The Garden of Last Days: A Novel (edit title)

• Rated 4 stars

“Based on a story about a strip club dancer in Florida who danced for a 9/11 terrorist a few days before the event. This is only one of the storylines which also involve her 13-year old daughter gone missing that night (she brought her to work), her lonely landlady who treats her daughter as her own, a wife beater who got thrown out of the club who found the girl and kept her overnight out of kindness, among others. It's quite chilling to picture everyday people who came in contact with the terrorists. You also get a glimpse into their mind, how they see Americans as idolatrous evildoers who deserve their fate. If you like the author's House of Sand and Fog (book and movie) you will "enjoy" this book.”

• Rated 5 stars

“This is a wonderful book -- I had read House of Sand and Fog and loved it, but this one is even more powerful. Strong and heartbreaking. I highly recommend it.”

• Rated 4 stars

“A wonderfully written collection of characters and their decisions in one fateful night. The prose is rich and beautifully crafted throughout the looping time and point of views. The book bogs down a bit at then end searching for a conclusion, but still a wonderful read which immerses you in these most imperfect people's lives. Especially well done was the flashbacks to the character's pasts which allow you to empathize and understand (but not agree with) their choices better.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Good book. The author attempts to make the reader empathize with the characters, even though all are flawed in one way or another. I think that in most of the characterizations, he succeeded. I could have done without the detailed account of the 9/11 hijacker's last days. It seemed like that whole story line didn't fit in with the rest of the book.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Great characters. Good build up, but I didn't feel like there was a great pay-off.”

• Rated 2 stars

“Depressing and painful to read”

• Rated 5 stars

“One of the best books I've read in months. It has compelling characters and a strong sense of time and place. Beautifully written.
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• Rated 5 stars

“Excellent. I've never read a Dubus novel before, and as predicted by other critics, I did empathize with the characters--stripper, wife beater, militant fundamentalist Muslim, and bouncer with a learning disability. I'm grateful for a writer who can keep me turning pages as my emotions rock from frustration for characters' poor choices to grief for their background experiences that shaped their desires and will. How startling to recognize, not just how different, but how much I am like all of them.”

• Rated 0 stars

“This book was slightly disturbing. The style of writing was enjoyable, and it was hard to put the book down. It definetly grabs you, almost like a train wreck-you want to look away but you just cant. The terrorists' point of view of American's was frightening. I think overall, the book ends with showing how the lives of the characters changed and evolved after 9/11. I think that is true of many people, after 9/11 we all thought differently about many things. Interesting book, I would recommend anyone to read it to see for themselves what they think. This book does make you relive many of the emotions of 9/11, so prepare yourself for a different perspecitve to such a horrible time in our history. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Andre Dubus has a way of making his reader sympathize with all of his characters, even the ones you know you are not supposed to care about. You see the story from each character's perspective and gain insight into their way of thinking. Mr. Dubus is able to be completely neutral and non-judgemental about his characters, which makes you care for them all the more.
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