I don't know when in this book I began to realize it wasn't about a bunch of f'd up lives. It was just about a bunch of lives and the people who inhabit them. The heroes are everyday heroes. The villains are people who have air pockets where they should have an affinity for the experience of being human. The losers are sometimes winners and the local idols have feet of clay. Everyone's vision is circumscribed in some way. Every one was making mistakes and some with more grace than others. Mary McGarry Morris must be a writer of astonishing skill to hold my attention long enough for me to get off my high horse and begin to care for these people. I suffered increasing anxiety wondering when this house of cards would tumble down. As the storytelling drew to an end, I felt I would miss life in this little burg; even as the voyeur I was. They live on, these characters, never completely defeated ... and we are their fully-formed descendants.

What a fantastic story! I am so surprised to read all of the negative reviews here. I thought the novel was beautifully written, and I enjoyed every last word of it. It took some time to get through, but Morris held my attention for two weeks with her wonderful, in depth characters and story telling. All of the characters are tragically despondent and intricately entwined with each another, all of them constantly moving away from one another only to come to a full circle in the end.

The story focuses on a single mother and her drunk ex-husband, the con man she brings into her home, her three children and their friends and classmates; Joey Selden the popcorn man, Sonny, Blue Mooney, Renie and Helen. These characters were just some of the stories that swirled through the narrative.

All in all, Songs in Ordinary Time was a brilliant read, and it joins a short list of books that I reread on a regular basis.

This was one engrossing read! 740 pages filled with characters of all stripes, overall dysfunctional in a myriad of ways, each trying to survive the life they were dealt, living in a small town in Vermont, 1960. The author does an outstanding job of giving the reader the most honest insight into each personality and how these personalities most often conflict, sometimes dangerously, most often insanely, and make the reader totally immersed in their lives.

The story line revolves around a murder, a slick and despicable con man, a lonely, desperate divorcee and her three children, who barely survived life with an alcoholic husband & father. And he's still in town. Son Benjy, 12-years-old, is most often the focus of this drama. There are several other townspeople, from the sheriff, a priest, a "pigman" and even a blind man who runs a popcorn stand, who certainly add a lot of "flavor" to this story. It took a little reading before I could sort them all out, but once I did, it was sort of like a soap opera on steroids.

It was also a satisfying ending. Definitely worth the long read. I feel like I should still be checking in on them to see how they're doing.

Oh, Oprah Book Club, why'd you recommend this?

I honestly don't remember much about this one now, and no way am I rereading it to find out. I do remember it being tedious, the mom being annoying with the low self-esteem and lack of initiative for anything, and the dad for being a loser in general and the daughter was somewhat tolerable, but that's probably the only good thing I can say about this. There's a conman, who's predictably a swine.

Going over the reviews for this one confirms this isn't worth rereading. Or even really remembering. Good writing doesn't make up for such dreary characters.

If I could give this book a zero, I would. I usually NEVER EVER give up on a book but I found this one hard to follow and generally just ALL OVER THE PLACE. Read over 200 pages then decided I had had enough. Yuck.

I have had this book on my shelf for many years, but because it seemed so long and some of the reviews weren't all that positive, I resisted reading it. But I recalled a conversation I had with my sister many, many years ago when she suggested I read Mary McGarry Morris' Songs in Ordinary Times. Although I have over 25 unread books on my Kindle, I was drawn to this book.. Maybe I just wanted to hold a real book, or maybe the fact that it is 700 pages long intrigued me. Whatever, I LOVED this book and didn't want it to end. The beginning was confusing with all the new characters and backgrounds, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. In addition, I had a lot more book to read! All I can say is, give this book a chance. Don't give up during the first 100 pages. It gets so much better! It is a complicated story of yearning for love and understanding despite what each one knows in their hearts about the "love" they have found. This is not a romantic story. Just a story about our very human failings as insecure people.
Please give this book a try. It surprised me about how it enveloped me in the lives of this small town.

The editor should be beaten about the head and shoulders for not cutting this book down to about half of its length. There were too many characters all of whose relationships were intertwined in such a way that I couldn't keep most of them straight. The author must have had a terrible childhood because none of the adult characters had any redeeming qualities, especially the men. I rarely give a book 2 stars, but this one deserves it.

Fuck that ending. 740 pages for that. Honestly the overall book wasn’t terrible, just drama like a telanovella, which I like. But wtf was that ending. Some characters deserve to die and Marie is one of I hate people like her. Victims of themselves. And I was angry Omar did not get justice. Shit just left unfinished with some. And I lost respect for Alice. I’m just mad I actually threw the book. I feel like I wasted my time. Don’t recommend.

Not only was this book unbelievably boring, but it was painfully long as well. Several hours of my life wasted that I will never get back!!!!

I started a book club once and this was the book that we started with. It was awful. We all struggled through it and I think only three of us finished it. There were threats not to come back and I was banned from picking any further reading material for the group. Nothing happy, nothing good, just a pathetic mess of characters making poor choices. I'm all about poor choices - I make my fair share of them. But I try to learn from them and move forward. No forward movement in this book. Everyone was stuck, even the peripheral characters. It made me want to either drink or off myself. Maybe both, as one may lead to the next.

These numerous and seriously flawed characters have no redeeming qualities. I read the whole book but wish I could get back my time, having reached a very non conclusive ending where practically nobody has any form of redemption, their suffering and stubborn resistance to reality just looks poised to go on and on and on. I'm so disappointed that no person, especially Marie, could reach inside themselves and find a way to move ahead. They were all as lost, as shallow, as lacking in introspection, and as self serving as they were at the beginning.

"Songs in Ordinary Time" by Mary McGarry Morris is a captivating novel that explores the complexities of human relationships, love, and redemption. Set in the 1960s, the story follows the lives of a dysfunctional family and their struggles with poverty, infidelity, and personal identity.

Morris's writing is masterful, with vivid descriptions of the characters' inner worlds and the gritty realities of their everyday lives. The novel's title, "Songs in Ordinary Time," perfectly captures the themes of hope, resilience, and the beauty that can be found in the mundane.

The characters are multidimensional and relatable, with flaws and strengths that make them feel real and authentic. The story is engaging, with unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader invested in the characters' journeys.

Overall, "Songs in Ordinary Time" is a powerful and moving novel that explores the human condition with grace, compassion, and insight. It's a must-read for anyone who loves literary fiction, family dramas, or stories about personal growth and transformation. Rating: 5/5 stars.