I Know This Much Is True discussion

Hey friends, anyone read any of Wally Lamb's books? Eyeing one or two, curious if they're page-turners and worth the effort.

She's Come Undone was awful, but I Know This Much is flat out wonderful. I couldn't stop reading it

Sandyboy wrote: "She's Come Undone was awful, but I Know This Much is flat out wonderful. I couldn't stop reading it"

That's funny, I loved She's Come Undone (with the except of a few select parts) and found I Know This Much is True to drag on.

I started The Hour I First Believed, but had to take the book back to the library....yet it was getting to be a slow go for me, I wanted to get to how the protag gets involved in the Columbine shootings (this is not a spoil, btw). Shes Come Undone starts sucking when the protagonist leaves home and doesnt grow up. IKTMIT was excellent.

Agrimorfee wrote: "I started The Hour I First Believed, but had to take the book back to the library....yet it was getting to be a slow go for me, I wanted to get to how the protag gets involved in the Columbine shoo..."

Very true! I was so excited about The Hour I First Believed, was very disappointed. I struggled to get through it...and the Columbine Shootings was kind of a side note in the book...even though by looking at the description and book jacket you'd think it was the main story.

I have read I Know This Much Is True, its not my favorite book but I did like it. If you have some time it is a good story.

I loved I Know this Much is True, but could barely get through The Hour I First Believed.

I really like Wally Lamb, he is one of my favorite authors. I feel like his characters and story lines are very human - messy at times, not always likable.

I must say, his book tend to be long and can feel like they drag a bit while you are reading them. I often appreciate his books more after I have finished them then during the reading process.

I liked "She's Come Undone" the least. I really liked both "I Know This Much is True" and "The Hour I first Believed" and have found myself thinking of both of these books quite often years after reading them.

He teaches writing at a women's prison and has put together two collections of writing from those in prison. I loved the first collection, "Couldn't Keep it to Myself" and have heard wonderful things about the second collection.

he has a new one due out in a few months, i've never tried The Hour as i loved I Know so much and loathed She's Come Undone and didn't want to risk disliking another - the reviews were very ambivilent to The Hour

i'll try his new one when it's released though

"We are Water" is Walley Lamb's new book title, I'm not sure when it will be released.

I love every single thing he's written, I think Wally Lamb is brilliant. His characters are so real and his stories are so human. I read I Know This Much Is True first. It took me about a week and it never felt long to me, I was sad when it was over. Next I read She's Come Undone and I loved it too and hated to get to the end. I anxiously awaited The Hour I First Believed and read that one as soon as it was released. I loved it though I did like his first two better. He also has a shorter book, Wishin' and Hopin' A Christmas Story, fun but not as good as the rest.

I Know This Much Is True is wonderful. It is a very dense novel that I read years ago before I had kids. Not sure I'd have the time or brain power to dedicate to it now though.

Love Wally Lamb. I've read I Know This Much Is True and She's Come Undone and loved both! Page turners! (especially She's Come Undone). I started The Hour I First Believed but didn't finish it. It was a good story but I knew so much about Columbine already that I just didn't like the fictional account of it.

Thing is, I can never read his books more than once. They hit too close to home sometimes. I'm a reaaallly emotional person. And especially while reading I Know This Much Is True, I just got way too sad. But I LOVED the book.

I agree wholeheartedly. Loved "she's come undone" and "I know this much to be true" is one of my favourites. But I read "the hour I first believed" and it was disappointing.

Amy wrote: "Hey friends, anyone read any of Wally Lamb's books? Eyeing one or two, curious if they're page-turners and worth the effort."

Love everything by Lamb. But that's just me. You should definitely give him a try. Start with "I know this much is true".

Chris wrote: "Sandyboy wrote: "She's Come Undone was awful, but I Know This Much is flat out wonderful. I couldn't stop reading it"

That's funny, I loved She's Come Undone (with the except of a few select parts..."
I'm with you on this one! "She's come undone" pulled me in emotionally and "I know this much is true" dragged on for far too long.

I've liked all of Lamb's novels. He tells great stories about people living through traumatic experiences.

I love Lamb's novels -- wish he would do more like "She's Come Undone" and "I know this Much is true." I can't imagine why anyone would call either of these awful. Yes, they're worth it.

i read shes come undone a long time ago. it was good but kind of a downer. i know mom read i know this much is true and was amazed by it. i have it also. it's one of those sitting around waiting for me when i have time.

I read both "She's Come Undone" and "I Know this Much Is True". I truly enjoyed both.

I've read "She's Come Undone," "I Know This Much is True" and currently reading "The Hour I First Believed." Undone wasn't my favorite but it was ok. I Know This Much is True--I couldn't put down, I loved it (read it a couple times already), and love The Hour I first Believed.....another book very difficult to put down! Go for Wally. He will not disappointed!

I loved his first three novels and can't wait for We Are Water to be released in late 2013. Have yet to read his collections of stories from women's prisons but they are on my e-reader waiting to be read.

She's Come Undone is one of my favorite books. I thought it was well-written & compelling & it really spoke to me when I read it in college. I was surprised that it wasn't written by a woman. I Know This Much is True is also good, but a little bit longer than it needed to be.

I like all of Wally Lamb's books. Yes, they are long and sometimes seem to just go on, but worth the effort. I was hooked on the first sentence of "I Know This Much is True". Lamb's portrayal of the schizophrenic twin is brilliant. I thought "The Hour I First Believed" would have more of the Columbine shootings in it but was not disappointed at the story line at all. I enjoyed "She's Come Undone" as well. It's been a while so I don't remember too much about it. I wasn't aware that there's a new book in the works, but now that I know I will definitely read it too.

I absolutely loved I Know This Much is True!!! I read it in a little under two weeks and it's almost 900 pages long. I really liked "She's Come Undone" as well. I haven't read that book in quite a while and I've been meaning to re-read it again, I just know I liked that book as well. These are the only two books by Wally Lamb I've read. I highly recommend both.

Read them all; loved them all. Hope he writes more...soon!

I loved I Know this Much is True and thought She's Come Undone was readable. The Hour I First Believed is drawn out and boring. Don't let it put you off reading I Know This Much is True - one of the best books I've ever read!

I loved , hated I was a freshman in HS when Columbine happened went to HS 20 min from there and felt the book was trying to hard to capture the reality of what happened and came off naive and convoluted, I've tried , but it's strange and unlike his other books and the size is daunting

"She's Come Undone" is one of my favorite books of all time and "I Know This Much is True" is a close second. Both spoke to me in a deep way. Although it's been a long time since I read either I still am tied to imagery from both.

I'm thankful Wally Lamb shares his talent with the masses. His books require an investment of time due to their length, but he is always worth reading. Looking forward to his new novel "We Are Water" which is set to debut October 22, 2013 weighing in at 576 pages.

He's brilliant. His books are long but his writing is engaging. I've read She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True. She's Come Undone was well written, yet depressing since you're in the head of a very depressed young woman but I believe he captures her story in a truthful way. I read I Know This Much Is True about 10 years ago but still feel strongly about its story and impact. He is definitely a writer that submerges you in the emotions of the characters without being overly descriptive.

I Know This Much Is True was my absolute favorite. Undone was ok...I should re-read it. I'm currently reading the hour I first believed...it's also a deep book like iktmit.

Katie wrote: "Love Wally Lamb. I've read I Know This Much Is True and She's Come Undone and loved both! Page turners! (especially She's Come Undone). I started The Hour I First Believed but didn't finish it. It ..."

I liked SCU, but did not have any great feelings for it. I was immediately enthralled by IKTMIT and count it among my favorite books. If I like the writing and the story, I really enjoy a LONG book, because I kind of move into it and live in it for the duration. I realized later that the theme of IKTMIT, a person with a damaged twin, echoed my own situation of a sister close in age with me, and a completely shared childhood, who mentally went off the rails in her teens. Didn't even make the connection while I was reading it.

I couldn't wait read THIFB, and started it without even realizing it was about Columbine and Katrina. I prefer my historical events further in the past where I have made my own peace with them. I found myself disagreeing with some of his conclusions, and the feelings were still pretty raw. I did not have that cohesive "oh, you understand" feeling I got with IKTMIT. So, it was a painful experience. I imagine writing it was a painful experience for Lamb. I will read what he writes in the future, but with a more critical eye.

I absolutely loved This Much is True. It was so hard to put down! I really enjoyed She's Come Undone also. Looking forward to more books from Wally Lamb.

I love everything by Wally Lamb. I found a character or a situation I could identify with in all of them. I enjoyed the Women-in-Prison short story collection "Couldn't Keep it to Myself" as well.

I too absolutely love Wally Lamb. It's been many years since I read "She's Come Undone", but remember loving it! The only book that I haven't read is the short-stories from prison book, this one is harder to find. Is it worth taking the time to find?

I haven't read it, but I think it is non-fiction. Lamb worked in a Women's prison. These are stories of the in mates.

It's been a while since I read 'I Know This Much Is True' but honestly, I didn't like it.
I thought the story was slow, and that it wasn't written very well. I had a hard time finishing it.

HOWEVER, my friend Bobbi read it as well, and she absolutely loved it.
So.... ??

You really won't know till you actually read it.

Amy wrote: "I too absolutely love Wally Lamb. It's been many years since I read "She's Come Undone", but remember loving it! The only book that I haven't read is the short-stories from prison book, this one is..."

Cj, it's all a matter of preference. Many like the detail as they've been in the circumstances (ladies prisons, mental illness, etc)...and they learn something. That's how I felt reading them, anyway. There are parts that were VERY slow, I agree....but when you're done and you're thinking about the story, it makes sense.

Amy and Fraser, Right now, I'm reading "The Hour I First Believed"....story is good but there's a slow part I'm in now. This is the book about the ladies prison in Connecticut. This is fiction. I haven't heard Couldn't Keep it to Myself. I'll look into it when I get caught up with my reading.

Loved this book!

I Know This Much is True is an amazing book. A work colleague introduced me to it. Lamb should be a much bigger name. Truly brilliant!

I've read I Know This Much Is True, She's Come Undone, and The Hour I First Believed. I read the Hour I First Believed years ago and it was my first Wally Lamb book. I loved it. IKTMIT is very long, but totally worth the time spent reading it. I've never had a book stay with me like that one. I agree with a few others, his characters are so realistic and the stories are so enticing. After reading a lot of comments on here, I've realized for a lot of people Wally Lamb seems to be one of those authors where you can absolutely love one of his books but despise another. It's all personal preference. At least try one!

Michelle, I agree with you. I like the deep meaning he writes of in his story: weaves a story within a story within a story, i.e. the "biography" by Domnick and Thomas Birdsey's grandfather in IKTMIT; the clippings and journal kept my the grandmother in The Hour I first Believed. Wally Lamb makes you see so many sides of the story. I like that!

I can honestly say I loved all 3 of his books. And I cannot wait for is new book coming out soon! IKTMIT is one of my all time favorites and The Hour I First Believed is the only book that had such an effect on me that I could not start another book for weeks. I was so involve with the lives of these people that I just couldn't let go. I will warn you, I would have to just set this book down and weep. But it was so good. Wally Lamb is a brilliant author.

I know this much is true is the best book I have ever read. I have read it twice and it was even better the second time

Sandyboy wrote: "She's Come Undone was awful, but I Know This Much is flat out wonderful. I couldn't stop reading it"

Yep, agree and agree.

I absolutely love "I Know This Much Is True"! It is in my top 5 favorite books ever. I have recommended the book to friends who have enjoyed it as well. There is something uplifting about the book to me, I have read it 3 times, that always makes me feel really happy when it is over. I enjoyed "She's Come Undone" but not anywhere near as much. "The First Hour I believed" was a bit hard to get into,I don't think it was terrible but definitely not his best. I am waiting for his new book in the mail, I hope it is better then his last book.

Loved all his books. Had a hard time putting any of them down. Glad to hear he has a new one coming out.

And it is a great one!!!!! As all of them are!