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What are readers saying about House of Sand and Fog (Oprah's Book Club) (Vintage Contemporaries)?
| Reviews of House of Sand and Fog (Oprah's Book Club) (Vintage Contemporaries) - Page 1 of 14 |
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-09-08 08:17:41.
(Language: English)
 
A worthwhile read. While this book could be described as a clash between cultures or lack of empathy between people competing over property, it is ultimately about the effect of lack of responsibility for one's actions. It certainly leads the reader to wonder how he or she would act given the respective characters circumstances. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-23 09:27:39.
(Language: English)
Good story line and the author is able to weave the characters together very well. It is a little slow until the end of the book and then all of the action happens.
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Robin posted a review at 2009-12-16 09:48:34.
(Language: English)
 
I'm torn about this book. It's a great read, and a fast one. It is filled with restlessness, dissatisfaction, and prejudice among the characters. You can't help but sympathize in some way with each of them. They are well-written, so you can really get into their heads. Yeah, it's pretty depressing, though. But I'm kinda glad about that. They can't all be happy books.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-30 07:26:16.
(Language: English)
Andre Dubus III proves himself to be a brilliant author with this novel, one that can captivate you to the point of distraction. This didn't seem like a book to me; it felt more like a movie. The iimagery and detail Dubus included was stunning. This professional skill makes it all the better for you to feel as if you were just punched in the gut and had your heart wrenched out, Indiana Jones style, by the conclusion. Never have I read a more dark and depressing story, one that only becomes more jaded and more tragic until things just can't get any worse, and that's all folks. One thing is for sure. If you ever need to feel better about any personal situation or experience, just read the House of Sand and Fog and it will be sweet medicine to clear your mind.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-19 09:57:23.
(Language: English)
First off, I have to say that I like everyone's previous comments. All are insightful and worthy and ultimately, I can recommend this book. As others stated: It starts very well and the story is gripping and grim. However, I felt like the story spins so much out of control that the author no longer knows what to do with his characters. For those of you who haven't read the book; I won't spill the beans. But for those of you who have, well, let me just say I think the ending was not really properly or realistically resolved. It was instead, a quick, swift finish to the whole mess. I wonder if the author took the easy way out (perhaps the only way out) or if that was his intention all along. The strength of the book is this: He does an excellent job describing what life is like for these Iranians in America. I do not doubt the social pressures and homesickness for a life once had.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-22 07:55:30.
(Language: English)
not really enjoying this book. It is suspenseful but not my cup of tea.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-01 09:26:06.
(Language: English)
Well if it isn't abother book that was a movie. Ok so i have a bad habit of doing that. I read the books and i watch the movies, not always in that order. If you've seen the movie, don't bother, its hit the book square on the head and almost everything plays out the same. Huw was the one who actually made this concept worthwhile. He compared the injustice of two peope not really having a right to where they live, nobody being really wrong or really right, the way human nature can hit enormous lows and both sides can be viewed as the cruel enemy as the palestine and jeresulam crap going on. And armed with this idea and this metaphor it was an enjoyable read as you can make the comparisons.
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lesley posted a review at 2010-11-26 05:46:53.
(Language: English)
Hard to put down. Very reflective and had a tremendous feeling of loss. Reccomend
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-07 08:14:29.
(Language: English)
Well written story about a familly whose life changes when the original owner of the home returns to claim the home. Every one is inocent in this story. Twist and turns in the story that keeps you in suspense.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-18 10:14:50.
(Language: English)
Wow, a roller coaster ride for me. Page turner, no doubt. This book was a different genre for me, but one worth the read. I felt like I just read a Law and Order prime script. Action from page one...the ending left me a little wanting.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-14 01:13:45.
(Language: English)
this was an oprah book club pick and i dont usually like her picks. i am not sure why i read this book but i am so glad that i did. it helped me learn so much about a culture and people that i feared before. this is not a happy ending book but i totally understood why it eneded the way it did. it is hard to get into but give it a chance and you will be glad you did. i dont reread book there are too many out there to read and life is short, but this one of five i would reread.
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Bonnie posted a review at 2010-11-02 06:52:24.
(Language: English)
skip it
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John posted a review at 2009-10-22 09:28:05.
(Language: English)
This is a beautifully told story, but I really did not like the way it played out in the end. I don’t believe that the course the characters took was “inevitable”, simply disturbing, selfish and without much compassion or sympathy for other human beings – cultural differences be what they may. I had a similar reaction to the ending of “Bel Canto”, that the tragedy wasn’t needed to provide closure to the story, that there were many other story lines that could have resolved it without the violence that was called in. In both books, I wouldn’t call it gratuitous, but it was unnecessary.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-27 10:17:43.
(Language: English)
This book is gripping and tautly-written, and I found it impossible to put down. It is the opposite of a feel-good book -- situationally, it starts out awful and gets steadily worse. Just when you think you can't take it anymore, there is relief -- moments of love, sex, hope, reconciliation -- but only moments. For anyone who has struggled with addiction or mental illness, the lesson here is how dreadfully things can go wrong as a result of just a single bad decision, and how easy it is to make a series of bad decisions once desperation sets it. And when desperation meets desperation, almost anything can happen, and it does in this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-22 05:21:28.
(Language: English)
I really did not like this book. In fact, only that it has nice writing is the reason I gave it two stars instead of one. Unfortunately, once I start a book I see it through to the end. And this one took me far longer than it should have to read. In this book we are introduced to Kathy, a woman who has just lost her home in a most unbelievable way. And when I say unbelievable, I mean it, there is no way this would happen in real life. However, moving on from that and pretending it could happen, I never once felt sorry for her. Her character was written so terribly that I was actually rooting against her even though there was a grave error made against her. With Kathy is a cop that helps her out. Somehow, her situation tugs at his heart strings and he ends up having an affair with her. He also helps her find a place to stay while waiting for her house situation and then does some very far out actions to try to get her house back for her. In doing this, he also leaves his wife and two kids and manages to commit a myriad of crimes that he has no problem with, despite saying all he wants is to do good for people. The main victims of these crimes are the Behrani family. Colonel Behrani had bought the house at auction and had hopes to turn it around for a profit so his son would be able to go to college. Everything he did was perfectly legal, however, in the book Kathy and Lester (the cop) can't persist in leaving him alone and taking up the problem with the people who began it-the city. Colonel Behrani even offers her a perfectly acceptable plan for getting her house back, and for some reason she never even looks into it when it would have made the most sense. Instead, she stupidly tries to cause problems for the family so they'll take care of it, even though they have no fault in the matter. The ending, which is located in Part 2 has no redeeming qualities. The writer goes from unbelievable to incredulous in his plot and seems to just want to evoke an emotional response. Which he failed to do so for me. The characters he wrote were terrible. I couldn't stand Lester or Kathy. The only characters I did like were the Behrani's. I could even forgive Colonel Behrani his rages because I could sympathize with the stupidity he had to put up with when he was just trying to do the best for his family. Although Dubus writing is rather eloquent, there are scenes in this book that are poorly written. Most of these scenes are an attempt at romance or sex. The descriptions he uses for these scenes instead of making you visualize a sensual act, make you want to get sick instead. Its the most horrible sex I have ever read anyway and makes you wonder just what the appeal is of Kathy to Lester. While everything is written from three of the characters eyes the writing also seems to portray a distance of what is happening, rather than letting you connect to the characters themselves. I would advise not to read this book. Its not worth the time to put into it. House of Sand and Fog Copyright 1999 365 pages
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-02 12:22:41.
(Language: English)
What an excellent story of people's lives spinning out of control. I found it interesting for a male author to delve so deeply into the mind of a main female character and wonder how female readers would respond to that. I felt tension inside of me as the story reaches its climax. It was like a boiling pot that starts to bubble and then the rolling boil until it boils over. (Sorry, lots of boiling in that description). At one point I am just screaming inside for Lester to just stop. A great read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-20 07:55:05.
(Language: English)
Lively... well-paced... highly readable - House of Sand and Fog races like a champion Indy car driver, negotiating each turn at full throttle, and in complete control. The change in narration and accompanying prose doesn't detract but advances a refreshing trilogy-like three novels in one, each complementing the other. The storytelling intrigues on many levels: cultural assimilation, the immigrant experience and the tangled web of marital deceit and desperation. The relationship between Lester and Kathy, is sinful, and far too thrown-together to be taken seriously, their complicity and eventual undoing is predictable, as is the irrepressible Colonel Behrani whose character seems void of any kind of real dimension. His pride and love of a family charms in the beginning but later seems contrived, even selfish, making it difficult to evoke any genuine reader sympathy.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-22 03:59:26.
(Language: English)
The plot gets messy and disoriented, and the coarse language and numerous scenes of physical intimacy seem unnecessary. But these may be forgiven. I can see this as a parallel of the convoluted nature of our lives as they collide and become dangerously intertwined. And ultimately, it does a wonderful job of portraying the frustrating misunderstanding of different groups of people, the humanity of each individual that others cannot see because of this lack of understanding, and the tragic collision that results as a consequence. What I love about this book is the poignant exhibition of humanity. There exists no glorious Hercules or pure Galahad within these pages. These characters are real, and that makes them even better. They do not and cannot understand each other, but the reader sees that they are perfectly imperfect and beautifully human - complete with hope and despair, compassion and cruelty - and their actions are performed with the less-than-malicious goal of survival.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-27 10:06:26.
(Language: English)
I did not care too much for this book. It was depressing from the beginning to end, and although a good writer would make that fact bearable, Dubus did not. I think that some people become so immersed in the sorrow of the lives of characters that they see a book as being out-of-the-norm, that it's not a book set to a typical mold for a plot, that it’s raw and therefore good. But just because it’s depressing and there are guns whipped out and there’s an alocholic character doesn’t mean that it’s deep and has a good story-line. It was not believable enough, I disliked all of the characters, some were not characterized well enough, and the last 20 pages were dull and hard to get through. I read the whole book, but mostly because I just wanted to get it over with.
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Maria posted a review at 2009-03-19 07:30:07.
(Language: English)
This book, a thriller, is based on a simple idea: two families fighting over the ownership of one house. I found myself intrigued and couldn't wait to find out what happened - who would eventually get the house?! Kathy did not come across as a very likeable character (I'm not sure if that was the intention?) so I found myself hoping that Behrani and his family would keep it. I thought the ending was a bit rushed and perhaps too unrealistic, but I'm still giving it 5 stars because I think it is a book that deserves to be read and it will keep you hooked.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-05 01:48:32.
(Language: English)
This is a peculiar work by a yet-unheralded author. The prose is sharp, utterly human, and steeped in unavoidable sadness. There's a distinct beauty to this plantiveness, not unlike a Sunday sunset. The story is wrought with tension as two culturally disparate people clash over an idyllic bungalow. I was oddly appreciative of the Persian/Iranian nuances. There are some great words that I can't help but use, the definitions of which must be artfully inferred from the text. The ending leaves something to be desired, but its realism cannot be questioned. Truly a storytelling accomplishment.NOTE: The film version, while not exactly Oscar-worthy, is cast brilliantly with Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly in the lead roles. mmmmmm, Jennifer Connelly.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-01 03:12:23.
(Language: English)
Loved It......
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-14 07:52:49.
(Language: English)
"(T)here is more wealth here than anywhere in the world. Every market has all items well stocked at all times. And there is Beverly Hills and more places like it. But so many of the people live in homes not much more colorful than air base housing. Furthermore, . . . I have seen in the windows the pale blue glow of at least one television in every home. And I am told that many family meals are eaten in front of that screen as well. And perhaps this explains the face of Americans, the eyes that never appear satisfied, at peace with their work or the day God has given them; these people have the eyes of very small children who are forever looking for their nest source of distraction, entertainment or a sweet taste in the mouth. And it is no longer to me a surprise that it is the recent immigrant who excel in this land, the Orientals, the Greeks and yes, the Persians. We know rich opportunity when we see it." (From House of Sand and Fog) I have always found that people who have recommended this book are -- although intelligent-- kind of sombre. And the fact that they recommend this book tells a lot of their inner personality. The novel deals with people who are intelligent, hard working and have strong ideals yet somehow they get wrapped up in a problem that is beyond their creation. And the more they attempt to fix the problem, the more problems they create until the whole world crashes around them. All are guilty and innocent at the same time.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-10 11:27:09.
(Language: English)
Very well written. Hardly a literary masterpiece as the back cover quotes would have you believe. The story is good, but kinda played out. It's a story that follows a few characters before during and after their "world's intertwine." The plot structure is the same as the movies 'Crash' and 'Babel' so if you like those, you'll love this book. You're supposed to fall in love with all the characters and then become devastated when they misunderstand and hurt each other. I didn't particularly like any of the characters so this effect was lost on me. It's a good quick read however, and it'll get you through your Metro ride or work day much quicker.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-14 09:30:37.
(Language: English)
Recovering addict Kathy just wants to be left alone with the shred of stability she has created for herself. All she has left is the home her father left for her.Colonel Behrani, once a rich military man in Iran, now banished with the threat of death should he ever return home. He works three jobs to keep his family in the circumstances they are accustomed to living in. When a tax mistake puts Kathy's house up for auction, Colonel Behrani sees an opportunity to restore his family. What follows is an intense tale about a woman desperate to hold onto the life she holds dear and a man desperate to provide the best for his family.
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