heyhannahrae's review
1.0
It took me EIGHT MONTHS to read this book.
I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t connect with the characters and it really pisses me off that Domenico was such an ass to his twin. I guess he loved Thomas—he plays the sympathy card a lot because he lost his twin—but he treated his brother like crap when he was alive. So I can certainly empathize with the loss he’s feeling (I lost my brother) but I sort of hate Domenico because who treats a sibling the way he treated Thomas? Pip was one of my best friends. Domenico was just a complete asshole. I don’t like him and I don’t connect to him and if he were a real person, there’s no way in hell I’d ever want to be his friend.
I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t connect with the characters and it really pisses me off that Domenico was such an ass to his twin. I guess he loved Thomas—he plays the sympathy card a lot because he lost his twin—but he treated his brother like crap when he was alive. So I can certainly empathize with the loss he’s feeling (I lost my brother) but I sort of hate Domenico because who treats a sibling the way he treated Thomas? Pip was one of my best friends. Domenico was just a complete asshole. I don’t like him and I don’t connect to him and if he were a real person, there’s no way in hell I’d ever want to be his friend.
rachel_lee's review against another edition
4.0
Not often do we explore the affect of mental illness on anyone other than the victim, but in this case paranoid schizophrenia attempts to destroy the life of not only Thomas, but his twin brother Dominick. An unexpected twist breaks your heart.
truthlessofcanada's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is technically a fantasy novel BTW. Fight me
Also a really really good novel. It wasn't nessesarely a page turner for me, but the character work was really excellent, and it wrapped up phenomenally. Wally Lamb clearly has earned his success as a writer.
Also a really really good novel. It wasn't nessesarely a page turner for me, but the character work was really excellent, and it wrapped up phenomenally. Wally Lamb clearly has earned his success as a writer.
bandkh1's review
5.0
What a surprise this whopping great book was in that, not once in it's 900+ pages was this reader bored for one single minute. Originally, I felt intimidated by this books size but, once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. This huge book has three major plot lines involving secrets and silence, and deals with such serious issues as mental illness, relationship breakdown, rape, harmful secrets and lies but the story belongs to the protagonist, Dominick Birdsey.
The novel’s strength lies in Wally Lamb’s complex portrait of this private man, permanently scarred by his stepfather’s brutality, the responsibility he feels for his mother and increasingly erratic, mentally ill brother, and a divorce from Dessa, the woman he still loves. This book has real heart and offers a compassionate treatment of the intimate relationship between twins, survival of the death of a twin, and the heartache of living with a schizophrenic loved one. I loved it. What more can I say except, don't be put off by it's size. It's worth every aching arm muscle.
The novel’s strength lies in Wally Lamb’s complex portrait of this private man, permanently scarred by his stepfather’s brutality, the responsibility he feels for his mother and increasingly erratic, mentally ill brother, and a divorce from Dessa, the woman he still loves. This book has real heart and offers a compassionate treatment of the intimate relationship between twins, survival of the death of a twin, and the heartache of living with a schizophrenic loved one. I loved it. What more can I say except, don't be put off by it's size. It's worth every aching arm muscle.
britanee's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
brianjrender's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This went from an unknown to my favorite book of all time in 2 months. It also helped me go back to therapy. It's a beautiful representation of a story only he could create.
mazza57's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fabulous but lengthy read at 928 pages. Twins, one with paranoid schizophrenia and both with a chequered and difficult life. The opening is strong and the whole is an emotive journey through good and bad. It shows how human strength and frailty are intermingled. The descriptions of mental health care and of guilt and resentment are so true to life.
trilobite's review
2.0
The characters are compelling, as is the story. The ending is a b.s. writer's cop-out in my opinion.
kellycoburn37's review against another edition
4.0
I’m really struggling with what to rate this. My initial thought is three stars but when I try to look at the book objectively, I know that I should probably rate it 5 stars. Therefore, I am landing on four stars.
This book is about our narrator, Dominick (who by the way is incredibly unlikable), and his reflection on his own life with his brother, Thomas, who is schizophrenic. As the book goes on, we learn more and more about Dominick and the different aspects that make his life difficult. While I understand the idea that putting all of those opinions and events on paper makes for an eye opening and meaningful story, it just didn’t really mean all that much to me.
Dominick’s narration really reminds me of Catcher In The Rye (a book I read in high school and despised). I think, I’m general, reading a book narrated by a whiny man is not my cup of tea. Now, I feel like it should be said that I am a person who reads a lot of romance and YA books (and I absolutely love them). A lot of time when I read outside of those genres it’s takes a lot for me to fully dive in to a book. (Did I mention that this book is reallllllly long?) I read this one for a book club (and I honestly don’t know if I would have chosen it otherwise.)
Now, I also should say, that there are LOADS of things I loved about this book. I loved reading about the relationship between the brothers and the things Thomas was going through. I loved the shock of all of the different thing that happened in the narrator’s life. I loved the in depth perspective this book gave.
For now, I’m sticking with four stars. Maybe I’ll raise it to five or lower it to three in the future once I have some more time to reflect. Who knows?
This book is about our narrator, Dominick (who by the way is incredibly unlikable), and his reflection on his own life with his brother, Thomas, who is schizophrenic. As the book goes on, we learn more and more about Dominick and the different aspects that make his life difficult. While I understand the idea that putting all of those opinions and events on paper makes for an eye opening and meaningful story, it just didn’t really mean all that much to me.
Dominick’s narration really reminds me of Catcher In The Rye (a book I read in high school and despised). I think, I’m general, reading a book narrated by a whiny man is not my cup of tea. Now, I feel like it should be said that I am a person who reads a lot of romance and YA books (and I absolutely love them). A lot of time when I read outside of those genres it’s takes a lot for me to fully dive in to a book. (Did I mention that this book is reallllllly long?) I read this one for a book club (and I honestly don’t know if I would have chosen it otherwise.)
Now, I also should say, that there are LOADS of things I loved about this book. I loved reading about the relationship between the brothers and the things Thomas was going through. I loved the shock of all of the different thing that happened in the narrator’s life. I loved the in depth perspective this book gave.
For now, I’m sticking with four stars. Maybe I’ll raise it to five or lower it to three in the future once I have some more time to reflect. Who knows?