Love Warps the Mind a Little. [Paperback]

John. DUFRESNE (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: NY: Norton; Advance reading copy. edition (1997)
• ASIN: B000U2FMF6
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Book is NOT Full of Joy, October 1, 2001

By 

JD Cetola (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love Warps the Mind a Little (Mass Market Paperback)

If you're looking for a book to lift your spirits and set your heart soaring, "Love Warps the Mind A Little" is not the book you're looking for. Dufresne's novel tells the story of Laf Proulx, a man who has quit his regular job (he is an aspiring writer) and left his wife (or more accurately been thrown out for his indescretions with another woman). More accurately, perhaps, this novel tells the moving story of the other woman -- Judi Dubey. Not long after Laf moves in with Judi, she discovers she has Term IV cancer and the majority of the novel deals with the wrenching, painful reality of her disease and poignently describes how she (and to a lesser extent those around her) deals with the disease.
This is a powerful novel with some lightness early on as Laf tries to figure out what to do with his life and whether or not he loves Judi or the wife he left (the only sure thing is his love for his dog Spot). Once Judi's cancer is diagnosed the novel moves quickly and despondently toward its conclusion. Judi's suffering through chemotherapy and desire to live are documented in such a way that the reader actually feels involved (albeit miserable) with the characters in this story (most of whom are fairly quirky). There's some talk of life after death, reincarnation (Judi believes she's led several lives), hope for an afterlife and salvation, but the narrator (Laf is apparently an agnostic) offers little encouragement for these ideas thus adding to the weight of dread ensconcing the reader as this book lunges toward its end.
Overall, this is more a well told story of a woman's bout with cancer and those who surround her than a story about love and its trials. It's not uplifting, but it is thought provoking and poignent. Recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, poignant and real, January 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Love Warps the Mind a Little (Hardcover)

A believable and very loving story about how love is born, and how it really impacts us in the least expected way. The confrontation with death and the loneliness of life make heroes of the main characters - Judy in her absolute courage, and Laf, in his ability to grow up.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My feelings about this book were mixed., July 26, 1998

By 

[e-mail] or Barbara Schulz (Akron, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Warps the Mind a Little (Mass Market Paperback)

When he sticks to the heart of his touching story about death, caretakers, and searching for love, Dufresne's book is powerful. Unfortunately, his "story within a story" about Laf's unpublished novella concerning Dale and Theresa is boring and adds nothing to the book; I kept wishing he'd just get back to the main story line. The best parts of this up-and-down novel are the insights into the pain and suffering a cancer patient must endure; Defresne handles the age-old dilemma of whether the "cure" is worse than the disease itself with unusual insight and compassion.It's a shame that he marred this insightful story with his ramblings about Laf's unpublished (and rightfully so) works-in-progress.