We went on a camping trip with a bunch of teenagers 16 & above and all it did was rain, so to pass the time, we took turns reading aloud, and just could not put this book down. You will not easily forget Delores, because she lives in many of us. You will not be disappointed with this book, we all loved it.

Definately not a "feel good" story but a good one. I like the way this writer writes and it's hard to believe this was written by a man. Wally Lamb is a man right?

Here it is 2008 and I just realized this book is 16 years old. I picked it up this weekend at the grocery store pulled in by the #1 Best Seller across the top. While the book is very well written and I literally couldn't put it down, I was stunned at the content. After I finished it, I told my husband that every single thing I find morally abhorrent was contained in this book.
1. Adultery - throughout.
2. Physical abuse - her parents were physically abusive as was Dolores.
3. Rape.
4. Incest - her own father pinched her breasts as a pre-teen and asked about her "walnuts".
5. Theft. She steals her roommates mail and justifys it it in her own mind.
6. Self-mutilation - cutting, burning, and even attempted suicide.
7. Omitted so as not to offend.
8. Abortion. And subsequent infertility. But the two are not linked in the story.
9. Parenting w/o a father. The adult character pressed a college classmate to make a baby with her with the thoughtlessness and self-centeredness of a teenager.
10. Gluttony - Her weight and her obsession with television.
11. Verbal abuse - The hatred that spewed from this character was inconceivable to me.
12. Self-centered parenting - Her mother allows her to smoke in the 8th grade, she has a mouth like a sailor and mom doesn't seem to care, her father takes off, and her mom sleeps with everything in sight completely ignoring the fact that her daughter is in distress at 257 pounds.

I guess what I find most disturbing about this book is that if read by teenage girls, it may give validation to all the things mentioned above. And those things mentioned above are eactly what has gone wrong with the morality of society. Whether anyone believes I'm closed minded or not, there is not one thing mentioned above that has benefitted society today in any single way. I'm sorry I wasted my money. And most of my used books go to the library, but not this one.

Although I don't usually enjoy reading books, this one was really written well. It kept my attention and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. The only thing I wasn't too crazy about was how it ended. I invested a lot of my free time to read it and expected a better ending.

The painful story of Dolores Price, a coming-of-age odyssey. Dolores is cynical and sarcastic and imminently lovable. We cheer for her at the same time that we are embarassed by her. An extremely quick read despite the 465 pages.

very, very depressing; i too felt violated.....esp since it was written by a man!!! read it for book club read..only 2 people liked the book; one person checked her book out from the local library and i gave her my new copy(since i wasted my money on it) to replace the old copy.....would never, ever recommend this read;

I agree with what another reviewer said about this book being simply depressing and the character crude. Her life is so bleak and her personality isn't in the slightest bit feminine - which makes me wonder why others are impressed that this is written by a man. Her speech, thoughts, approach and lack of (unfortunately true in this society) a more typical oppressed persona makes it clear right away that this is not written from the mind, heart and knowledge of a female. I was unable to identify or sympathize with her because she didn't think like a girl. Aside from that distraction, the character was just so unlikable! Most of her actions made no sense in the context of this story and I didn't believe this writer knew anything about being overweight either. Unhappy overweight girls do not bring up their weight constantly! They hide from it. This man was doing the same thing men always do - making a joke of it.

I don't think it's worthy of Oprah's book club, but it wasn't terrible. It's depressing is what it is. One of my friends who read it said she cried at the end, but when I got there I totally didn't get it. You keep thinking things have to improve for the main character, but they don't really. What it has going for it is it's an easy read and engaging.

I was recommended this book while in a Barnes and Noble. I could hug the woman whom advised me to buy it. It was terrificly written and completely drew me in. It was highly depressing with all the events Dolores Price had been through, but still I'd recommend this novel to anyone - not just females.

For the most part, if I can't write a favorable review I don't write any, but this time I must go against my own rule.
What is with Oprah and her book club choices? I can honestly say that almost every book that I read (listened to) suggested by her has been a big disappointment to me.
Maybe I just don't get it, or maybe I just don't want to wallow in a continual barrel of sadness and tragedy.

The heroine (so to speak) in SHE'S COME UNDONE, is not only depressing and crude, in my opinion, she is right up there in the WHO CARE'S category. This was written as though it was supposed to bring some sort of enlightenment and it never did.

The only part I can see happening is the fact that she stole her college roommate's boyfriend's letters, then met and eventually married him. (Even though he was a total loser,). I can see this because I had it happen to me in high school. The gravy is, I know they weren't happy either.

I never could understand as I listened to this book when and where she found herself-other than losing the insurmountable weight she'd gained. She stayed with man who cheated on her and abused her so emotionally I wondered why she put up with it.
Her small alternative relationship seemed an after thought and brought nothing to the storyline.
In my opinion, I'm sorry to say this was not a good read for me.

I love this book! It so well written and so engaging. The author writes with such a clear, authentic voice that I had a hard time believing that a man actually wrote it.

this is an excellent book that really resonated with me as someone who suffers from depressionHide & Seek: How I Laughed at Depression, Conquered My Fears and Found Happiness

This book is without a doubt one of my all time favorite books, as well as "I Know This Much is True". They are both incredible stories, and I can't say enough good things about them. What I want to know is, where is Wally Lamb now?? Why hasn't he written any more fiction?
It's been something like 10 years since these books have been out.
I can't recommend these titles enough!!

My mom was cleaning out closets and came across "She's Come Undone," which I had read several year ago. It is one of my all-time favorite books, one that I still bring up when discussing novels. I thought it was an amazing story, and I have always been amazed that it was written in first person by a man. The character of Dolores is so real and believable. I took the book from my mom and read it over again, and I still love the book, although since my first reading, I have had children and been through the death of a parent, just to name a couple of things.. just many more life experiences. I do have to say that re-reading the book as a mother made it a whole different experience. Definitely came across much sadder to me, and I viewed the characters of Dolores, her mother, and her grandmother in a new light. I still laughed out loud more than a few times, but definitely cried more this time, too. It is still a fantastic book and one I will always keep in my collection. Wally Lamb is a gifted writer to have written the type of book that stays with you long after you put it down.

Delores Price is possibly the quintessential heroine of the 21st century. She's Come Undone might become the Great Gatsby of our generation.

In Lamb's masterful hands, we learn how Delores' life unravels, bottoms out, evens out, and then, finally watch as all the damage is "undone." We suffer through the details of her painful descent into her own private hell, then experience her unusual, sad, and touching experiences while in a mental institution. We wait anxiously during her recovery phase and hold our breath during her stressful college years. We cheer as she begins to gather strength, until finally, she achieves self-realization. Delores is a kind of modern-day "everyman" (or woman!)and we can all learn from her triumph over her life's adversities. If only everyone could experience her epiphanies!

Lamb's message seems to be that everyone has events in their lives that can cause a negative chain of events. Some events are of course more disasterous than others, and some people's reactions are more severe than others'. But the point is that we can overcome hardships by looking for the possible and by letting love and positive energies into our lives, rather than focusing on and wallowing in the negative.

This book was a good read, and Lamb is clearly a writer who will make an impact on contemporary literature. He is a writer to watch and I will probably read everything he comes out with. My only hesitation about She's Come Undone is that it seemed too long.

I find that I can have a bit of an attention defecit with many books, and it usually takes me a week or more to get through a story. Such was not the case with this book. The story of Delores Price takes you from her sometimes difficult childhood through an even more challenging young adulthood, and into her thirties.

Delores endures the divorce of her parents, loss of contact with her father, the trauma of moving to a new state, difficulty making friends, and even rape by a trusted family friend. Later, she deals with the loss of her mother and guilt over their tumultuous relationship. She endures more sexual abuse. She endures a miscarriage. Divorce from a cold, callous husband. Death of a loved one from AIDS. And later, she struggles with infertility.

The events that befall Delores throughout her young life run the gamut from bad to worse. She often finds herself without the provisions to deal with the various traumas that befall her. In the end, it is the tremendous comfort and support that she receives from a smattering of extraordinary people she meets along the way who help pull her through.

This is a touching and truly unique story. It is at once saddening and inspiring. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to get lost in a great book.

I could NOT put this book down. It's now one of my top recommendations to friends and family. One of my favorite books.

She's Come Undone is a novel of disintegration. Dolores's life begins to unravel with the arrival of a free television set, though her life has always been poised to erode.

Like all unhappy families, Dorloros's is unhappy in its own, special way, though I admit that I'm getting tired about reading about unhappy families. It seems like this is yet another my-family-sucks-and-that's-why-I'm-so-messed-up book. It seems like people in America blame their parents for everything. Yes, your parents gave you your problems, but they're YOUR problems now. Deal with them and move on.

Lately, I've been branching out from the so-called chick lit genre into more diverse books just because, although Tolstoy would disagree, it seems like there are only so many variations on the unhappy family, and I think modern literature has run through them all.

Try Rabid: A Novel, for a truly original take on the unhappy family and recovery. It's a much better book.

Minna

This book manages to be depressing and uplifting at the same time. I read it whenever I start to feel sorry for myself (about once a year for the past ten years) so I can remember that things can always be worse, and if they are worse, they can get better.

A week after finishing this book, I still have conflicting opinions. It's hard to synthesize them into a coherent review, so I'm just going to summarize what I liked and disliked.

On the plus side:

Easy to read: The story is told as a first-person narrative by the main protagonist, Dolores. Though her actions can be exasperating to the point where you want to shake some sense into her, she is always engaging, keeping a sense of (sometimes gallows) humor as she recreates her story. And it's impossible not to admire Lamb's skill in writing from the perspective of an overweight, overwhelmed woman as he tracks her history over the 25-year span of the book.

Growth and development: It's incremental, it's painful, there is backsliding - but there is growth. The ending offers a measure of comfort, but to a degree that seems deliberately subdued - there is no fairy-tale ending here. Lamb is showing us that adversity can be overcome, but doing so is hard work. And don't get too comfortable - any ground that you gain in life could be lost overnight. There is something completely admirable in the way that Dolores doesn't simply buckle, but - against considerable odds - manages to reach a level of self-awareness that affords her a measure of contentment in her own skin

As against that: (WARNING - SOME PLOT DETAILS INCLUDED)

Hard to read: For the same reasons that the book of Job is not your favorite book of the bible. The tribulations just keep coming. Guilt about parents divorcing? Daddy abandonment issues? That's just the baseline. Let's pile on a little molestation, rape, 150 or so excess pounds, several years in a psychiatric facility, peer rejection and gratuitous cruelty, marriage to a philandering narcissist, abortion, and the death of almost everyone dear to you. You can almost hear Satan betting with that dear old-Testament God, as further trials are heaped on. Dolores's failure to conceive is almost a relief - at least we're spared the prospect of a child-immolation scene.

Growth and development: Wait now. Didn't I list this under the `things to like' section? Well, yes I did. So sue me for also disliking it. Because there is that unavoidable Oprah sticker right on the cover of this book. It's completely obvious why - the kind of uplift that is doled out makes this book a shoo-in for Oprah-approval. But it's hard not to feel that one is being emotionally manipulated throughout, on a grand scale. To which my - admittedly irrational - response is "If you're going to play the reader like a cheap violin, then at least have the decency to provide more of a feel-good ending than you do".

Dead whale metaphors: Give me a break! Was this really necessary? Best you could come up with? Why not just club the reader over the head and have done with it?

Also, if I were a lesbian, I think I'd be within my rights to be offended by this book.

You can tell I'm all over the map where this book is concerned. Which means it got under my skin more than I might like to admit. Which is what allows it to keep its third star.

In the end, a book more to admire than to like.

To me, this story is a cross between a Judy Blume book and Forest Gump. It was very good, but did seem to drag at times... it was close to 500 pages. She lives a dramatic life (you go from early childhood into her adult life) and the author does a great job painting the picture in your mind with wonderful description. It will tug at your emotions and can be difficult to put down. Some parts were a little raunchy for my taste with homosexual encounters. I would have liked the ending to have turned out differently. I don't believe you will be disappointed with this one, although it can be exhausting with as much life that is covered in one book with such drama involved. I could see this being made into a movie.

Wow! Just wow. Just read this book. Right now. Read it right now!

I can't say enough about this story!
Some might find it depressing but what would really be depressing is if stories like this were never told. I found so much truth to it.
Children learn what they live and when they live around people who hold secrets in, they don't learn how to deal with the real world.
I think that stories like these can be the best medicine for people who have gone through similar situations. Not only does it allow them to feel as though they are not alone with their feelings but it could help others, who have never experienced dysfunction or victimization, be able to understand and hopefully gain some compassion for these poor souls.
It also showed how much of an impact we can have on other people's lives...how bullying hurts and how kindness is always the best path...

She's Come Undone (Oprah's Book Club)
I just ended the novel and, although not one of my favorite titles, I must accept I could not put it down. Dolores Pierce, the heroine whose life from 4 to 40 is related in a sort of autobiographical manner, is a portrait of what womanhood can be all about when life gets dreadful. Thinking in retrospective, it is my humble opinion that, at one point or another, the totality of us women has had in her lifetime some trouble or troubles similar to what Dolores had to endure during the associated time-span. Call it rape, abortion, infertility, death of loved ones, wrecked marriage, bulimia- the constant gulping of food into her body -, obesity, self-indulgence, chain-smoking, psychiatric hospitalization and psychotherapy, sexual harassment and contradictions, keeping secrets from spouses and self pity, amongst others. That is precisely what makes the novel worth a read- its universality especially amid women.

In spite of the fact that Dolores seems utterly cynical and sarcastic throughout this time span, what strikes me the most is that in reality she comes out to be a very sensible subject, who suffers immensely prior to, all through and afterwards her misfortunes take place. Nevertheless, she turns out to be a very strong willed, hardworking and centered woman that at the end turns out to have a sort of "normal life". Besides, she is an incredibly great and noble acquaintance and believes in true camaraderie.

I give five stars to this work for its great writing as well as for the amount of research that the author- a man- must have done in order to come about a believable heroine whose universality will always stay into our lives well after we have known about her whereabouts. I give two stars, one the other hand, because at some times I felt the whole plot was sort of predictable.

I cannot believe I haven't read this book before. I found it at a book sale recently and started reading and literally could not put it down. Wally Lamb has somehow tapped into the female psyche perfectly to write this deeply touching novel. It's amazing that a man could get inside a woman/girl's mind and heart the way he does in this book. Dolores is a troubled, tortured, yet very realistic and lovable character and Lamb makes you feel every ounce of pain, insecurity, fragility, regret and love she feels. I didn't find it depressing at all. There is a lot of humor and I loved Dolores' snappy sarcasm. Sure, she has a lot of obstacles in her life, but I didn't feel at all depressed by this book. It's about life and family and healing. Very realistic through the eyes of a troubled girl. I will definitely read more of this author's books.

I absolutely love this book. I have read it at least 30 times and will probably pick it up again in a couple of months. The first time I read it I would occasionally be disappointed, because I would become so absorbed in Dolore's current world (teenager, college, marriage) and would be sad when one world would come to an abrubt end and another would begin. But I am not sure I can call that a flaw, because as soon as I read a couple pages of the next phase, I would find myself completely drawn in once again! Not many writers can cover such a long span of time and keep it so intriguing and interesting, but Wally Lamb does it amazingly. I would so strongly recommend this book to anyone, it is such a moving novel, very rarely have I felt emotions like this so strongly when reading a book.

I'm not sure if I read this book in the right time of my life or what but this book is one of those few that you always remember. Wally Lamb spins this girls world so well that I was shocked that a man wrote the book. This is so worth the read!

This book was incredible. I just finished it this morning and had to write a review. I read this book in a matter of days. I did not want it to end. This story took me through all sorts of emotions. Delores is an unforgettable character. I could really relate to her pain. This story made me feel powerful at the end. It reiterated the fact that we all can create our own happiness, no matter what we have been through. I can't wait to read the author's other book.

I recently re-read this book for the first time since it came out in 1997 and I remember nearly nothing about it. Vague, general scenes of a woman in distress, but really none of the specifics.

I think this book is amazing. Yes, I found myself frustrated throughout nearly the entire story. But isn't that the point? I think a good writer is one who is able to take you through a story and make you feel the feelings of the character.

Yes, you wanted to shake Delores and wonder why she continued to hurt herself and the ones she loved and act like a doormat to the ones who hurt her. But I really felt the end was worth it. Get ready for a bumpy ride, folks, because you are gonna be jostled around like a rag doll!

I read half of this book one night i couldn't sleep, and i decided not to read it fully. It was just too depressing. But then a month later, i was sick and bedridden, and i picked it up again, and finished it that day. I am glad i did.

The first half of the book describes the trauma which Dolores, the heroine will spend the rest of the book to overcome. Don't expect that afterwards all will be "and they lived happily ever after". It is more close to reality than some fairy tale story: "and they learned to live with the reality" is a more appropriate ending.

The biggest surprise in reading this book, is that is written by a man, from a female's perspective and Mr Lamb did a good job in my opinion. It is the journey of a female to healing and acceptance. Worth a read.

I started this book months ago, put it down, read all my other books, and finally read it out of desperation. Once I got past the first few chapters it was hard to put down. I kept hoping that Delores's life would perk up, but when it seemed to be getting better everything would fall apart again. There are TOO many depressing events to process. Unfortunately this book has left me with a ton of anxiety and a lump in my throat. I do like the author's style of writing and this is why I give this a two star. I can't imagine why anyone would say this book is "hilarious." Obviously, that individual didn't read this book cover to cover.

I first read this book when I was 14 years old and recently re-read it (more than 10 years later). I can't imagine not owning this book.

Wally Lamb is a genius and extent to which his main character, a woman, is believable is almost disturbing. I have never seen a man write with such accuracy the complexity of any female character. Dolores isn't a "romantic", a "sporty tom boy", a "psycho", popular, a nerd, or any other label normally applied to the heroine in a male author's book.

She is a "good guy", a heinous monster, a hero, mentally ill, incredibly intelligent, etc. The situations are real, even when they are painfully graphic. The motif of the whale is powerful...

All around, this is a great book and quite possibly my favorite novel.

Delores is a young girl that goes through some STUFF. Whereas
I was tired of the stereotypical fat girl who can't control
herself, overall, there is a message behind Delores' hard-luck
life. She does come off at whiny and at one point, I wondered
why she was sticking around if she hated life that much. Things
do get better for her but after a long, long time. The ending
is probably the best part of the story, especially the scene in
the water with Delores swimming and shows Lamb's gift for writing.

When other reviewers say that the book tells her entire life
story, they aren't kidding. Wally Lamb has built a reputation
for writing extremely long books.Had Lamb focused less on
stereotypes, and cut Delores' self-deprecating behavior by
about 50 pages, it might have been a more enjoyable read.

Amazing, amazing book.

I couldn't believe that some people gave this a bad rating, saying that it was obvious that a man wrote this book, etc. It's actually just the opposite.

Lamb does an amazing job identifying with Dolores Price, a character you can't soon forget. Dolores is struggling with divorced parents in a time when it was taboo, weight issues, insecurity and depression. Dolores' journey to self-realization is tragic and touching, and as you read more of the book, you can almost reach out and touch Dolores ... that's how wonderfully Lamb creates this character.

This book is long, but it's such a fast read because the story never becomes boring and sucks you in from page one.

It is obvious that this is Lamb's first novel. I had a hard time identifying with Dolores, the main character. Although her childhood into early adulthood went through many phases, each phase was severely fragmented and her persona was disconnected. Lamb made a valient effort, but it was painfully evident that this woman's character was written by a man. Characters came into the plot, would play a substantial part, and then just disappear. I made myself finish the book, but overall it was difficult to get through. I do not doubt that Lamb has improved as a writer, as his books have generally gotten good reviews - for me, however, his first effort just fell too short.

I read this when it first came out and again many many times since. Every time I read it, I feel like it is the first time and I get so wrapped up in Dolores Price again. I read this book when I need to see that life could be worse. I read it when I need a laugh. I read it when I need a cry. I keep waiting for another new one from Wally Lamb. Soon, I hope.

i read this book when it first came out....every once in a while i'll re read it. i learned alot from dolores price. great book to be enjoyed over and over again....not only a "chick" book...my husband was moved by the story as well.

I first bought this book when I was a teenager. I lent it to a friend, who lost it, so I recently re-bought it to read again. This was either my third or fourth time reading it.

I found that, as I had suspected, this book would still strike a chord with me in my mid-twenties, but in a different way. As a teenager, I identified with Delores's angst and sarcastic armor, and now I identify with the parts of the book in which she grows into a woman. Of course, being able to identify with the character is certainly not the only reason I continue to love this book.

As many have said, despite the depressing (and sometimes downright horrifying) events of Delores's life, she still manages to evoke a tremendous sense of humor (albeit dark humor most of the time). This book will make you laugh, make you cry . . . The symbolism of the whales in the book is beautiful and simple. As a person who didn't really "get" symbolism in high school, the symbols were easy to recognize and relate throughout the story. This is a wonderful read for those interested in psychology/sociology, because the reader picks up on things about Delores that she herself doesn't yet recognize.

Some may find this book somewhat disturbing. There is a lot of swearing and sex, but none of it gratuitous. It is all necessary for you to understand the beautiful and complex person that is Delores Price. I recommend this book to anyone--male or female--who has ever felt tremendous pain and wants to feel validated (and who is not easily offended!).

In conclusion, this is a book which I will continue to read until well in my 30's (and probably beyond, if the book lasts that long!), because each time I get something different and new out of it.

After literally years of not reading a novel because I just didn't have time, I wanted a good read.

I picked this book up on an impulse, never having heard of Wally Lamb.

Throughout the misery of this book with a thoroughly unlikeable heroine, I kept thinking how strange it was that a woman (assuming Wally Lamb was female) would write something like this - neither I nor any woman I know would have thought, reacted or felt this way.

Well - once I finished (and the ending is LAME, to say the least!), the last page revealed that Wally Lamb is a middle-aged man with a family, which at least explained that part.

It was well written, if clichéd and predictable, but sickeningly graphic in parts. As for funny - unless you revel in seeing people heading for disaster and being jerks, I don't really see what's funny about it all.

This was a captivating book, narrated by a depressed, drastically overweight teenage girl named Dolores Price. The tale is so realistically and hilariously feminine that it's very hard to believe a man wrote the thing. I was so thoroughly caught up in this girl's story, and was truly rooting for her to claw her way to a happy ending. Funny, tragic, impossible to put down, and, as with all books that make my "best-loved" list, an ending of much-deserved grace.

I found it rather intriguing that of the people I know and the reviewers who read this book either loved it or totally disliked it. I've even heard "I didn't get it". That suggests it really pushed some buttons.

It's been years since I first read this book and I still think about it and reference it frequently. It left a lasting impression of a detailed story of a girl developing into a woman. There are so many parts of the main character that everyone (especially women) can relate to - I hightly recommend this book!

I read this book as well as I know this much is true...and I believe that Wally Lamb is one of the great writers of our day...She's Come Undone, is a personal and touching story about a young woman who has lived a turbulent existence, and experienced much...What is incredible about this book is that it is written by a male writer...Wally Lamb, makes Dolores (the main character) become so real, so amazingly dear to the reader...this book is a page turner, I would recommend that new readers take it slow...I brailled this book for a blind student of mine, and was able to appreciate it even more the second time around...it is quite a book!

I couldn't stand this book, it was slow moving and depressing. I did not enjoy the book at all, I don't know why I kept reading it.

Title: She's Come Undone

Author: Wally Lamb



Nobody wants to be "the fat girl". Dolores Price definitely didn't plan on being her. But after "the man upstairs" abuses her, all she can do to help numb the pain is eat. She eats to find comfort and forget her troubles, but all it does is make her life even more unbearable.



Wally Lamb has written many works that are truly honorable, such as I Know this Much Is True, a heartbreaking story about a schizophrenic identical twin, who struggles through live. As a featured writer of Oprah's book club, his work has touched the hearts of many people worldwide.



She's Come Undone is a gut-wrenching story about a shy high school girl who doesn't like to stand out in a crowd. But after she gains 180 pounds by her senior year, she has no choice but to. You follow the story of her life, from running away to college, to getting married, and then divorced, to a lesbian encounter that changes her life forever. You watch her go through confusion, heartbreak, and deep depression, all the while comparing your life to hers. As the story plays out, you begin to see the sweet, innocent girl behind those teary blue eyes, and the strength that helps glue the pieces of her life back together.



In my favorite part of the book, Dolores is on her knees, up to her neck in icy-cold water, eye-to-eye with a dead beached whale. With the media frenzy now dissolved, she just sits and stares, and as she looks at him, she sees herself, and finally decides to free herself from the judging eyes of the world.



You can tell the author has had rough patches in his life, and is aiming to let the world know that no matter how much you struggle through life, you will always find the strength to make it through if you just try. Try. Is that so hard to do?



This book is a work of pure perfection that everyone can relate to. Dolores's struggle with friendships, family, love, and finding yourself are all things the whole world can relate to, which is why everyone should read this book. Trust me, you won't regret it.

I read this book many years ago, and I still remember it. To me, the character in this book was like the female version of Holden Caufield in "Catcher in the Rye"...
This book is excellent. What I have a hard time believing, however, is that the author is a male! It is amazing to me that Wally Lamb has such incredible insight into the female mind. I can't tell you how many times I would look at his name on the front of the cover and ask myself it maybe it was a female author using a male pen name. I laughed, cried, and at times felt like this book was about me. Great job - and this book is well worth the read. You won't be disappointed.

This book came highly recommended from a friend of mine who is a fellow book-lover. I thought that the book was going to be insightful and give me some insight into a new perspective of life.
I do not understand however how one could describe the main character as "hilarious". I felt quite badly for her throughout the book and after a while, I felt quite drained of constantly pitying her. The character struggles quite a lot in her life, however I felt like I couldn't quite connect with her pain and suffering enough to not want to slap her tell her to stop being a victim.
The book was easy to read and I ended up finishing it in one sitting (but I'm a VERY fast reader). It is quite engaging and is overall a good read...nothing special.
If you're looking for a book that is going to infuse your life/reading experience with some insight, this is not the book. However, this book is great if you're wanting to read something to alleviate some serious ennui or if you're lounging around on the beach.

I loved this book! This is the best book I've read in a long time. It actually kept my interest from page 1 to page 465. I didn't find it as depressing as some of the reviews claim. It is a sad story, but there's more to it than that. WORTH READING!

I liked this book. Any woman can relate to the character in some way or another. It is a quick read and thought revoking.

You simply must finish the book for it to all tie together. There were times while reading that I thought I wasn't going to finish it,,but boy am I glad I did! Towards the end it actually sent shivers up my spine. Yes, some parts throughout the book are depressing, but life at times can be like that. Dolores's odyssey is captivating and really does send a great message. I read the book in 3 days and will now miss Dolores and her adventures!