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What are readers saying about We Were the Mulvaneys (Oprah's Book Club)?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-12 12:58:47.
(Language: English)
  
I can't wait to finish this book because it is not a riviting read. What should be a good story is being ruined by the authors labourious description of everything and reminding us of who is supposed to be telling the story, Judd. It hard to have sympathy for Marianne, and her family especially her mother who allowed her father to treat her like a leper.On the whole a dismal read. I let know when I finished it, but so far it is a good read. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-21 05:51:44.
(Language: English)
Great book!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-30 05:46:33.
(Language: English)
It was pretty good until the end which seemed rushed and contrived and tied up in a neat little bow.
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Luvz2Read posted a review at 2010-11-14 09:45:51.
(Language: English)
Great read and page turner. Great descriptions and real characterization. The story continues on this great crescendo however, the ending was disappointing and left me flat.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-09-27 08:21:55.
(Language: English)
JCO at the top of her game!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-08 11:52:08.
(Language: English)
Just too many details to be able to enjoy the story line. Take forever to get to what we already know is coming. Take out half the details...it would have been a super book to read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-10-10 08:59:49.
(Language: English)
A little too depressing for my taste. Did not like the seemingly inexplicable behaviors of the characters.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-04 02:12:47.
(Language: English)
I read this book some time back and just bought another copy at a used book store. As soon as I started into it I realized I had read it. It isn't a bad read, not just an overly memorable one. Had it been I don't think I would have bought it a second time. A bit dark and depressing in places but typical of the attitude of the time about rape, being the woman's fault with no family support, only shame for the woman and her family.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-04 07:04:23.
(Language: English)
exhausting to read :( sad sad sad but good book..i wont read it again though
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-08 12:59:39.
(Language: English)
This showed how one event can change and effect many lives.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-07 06:28:46.
(Language: English)
First Oprah Book Club Book I found not to be terrific.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-22 01:49:01.
(Language: English)
This book portrays the a 'typical' all american farm family in the 70's. You literally feel the love among the family members while reading, and of course the pain that goes along with what happens. You want to reach out and make it all better for each of them. The ending truly shows how strong a family bond can be even after really tough times.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-19 07:20:35.
(Language: English)
I liked this book because it contained places I know well, and because the Mulvaney family is completely believable and sadly probable. Out of all of them I found only Judd completely likeable -- the rest of the characters inspired contempt, derision, and dislike, but like real people they all had their weaknesses and moments of pettiness and denial. Definitely a story that held my attention and will stick with me.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-20 03:40:41.
(Language: English)
It was a good story, but very depressing. I cried at least 3 times. It was just sad and pathetic to see this family fall apart. But I found myself feeling emotions toward the characters. I liked that aspect of it. If you like to read depressing stuff, pick up a box of tissues and this at the library. I however will probably pass on reading anything else by this author. I like to escape reality, not be reminded of the human flaws that surround us on a daily basis behind closed doors.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-29 05:11:58.
(Language: English)
The Mulvaney family, a picture of the “American Dream” (or, as written by Oates, a family from a “storybook house”) are close-knit group with a hard-working, self-made father (owner of the prospering Mulvaney Roofing Company), a loving and watchful mother, three teenage boys and a teenage girl. All in life is fine until the daughter, Marianne, is dated-raped after the Valentine’s day prom. Not pressing charges against the young man who violated her, her psyche spins downward and much of her family goes along with her. Not until a few years later, when her twin brother executes his plan for equivocating justice, does Marianne and the family begin to recover, though in a different form than what were once “the Mulvaneys.” Oates’ writings about the suffering, victimization and ultimate survival of characters that have been largely concerned with those born into disadvantaged situations. In "We Were the Mulvaneys," she expands her points to those who nearly “have everything” in life. Her blunt, honest descriptions of the nearly despairing states of mind of the victimized, are translated here to cover the “storybook” Mulvaney family. The work shows us that pain, tragedy, and the possibility for recovery are universal and not limited to any class or background.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-28 10:01:22.
(Language: English)
I bought this book at a garage sale last summer - glad I only spent 25 cents on it! I have many gripes about this book, not the least of which is the really shallow, forced character development. The author seemed to think that by giving all of the characters lame nick-names and "quirks" the reader will feel that he/she really "knows" the characters. I just didn't care about any of them.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-17 09:30:25.
(Language: English)
This book had me living in the Mulvaneys house and watching the destruction of a family due an event. I was pounding the table trying to communicate with the family that everything they were doing was wrong - connect, bond, talk, and just give hugs. Instead each member ran away from the issues creating disaster throughout the story. What did it teach me - to confront issues with sensitivity and empathy, to discuss the issue and to listen to another person's perspective.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-08-05 06:23:32.
(Language: English)
So obviously this isn't a book driven by a riveting, suspenseful plot. Therefore, it must be more a character study, right? Nope, the characters were so cliched, but then maybe that's because the story is really about some deep, meaningful social/cultural commentary. Nope. The book is a such a banal novel in the guise of something more substantial. At least I managed to finish all 450+ pages. Usually, I really enjoy Oprah books, even if I'm not a big fan of Oprah. However, this was a huge disappointment.
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Bill posted a review at 2009-04-06 12:31:48.
(Language: English)
The Mulvaneys had everything: an idyllic life on a farm in upstate New York, four intelligent healthy kids, a prosperous business which earned them the respect of their neighbors. Then, on her prom night, a tragedy befalls their daughter Marianne and things are never the same. Oates draws in the reader with myriad details about the inner turmoil of her characters. She's one of my favorite novelists and this book does nothing to discourage that assessment. Highly recommended.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-13 07:38:40.
(Language: English)
cried buckets over this sad but eventually triumphant story of a family changed forever by one fateful act during a prom night...and stood helpless and frustrated as each family member commits his own misstep towards healing and reconciliation. this a story that can change lives, and can only come from a gifted storyteller no less than Miss Oates
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-02 08:06:26.
(Language: English)
This was a beautifully written story about a family whose life and reality is forever changed by one moment. This book is much different from anything else I've ever read by Oates and not generally the type of fiction I read, but I did get to a point where I could not put it down. The characters are alive, reminiscent of people I have known in my own life and seen change in drastic ways over time and circumstance. This book is very sad, very real and fatalistic. It almost hurts to read it.
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Carla posted a review at 2008-06-10 09:53:42.
(Language: English)
Exhausting to finish, but worth the time and effort. The story starts out happy and frantic, the tale of a large, successful family who appear to be derailed by a prom night gone horribly wrong. In the end, it seems that the lesson is how this family could have grown stronger and closer the parents handled "it" more openly and frankly. Without creating a spoiler, this book is a lesson in the value of honesty, and perhaps counseling?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-06 09:04:23.
(Language: English)
Amazing. Comparable if not better than John Updike's "Rabbit" series; and what Updike did in three books, Oates does in one epic novel that covers not singularly one character, but a whole family while giving each member an archetypal meaning laden with values of mid twentieth century America. In other readings of Oates, you will see that she boldly uses taboos and makes them the central protagonist/antagonist of her narratives. And the same is true in this story, as a family, the Mulvaneys, are thriving and unapologetic for their prowess at being the American family. But suddenly, tragedy strikes a member of the family, and the network of family codifidied supposedly in love, is shattered and left to decompose in time. Oates writes with such a hearty bravado and natural complexity, that each description of space or person really creates a natural picture or portrait in the reader's mind. To read this story feels as natural as living in this world, and for that Oates is a master of both story telling as she is a master of the American condition.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-05-22 08:06:31.
(Language: English)
First JCO's book and I was hooked.
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