 A Life Unravelling., 2003-11-07
The Goodwins have never really felt accepted by the local Midwest community. When a child in Alice Goodwin`s care drowns, it appears to be the beginning of the drama. As the story unfolds we see how Alice`s life began unravelling some time before.
Set on farm in the summer, Hamilton`s exquisite prose uses the heat to fan the flames of the unfolding drama. Each person`s
pain is almost tangible,from the bewildered husband`s to the grieving friend`s. Its a story of isolation and self destruction. Alice Goodwin acts as her own judge and jury for the drowning death of the child and allows it to play out in public before a hostile community.
This is a great novel from start to finish. The reader is able to empathise with all the major characters and Hamilton`s skill at storytelling often leaves the reader feeling there is no way
now this can end well. The clarity and depth of the characters
are so well drawn they become people you know, people in your town or street.Although the events of this story are dramatic is easy to become so involved one can see how life begins to unravel before you realise it.
 Well-written but overrated, 2001-08-13
I read this book with much promise having heard rave reviews, but I can honestly say that apart from it being well-written, I wouldn't wish to read it again - my tried and tested formula for whether a book is really good. It is a harrowing story, but I found it failed to grip my attention. I couldn't relate to the characters and I struggled to finish the book. I also read the Short History of a Prince to try and prove myself wrong, but didn't like that one either.
So real it hurts, 2007-07-18
As you read this book you find yourself fighting to stop the inevitable happening, but know that you cannot, that you have no control over the events, that there, but for the grace of god, go you. The exquisite control the author exercises allows this to happen almost imperceptibly; by keeping the narrative sparse she manages to separate the victim from all those around her, isolating her in a way that makes her seem at times unsympathetic and at others a soul to be cherished. The book will not be to everyone's taste, it paints a picture that is all too close to the truth in our society today, where in some matters people are guilty until proven innocent and even after there is innocence has been proven they carry the stigma of the accusations.
TEDIOUS IN THE EXTREME, 2006-07-10
I cannot believe the hype surrounding this book. Although the premise was initially interesting, I found the character of Alice not only extremely irritating, but also utterly unsympathetic in her total self-absorbtion, and Howard a cipher, yet whose story still took up 8 chapters to tell. And as for the character of Theresa - she's just too good to be true. If the editor had done a better job this could have been quite a hard-hitting and moving short story, but as it is, I just could not emphathise with these characters. The fact that this quite short book of just over 400 pages took me about six months to read says it all I think.
Thought provoking and every child carers nightmare!!, 2001-04-09
This book is wonderfully well written and a book that keeps you reading until the end. If you prefer books with plenty of dialogue, be warned that there is not a lot in the first 100 pages or so, but please do not give up. After this benchmark the story really picks up pace and keeps you thinking and caring about the characters. If you work in the child care industry, keep up the good work because we all rely on you!!
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