Book Review: I'll Fly Away

From Goodreads: In 2003 Wally Lamb—the author of two of the most beloved novels of our time,She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True—published Couldn't Keep It to Myself, a collection of essays by the students in his writing workshop at the maximum-security York Correctional Institution, Connecticut's only prison for women. Writing, Lamb discovered, was a way for these women to confront painful memories, face their fears and their failures, and begin to imagine better lives. The New York Times described the book as "Gut-tearing tales . . . the unvarnished truth." The Los Angeles Times said of it, "Lying next to and rising out of despair, hope permeates this book."
Now Lamb returns with I'll Fly Away, a new volume of intimate, searching pieces from the York workshop. Here, twenty women—eighteen inmates and two of Lamb's cofacilitators—share the experiences that shaped them from childhood and that haunt and inspire them to this day. These portraits, vignettes, and stories depict with soul-baring honesty how and why women land in prison—and what happens once they get there. The stories are as varied as the individuals who wrote them, but each testifies to the same core truth: the universal value of knowing oneself and changing one's life through the power of the written word.

Thoughts: Last year I read the first of the anthologies Wally Lamb helped produced with a collection of inmates from the York Correctional Institution - Couldn't Keep it to Myself. I can remember feeling amazed by the stories. I'll Fly Away is more incredible stories. The thing that really stands out for me is how hard we work to dehumanise these women and then act surprised when they don't rehabilitate. Several of the stories mentioned how degrading the prison experience is and how any attempt to try and better yourself, retain some dignity is stripped away. While none of these women argued that they shouldn't be punished for what they did, I don't believe any of them deserve to be treated the way they are at times.

Their stories are incredible. They pull no punches. Some of the women came from fairly horrific backgrounds, enduring years of abuse and hatred leading to acts of desperation. Others backgrounds were picture perfect, yet somehow they lost their way and ended up incarcerate. Books such as these are essential reading, allowing us to strip back the media hype over how prisoners are treated, what lead them to prison in the first place and how we treat them inside the walls makes a huge difference to how they manage outside of them.

I'll Fly Away gets 4 stars

 *        Did not like it
**       It was OK
***      Liked it
****    Really liked it

*****   It was amazing

Book Review: Couldn't Keep it to Myself

From Goodreads: In a stunning work of insight and hope, New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb once again reveals his unmatched talent for finding humanity in the lost and lonely and celebrates the transforming power of the written word. For several years, Lamb has taught writing to a group of women prisoners at York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. In this unforgettable collection, the women of York describe in their own words how they were imprisoned by abuse, rejection, and their own self-destructive impulses long before they entered the criminal justice system. Yet these are powerful stories of hope and healing, told by writers who have left victimhood behind.
In his moving introduction, Lamb describes the incredible journey of expression and self-awareness the women took through their writing and shares how they challenged him as a teacher and as a fellow author. Couldn't Keep It to Myself is a true testament to the process of finding oneself and working toward a better day.

Thoughts: I read this as part of my quest to read anything by Wally Lamb. While Lamb did not pen this, he worked closely with the women who did, teaching them, supporting them and ultimately editing their stories for publication. 
Books like this are invaluable. They provide a window into a world the majority of us are lucky to not inhabit. The stories of these women are heart wrenching. They focus mainly on early life experiences rather than the crimes they have been incarcerated for. Those stories are enough to show you how some of the ended up where they did. I don't think there was a single story in this book that didn't include sexual abuse. None of these women had support structures in their lives that could help them when they needed it most. Many of them found that support in prison and a voice in writing. This book is equal parts inspiring, heartbreaking and uplifting.

Book Review: Wishin' & Hopin'

From Goodreads:

It's 1964 and ten-year-old Felix is sure of a few things: the birds and the bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he'll never forget.

LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone's turntable, and Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy.
Back in his beloved fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, with a new cast of endearing characters, Wally Lamb takes his readers straight into the halls of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School—where Mother Filomina's word is law and goody-two-shoes Rosalie Twerski is sure to be minding everyone's business. But grammar and arithmetic move to the back burner this holiday season with the sudden arrivals of substitute teacher Madame Frechette, straight from QuÉbec, and feisty Russian student Zhenya Kabakova. While Felix learns the meaning of French kissing, cultural misunderstanding, and tableaux vivants, Wishin' and Hopin' barrels toward one outrageous Christmas.
From the Funicello family's bus-station lunch counter to the elementary school playground (with an uproarious stop at the Pillsbury Bake-Off), Wishin' and Hopin' is a vivid slice of 1960s life, a wise and witty holiday tale that celebrates where we've been—and how far we've come.

Thoughts: I like Wally Lamb, but I don't find his books easy to read. This however, I powered through in a day! Lighter than his other books (reviewed here, here and here) I found myself laughing out loud several times. Felix is so naive and innocent that you just can't help but love him and his view of the world. His family is loving, but unassuming. You get the feeling that he will look back on this time and realise how wonderful and precious it was.
I love Lamb's characters and especially love that Felix, who is second in the class (behind the most annoying Rosalie Twerski!) is best mates with Lonny, who has been kept back twice. There is no huge angst in this book, just the year in the life of a really likable character on the verge of puberty, discovering things about life he never really knew.

Book Review: I Know This Much is True

From Goodreads:  On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother, Thomas, entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut, public library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable. . . .

One of the most acclaimed novels of our time, Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True is a story of alienation and connection, devastation and renewal, at once joyous, heartbreaking, poignant, mystical, and powerfully, profoundly human.

Thoughts: I first came across Wally Lamb when I read The Hour I First Believed. This lead to me putting him on my Authors I Want to Read list. Then I read She's Come Undone, which I loved and I can't believe it took me so long to get around to this.
If someone asked me which Wally Lamb book I would recommend, I'd say this one. It's emotionally taxing, but so beautifully written.
Thomas and Dominick are twins. Thomas is schizophrenic. A condition he has struggled with for over 20 years. Dominick is his champion, his protector. The one who has always fought the battles Thomas couldn't.
 You really get a sense of Dominick's struggle with being the "healthy half" of him and his brother. At all times he acts in the best interest of Thomas, despite the fact he finds it a chore - it's his job, it's what he promised his mother. You see, Dominick has always been the protector, the one who looked after Thomas and if he didn't, well there was the guilt to deal with. Thomas' incarceration in the maximum security wing of a psychiatric hospital is the catalyst for Dominick to examine his and Thomas' childhood and the events that shaped their future. This leads the reader on a journey which is emotional rollercoaster as questions are answered and others are formed.
Some reviews I have read disliked the neat as neat ending of the book. For me it was a bit of a relief. It was nice to know that there was some peace for the characters. They had been through such turmoil you felt they deserved it. Not true to life maybe, but kind to this reader at least!

She's Come Undone

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

I borrowed this awhile ago from the library and to tell you the truth, had been putting off reading it. While I enjoyed The Hour I First Believed, I did have to wade through it a bit and I was reluctant to start another wader type book.

I need not have been worried. I loved this. Everything. The characters were engaging and believable, the writing beautiful and the story moved along, every twist leaving you in despair or cheering.

"so beautifully written you trust it from the first sentence." 
OK! Magazine

The quote above that appeared on the back of the book sums it up beautifully for me.

I felt so many things for the main character Dolores. At times I got so angry with her, at others I just wanted to gather her up and fix all her ills. Her journey from childhood through to adulthood enthralled me. Lamb's writing flows like water and you really feel for the characters, can visualise the setting and totally immerse yourself in the world he has created.

I will be searching out Lamb's other books.

The Hour I First Believed

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

The problem I feel when reading a book that you have heard lots about is whether or not it lives up to expectations. There is also the problem of trying to condense a book during the blurb to adequately explain what it is about.

I thought The Hour I First Believed was about a couple's attempt to recover after the tragedy that was Columbine, and while that was an aspect of the book, in the end it was a minor part. Columbine was the catalyst for Caelum and Maureen to move back to Connecticut. It's the root of Maureen's problem, but the heart of the book is about Caelum's discovery about his family history and how that helps him reconcile the person he has become.


Once I dealt with the fact that this is what the book is about, I quite enjoyed it. I did at times find it, not necessarily hard going, but challenging. It most probably wasn't until towards the end that I could see where the story was going and what the point of the whole thing was. I would like to read Wally Lamb's other stuff, but feel I will need to be in the right mood to do so.