She's Come Undone (Paperback)

+

+

Price For All Three: £17.79

Show availability and shipping details

• This item: She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

• I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

• The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb 4.6 out of 5 stars (500)  £7.49

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb 3.6 out of 5 stars (70)  £4.31

Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald 4.5 out of 5 stars (58)  £6.99

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff 3.7 out of 5 stars (57)  £3.20

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 4.5 out of 5 stars (447)  £3.99

› Explore similar items

Amazon.co.uk Review
"Mine is a story of craving; an unreliable account of lusts and troubles that began, somehow, in 1956 on the day our free television was delivered." So begins the story of Dolores Price, the unconventional heroine of Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone. Dolores is a class-A emotional basket case, and why shouldn't she be? She's suffered almost every abuse and familial travesty that exists: her father is a violent, philandering liar; her mother has the mental and emotional consistency of Jell-O; and the men in her life are among the most loathsome creatures ever to go by the name of man. But Dolores is no quitter; she battles her woes with a sense of self-indulgence and gluttony rivalled only by Henry VIII. Hers is a dysfunctional Wonder Years, where growing up in the golden era was anything but ideal. While most kids her age were dealing with the monumental importance of the latest Beatles single and how college turned an older sibling into a long-haired hippie, Dolores was grappling with such issues as divorce, rape and mental illness. Whether you're disgusted by her antics or moved by her pathetic ploys, you'll be drawn into Dolores's warped, hilarious, Mallomar-munching world. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
A tremendously likable first novel about the catastrophe-marked childhood, youth, and mangled adulthood of a tough-fibered woman who almost beaches herself in guilt and grief. Terrible things are about to happen to Dolores Price, only child of brittle, vulnerable Bernice and weak, randomly abusive Tony. Tony leaves Bernice sometime after the stillbirth of their son, and after a week playing with little Dolores in a new backyard pool, when the child expects a lifetime of floating with Daddy. Then Bernice completely flips out and goes to a mental hospital; Dolores is taken to live with Grandma in Rhode Island on Pierce Street (which "smelled of car exhaust and frying food. Glass shattered, people screamed, kids threw rocks"). Later, Ma returns and works collecting tolls on the Newport Bridge, while friendless Dolores attends a corrosive parochial school. But all welcome Grandma's new tenant, dazzling Jack, a radio DJ who, when Dolores is 13, rapes her in a dog pound. The person Dolores runs to is heart-of-gold Roberts, empress of the Peacock Tattoo Emporium across the street. In spite of the strangled but loyal love of Ma and Grandma, the palship of Roberts, and the kindness of a gentle gay guidance-counsellor, Dolores is about to go under. She becomes a mountain of fat, and soon is convinced that she's responsible for the death of Jack's baby - but also of Bernice, who's killed by a car. At a Pennsylvania college, Dolores knows that her destiny is to "kill what people love." There's some good psychiatry and a bad marriage before the peaceful and upbeat close. Lamb has a broad satiric touch with some satisfying fat targets (the warfare of Pierce Street, etc.). And in spite of hard, hard times and crazy coincidences, Dolores' career is a pleasure to follow, as she barrels through - with a killer mouth and the guts of a sea lion. A warmblooded, enveloping tale of survival, done up loose and cheering. (Kirkus Reviews)

See all Product Description

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

Search inside this book:

299 Reviews 5 star:  (179) 4 star:  (50) 3 star:  (18) 2 star:  (18) 1 star:  (34)           Average Customer Review 4.1 out of 5 stars (299 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   14 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Priceless Dolores, 9 Mar 2004 By  Luanne (UK) - See all my reviews The length of this book put me off initially and for a couple of months it simply sat on my shelf, intimidating me, overwhelming me. Eventually I managed to pick it up and, once I had, I could not put it down. Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone tells the story of Dolores Price from aged 4 through to middle age. I found her to be immediately likeable. She begins as a naive young child and I think she retains most of this naivety throughout, which can be seen in the letters she writes to her grandmother later on in the book. Wally Lamb throws practically every tragedy you could ever imagine at poor old Dolores, including divorce, rape, death, depression, AIDS, abortion, infertility, obesity. But I don't think this makes the book unlikely or a depressing read, as some have claimed. Granted, She's Come Undone is capable of making you cry, but surely I am not the only reader capable of seeing the humour which exists in nearly every page? How can you not laugh at instances such as when Dolores claims to be an artist and is asked "What medium do you work in?" to which she replies, with all seriousness, "Etch-a-sketch." That She's Come Undone is actually written by a man is truely remarkable. Lamb captures perfectly the hopes and insecurities many women feel. The book is extremely well-written and Dolores Price is so real she literally jumps off each page. This book evokes sadness, laughter, inspiration (though not in an over-sentimental way). The main theme is about wanting to be loved and I found the ending (where Dolores finds happiness but to a degree and not exactly everything she craved for) a refreshing change to the stereotypical endings many books of this type have. In sum, I would recommend this book very highly and I look forward to reading Wally Lamb's other novels. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, 12 Jun 2005 By  qangela (Isle of Man) - See all my reviews This book made me laugh out loud on the tube. It also had me whistling tunes that I haven't heard for years, and it also made me cry. I haven't engaged so strongly with a heroine for a while and Dolores Price is written with such honesty and such a clarity of expression that she is an irresistible character. The plot of the book involves multiple deaths, rape and emotional abuse and the strength of this novel is that these horrific events are presented in the context of a very well-observed ensemble of characters; and funnily enough, the parts that made me cry weren't the deaths, or the rape, but the little hurts that the characters inflicted upon one another; the small woundings that families inflict on each other over the years. Some of the characters in the ensemble are ogres but most of the central characters are presented as real, fallible human beings. The character Roberta deserves a novel of her own. The imperfections in the book come near the end, with slightly clunky characterisations of new and important characters; but this is completely forgivable and is kind of a relief after the emotionally-tumultuous journey that you go through as a reader before this. This is such a satisfying book - I strongly recommend it. Be prepared to feel some pain, but it's far from all-painful: there's a lot of light there too; and you will feel better for reading it. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   16 of 17 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars a poignant, perceptive and beautiful story, 17 April 2002 By A Customer I don't often find myself crying when I read books (and this is only the second time I have written an Amazon review) - but I have just finished this brilliant book and found that I had to get online immediately to write about how much I enjoyed it. I found myself crying regularly throughout, sometimes not just because of a poignant moment but because Wally Lamb seems to have such an amazing emotional insight into women's emotions and frailties. I had not expected to be so drawn in to the world of Dolores but I have found myself wishing the hours away till I could settle down in the evening again with the book. I can't see how this book could be anything other than inspiring and emotionally potent to women readers - who hasn't felt like an outcast at times, or lonely, or caught up in a chain of events that fate has set you on. Readers who have complained that too much happens or that any coincidences stretch their credibility are missing the point - we are talking about a span of nearly four decades where we follow Dolores's life. Nothing Lamb has written is impossible. I bought into Dolores's emotional journey and pain and yearnings and cynicism and self-defence mechanisms one hundred percent. This has become one of the best novels I have ever read (my eyes are still puffy with crying!) and as an aspiring writer I am totally envious of Lamb's talent (though not to the degree that one other reviewer spotted - the fact that Lisa Jewell apparently plagiarised this story in one of her books is appalling!) Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 299 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book, amazing journey through a troubled life I loved this, was totally absorbed. This woman is honest, troubled and just so very likeable. I consider Wally Lamb to be a genius. Read more Published 2 months ago by Victoria 4.0 out of 5 stars Really good book I kept on coming across this book on different blogs and book sites and each review was glowing so I thought I would give it a go. Read more Published 2 months ago by Dot 5.0 out of 5 stars Better than any thriller! I haven't been able to put this book down: it is more gripping than most thrillers. The character is very believable and I admire Lamb's ability to write about women's feelings... Read more Published 6 months ago by Linda UK 5.0 out of 5 stars ! I read two or three books a week, every week. And although i often think i'm going to save 'this book' to read again, 'She's Come Undone' is the only one that I have pulled off... Read more Published 12 months ago by A. Brown 5.0 out of 5 stars HIs second best work is still better than most writer's first If you haven't read "I Know This Much is True," run, don't walk to get it. Then get this book---"She's Come Undone. Read more Published 20 months ago by Gerry Phipps 5.0 out of 5 stars She's Come Undone and it's not about the song How any author could make Dolores Price likeable is beyond me, but Wally Lamb has done so. She's obese, foul-mouthed, and not much to look at, and on top of that, she's pretty... Read more Published 20 months ago by Madge the Badge 5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking Dolores must be one of the best characters ever written - sad, crazy, feisty, lonely. Wally Lamb must be a genius to be able to get inside a woman's head so convincingly. Read more Published on 2 April 2007 by gerty guinea 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic insight into a long and unfortunate life From the first line you read you are instantly sucked into a world from the point of view of dolores. Read more Published on 4 April 2006 by K. Good 5.0 out of 5 stars Moved me to tears!! After reading previous reviews I really feel like adding my opinion! The cover and other readers have said this book is hilarious but I have to disagree! Read more Published on 19 Jul 2005 by K. Wilson 5.0 out of 5 stars Instantly Goes Into My Top 5! I bought this book but didn't get around to reading it until a couple of months later. When i did i simply couldn't put it down. Read more Published on 21 April 2004 by Blue Tree Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 299 customer reviews...

Highlights of recent fiction: A list by Heather "HF"   I love America!: A list by Boof   Favourite Fiction: A list by L. Perkinson "Book Lover" Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

• Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > L > Lamb, Wally
• Books > Fiction > By Period

• Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
• I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
• I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.