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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “I Loved this book. I just joined this website so I am very unfamiliar with it but am looking forward to learning more and sharing with fellow readers! |
Didn’t Like It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “First and foremost I will say that I think Wally Lamb is an excellent writer. |
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“The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb is the American novel of this decade. It grapples with the real events of Columbine, Katrina, 9/11, the war in the Middle East, and other personal tragedies such as alcoholism, drug addiction, divorce, affairs. In other words, it's an epic novel of grief. It explores the sins of the father and mother and their effects on generations to come.
hgoodman wrote this review 18 hours ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
But it isn't distant in its encompassing endeavor. All of these events come through the eyes of Caelum, a man who is victim, monster, and victor. He and his wife survived Columbine and attempt to put their lives back together in the aftermath. In the tragedies of our day, Caelum finds guidance in the myths of old.
Lamb explores questions such as: What do we do with grief? What is the difference between justice and vengeance and how does grace and redemption fit in? On what do we base/find hope? How do we heal when the contents of Pandora's open box wreak havoc in our world? Where does the monster begin and the victim end?
This is a hard book to read, but it's one I highly recommend.”
“I couldn't finish it. ”
Karla R wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I usually appreciate novels that vary their style by including diary entries, letters, etc. but in the case of this book I found all of it unnecessary and somewhat irritating. If you want me to discover the plot through alternate formats, don't summarize what you're going to reveal beforehand! It just made me impatient and I ended up skimming/skipping most sections written in different font.”
keran wing wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Perhaps we need a rating system that gauges likability at various stages of the book. For me, it was a five-star until Lamb decided he had to explore the lives of his predecessors and whether he was the true son of his father and who in the heck was his mother. In truly rare form, I skipped over sections that, I felt, carried me away from the heart of the work: Twain and Tesla and other stories within stories. I struggled through the Rheingold saga sensing it just might be significant (why on earth did the story need the Bavarian history lesson?) It's as if Lamb were at an all-you-eat-buffet and decided to have a portion of everything: racial injustice, women's issues, gay rights, 911, Katrina, Iraq, Bush and Cheney bashing and a big portion of Hey-I-did-the-research-and-by-damn-I'm-gonna-use-the-material. I still have a wee bit to go to finish, still puzzled. Certainly Columbine and its devastating effects is as strong a theme as could be addressed. In his afterword he reveals the difficulty in finding his story. In my opinion, he found multiple stories and dumped them in one novel. Wonder what advice his readers and editors offered? ”
tishiejean wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“this was a very well done book using the fact of Columbine to create a fictional tale of its effect on others.”
Monica M wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I see what Lamb was trying to create as far as plot is concerned, but this book felt like it was seven stories in one. ”
katherine g wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Long book, but worth the read. I enjoyed it. Definitely a page turner for me. It has to do with so many things. It starts out with the Columbine high school shootings. And the rest of the book is kind of based off of how an event like that can continue to effect lives many years down the road. How one horrible event can send many lives spinning off into disasters. Really well written I thought.”
Abigail Christy wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I didn't think I'd like this, not really a fan of Wally Lamb, but I thought this was a pretty good book. Depressing, of course, but good.”
Jodi G wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Wally Lamb is brilliant! This is the best book about collateral damage and the long-range effects of traumatic events in people's lives. The dust never really settles for those whose lives are forever altered by violent acts.”
Marty M wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
