Belinda's review
I Know This Much Is True
by Wally Lamb
Wow, I'm surprised you gave this 5 stars, it makes me take a second look. I bought Lamb's She's Come Undone a long time ago, just because I often pick up books at the thrift store if I've even heard of them. But then someone told me they thought it was yucky and depressing and not to bother. How would you say his writing style was? I usually find stories where they go back and forth between either characters or time to be a motivator to keep reading. Maybe I'll have to try this out. The plays I've read lately are also with unlikeable characters and I'm surprised how much I like them, just because of how interesting they are and especially how much they give me to think about.
The transition between stories is definitely a motivator to keep reading....which is probably why I'd get so mad. I remember being absolutely glued to it. It has been a while since I read it, so I can't comment too much on the writing but I remember being very drawn into it....it was very REAL, descriptive enough to put you there but not so much that you rolled your eyes at it. There were parts that were a little depressing but isn't that life, aren't those the things that make the good things that much better? The depressing elements of this book are the reason the character is who he is.....more psychology there. The book deals with a lot of depressing elements (mental illness, domestic abuse, family ties, survivor guilt, AIDS, divorce, SIDS, sexual abuse...I've probably missed a few). Sounds awful doesn't it....maybe that's why I was glued, like watching a train wreck. Lamb just did a really good job of showing how life events (past and present) had damaged a person and then brought him full circle to become a new person. I had a typo in my comment....I meant to say that I WASN'T totally sold on the end. Also, I have to warn you that there is some language and sexual content in the book. You should read some of the other posts on this book...I haven't read "She's Come Undone" but I saw some posts that say that this one is much better.
Belinda's review
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Belinda's review
rating:
This was a very interesting book because it told two stories....a crazy present day story involving twin psychology and his grandfathers life story which gives the protagonist insight into his mothers life and where he comes from....I loved it. I love genealogy and psychology so it was a perfect mix for me. I was so drawn into each story that I'd get mad as it switched between stories because I didn't want to have to wait to hear more. I did not like the present day character as a person but the telling was so real and raw that I truly felt for him. It just drives home the fact that family has such a huge influence on our lives, positive and negative. And it is interesting to read from the perspective of a person who isn't a good and selfless protagonist but a real and almost unlikeable person. Even in his grandfather's story, the secondary protagonist, his grandfather, was not a very good person. The past characters in his grandfathers story were mostly horrible people, but I w...more
Wow, I'm surprised you gave this 5 stars, it makes me take a second look. I bought Lamb's She's Come Undone a long time ago, just because I often pick up books at the thrift store if I've even heard of them. But then someone told me they thought it was yucky and depressing and not to bother. How would you say his writing style was? I usually find stories where they go back and forth between either characters or time to be a motivator to keep reading. Maybe I'll have to try this out. The plays I've read lately are also with unlikeable characters and I'm surprised how much I like them, just because of how interesting they are and especially how much they give me to think about.
The transition between stories is definitely a motivator to keep reading....which is probably why I'd get so mad. I remember being absolutely glued to it. It has been a while since I read it, so I can't comment too much on the writing but I remember being very drawn into it....it was very REAL, descriptive enough to put you there but not so much that you rolled your eyes at it. There were parts that were a little depressing but isn't that life, aren't those the things that make the good things that much better? The depressing elements of this book are the reason the character is who he is.....more psychology there. The book deals with a lot of depressing elements (mental illness, domestic abuse, family ties, survivor guilt, AIDS, divorce, SIDS, sexual abuse...I've probably missed a few). Sounds awful doesn't it....maybe that's why I was glued, like watching a train wreck. Lamb just did a really good job of showing how life events (past and present) had damaged a person and then brought him full circle to become a new person. I had a typo in my comment....I meant to say that I WASN'T totally sold on the end. Also, I have to warn you that there is some language and sexual content in the book. You should read some of the other posts on this book...I haven't read "She's Come Undone" but I saw some posts that say that this one is much better.