If I could give this book less than a half star, I would. This book taught me a very important lesson though. If you are half way through something and it is miserable and irredeemable, don't just keep going because you are already half way through. This is true in life and books. ( )

I was captivated with the all of the well-developed characters. While describing the book to my husband, it seemed like a kind of preposterous plot, but it felt very real and emotional for me. ( )

I don't generally go for tragic coming-of-age tales. I picked this one up because it was loved by several of my fellow BookCrossers. It is the story of Delores Price and her issues with food, sex, love, and mental health. I related in ways that made me uncomfortable, yet following Delores as she coped was heartening. It was also a surprisingly funny book, considering all the drama. I was completely and unexpectedly sucked in, couldn't put it down. Definitely recommended. ( )

Mr. Lamb tells the story of a woman who is a victim of a sexual assault as a first person account. And as such, he was applauded for being such an enlightened man to be able to tell such a story. I am most definitely NOT in this camp. To me, it felt like he was writing what a man THINKS a woman is experiencing when she goes through this kind of trauma. And he made his main character weak, which was offensive. We all need to jump off that bandwagon, because Mr. Lamb is not deserving of the accolades. ( )

I loved Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much is True" and while I was not expecting to like this one as much as that, I really had hoped to like it more than I did. I found this one very mediocre and really kind of wonder why many readers have rated it so high. It was just "okay" -- nothing spectacular & I wasn't blown away. I did think Lamb did a fairly good job of writing from a female's perspective, but I also think his writing was totally different in this (his first novel) in comparison to his sophomore novel. I have his third on my shelf & am quite curious to see how it compares as well. ( )

Written in such an honest style that I was able to feel the pain of the main character. ( )

This book was seriously disturbing to me. However, I do not think that it was written to make people feel comfortable. The book was written to give us an honest depiction of the id in all of us that fights to get out. The protagonist of this novel sees things (and admits to seeing things) that most of us would never; she feels things that we all feel but would never admit to; and, she does unbelievable things that would horrify most of us. I think it is good to read material like this. It is a good starting point for a lot of conversation with others--better than a mediocre movie or television show.

Erin Dorman ( )

Engaging story about a girl who has typical adolescent problems who carries those heartaches up through middle age. I shared her pain and joy as the story unfolded and loved every minute of it. ( )

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G book. I couldn't put it down. Things just kept happening and there isn't even one boring page in this book. ( )

Sometimes you come across a book which makes you forget you're reading a book. You think about the characters when you're away from them, wonder how they are doing, hoping they'll make the right choices, or what what the hell they're doing with their life. This is an amazing book that makes you forget about your own life for a short while and makes you really, really see how another person life's is just as hard and full of problems, even after looking peachy from the outside. ( )

Good read. ( )

I read another of the author's books, I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE and found it quite disturbing and needing an editor. I eagerly began She's Come Undone because of the buzz and also because I thought it might be a trainwreck of dysfunction. I was proved wrong. There were parts where I balked at the action - either it was derivative or came out of the author's obsessions - but the skillful writing more than saved this book. The protagonist, Dolores Price, is raised in an environment where she is forgotten by her parents because they have their own problems they are unable to navigate all that well. She is raised by TV and on junk food and left to fend for herself. She survives as best she can while facing rejection and violation. There are people in her life to whom she is able to reach out for help and when she's in need - it's these people who come through for her. Dolores might not be a typical young heroine because she's had so much adversity that it makes her in many ways unattractive to those seeking a superficial novel with dates, proms, and happily ever after. Instead, her story is one of overcoming obstacles and personal growth. ( )

Didn't really like it. ( )

She's Come Undone is a novel that goes through the up and down's of the protagonist, Dolores Price. Dolores experiences the worst but copes with her dreadful problems. The story covers many different coming of age thematic topics through the coarse of her life-such as, rape, obesity, alienation, mental illness, abortion, divorce, death and AIDS. This book can be discouraging at times, but in the end the main character's voice manages to leave an impression of hope and audacity that makes the readers realize how awful life can be.

During Dolores’ several hardships the only thing that can comfort her becomes food. She reaches 275lbs and becomes self-conscious and doesn’t want to try new things. Eventually, Dolores agrees to see a therapist which helps her in the long run. He helps her leave behind previous incidents that have harped on her for several years. This novel was one that you could get inside the character and feel as if you were her. The trips Dolores takes to see the whales, only leave hope that she will eventually one day be back to her normal self. Wally Lamb does a good job of describing the events and characters conflicts. For example, while Dolores attends her therapist, they reenact her life and you feel as if you are there witnessing the events yourself. This book is one that should be read by all because it covers many different important topics. ( )

I kept on coming across this book on different blogs and book sites and each review was glowing so I thought I would give it a go. This is Wally Lamb's first book; it began life as a short story and it was Lamb's mentor who encouraged him to develop it into a full-blown novel.
It is very much a coming-of-age tale, the central protagonist is Dolores Price; the reader follows her from childhood memories through to being a grown woman in her forties. I think she is possibly one of the most complex characters that I have ever come across. In some chapters she completely repulsed me and made me want to put the book down , in others I just felt sheer compassion and recognition.
Life has not been kind to Dolores, it begins with her parent's divorce and generally goes down-hill from there. The events and unhappiness in her life lead her to overeat until she is clinically obese; this then informs her behaviour in the future and the choices she makes. Wally Lamb packs a lot into this book; his description of Dolores' development from a small child, through puberty and on to adulthood is brilliant on its own. He misses nothing out; the physical changes that women go through plus the many changes and attitude are all there.
It is hard to review this book without giving anything away and I don't want to spoil it for anyone wishing to read it themselves. There are many different events in this book and once I had got used to the character of Dolores, I was completely hooked and couldn't put the book down,
Through his central character, Wally Lamb really does explore how our childhood experiences affect us and can alter the path that the rest of our life takes. The relationship between Dolores and her mother is central to the book and I think that is what will really stay with me. As a young child Dolores makes many assertions about her mother which feed the utterly destructive relationship that the two share. It takes many years for Dolores to reassess her perceptions of her mother and reach some kind of real truth and peace. How many people do we do this with in our own lives?
This book made me both laugh and cry. It is not necessarily a 'nice' book to read but I found it an extremely worthwhile experience. Dolores Price is a beautifully created character; she will stay with me for a long time. ( )

My friend gave me this book to read and I was skeptical because she isn't a "reader." I found it to be really compelling. Dolores is the main character that goes through some horrible horrible things but ends up "ok" as an adult after much therapy and such. I loved the part near the end where she finds she has a talent drawing portrates with an etch-a-sketch. Something about that detail made me know that she was going to be ok in the end.

One of my all time favorites!!!! Couldn't believe it was written by a male - such insight into women ( )

This book is one of my favorites! I felt like I was LIVING the events of Dolores's life right along with her. I found myself constantly thinking about this book, wondering what was going to poor Dolores next... it was just one thing after another! For me, this book definitely lived up to the hype, as does all of Wally Lamb's books. I read this book several years ago, and I still don't think I have read anything since that has held my attention so tightly! ( )

I chewed my way through this book (pardon the pun) with lightning speed. I identified with the main character in many very sad ways, but was also very thankful that I never had it as bad as she did. And the ending is all worthwhile and very very inspiring. Talk about your underdog! ( )

Hmm. What to say. This book has received many amazing reviews, but I just didn't feel it. Subject-wise, the author covered almost everything - rape, obesity, alienation, mental illness, abortion, divorce, adultery, death and AIDS - over the course of the coming of age of Dolores, the main character. She is one of those protagonists that you are supposed to love, even when she's messed up. Unfortunately, she was so messed up, so angry, and so destructive that while I was rooting for her to turn her life around, I just didn't care about her. She annoyed me. The only time I found myself actually getting involved emotionally was when her life was bordering on normal, or at least normal for her.

Disappointing really. I had heard so many great things that I was really looking forward to reading something by Wally Lamb. Ah well, maybe another of his books will click for me. ( )

One of my all time favorites, you will find yourself relating to and pulling for the main character, an overweight young woman struggling in a mean world.

I discovered this one waayyy before Oprah did! :)

I really started to bond with Dolores reclusiveness. Wally Lamb highlights a huge portion of her life from her parents separating to trying to find love despite her many battles in between. There were times that I was mad at her character and wanted to drag her off the ground and other moments where i couldn't stop myself from cheering her own. ( )

This book changed my life. Because of this book I became a stronger more well adjusted young woman and I recommend it to any teen or young woman or anyone looking for a piece of well written literature that has a lesson to be learned. This book is definitely in my top 100 of all time favorite reads. ( )

An amazing account of one woman's coming-of-age from childhood to adulthood. A strong story of love and loss. Highly recommended for summer reading. I understand now why Oprah chose it for her book club...it is universally engaging and pulls the reader into the characters' lives. ( )

Very fast read - characters fair; plot, though somewhat predictable, has enough interest to keep you reading. A book about how rape affects a family, but mostly how it affects the victim. ( )