One of my favorites!!!

Nadat ik de pakkende reeks op Streamz had gezien wou ik ook het boek lezen. ‘Vergeef me’ is het verhaal van een eeneiige jongenstweeling waarvan er één ‘normaal’ is – ben nog nooit zo’n woedend personage tegengekomen – en zijn psychotische tweelingbroer. In 700 pagina’s boordevol kleine lettertjes lees je hun uiteraard niet chronologische, complexe en zeer gevarieerde geschiedenis. Interessant vind ik het verhaal van de verschrikkelijk arrogante grootvader, een ingeweken arme Italiaan die een ‘groots’ man wordt. Maar ook het verhaal van de moeder intrigeert, net zoals de speurtocht naar de ongekende vader van de tweeling en hun opvoeding onder het despotische bewind van de stiefvader. Verder is er de dood van een drie weken oude dochter, een traumatische scheiding, een vriendin die zwanger wordt terwijl haar partner gesteriliseerd is, een aantal zelfmoorden… Véél kommer en kwel dus, maar toch geboeid zitten lezen door de psychologische karaktertekeningen en de nature-nurturevraag.

Storiausia skaityta knyga (kol kas), turinti beveik 900 puslapius ir palikusi milžinišką įspūdį

I read this book ages ago- some time before college- and got so consumed by the characters that I thought about them for weeks after I'd finished the book. I would wonder about things on which Lamb didn't elaborate, would think about their personalities, their situations. It's remarkable when a book can become so important to a person.

This story moved (it's a cheesy word, but I really WAS moved) and captivated me because it's so human. The people face things about which I know nothing, but I still feel close to them or can identify with them because Lamb somehow captures a little of the essence of us all. It's a story of overwhelming sadness and obstacles faced by the protagonist, Dominic, and his ability to continue through life despite those things. I love the ending and the moments of humor that shine through despite the grief that these people feel. Excellent book.

I read this during my junior year of high school (for fun, not assigned) in my free time in physics class. I remember it so clearly because I was a wreck for weeks. I also remember finishing it on a plane, slamming the book closed, and wanting to scream because I needed to vent to someone, anyone, about it but I was flying alone

this book disappoints. at worst, the dialogue reads like The More You Know crossed with William Gaddis, at best, like an adolescent sentence fragment competition. i can barely discern any human features through scabrous layers of cultural and sexual cliche and the relevancy-motivated 'revelations' that only burden the reader the more they supposedly liberate the characters. the plot repeatedly endeavors to excite (or shock) the reader through related cliches, then disappoints by continually failing to sufficiently explore these Issues of the Day. I really wish the novel had simply focused its attention on schizophrenia and the relationships of twins.

concerning form. i am not otherwise familiar with lamb, so perhaps he has exercised stylistic and structural tricks elsewhere to better effect, but this book's fascination with folding, gluing, pureeing, microwaving linear progression does not shine any special light on the (ultimately simplistic) themes or (unnecessarily complicated) plot. trying to concentrate on the path(s?) of this book feels like sitting on an uneven bench and trying to keep a bowl of water from spilling while someone on the other end compulsively rocks the bench and tosses pebbles at my head. the book's devotion to narrative digression also fails to do it any favors. in the final 1/3 of the book, i will say that i was amazed to find myself *more* interested in the inexplicably-resurrected nested story than in the main narrative (the digression grew from a maddening diversion into a fascinating one but by no means redeemed the overall story--i might have even started wishing that the nested story was the *only* story).

as the story 'winds down,' addendums and revisions to the behaviors and circumstances of the characters mount on a geometric scale. if, like me, you get far enough into this book to start wondering if you should persevere simply to find out how it wraps up, i would like to hazard the advice that payoff is not directly proportional to time investment.

Actual rating is 4.5 stars.

This book is about a set of identical twins that didn't have the easiest life growing up. One of these twins becomes schizophrenic in his teenage years. This book explores his condition and the affect it has on his entire family especially on his twin.

Every time I read part of this book I was having some type of feels. The point of view is from the twin that doesn't suffer from the mental condition and I enjoyed this point of view so much. We get to see how it affected his whole life. It affects his marriage, his work, and his mental health as he worries if this condition will befall on him. I loved how the author portrays this twin as a normal person and not as a hero. There were times when I despised him but also times when I was sympathetic also. It gave a sense of reality to this book as not every day is he going to be the perfect brother and dealing with this ordeal. Some days are going to be real bad on his end too. There was a reason why I could not give a full five star rating. This is a long book (I don't mind that) but at around the two-thirds mark the author introduces new characters and basically a new story. I didn't think this was the time for that. I was really interested in the story but not at this point. I think the author should have done this story as a prequel to this book and make this story a duology.

This is a melodramatic book and it is definitely not a happy story. Many, many times it hit me in the gut with the feels and I was so enthralled with it. Who doesn't love a book that makes you feel some kind of emotion? This book does it in spades. The only reason I read this was I saw the preview for the television series based on this book. I said let me try it as this isn't my typical genre. I am so glad I did. This was a terrific read.

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Net ir nežinau nuo ko pradėti pasakoti apie ką ši knyga, nes joje pilna visko nuo šeimos sagos iki šizofrenijos. Pasakojama istorija besitesianti nuo Italijos imigrantų atvykimo į JAV iki šių dienų. Pagrindiniai herojai identiški dvyniai, kuris vienas suserga sunkia šizofrenijos forma ir nusipjauna ranką. Tuo tarpu kitas turi rūpintis ne tik juo, bet ir savo gyvenimo kuriame pilna visokių negandų. Todėl stoja į kovą su savais demonais, norėdamas viską išsiaiškinti. Knygoje tikrai gausu visko, galima daug ko pasimokyti, bet kažkaip skaitant knyga pasirodė per daug ištempta, vietomis galėjo būti trumpesnė, nes skaitymas primindavo kai reikia perskaityti knygą sesijos metu likus vienai dienai.

Zoveel hartjes voor dit boek ❤

Dominick Birdsey doesn't know who he is. His identity has been concealed by family secrets and buried under his own anger and arrogance. Dominick believes he has to be tough and has to take what life gives to him. His anger and arrogance pushes those he loves farther away from him just when he needs them most. It is only when his life spins out of control that he finally condescends to embark on a path of self-discovery.

At some point in the book, a character talks about how the books we read reflect ourselves. We're really looking for glimpses of ourselves when we read. I love how recursive this simple observation is. Here I am, the reader, being told how I am looking for myself in this book that is about a character looking for himself and, of course, it is all true.

Wally Lamb beats the shit out of his protagonists. He achieves dramatic tension by dumping so much crap on to the shoulders of his characters that the reader can't help but wonder when the character will implode. Dominick Birdsey stands at ground zero in this book. Mr Lamb drops anvil after anvil on to this man. When he's not dropping anvils, he's dropping pianos. I don't think I'm giving away any spoilers when I list some the challenges Mr. Lamb creates for Mr. Birdsey like this: shizophrenic identical twin, abusive step-father, secretive passive-aggressive mother, adulterous spouse, HIV positive girlfriend, suicidal patron...the list goes on. All of these trials and tragedies ring with truth. These are the things that, if we haven't been challenged by them ourselves, we know someone who has. This makes "I Know This Much Is True" feel like a manifesto of our generation and our class. We're all in this thing together.

There is a brilliant story within a story in this novel. Mr. Lamb exploits this secondary plot to its full potential. He uses Dominick's Grandfather's autobiography to create narrative parallels. Dominick sees his reflection in his Grandfather's story and it isn't very pretty.

Wally Lamb is thoroughly American. He is adamant about setting his novels in our very real and shared history. The first Iraq war figures prominently in "I Know This Much Is True". In fact, he uses America's wars as a kind of time keeping device. Dominick's stepfather served in both Korea and Vietnam. Other historical incidents pop-up in the book too. For example, the death of Eric Clapton's son exposes Dominick's wife's maternal yearning.

I'm from Connecticut. Been here all my life so, it is with not a little pride that I point out Wally Lamb sets his books in Connecticut. It can be distracting for a guy like me (e.g.; "hmmm, what mental institution is on route 158"?) but I love it all the same. Among those historic landmarks Mr. Lamb uses are the federal recognition of our local native american tribes and the subsequent building of their casinos. He captures the rippling changes those events had (and have) on our community brilliantly.

Wally Lamb's books are firmly rooted in the truth. He is capturing the trials, tribulations and tragedies of our generation...of the last five or six generations, really. I couldn't give "I Know This Much Is True" a higher recommendation.

The first real evidence of the true destructive power of the seemingly benign Oprah's Book Club

Dominick Birdsey is a flawed human being (aren't we all?). He struggles with anger issues which he blames on his difficult life -- not knowing who his real father is, growing up with a physically abusive step-father, losing his mother to cancer and his infant daughter to SIDS, and having an identical twin who is seriously schizophrenic. He has trouble keeping a good job and maintaining close relationships. But, despite all, he is a good man who is willing to sacrifice almost anything for his mentally troubled brother.

Over the course of 900 pages covering many years, Dominick learns a lot about himself and his family's history, eventually concluding with these lines:

n  I am not a smart man, particularly, but one day, at long last, I stumbled from the dark woods of my own, and my family's, and my country's past, holding in my hands these truths: that love grows from the rich loam of forgiveness; that mongrels make good dogs; that the evidence of God exists in the roundness of things.

This much, at least, I've figured out. I know this much is true.n

This was a fantastic book -- a very long book that really flew by without a moment of being boring or tedious, and a very satisfying ending.