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I Know This Much is True
 
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I Know This Much is True (Hardcover)

by Wally Lamb (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (502 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 901 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins (17 Feb 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0060391626
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060391621
  • Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.3 x 4.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (502 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 583,984 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #12 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > L > Lamb, Wally

Product Description

Review

"Every now and then a book comes along that sets new standards for writers and readers alike. Wally Lamb's latest novel is stunning--and even that might be an understatement...this is a masterpiece."--" Associated Press""A gratifying saga of loss and redemption." --" People""Wally Lamb is one of those rare contemporary writers who can produce a 900-page book that defies readers to put it down...stunning...powerful...The book is so effectively structured that the reader can easily fall into its pages, becoming a part of it, in the way that a powerful play lures its audience into its setting and story line...A rich literary tapestry that is an affirmation of life." --" Dallas Morning News""A can't-put-it-down-novel...packed with graceful writing, unrelenting dramatic tension and characters how force the reader to form an emotional bond with them...The only thing bad about Wally Lamb's new novel is that it's too good."--" Denver Post""The saga of the century. Best, most wonderful, most dramatic, most powerful. There are no superlatives impressive enough to describe this, another Lamb masterpiece." --" Oakland Press""Dominick Birdsey is an epic hero and his story an inspiring, darkly comic tale of redemption--a late twentieth-century "Les Miserables."" -- "Glamour""Twice as thoughtful and twice as heart-wrenching as most published this year. An exercise in soul-baring storytelling--with the soul belonging to 20th-century America itself. It's hard to read and to stop reading, and impossible to forget." -- "USA Today.".".a fully developed and triumphantly resolved exploration of one man's suffering and redemption." --" Publishers Weekly, " starred review"A work of astonishingcraftsmanship, structural symmetry, and literary self-awareness...Read it and weep." -- "St. Louis Post-Dispatch"


Product Description

Dominick Birdsey, a forty-year-old housepainter living in Three Rivers, Connecticut, finds his subdued life greatly disturbed when his identical twin brother Thomas, a paranoid schizophrenic, commits a shocking act of self-mutilation.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

I Know This Much is True
81% buy the item featured on this page:
I Know This Much is True 4.6 out of 5 stars (502)
The Hour I First Believed
7% buy
The Hour I First Believed 3.6 out of 5 stars (72)
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3% buy
Fall on Your Knees 4.5 out of 5 stars (59)
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Customer Reviews

502 Reviews
5 star:
 (374)
4 star:
 (73)
3 star:
 (28)
2 star:
 (15)
1 star:
 (12)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (502 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A lyrical masterpiece of the wisdom of a broken heart, 23 Jun 2003
By Earl Hazell (New York) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
When I first heard about I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE on Oprah a couple of years ago I avoided it for two reasons, the latter being the important one. I knew all too well much of the subject matter, as it possessed my father; as close to me as the fictional character's brother was to him. But when I finished reading this literally 900-page novel a week ago, all I could think was that this was its cental flaw: IT WAS TOO SHORT.

Wally Lamb, a genius of a novelist, has written a momument to love, healing, self-awareness and the human spirit that has only been equalled, I can only guess, by some of the best work of the 20th century--including Joyce, Melville, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison and Hemingway. I cannot imagine anything ever written short of the world's religious texts surpassing this. The central story is of a man named Thomas Birdsey and his struggle to answer with honor the Biblical question Cain asked God--"Am I my brother's keeper?"--via taking care of his schizophrenic twin, and his own struggle against the dying of the light of his own sanity in the process. Lamb manages to teach more lessons about the nature of life, family, power, abuse, pain, wounds, healing, forgiveness, spirit, love and epiphany through the flowering of Thomas' consciousness in this novel--not to mention the architectue of schizophrenia itself, and how it serves as the ideal albeit frightening metaphor for our entire Age--than any DOZEN self-help books, tear-jerker movies and trips to Church or the therapist that I could ever think of. Lamb does not tear apart the the fabric of modern life or maliciously diagnose the diseases affecting it for the manipulative purpose of creating characters and a convincing storyline. He sings modern life. He creates a symphony with modern life. And in so doing he bears a human soul more true and more consistently than most real people are capable of bearing to the most intimate among us in a lifetime.

The family and friends and even strangers in this novel became family and friends and meaningful people to me; so much so that after 900 pages I still didn't want the book to end, even when it did so nearly perfectly. In other words, Wally Lamb with I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE places the novel, the entire art form that is the modern novel, back into its proper place as part of the healing art of mythic sorytelling, in a way that has to be read to be imagined or believed. I sat with this book ready to embrace a fairly good story and fairly good writing. I found myself turning pages uncontrollably and wiping tears as several of the chapters ended and whole new chapters of a human life began. A book I subconsciously gave myself a month or so to get through became the book I read in a little more than a week, wishing there was more.

This is a masterfully constructed piece of craftsmanship given life by the heart of a Shaman, in love with life. Read this book regardless of your background and be changed--for the better. The tired old cliches have finally been given a book that gives them new life: I laughed, I cried; I couldn't put it down.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly moving and compelling story, 6 Jan 2003
By A Customer
I had never read anything by Wally Lamb before picking up this book at my local High St shop here in London. It was a cold, damp day, with rain and sleet forecast for later in the week and, as it was just before the New Year, I had the week off from work. I curled up with this book on the Tuesday afternoon and was completely hooked by the time the elusive sun actually set for the night.

This is a wonderful book. The characters are believable and, even more important, their predicaments are real. I note that one reviewer commented on the number of tragedies faced by these people --- in my experience, that's real life. Also, I think Lamb did a brilliant job of portraying the ups and downs life offers.

I was gripped until the very last page. And I was moved to tears by the conclusion.

This is a wonderful book. I recommend it in the highest possible terms.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect and "I know this much is true", 22 Jan 2004
By E. Deerin (Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I first read the synopsis of this book while browsing in a bookstore and for some silly reason I never bought it there and then. I was unable to get the book out of my head and it took me almost six months to find it again as couldn't remember the authors name, thank heaven I finally found it.

This book is beyond doubt my favorite book ever. On finishing this book the total feeling of satisfaction was undeniable. I've never heard of anyone say that, and I've never used that terminology before but it was exactly that - Satisfying. The story is so true to life and the way it was told encapsulated me in his life.

I disagree with the reviewer who complained about the amount of hardship in this book, welcome to real life. When I read this book I had no real trauma or tragedy in my life but it appealed to me. A few years later the amount of sadness I have seen has just confirmed the sentiment of this book. There is still a lot of enjoyment in this story and I loved the ending. I too am like the other reviewer who misses it when it's not on the shelf and I lend it to everyone in order to share the enjoyment of the book. In fact I have just treated myself to a second copy that I can have at all times while my other copy is on lend.

Finally to the person who read this book in one day and did not enjoy it. I find it hard to imagine reading 900 pages in one day and being able to feel the true emotion, and understand the true greatness of this book. It would be like drinking an exquisite bottle of wine while suffering with the cold, no sense of smell or taste and missing out on the enjoyment.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Tears!
I have never, ever, wept tears over a book - until I read this one. I finished it yesterday, and was swept away (much more so than when I read She's Come Undone). Read more
Published 14 days ago by Banshee

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable
Probably the best book I have read in quite a while.
What an amazing story, thumps up for this one.
Published 1 month ago by Birgitte Stormly

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging read.
This follows the lives of twins Dominick and his brother Thomas. I was completely drawn into this story, and felt very involved from the beginning. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Pen pal

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Beauty
There is not much you can add here that hasn't really been said but if you have come here to see if this book is worth reading apart from 500 reviews averaging nearly 5 stars says... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Justix

5.0 out of 5 stars A very realistic portrayal
The story of two twins, one of whom sufferered with Schizophrenia. The author has the ability to get the reader to empathise with the situation. Read more
Published 7 months ago by myuniqueself

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!!!
An emotionally uplifting and moving novel, beautifully written and will move you to tears of happiness and joy. Read more
Published 15 months ago by S. Freeman

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! WOW! WOW!
This is my top read ever. Don't let the length of it put you off.You might also think it could be a depressing read, but you would be mistaken, although some of it is tough... Read more
Published 18 months ago by book worm

5.0 out of 5 stars It's in my top 3
I have read this book a couple of times and will re-read it for years to come. Why can't they all be this good?
Published 20 months ago by Kinky Boots

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't regret it... I know this much is true.
Even after reading all the good reviews about this novel, I had it waiting on my bookself for a while. Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2007 by D. C. Folch

5.0 out of 5 stars READ IT ASAP
I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of twin boys - one who is schizophrenic. I wasn't really expecting to enjoy it, but once I had started it I could not put it down. Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2007 by Crazy Daisy

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