Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: In My Father's House by ERNEST J. GAINES ISBN: 0-679-72791-4 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 30 June, 1992 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: Inadequate and Inexplicable Characters
Comment: This is a bad book. The plot is melodramatic and implausible. The characters are one-dimensional and implausible -- in fact, down right unbelievable. The dialogue is stiff, moralistic, hyperbolic and implausible.
It reminds me of the picaresque novels of Spain -- without the humor . The main character rushes from conversation to conversation -- many without forwarding the story one whit. There is no reason for the conversations except to fill paper.
To be honest, I cannot think of one redeeming feature of this book.
Rating: 3
Summary: Poses More Questions Than It Answers
Comment: I have always found Earnest Gaines to be an author who creates characters with very real issues who are also very intense and often times, too complicated. In this novel, the main character, Reverend Martin has to struggle with the sins of his past and try to resolve those in light of who he has become in the present.
However, I found that the author, in the form of the main character asked to many questions yet never resolved the issues posed by those questions. The story centers around the relationship, or lack thereof, between a father and a son. Although the main character tries to figure out how he can repair his relationship with his son, he ponders too many issues without resolving the main issue.
At times I felt that the dialogue and story line were somewhat incomplete and/or vague. The incompleteness of the story often led to rereading certain portions of the novel to make sure I had not missed the next step. In essence, the thought process as outlined in the novel was somewhat scattered and at times, it was difficult to get a handle on exactly what was happening with the various characters. At times, it was a mental struggle to figure out the meaning of some of the actions and words of the characters.
If you are looking for a novel that is somewhat easy to read and understand on an intellectual level then this is perhaps not the novel to read.
Rating: 3
Summary: o.k.
Comment: A good read. Gaines has the ability to create very believable characters undergoing very real experiences. He is able to present the issues of his characters in prose that is clear and easily readable. So why didn't he get a higher rating from me . . . because I didn't feel changed in any way as a result of reading this novel. The story was actually quite predictable. He poses many questions in the novel but doesn't deliver on possible solutions to the challenges faced by the Reverend or his son. He leaves the reader with no better understanding of the complexities of the father/son bond than he may have had prior to reading the book. When I finished this book, I thought, "there must be more", but then I remembered reading A Lesson Before Dying and thinking the same of that book. I do believe that the novel can provide some validation to the experiences of many fathers and sons who share similar situations as the Reverend and Etienne. The book may also serve as a basis for discussion between fathers and sons in troubled relationships (depending on the nature of the "trouble"). For those two reasons alone I'd recommend this book.
 |
Title: A Lesson Before Dying : A Novel by Ernest J. Gaines ISBN: 0375702709 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 28 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: Catherine Carmier by Ernest J. Gaines ISBN: 0679738916 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 31 March, 1993 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: Of Love and Dust by Ernest J. Gaines ISBN: 067975248X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 31 May, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: Bloodline : Five Stories by Ernest J. Gaines ISBN: 067978165X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 28 October, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
 |
Title: The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by ERNEST J. GAINES ISBN: 0553263579 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 July, 1982 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
