lindseythelibrarian's Reviews (559)

I liked this book, but I wouldn't say I was completely drawn in. Yes, this was a page-turner for me, but I think this was partially due to the fact that I needed a form of escape and this was what I needed and wanted at the time. However, this book was compelling. I enjoyed it because I wanted to know the ending, and the journey there (while riddled with selfish and contemptuous people) was still and interesting one that I am glad I took.

This novel was quite the exercise in empathy for me, because even though I am a very caring an empathetic person, I have little to no patience when it comes to cheating. Also, the way that people handle alcoholism in this book is really sad. It should be handled as a disease but instead the main character Rachel is viewed with pity and scorn when she falls off the wagon time and time again. This didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book, but I guess I really coudn't fully enjoy it because literally every character (except one or two, but they were much more minor characters) had their own jerkish problems to take out on everyone else. I understand that we are all flawed, but making every character like this raises some issues about creating a realistic story.

One last thing I did not like, and maybe this is part of the genre of a "thriller", is the fact that there was conflict, conflict, conflict, and then only two short chapters at the end kind of tying up the story. I did like this to an extent, but I would have preferred a more drawn out conclusion about Rachel. I think this is more a personal view though that other people may not share with me.

Anyway, I do like this book, but I'm still not completely sold on it. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts!

When I started reading this book, I hope it would be very similar to the movie, because I adore the movie. There is so much that it did right. Though I would say the movie is a very loyal adaptation, there are a few things in the book that began to sour me. However, when I was able to put into my mind that this book was the original source material and not the other way around, I began to get far more enjoyment out of it.

I think the biggest thing the movie changed was Gilbert himself. Gilbert is obviously working through a lot of problems, and the book goes into more detail about what those look like. I believe the movie actually focused more on his and Arnie's relationship, but this gets as much time as his problem with family, expressing emotion, his problem with a former schoolmate, his dad, etc. I did like this though, because it makes more sense for who book Gilbert is. At first, I found myself getting fed up with him, but I had to keep reminding myself that this man with a high libido was portrayed much more whimsically in the movie.

In fact, the movie seemed way more whimsical in its entirety. This is though his relationship with Becky, the portrayal of the town, and even the ending.

All in all, I am glad I watched the movie first before reading the novel. I'm sure I will reread this book, because life does not always have complete closure, but neither does this book. The closure provided, however, was comforting and something that I needed. It came at the proper time in my life and I am better off for having read it. This is definitely one book that I treasure