Customer Reviews

I Know This Much Is True: A Novel

5 star:		(934)
4 star:		(185)
3 star:		(67)
2 star:		(43)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

Yes, I must admit, I almost dropped this book. I found the first 200 pages of it very depressing. I had difficulty picking it up every day and reading the thoughts, feelings, and doings of a character that I didn't like, didn't understand, and most importantly could not relate to. After the 200 pages things took a turn...and I could not put the book down, the last and final chapter seemed to be what I was waiting and hungry for and I was so glad I made it. Looking back at it, I must say that, the book was incredible. A character who I never would be friend's with, did not understand, and could not relate to, became someone I could look up to, love, and admire.

I Know This Much Is True is an amazing book that can't really be described in words. At best, I can only say that the story is about twins- one of the twins is afflicted by schizophrenia and the other who is a healthy boy. But the healthy brother seemingly wants to be like his sick brother and does everything possible to make himself mental like his twin brother, a process that is pursued with deliberate actions of madness that affects all around him. Why? We may ask. Simply, the healthy brother is obsessed with guilt and responsibility for the state of his sick brother

This book is just overwhelming. This hair-spinning story will make you laugh, cry, smile gasp, and sigh until the very end. It is so fulfilling. You will be doing yourself an advantage by reading this book. It says a lot that you never knew about.Triple Agent Double Cross, Disciples of Fortune, Black and Blue, While I Was Gone are other novels with ingenious characters and an inspiring hero.

Wally Lamb already was awesome, but he amazingly just gets better with time & practice. Everything that was good about She's Come Undone is 100 times better in I Know This Much Is True. I bought this book a few years ago and didn't read it because I couldn't commit to the nearly 900 pages at the time. I had a craving for a long read recently and devoured it like it was nothing in a matter of days. I can say it was easily one of my favorite books ever and I'll carry the message of love and forgiveness with me forever.

I recently read this, along with Lamb's other book, SHE'S COME UNDONE and loved them both. Do not be turned away from this book because of its size. After reading only the first couple pages i couldn't put it down! This book is about a man named Dominick and his schizophrenic twin brother. Living in a family and a life that is on the edge of falling apart, this novel will lead your through the memories and tragedies of Dominicks journey from childhood into adulthood. Dominick struggles to find his own identity. The main theme of this book is that life is full of tears and laughter, loss and gain, joy and sorrow. Wally captivates the reader through the emotions and compelling life that this family endured. You have GOT to read another book I just picked up called -----KATZENJAMMER by Jackson McCrae-----simply fantastic. Great stuff.

I Know This Much Is True is an amazing book that can't really be described in words. At best, I can only say that the story is about twins- one of the twins is afflicted by schizophrenia and the other who is a healthy boy. But the healthy brother seemingly wants to be like his sick brother and does everything possible to make himself mental like his twin brother, a process that is pursued with deliberate actions of madness that affects all around him. Why? We may ask. Simply, the healthy brother is obsessed with guilt and responsibility for the state of his sick brother

This book is just overwhelming. This hair-spinning story will make you laugh, cry, smile gasp, and sigh until the very end. It is so fulfilling. You will be doing yourself an advantage by reading this book. It says a lot that you never knew about.

Also recommended: Disciples of Fortune, Black and Blue, While I Was Gone

I read Wally Lamb's first book "She's Come Undone" and thoroughly enjoyed it - couldn't put it down.

However, "I Know This Much is True" is a disappointment in comparison. I can easily put it down and walk away for a few days and not want to know what happens yet. The story is slow with too many flashbacks, confusing and generally, it doesn't feel like it's worth getting into.

I loved She's Come Undone, and had heard good things about I Know This Much is True so I picked it up at the library. Despite the size, I got through it pretty quickly and wasn't really satisfied at the end. This book was in severe need of an editor. Once he got into putting in every part of his grandfather's book I lost interest in the novel and it just dragged on until the end, with nothing really happening until the very end of the book. I wouldn't really reccomend this book. If you want to read a great book by Wally Lamb, go read She's Come Undone instead.

Wally Lamb did his research then through it all into the book in the worst cliched characters I've come across in a while. Cliched twins, cliched, cliched scizophrenic character, cliched stepfather, cliched institution, cliched Italian immigrant and the list goes on.This is not to say this was,nt a page turner, it was, but it doesn't deserve any literary recognition. He should take out the last chapter, it just such a hollywood wrap up and takes all our imagination away. This book won,t drag me into reading an American book for a while .

Whose isn't? But then, Lamb has a knack for really telling it like it is. This books gives us the story of a messed-up life of forty-something Dominick Birdsey. His twin brother, Thomas, is a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is God' messenger and that various government agencies are out to get him. Sound like your next door neighbor? Sounds like mine. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Dominick's and Thomas's stepfather is practicing the not-so-subtle art of hate, abuse, and sadism--this, a continuation from what he did to the boys in childhood. As the novel unfolds, more screwed up characters get into the act and Lamb somehow manages to get us to read about them, eventhough they seem unrealistic at times. This book was extremely hard to put down--like watching a bad traffic accident in which you want to look away, but can't. If you like this book, then you'll enjoy another I recently read called THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD. Also about family dysfunctions and over-coming hardships but VERY funny and also very dark. Great writing, both the Lamb and the Dogwood book.

I love how this book had 2 tones and it felt like you were reading two stories contained all within one book. I couldn't put the book down.