Loved this even more the 2nd time. My full review will be up on my booktube channel at http://Youtube.com/peterlikesbooks

2.5 stars, really. For the most part this book is unutterably depressing, a little nugget of misery. Few of the characters are likeable and those who are feature only incidentally (Larry and Ruth, Roberta, Mr Pucci). Only sheer stubbornness kept me reading and it was a mercy that began to improve towards the end. I would hesitate to recommend this book and am decidedly unsure about exploring more by this author (who writes very well), especially since his note at the end of the novel talks of his "troubled characters". I don't know if he means merely in this novel or if that is an ongoing theme throughout his oeuvre. If the latter then I think I may avoid more of his work.

So sad. So beautiful.

The language is silky smooth, like freshly shaved legs, and Lamb has an incredible gift for putting hard-to-express emotions into print.

Still, the book is hard to read at times because protagonist Delores Price is so... vulnerable. She is awkward and broken and occasionally disgusting. I found myself loving her defenselessness at times, but at other times I wanted to scream, "enough already!"

Plus, Price's life circumstances are so extreme, they could easily find a home on the Lifetime Movie Network, and sometimes that gets to be a little much.

Still, I'm giving the book four stars because of Lamb's tender observations and his gorgeous prose.

(Side note: The author should have done a bit more research regarding the various stages of obesity. His protagonist is pretty darn fat at one point, but the author clearly says she's 250 pounds, and at that weight, a woman looks nowhere near the shockingly obese description he gives. She'd have to weigh at least a hundred pounds more to look and move the way he describes.)

I read this book ages ago. While I can't comment on specifics anymore, I will say that this book was one I couldn't or wouldn't put down. Wally Lamb is a masterful writer who creates real and very believable characters. He is able to express in words the intricate details of our everyday lives. What an amazing storyteller! Writers like him don't come around very often. Once I read this book, I vowed to read anything else he ever writes! He certainly knows what he's doing! If you haven't already read this book, you certainly should. Lamb is a writer NOT TO BE MISSED!

I loved this book as a teenager but haven’t read it in like fifteen years so it’s probably actually pretty bad and offensive but like, 17 year old me thought it slapped (that was not a term at the time).

Upon finishing this book I felt compelled to sit perfectly still, in the warm glow of the words of the story, to think about the life of Delores Price. What a fantastic story indeed. I quickly became emotionally entangled with Delores from the very beginning – I rooted for her, I yelled at her, I advised her, I wept for her, I pushed her, I implored her, I cheered for her and I crashed with her under the weight of disappointment, injustice and delusion time after time after time.

The writing is rich and descriptive but not overbearing and the story line is crystal clear. No sharp twists to worry about. I think the very deep hook into this tale for me was the story timeline that began in the 1950s – I was born in ’57, grew up during the 60’s revolution, endured the brutal economic recession and gas rationing of the 70s, disco vs rock 80s and great stock market crash of 1987. I completely understood the nuances of all the presidential, political and social references during the book. They made it feel truly real for me.

Many reviewers panned this book, exclaiming that a male author could not possibly capture the true perspective and essence of an adolescent girl coming of age, maturing into a middle aged women, enduring parental divorce and infidelity, rape, harassment and bullying, her own painful marriage and divorce, death of very close loved ones and in the end finding true happiness in life in her own way. That may be true. I cannot say. But for me the book was a huge winner because my heart completely overflowed with intense empathy for Delores Price. Empathy is gender neutral. If an author can make me feel such intense empathy and compassion for a character, that author did an outstanding job regardless of their gender! This is a 5-STAR effort in my view.

So my first foray into the work of Wally Lamb was a huge success. Next up is I Know This Much Is True that I am reading with a Goodreads friend – can’t wait to dig in!

Keep reading and sharing – and support your local library!

I read this book years ago, and I barely remember it, but I do remember that I didn't like it. At. All.

All I really remember is wondering why this book was worthy of so much hype and praise. I think my brain blocked out the rest.

Dear Bob, please deliver me from anymore sanctimonious books about the struggles of forging an independent identity and moving on from traumatic events. They were really good and really touching the first, ummmm, 20-30 times I read them, but at this point it just feels like I'm reading retreads of the same old tired story. I've seen this movie. They gave Angelina the Oscar for it even though Winona deserved it more. But that is neither here nor there. Is the book well-written? Yes, it most definitely is. Every review of it seems as if it's required to gush over the fact that Wally Lamb is a man and yet somehow manages to capture the view from a woman's perspective so accurately. Due to the exigencies of anatomy, I don't feel qualified to comment on that but I can say that the story is at least mildly interesting and definitely well-written.

I'm forced to wonder though, would I have liked this book more had the front jacket not featured Oprah's ever-present Seal of Approval? Did my disdain for her empire of influence color my opinion before I even read the first sentence? Would I have been more open-minded if the book hadn't constantly been preached to me as an "incredible piece of writing" that hit many of my friends "at a very deep and personal level"? Maybe, but I guess we'll never know. My reading of the book was tainted by pre-formed opinions based on the manner in which the book came into my awareness. I'd say that maybe I would put this back on the shelf and read it again 5 years from now when I have forgotten all of the hype, but life is short and my reading list is long and I don't feel the need to reread merely average books.

If there was a way to give this book 10 stars, I would. The main character in this book, Dolores Price, has become one of my top five favorite protagonists. I finished the book a few hours ago, and am still absorbing it. Quite honestly, I am semi-baffled by the negative reviews of this novel. I say "semi" because I noticed a pattern of the negative reviews. Women complaining that a "man" was writing about the experience of a young girl, or one very angry reviewer "hating" this book because what did the author know about being fat and HOW DARE he refer to Dolores as obese (Dolores, at 13 weighed 250 pounds, I'm sorry but that IS obese). And, excuse me, but since when is the rule that male authors can only write about men and female authors about women?

WIth that said, yes, this book was heavy. Lots of very very awful and horrible things happen to Dolores as a child AND as an adult. There is domestic abuse, rape, death, compulsive eating, AIDS, abortion and suicide as just some of the things that cross Dolores's path in her journey. This is not a book for people who expect a happily-ever-after ending. One reviewer stating "everything in this book was depressing". If that is what you get from this book, then you have not dug deep enough to understand her. As a child, she used food to hide her anguish and pain, and getting raped at 13 years old jumpstarts more horrible events and behaviors. After her mother dies and Dolores makes the very brave decision to go away to college, a much older female friend seduces her and pretty much takes advantage of Dolores, and they have sex. Again, a lesbian reviewer, took offense to the way the author chose to portray a gay woman. As a lesbian, and strong feminist, I took no offense at all and I think if you are someone who is not looking to compare your life with Dolores's, then you will love and appreciate this book. Dolores is funny, smart, and at the end of her story has not only faced her demons, but smacked them around a few times and sent them flying. I was so proud of her for who she had become and how she had healed!

This book is about a JOURNEY, male author or not, it depicts a young woman's turbulent life experiences and her triumphs as well. She is strong, beautiful, funny, smart, and loving. This novel will stay with me for a very long time and has reminded me of how fragile relationships are, especially our relationships with ourselves. We ABSOLUTELY have to love who we are in order to love someone else. This was an amazing story.

I'm amazed by how many people hated this book. I had mixed feelings about it. Yes, the characters and situations were godawful, and at times it was more than a little contrived. A lot of people on this forum said it was hard to believe that so many horrible things could happen to one person - that I don't think is true. I have known people who have had that many horrible things happen to them. But some of the situations were pretty far-fetched. But I remember finding this book utterly fascinating and being unable to put it down. I'm not even sure why - it was such a horrifying book, but I guess it had a "train wreck" quality to it. I still remember this book so well even though I read it years ago. Even though I didn't relate to it personally that much, something about that book just stayed with me long after I read it.

This is not the book you read if you’re looking to be uplifted and happy. Although it is very well written, and I think this would make a great movie, it is soooo depressing. This poor girl has such a rough life. There are so many unfortunate circumstances that take place in her life. I feel sad and angry for her. I can appreciate that every story is different and unique in its own way but this was so grim and heartbreaking. Again, the writing was phenomenal, I think I just wasn’t in the mood for this kind of storyline.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this novel! Dolores Price is quite a character and this is now on my favorite books list. I know I'm late to the party, but I highly recommend this if you haven't already read it.