banal. And maybe life really is like that, but I was hoping to be gripped by a compelling description of Patsy’s struggle to get back into life, not reading endlessly about mundane details of day-to-day existence and uninteresting interactions.

Worst of all, while I certainly found Patsy’s initial situation sympathetic I didn’t find her particularly sympathetic as a character. Nothing about her resonated with me or made me want to read more about her or about her life. When she had an inner freak attack over her adult stepchild’s accidentally nicking her fancy new kitchen counter I knew I was supposed to sympathize with Patsy, even admire her for her restraint in not blowing up at the stepchild. Instead I found myself thinking, Lady, I just don’t want to know you. As someone who frequently opens my house to extended family members, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to have houseguests but still find it really hard to relate to a woman who actively resents her husband’s allowing his children to stay with them because she wants to enjoy her top-of-the-line new kitchen unencumbered. A better author would have made me feel Patsy’s pain despite the distance from my value system; this author failed in that respect. And by the way, ditto for guys who refuse to speak to friends for rejecting their decorating ideas. I’m supposed to like these characters?

Finally, the dramatic plot twist toward the end was visible a mile away; the book’s description basically gave it away. The way this twist came about required a great deal of suspension of disbelief – too much – and in my opinion, while this development did raise a few interesting questions, ultimately it didn’t do a lot for the story as a whole.

Too bad. I’m not a Jodi Picoult person, but I actually think this book would have worked better had she written it.
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Jan 06, 2010 Laren rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Patsy wakes up in jail after yet another alcoholic blackout only to find herself charged with the death of two Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were found run over in Patsy’s own driveway. Since she already had her driver's license revoked during her last blackout, and she doesn't remember anything from that night, she agrees to a plea bargain. The book follows her journey through prison, AA meetings, rebuilding her life after prison, and generally trying to atone for this act.

Then decades later, evide...more Patsy wakes up in jail after yet another alcoholic blackout only to find herself charged with the death of two Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were found run over in Patsy’s own driveway. Since she already had her driver's license revoked during her last blackout, and she doesn't remember anything from that night, she agrees to a plea bargain. The book follows her journey through prison, AA meetings, rebuilding her life after prison, and generally trying to atone for this act.

Then decades later, evidence turns up that proves she wasn't actually driving that night after all. According to one review, this is suppposed to be "an electrifying moment, a joyous, fall-off-the-couch-with-surprise moment" for the reader, but frankly I already figured it out just by reading the book flap so this was wholly expected by me. What wasn't expected was just how extremely far into the book I was before this came up. I was also led to believe that the book is a study of Patsy's complicated life reassessments in the face of this new information. And yet, she didn't act like it was very complicated after all. She just quietly moved on in what little parts of the book she had left.

This book dragged through so much of her life, and yet so little of it was considered in the "reassessment" that I felt much of it was made irrelevant in the end and I resented being exposed to it at all. The book really only came alive with the character of Gilles, but then he died and wasn't mentioned much again, leaving me puzzled exactly why the author would spend so much character development for a character who appeared to leave no discernable lasting impact in shaping who our main character became. In fact, it was downright odd that our main character didn't seen to be bowled over with lasting grief by the loss of her supposed-best-friend who helped her get back into life after leaving prison. Basically, it emphasized to me that this character was still numb to life, but she just didn't need alcohol to make herself so anymore.

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Nov 16, 2009 Eileen Granfors rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: families, highly-unusual, local-color, women, medical-issues

Here's a book I almost didn't finish because the first chapters did not invite my interest. But I kept going into the next 40 pages, and at last, the story caught fire.

The story opens with an odd episode of a lady's man, Brice; his niece, Joey; and his date-of-the-night, Patsy. Patsy is wasted on pills and booze, but Joey seems to be the focus of the novel. NOT.

Patsy, a history professor, wakes up in jail and finds herself charged with vehicular homicide. She is an alcoholic.

From that point in t...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book had promise: Patsy, a woman in her twenties, a party girl with some DUIs in her past, wakes up in jail and learns that she killed a mother and daughter while driving drunk. It sounded like a great premise for a novel, but the author didn't do the story justice. Patsy is sent to prison for two years. Granted it's 1981 and the very stringent drinking and driving laws were only evolving, but only two years? The author spends very little time on Patsy's prison experience. She attends AA me...more

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May 30, 2010 Ryan Madland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

This book was given to by Goodreads First Reads Program. I have not received any sort of financial reimbursement for this review. The opinions expressed are of my own.
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The novel "Blame" by Michelle Huneven puts the spotlight on an on growing epidemic of drinking and driving in the United States. It also is a story about redemption and being able to move on from tragedy.

The story of "Blame" revolves around a character named Pats...more This book was given to by Goodreads First Reads Program. I have not received any sort of financial reimbursement for this review. The opinions expressed are of my own.
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The novel "Blame" by Michelle Huneven puts the spotlight on an on growing epidemic of drinking and driving in the United States. It also is a story about redemption and being able to move on from tragedy.

The story of "Blame" revolves around a character named Patsy MacLemore. Early on in the novel it seems like she's just your average party girl who likes to have a good time. Later on, when she's locked up for running over and killing two people, its revealed that she is a college professor that comes from a very good family which goes to show that alcohol can make even the smartest person make the dumbest mistakes.

Patsy is then sent of to prison and frrom there we really see the development of her character. She has try to find a way to fit into the prison scene, as well with dealing with the guilt of being responsible for two deaths. She even agrees to meet with the Father & Husband of the two people she killed, which definitely adds some more emotion to the novel.

When Patsy is finally released its interesting to read how she tries to fit her way back into society. To try and maintain relationships with friends and family and also be willing to begin new relationships with those who are unfamiliar with her past. Its a struggle from beginning to end.

We also get to get see how Patsy deals with sobriety and being around those who still like to imbibe in alcohol. This is the only part I found unrealistic in the novel. It seemed like this transition may have came to0 easy for her. I will give the author a pass on this one, because when Patsy was in prison, she did attend AA and was forced to deal with her problems and her feeling as it dealt with the killing of two innocent people. That in itself should scare a person sober.

At times I found this novel a bit slow for my usual tastes, but when it got me to where it wanted to take me, I was pleasantly surprised. Its a novel that anyone who has decided to turn on the keys of their car and make that drive home from the neighborhood bar should read. Learn from Patsy's mistakes before you make victims of your own.

The novel isn't preachy about drinking and driving and honestly its only mentioned in small spurts. The story is about Patsy and how she has to deal with the ramifications of her actions and being able to feel human again.

I definitely recommend this book. It does move a bit slow, but like a steak, savor it and in the end, it will be worth it.
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Jan 17, 2013 Amanda Backer rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was an interesting book... Something about it just didn't do it for me. I was interested and wanted to keep reading but I kept waiting for something to happen but it didn't. It has good insight into what it must be like to carry grief for many years. But I think the book spanned too long of a time period. I felt less attached to the characters because there were a lot of them and some of them seemed unnecessary. I think the book would have been better if it spanned a shorter amount of time....more

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Jun 29, 2010 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book's cover promised that it combined thoughtful literature with the compelling plot of a page-turner.

It was a good deal more well-written and introspective than your average thriller--can you imagine a scene from a Stephen King novel in which female prisoners take great pleasure in swinging and throwing clots of weeds during community service, reveling in the distance and accuracy they can achieve, or Michael Crichton describing a therapist's voice as a "soft path through the woods"? Did...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Candice rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was persuaded to read this after reading a review. I thought that the reviewer told too much, but that was a reason why I wanted to read it. So how do I review it? I am not going to include the information that gave away too much. Read enough reviews and you will get that picture.

It's the story of a young California college professor, Patsy MacLeemore who loves to party and drink. One morning she wakes up in jail, having no memory of the night before, and jokingly asks if she has killed someon...more

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Feb 01, 2010 Barbok rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Do not read the book jacket flap.

I don't read a lot of popular fiction. However, I couldn't stop reading this one--I read the entire book in one day.

Blame is about guilt, redemption, forgiveness, love, understanding oneself, and maturing. A young woman, Patsy, frequently drinks until she blacks out. You know she's headed for disaster before she finds herself in prison for killing two people while driving during one of her black outs.

I don't think I'm giving anything away, as every review I've

...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Meg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-books-read-to-present, literature-fiction-800s

This was such a fantastic book. I deeply cared about multiple characters and think this author writes characters with incredible skill. Blame is the story of Patsy, a young history professor and alcoholic who, after a night of blackout drinking, is found guilty of killing two Jehovah's Witnesses, who were walking down her driveway, with her car (and on a suspended license). Having no real memory of that night, Patsy is terrorized by guilt and endures prison while resolved to change her life thro...more

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