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I can’t think of a book that was harder for me to read than We Need to Talk About Kevin. Nor can I think of a book that I’ve been more interested in discussing. I don’t want to say that I found it to be a perfect book. The father was strangely optimistic in the face of the savage Kevin presented. And day-to-day Kevin is not as savage as one might expect. It’s the why why why every page generates that I found compelling. Was Kevin born to kill? Or was it the dangerous combination of lackluster mo
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Eva decides to have a child, and seems to spend the next 16 years second guessing that decision and regretting it. We know the events;a young man murders 7 of his fellow students and two adults. Eva recounts her life with her husband, Franklin, and child in long letters to Franklin. Eva chooses to get pregnant, she and Franklin discuss it endlessly, yet she seems to place the blame not on the guilty child or the lack of relationship they have, but on society for having forced her to be a mother.
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This novel was incredibly striking to me as someone who grew up in the midst of the school shooting scare. While one never occurred at my own school, I definitely kept the idea of it in the back of my head. The shear number of actual facts that went into this book about mass murders in schools that ACTUALLY occurred had me reeling and I kept having to remind myself that it was, in fact, fiction.
The whole premise of this book makes even those most anxious to bear children rethink the idea.
In the ...more
The whole premise of this book makes even those most anxious to bear children rethink the idea.
In the ...more
A candid account of a boy's life gone awry; did the parents contribute to this or was he born with defective genes? The boy kills several classmates that he didn't like. A family devastated by this boy's personality makes a dark but interesting read.
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This is a hard book to rate (as it was a hard book to read). I thought the structure was interesting and the ending knocked the wind out of me. I find the storyline more plausible than some other reviewers - not sure what that says about me. I do find the "evil seed" idea a bit trite, but there is some elaboration about the perfect storm of Kevin and his environment.
As an aside i can completely see Tilda Swinton in the lead role here. ***Edited to add*** and John C. Reilly, perfect cast. It wou ...more
As an aside i can completely see Tilda Swinton in the lead role here. ***Edited to add*** and John C. Reilly, perfect cast. It wou ...more
This story got in my head.
As depressing as the subject matter is, this book was very compelling. I was impressed by the writing and the psychological exploration of an unhappy motherhood.
Jun 12, 2009
Lisa of Hopewell
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
audio-books,
women-s-prize-for-fiction
Griping, well-written, but did anyone else wonder why two wealthy WASP parents didn't drag the kid to therapy at about age 1????
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Sep 18, 2008
Juliana Philippa
marked it as to-read
Sep 11, 2011
silly_soup
marked it as to-read
Feb 21, 2012
Maria Yohn
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Feb 22, 2012
Lori Williams
added it
May 29, 2012
Rakisha
marked it as wishlist
Oct 04, 2012
Stacey
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Feb 22, 2013
Curlysue
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Mar 25, 2013
Meghan
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Oct 03, 2017
Luvhiñá
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Mar 22, 2018
Sharon
marked it as to-read
