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hadu's review against another edition
4.0
This book was abandoned in the kitchen at work. It looked like something a boring person would like (the cover art, font, and decorative swirls doesn't help), and 9/11 being a part of the story I felt was lame. But...it was free! I gave it a chance.
The Lake Shore Limited is NOT what I expected. I really enjoyed having detailed knowledge of each character and reading their personal perspectives in turns. There were a few times it felt painful (in a good way) reading because the characters' inner brutal honesty or situation was dark--exposing sad but true feelings regarding the death of a loved one, an ill spouse, not being true to yourself, feeling trapped, etc. Overall I was able to understand why the characters are the way they are and accept it rather than judge. It's not often characters feel like they could be actual people--there are probably more Leslies, Billys, etc. in the world than we think.
I had a couple of issues with this book: (1) I thought Billy saying, "God, I love the theatre!" was really cheesy and took me out of the story, (2) without spoiling anything something dramatic happens involving Sam towards the end of the book--this event came off not very believeable, and (3) the very last paragraph sounded too good to be true.
Discovering what the characters think and feel about another character you also know well or will get to know well and learning of their past which influences how they are today kept me committed to the end.
The Lake Shore Limited is NOT what I expected. I really enjoyed having detailed knowledge of each character and reading their personal perspectives in turns. There were a few times it felt painful (in a good way) reading because the characters' inner brutal honesty or situation was dark--exposing sad but true feelings regarding the death of a loved one, an ill spouse, not being true to yourself, feeling trapped, etc. Overall I was able to understand why the characters are the way they are and accept it rather than judge. It's not often characters feel like they could be actual people--there are probably more Leslies, Billys, etc. in the world than we think.
I had a couple of issues with this book: (1) I thought Billy saying, "God, I love the theatre!" was really cheesy and took me out of the story, (2) without spoiling anything something dramatic happens involving Sam towards the end of the book--this event came off not very believeable, and (3) the very last paragraph sounded too good to be true.
Discovering what the characters think and feel about another character you also know well or will get to know well and learning of their past which influences how they are today kept me committed to the end.
sheila_p's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like the first character as much as the others so it took me a while to get into the book but once I did I was hooked. There is a genuineness about the struggles of these people and how they feel. How does a person reconcile guilt, relief, love, and loss? How do you mourn in public? What is the right emoti...on in the face of tragedy? Who does a story belong to? The book tackles these questions and while it sounds really heavy it doesn't dwell on gory details that will keep you awake at night, life is the focus.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
Billy Gertz writes a play, The Lake Shore Limited, about a train carrying a terrorist bomb that explodes while pulling into the train station. The play is about how the bombing affects a family waiting to hear the fate of one of the passengers. The themes clearly reflect attitudes and anxieties in the post 9-11 world. The book is told from the point of view of four characters whose lives were changed by 9-11 and by the unexpected circumstances in which they find themselves. A very well-written work reflecting on how 9-11 affected all of our lives. Highly recommended.
megan_fowle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
booklvrkat's review
1.0
Ugh. Can't believe how hard this was to get finished. I hardly ever give a book 1 star, but this was such a waste of time for me. I cannot recommend to anyone!
pattieod's review against another edition
4.0
This is a study of several inter-related characters and how a play (with the same title as the novel) impacts their lives. The story is told from a variety of perspectives, and as usual, Miller's characters are real and well-rounded, even though this group represents a tiny, well-educated, NPR-listening subset of American life.
As someone who spent way too much of my life around working actors, I can attest that the scenes relating to the production of the play ring particularly true (and enjoyable).
As someone who spent way too much of my life around working actors, I can attest that the scenes relating to the production of the play ring particularly true (and enjoyable).
snowmaiden's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book about the difference between the face we show to others and how we really are, but also the gap between the face we're projecting and what others actually perceive. Each of the characters is trying to maintain a somewhat false image while simultaneously misunderstanding the other characters. For instance, Billy was planning on breaking up with her boyfriend, Gus, when he was killed on September 11th. She was sad about his death, but not as sad as she felt she should have been, so she's been pretending for a long, long time and trying to avoid his family as much as possible. Gus' sister Leslie doesn't suspect that at all. What she sees is that Billy has withdrawn due to extreme grief. She's been doggedly trying to cheer Billy up, and now she's decided to set her up with her friend Sam. There's another story of missed signals there. Some years ago when they first met, Leslie and Sam fell in love with each other, despite the fact that they were both married to other people. But neither of them let on to this, so each thinks the love they felt back then (and maybe still feel) was unrequited.
There are four point-of-view characters here, so we often get different perspectives of the same events. I admired Miller's way of handling this without having it seem repetitive or obvious. In this respect, the novel reminded me of [b: The Cookbook Collector|7632696|The Cookbook Collector|Allegra Goodman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320507963s/7632696.jpg|10140384] by [a: Allegra Goodman|16264|Allegra Goodman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1423702101p2/16264.jpg], another story about the differences between our perceptions of people and how they see themselves.
There are four point-of-view characters here, so we often get different perspectives of the same events. I admired Miller's way of handling this without having it seem repetitive or obvious. In this respect, the novel reminded me of [b: The Cookbook Collector|7632696|The Cookbook Collector|Allegra Goodman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320507963s/7632696.jpg|10140384] by [a: Allegra Goodman|16264|Allegra Goodman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1423702101p2/16264.jpg], another story about the differences between our perceptions of people and how they see themselves.
anderson65's review against another edition
4.0
ambitious--fully executed tale of complex psychological and moral issues.
a story about life, the people we are and who we seem to be.
splendid writing carries reader along with beautiful vocabulary and phrasing
exquisitely drawn characters with true sense of humanity in each
a story about life, the people we are and who we seem to be.
splendid writing carries reader along with beautiful vocabulary and phrasing
exquisitely drawn characters with true sense of humanity in each
muddypuddle's review against another edition
1.0
not for me....beautiful writing but somewhat unlikable characters and the story just went on and on and on and on......had to force myself to listen all the way to the end.
dommdy's review against another edition
2.0
I used to love this author, and at some point the sex scenes became both more graphic and mostly
pointless. Lazy
pointless. Lazy