Customer Reviews

A Cure for Dreams

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kaye Gibbons' books all focus on a South that I have never known. That said, I love this place that she creates. It is a bit of old-school South, in that it seems like bad things are just bubbling under the surface, waiting to burst free. This is the same world that Faulkner, Dickey, and Welty inhabit. A world where human passions are often dark and where salvation is often not forthcoming. But unlike the others, Gibbons's character's are frequently rescued from the pit by their relationships with family. All of her books have a bittersweet poignancy that will leave you feeling tearful and introspective, but not depressed. I have enjoyed all of her books.

I found this novel to be perfect for the person who wants to get his or her mind off of things. A CURE FOR DREAMS travels through several generations in the American south, allowing us into the lives of an interestingly eccentric family. The language used in the books, the ways the words flow, if pure genius. Gibbons has done it again.

"A Cure for Dreams" is the story of a mother's life, as told to her daughter. The characters are lovable and the story moves quickly. There is no actual plot or finale; it's more like a chat session between mothers and daughters.

Though not as noteworthy as "Ellen Foster," this book is enjoyable and I highly recommend it. It's a small book, and due to the interesting dialogue, most readers will keep turning pages and finish on the same day they started.

This was the second book I read of Kaye Gibbons and I enjoyed it very much. Ms. Gibbons has quite a grip on the Southern experience and depicts it well in this story. She also has a special gift for weaving the experiences of several generations reminding us we are created from many people's pasts and we are the foundation for many people's future.

Kaye Gibbons does it again...I couldn't put this book down, not because I was waiting for the end, but I couldn't get enough, I didn't want to finish it!!! Each chapter provides a unique insight or life lesson that made me pause to think and often laugh at the way people are...it was as if each chapter was its own short story, yet they flowed together to make one outstanding book! I found this book, like others of Kaye Gibbons, a comfortable, easy read that left me wanting more!

A Cure for Dreams is a well-written story created by Kaye Gibbons. In this novel she traces the close and itimate relationship between four generations of Southern women, beginning with the great-grandmother and ending with the great-granddaughter. I am currently a senior in high school dealing with college applications and barely have any free time to read, but I honestly could not put this book down. I throughly enjoy reading books that have happy, family-oriented plots. Kaye Gibbons did an outstanding job in pursuing this in her book, and I can truly relate to it. My great-grandmother is still alive and she is constantly telling me her life stories, which resemble the stories in Gibbon's novel. I have always believed that there is a "special" bond between great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers and daughters, but I believe that the mother and daughter bond is the most precious. In "A Cure for Dreams" Brigette says, "I was in step with my mother, and though I was on friendly terms with young people my age, I perferred to stay right by her side like a little twin." These words really stood out for me. I love going out with my friends on the weekends, but I cherish the moments that I get to spend with my mother, alone. It will be very difficult for me to leave for college in the fall. Another element Kaye GIbbons showed us was during the toughest situations, if the family sticks together, then they can easily overcome any problem. I believe that if the family works together then any circumstance can be resolved. In the 1920s, when the story begins, it demonstrates how important families are and the book ends with the exact same message. In the 1990s families are just as important and maybe even more than they were in the 1920s. To me, my family is and always will be the most important thing to me. I would like to thank Kaye Gibbons for writing such an appropriate novel for a girl like me who is growing up in such a chaotic world!

A Gibbons' classic, beautiful, upbeat, poignant.
The sound of Southern women's voices talking, talking, talking comes through loud and clear, and you get the impression that the stories will keep coming long after you've finished this gem of a book.

This reads like an author's first novel. Not a bad read, but certainly not as powerful as Ellen Foster, A Virtuous Woman, or Sights Unseen. Usually I'm able to associate the title of a book with the plot, or characters of the novel. I'm at a loss for the correlation here. If you happen to be between reads, and have already read Gibbons other work, then go ahead and give this a shot. If you've never read any of her work and this is your introduction to Gibbons, try one of her other novels first.

I read ELLEN FOSTER,and A VIRTUOUS WOMAN, and thought that they were excellent books. A CURE FOR DREAMS was not nearly as "deep" as the other two, but equally as thought provoking. I thought a lot about the relationship between generations, and the effect they have on our lives. I think the reason I did enjoy this one so much, was because it was more upbeat, and an easy read. Good vacation book!

I love the way Gibbons emphasizes the importance of the mother-daughter relationships through the three generations. Each are fiercely devoted to the others and love one another immensely, but the narrator describes her grandmother as giving out sympathy in "thimblefuls." These three women all are truly amazing, and reading this book just makes you feel good.