- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Books (8 Jun 1995)
- ISBN-10: 0553503812
- ISBN-13: 978-0553503814
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,488,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Book Description
A powerfully written, evocative tale of guilt, betrayal and the terrifying ways our lives can spin out of control.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Alice and Howard are shunned by their neighbours as "that hippie couple". One morning while Alice is looking after her neighbour's young children, a tragic accident occurs on the farm which sets into motion a devastating and irrevocable string of events.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This novel is utterly absorbing, as a portrait of how the world can be turned inside out for a person by the consequences of a random string of meaningless events. I won't go into the details of the plot here, but I will say that this book is beautifully written, with such clarity and vision that it makes the harrowing stuff even harder to stomach. The only duff point is that the way Theresa speaks sounds unrealistic. Can people really articulate their feelings so lucidly when under such stress? Theresa sounded suspiciously like a self-help manual for the recently bereaved, but that is my only complaint. This book made me realise how easy it is for things to go horrifically wrong for seemingly no reason, and it is not an easy read, but I would still recommend it. The ending is ambiguous enough that I put the book down hoping Alice and Howard would make it, but still not sure that they would.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I cannot believe the hype surrounding this book. Although the premise was initially interesting, I found the character of Alice not only extremely irritating, but also utterly unsympathetic in her total self-absorbtion, and Howard a cipher, yet whose story still took up 8 chapters to tell. And as for the character of Theresa - she's just too good to be true. If the editor had done a better job this could have been quite a hard-hitting and moving short story, but as it is, I just could not emphathise with these characters. The fact that this quite short book of just over 400 pages took me about six months to read says it all I think.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
From the first paragaph, this book keeps you mesmerised, both with the story line,and the dexterity with which the author steers you through the emotional minefield and compelling drama as it unfolds. Jane Hamilton tackles difficult subjects like grief, guilt, torment,the nature of love and forgiveness with ease and confidence. Her insights and the beautifully crafted prose are breathtaking. I found people to identify with at every turn and I marvelled at the perception and sheer style of her writing. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A short story with numbing padding
Reading this book was a roller coaster of page turning frenzy interspaced with tedious boredom. A strong storyline, but so much padding and characters that are difficult to believe... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Glass90land
So real it hurts
As you read this book you find yourself fighting to stop the inevitable happening, but know that you cannot, that you have no control over the events, that there, but for the grace... Read more
Published on 18 July 2007 by S. Cunningham
A Life Unravelling.
The Goodwins have never really felt accepted by the local Midwest community. When a child in Alice Goodwin`s care drowns, it appears to be the beginning of the drama. Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2003 by Catriona Takeuchi
Well-written but overrated
I read this book with much promise having heard rave reviews, but I can honestly say that apart from it being well-written, I wouldn't wish to read it again - my tried and tested... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2001
Thought provoking and every child carers nightmare!!
This book is wonderfully well written and a book that keeps you reading until the end. If you prefer books with plenty of dialogue, be warned that there is not a lot in the first... Read more
Published on 8 April 2001 by rachelbrimble@aol.com
Thoroughly absorbing but depressing
This is a very good book which kept me hooked until the very end; be warned though - you get so involved with the characters that you find yourself feeling quite melancholy in... Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2001
A great book, that you never want to put down
This is a well written book, that you never want to put down. Jane Hamilton has a great use of words, and appears to use them in the right text and they really describe what she is... Read more
Published on 16 April 2000
An excellent exploration of a friendship between two women.
This story examines the relationship between two women. Their friendship is put to the test when the main character Alice is left minding her best friend's child and the child is... Read more
Published on 19 Mar 1999
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