Dale Loves Sophie to Death: A Novel [Paperback]

Robb Forman Dew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2001

Robb Forman Dew's cult first novel explores themes of familial and romantic bonds as it tells the story of a woman whose husband stays behind in New England while she and their children spend the summer in her Midwestern hometown.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robb Forman Dew is the author of The Time of Her Life, and Fortunate Lives, as well as a memoir, The Family Heart. She also was a teacher at Iowa Writers' Workshop and has contributed stories to Southern Review and The New Yorker, among others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316890669
• ISBN-13: 978-0316890663
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,300,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotionally unforgettable!, September 23, 2001

By 

John H. Lewin "tolly2" (Balt, Md USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dale Loves Sophie to Death: A Novel (Paperback)

I read this book years ago, when it first came out in hardback, and it has stayed fresh in my memory. The title refers to a spray-painted sign on a highway overpass that the family references each summer on it's way back to visit the extended family in the heartland of America. While visions of getting centered en famille overtake the mother in this tale, she neglects the danger confronting her own children, ignoring signs of malaise until she is forced to relinquish her dreams, and deal with reality. All the characters are well drawn. My heart went out to every one of them......things do happen that aren't anyone's fault, and happen when you least expect them. All the characters change, grow, adapt....in very realistic ways, and there is a kindness in the way the author tells their story. It's easy to understand how it won the National Book award; what isn't easy to understand is why it was never made into a movie----i feel like I've almost seen it, because Ms. Dew's descriptions are so visual, and her characters are so appealing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good, not great, first novel, January 2, 2006

By 

Mary Kirtz (Oberlin Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dale Loves Sophie to Death: A Novel (Paperback)

Because I read Dew's later novels first, I found this one not quite as good. It is, however, a very interesting 'novel of character.' It is an 'interior' story, along the lines of 'Madame Bovary' and 'Anna Karenina,' with everything viewed from the specific perspectives of various characters. Since one can see their innermost thoughts and feelings, of course one won't find them "likeable." Who of us would be if people knew exactly what we were thinking or feeling? If you aren't interested in WHY people behave the way they do, or if you want an action-packed story in which motivation doesn't matter, you probably won't like this novel. If you're fascinated by how others think and respond, you will.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Find!, April 20, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dale Loves Sophie to Death: A Novel (Paperback)

I simply can't recommend this book highly enough! My book club read it, and we are all about the age of the book's protaganist. We all began to realize, as we discussed this amazing book, that we, too, had unintentionally neglected out children--and the other people we love best in the world--while always meaning to do the right thing. We, too, had to learn how to forgive ourselves and our families in order to finally grow up. And we laughed in recognition of our own foibles in the character of Dinah, and her "perfect" friend, Pam, and of poor Martin who misses his family. We are a coed book club, and we try to alternate between "women's" and "men's" books. We decided that this book filled the bill for both! I am so surprised to find negative reviews of this lovely book. It has changed my understanding of my own life!