I love all of Wally Lambs' books. This is a very moving story of tragedy. The wife survives Columbine but developes post tramatic stress disorder. This book is a story of how a couple struggles to survive a terrible event in their lives. This is also a story of a man coming to terms with his past and self discovery.

Lot's of disfunctional characters that you just could not get into. We love Mr. Lambs others, but felt this one would not be high on our list of recommendations.

Book was very long....could have been two books. Gives reader alot to be thankful for

Although most members of our book club agreed that this book could have used a bit more editing (to whittle it down a bit), we all liked this novel. Wally Lamb is a master. There was much to discuss, and I'm glad we selected this as our April read.

Wally Lamb is one of my very favorite authors and I admire much about this book. However, there were so many story lines I became exhausted following each one. I never developed a heartfelt interest in any of the characters but did appreciate the way he demonstrated how tragedy begets tragedy.

Not the best book by Lamb, but certainly used a number of real events to provoke his characters.

I've read Wally Lamb's other books and loved them so I couldn't wait to begin however this one was a disapointment to me. I felt that some characters were unnecessary to the story and could have been eliminated--saving over 200 pages. Too many national disasters and social concerns were included. I felt that Mr. Lamb was writing a cathartic story. That said, this book would make an outstanding literature study with all the literary devices which are included. The chapters involving the killers from Columbine were chilling and difficult to read. Very eye opening. The varied themes, foreshadowing, symbolism, etc. made for a lively discussion and for that reason I would recommend this book as a book club selection.

The author spends A LOT of time on character development, research, and details. It pays off as the second half of the book moves quicker and the stories start to connect. I was glad to learn about the tragedy through a fictional couple.

I found myself wanting to finish this book however I felt it was too long. I think it could have been written in two parts, at least. Many people in our group did not finish the book. There was so much going on in the book that I had trouble keeping it all straight. I did enjoy reading the book however. I could not put it down. I would definitely recommend the book and for those who stopped reading, I would urge continue, it is worth it.