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ADORKABLE GRRL
Salad and Breadsticks orderer
Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 34
Location: San Francisco, CA
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 Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:27 am Post subject: 11. SHE'S COME UNDONE by Wally Lamb |
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She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
I have to say that Wally Lamb is one of my favorite new-ish writers. He has three published books that I know of (I Know This Much is True and Couldn't Keep It To Myself, the book of true/short stories he compiled with the women of the York Correctional Institute) which are just as excellent as She's Come Undone.
This is a re-read for me. I may have read this book at least ten times. Perhaps this is the tenth time.
The story follows Dolores Price from age four to age forty. It chronicles her tempestuous relationship with her mother and father, her rape at age 13, her subsequent gain of 200 lbs, the tragic deaths of just about everyone who cares about her, her nervous breakdown during her freshman year at Merton College, her suicide attempt in Cape Cod, her interment at Gracewood Institute, her sham marriage to her roommate's high-school boyfriend and finally, finding love and peace.
It is a beautiful story - you root for Dolores the entire time, no matter how fucked up she is behaving in context of the story. Her struggle to understand the foibles of her parents and to come to terms with that which has happened to her... to love herself... is something which I think is mirrored in every woman everywhere. (And, more than likely in men, too... but, I admit the male psyche is still a mystery to me after all these years.)
The most amazing thing about reading this book is the fact that a man has written this complex, truthful, beautiful female character as if he were a woman himself. The dust jacket of this book proclaims "In She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb taps into the troubled inner world of his female protagonist with a degree of realism that would make such notable women writers as Marilyn French and Margaret Atwood proud." (Village View)
I agree - when I first read this book in 1992 I was stunned that it had been written by a man. Just stunned.
Anyhow - a re-read, yes... but, god, so worth it!
Love this book! Check it out!
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HER ROYAL KATENESS, QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS |
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jeffp
Homo Sapiens
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 990
Location: Los Gatos, CA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:03 pm Post subject: Re: 11. SHE'S COME UNDONE by Wally Lamb |
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| ADORKABLE GRRL wrote: | | ... I admit the male psyche is still a mystery to me after all these years. ... |
Ah, well, that's because what we have for a psyche is still very rudimentary and often mistaken for a grain of sand. |
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galactic_dev
Cro-Magnon Man
Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 345
Location: Boulder, CO
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:43 pm Post subject: Re: 11. SHE'S COME UNDONE by Wally Lamb |
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| jeffp wrote: | | ADORKABLE GRRL wrote: | | ... I admit the male psyche is still a mystery to me after all these years. ... |
Ah, well, that's because what we have for a psyche is still very rudimentary and often mistaken for a grain of sand. |
Exactly. When I explain the male mindset to women, they are in disbelief that it could be that simple. |
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ADORKABLE GRRL
Salad and Breadsticks orderer
Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 34
Location: San Francisco, CA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:04 pm Post subject: Re: 11. SHE'S COME UNDONE by Wally Lamb |
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| galactic_dev wrote: | | jeffp wrote: | | ADORKABLE GRRL wrote: | | ... I admit the male psyche is still a mystery to me after all these years. ... |
Ah, well, that's because what we have for a psyche is still very rudimentary and often mistaken for a grain of sand. |
Exactly. When I explain the male mindset to women, they are in disbelief that it could be that simple. |
Somehow I doubt that all of you guys are quite as simple as that... there's something else ticking under there, I'm sure.
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jeffp
Homo Sapiens
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 990
Location: Los Gatos, CA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:08 pm Post subject: Re: 11. SHE'S COME UNDONE by Wally Lamb |
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| ADORKABLE GRRL wrote: | | galactic_dev wrote: | | jeffp wrote: | | ADORKABLE GRRL wrote: | | ... I admit the male psyche is still a mystery to me after all these years. ... |
Ah, well, that's because what we have for a psyche is still very rudimentary and often mistaken for a grain of sand. |
Exactly. When I explain the male mindset to women, they are in disbelief that it could be that simple. |
Somehow I doubt that all of you guys are quite as simple as that... there's something else ticking under there, I'm sure. |
I wish that were true, but alas we really are that simple (and possibly stupid). I doubt we even get all that much better or deeper with age. Instead we just (finally) learn to filter what we say a bit more so we look a bit more impressive to the untrained observer. |
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ADORKABLE GRRL
Salad and Breadsticks orderer
Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 34
Location: San Francisco, CA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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Well... if you say so.
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HER ROYAL KATENESS, QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS |
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jeffp
Homo Sapiens
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 990
Location: Los Gatos, CA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| The truth hurts. It's still true, but it hurts. |
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