This review is way too long, and riddled with spoilers. I need to include them in order to explain how truly awful this book is. Please consider my review a public service announcement. ******** Michael and Corinne Mulvaney have four children- three sons and a daughter. Together, they are THE...
I found this at a church book sale. I figured I should read at least one Joyce Carol Oates book before I die, so this one got the nod. Apparently, I didn't choose as wisely as I might have, but then I didn't really have the opportunity. It's what the church book table had the day I got the idea. Thi...
I'd tried Oates before: her novel Black Water as well as some of her short stories. Just never clicked with her. Oates still leaves me cold after this soap opera. Much of her style irritates me. Oates overuses the exclamation point. She indulges too often in the post-modern habit of piling on list...
A subtly constructed work that should receive a national award. I compare her to Franzen yet she offers readers more meaningful fare than he does...and in my mind that makes Oates superior to Franzen.
In a book where none of the characters appealed to me, Joyce Carol Oates somehow wrote a book that I liked. Half-way through, I considered abandoning it because the misery, the utter hopelessness was too much and the characters living in the book were too annoying. I struggle with Michael Mulvaney, ...
This is one of the most emotionally devastating novels I have ever read. Unfortunately, the end of the novel feels a little rushed and slightly artificial. I don't think I should harp too much on this because the majority of the novel is outstanding, horrific, a page turner and probably a fair alleg...
Seeing that this woman's name is bandied about whenever there is a discussion about future nobel laureates, it is time to take the plunge...Dedication: for my "Mulvaneys"...Opening Quote is from Walt Whitman, 'Song of Myself':I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,If you want me...
This was an excellent book although I did find it very unsettling and upsetting. Several times at the beginning, I actually had to put it down and step away for a while to let my mind settle. It is beautifully written and the story is fantastically told and I believe the crumbling of the family unit...
I'd say it's more like 2.5 stars. I wanted to love this book, but the more I read it, the sicker I became with the story. However, it was like watching a bad car accident, I couldn't look away from it.
Important: Our sites use cookies.
We use the information stored using cookies and similar technologies for advertising and statistics purposes.
Stored data allow us to tailor the websites to individual user's interests.
Cookies may be also used by third parties cooperating with BookLikes, like advertisers, research companies and providers of multimedia applications.
You can choose how cookies are handled by your device via your browser settings.
If you choose not to receive cookies at any time, BookLikes will not function properly and certain services will not be provided.
For more information, please go to our Privacy Policy.
Log in with Facebook 
