Customer Reviews

Object Lessons

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Every now and again, we may come across an author whose writing style really touches us. And, every now and again, we may come across a story that stirs in us some indescribable, inexplicable, deep emotion within the core of our very soul. I believe I have found that author and that book. Anna Quindlen would be that author, and Object Lessons would be that book.

The first book I had read by Anna Quindlen was Black and Blue, which I had borrowed from my sister. Black and Blue was a highly captivating book because there was a lot going on with the plot of the book, but it was a bit sad at the same time. Black and Blue dealt with an abused woman who ran away with her son, and changed her identity so her husband wouldn't find her. As a result, that book was a bit on the darker side. Object Lessons has a total different feel to it. In this book, it's about an Irish-Italian family named the Scanlan's. This book centers mostly around Tommy Scanlan, and his Italian wife, Connie, and their 12-year-old daughter, Maggie. The couple has three other boys who are mentioned, but only in passing. The other three children are just background characters. Many a time, there's too many characters in a book, and in this case, it's very obvious that Anna Quindlen had an objective to focus on only a few main characters.

Tommy had married Connie when she became pregnant, and his Irish family -- his father, John Scanlan, in particular -- didn't approve. Since then, Connie had felt like an outsider with the other wives, and more than put out by her controlling father-in-law. John Scanlan was one of those larger-than-life characters, as he made a drama about most everything, and felt he had to control his sons, and only daughter, Margaret. Margaret escaped by going into the convent, but Tommy, as well as his brothers, found that John would take control of their lives by putting them in the family business, or buying a house, or sending their children to private school. John had such control over Mark, one of Tommy's brothers, that he prevented him and his wife from adopting children, as Mark had difficulty getting his wife pregnant. John Scanlan even had control over his wife, Mary Frances, making her drift into the background like faded wallpaper. Without much warning, John Scanlan became gravely ill one day when he had a stroke, and the family started changing. Maggie, Tommy's and Connie's daughter (and John Scanlan's favorite grandchild), was going through a tough growing-pain period. She was about to enter her teen years, and she was having a hard time coping with the things that were happening around her. Her relationship with her best friend, Debbie, was changing when Debbie started hanging around other kids who had a negative influence on her. Maggie's parents always seem to be distant or fighting, and now her grandfather was sick and she was seeing how her family was changing. This wonderful story takes you though this family's life, the Scanlan's, in such a realistic and creative way.

One of Anna Quindlen's best talents as a writer is her characterization. This is only the second book I've read of hers (One True Thing is another book I have put aside to read in the future), but I can safely say that her characters are so three-dimensional, and full of depth. They are so human. You don't only get a peek into the minds of her characters, but you also get a glimpse of what is in their hearts. Feelings are what Anna Quindlen is all about. I especially had a kinship with Connie and Maggie Scanlan. I could relate to the feelings of this mother-daughter pair, and I loved getting to know them with such intimacy.

I cannot rave enough about this book, because there are no accurate words to describe how good it really is. To experience it, you would have to read it for yourself.

I do know that this is one of my favorite books, and I do know that Anna Quindlen is one of my favorite authors. She's right up there with other favorites of mine: Connie May Fowler, Pearl Cleage, Alice Hoffman, , and Wally Lamb. Each of these authors are special in his/her own way, and Anna Quindlen has her own voice, and it's a strong one that you can't help but listen to.

Object Lessons was truly an enjoyable experience to read, and it's a book I'm going to have to purchase for myself (since I borrowed it from the library). It's one of those books you would want to go back to for seconds.

Having read One True Thing and Black and Blue, I knew I could rely on Quindlen to teach me new things about myself and my family--that she does, quite well. However, Object Lessons is much more weighed down by direct narrative than the other two books--at times, I found myself wishing the characters would talk to each other and quit thinking so much. I also found Maggie's age implausible--even the most precocious 12 and 13 year olds do not possess her incredible depth.

Connie's relationship with Tommy and subsequent realizations about what marriage is are the most powerful points in the book, and I credit Quindlen with another "perfect" ending--she is one author who does not leave her readers confused or disappointed on the final page.

I wanted to, I really did! But I just can't bring myself to do it. I read "One True Thing" and "Black and Blue" and loved them both. My copy of "Object Lessons" mentions B&B on it, which should have been a dead givaway that this was a weak fledgling effort first novel by the author, which it was. Oh, it had it's moments, but they were few and far between. Overall the feeling was just sadness bordering on depression, the kind of novels that were in abundance in the 70's. Perhaps that's when she wrote it. I would not recommend it to anyone.

This book has literally changed my perspective on life. I had to read this as a summer reading right before my junior year in high school and not only was this book fascinating, the characters that Anna Quindlen portrays are so true to life as are the situations. If ever you want to just curl up and read a book, this is the one. Literally, I tell all of my friends about this book. I can relate so much to Maggie's character and her journey through adolescence and maturity...

This is the best book I have read in a long time. Many of my friends complained that it moved too slowly, but I attribute that slowness to the development of the characters. Although Maggie is the main character, I think of her as a catalyst to telling the "real" story: that of the metamorphasis of her family. Everyone comes to the point in their lives when they realize that their family is the the epitome of perfection, and this is the point in time when Maggie realizes this for her family, her friends, and herself. This is one of the few modern books I will keep in my personal library.

I read this after reading 'Black & Blue' and 'One True Thing'. I identified with these characters and found the storyline engaging. I would have to disagree with the reviewer who said it takes place in the summer of 1963. How could it when there is a reference to the fact that John Kennedy is dead? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down

This book is clearly the work of an amateur; it reads as though it is Ms. Quindlen's first work, perhaps left unpublished since early adolescence (and with GOOD reason), and picked up in the early nineties by hungry publishing executives. It reads as though it tried to be a Young Adult book but was far too boring, so it was slightly retooled for adults. The problems are too simple; anyone, even a 12 year old, with the slightest bit of backbone could have broken free of Papa Scanlan's money-based power and lived a meaningful life. Such weak characters deserve no time pulled from the busy life of an avid reader. If you want to read Anna Quindlen at her best, pick up a copy of "Black and Blue". Don't waste your time with "Object Lessons".

I read Anna Quindlen's column regularly, for over a decade, in "The New York Times." I clipped many of them and saved them. I thought she was a wonderful writer.

I eagerly anticipated the publication of this, her first novel. As I said in my title, anticipation sometimes leads to disappointment. She's a great columnist, but a weak novelist (according to this humble reader; I know a very famous "literary leader" was quite taken with another of her novels).

I gave away this book the minute I turned the last page, to a co-worker whose taste in literature was 180 degrees different than mine. I can't remember whether she liked it or not; I just remember how much I couldn't stand it (it was plain old BORING).

My recommendation? Stick to Quindlen's NON-FICTION, and you won't be disappointed.

Such a story of family relationships should have been written from the perpective of just one person. Connie's story - which to me was the real story - could have been told much more believably from Maggies eyes (and ears) while we watched Maggie grow. The telling felt fractured and the story inconsistent; eg how could Tom, with no apparent business knowledge immediately make sense of his father's business concerns?. We had sat insde Tom's head, but he showed us no such skills - and for me such inconsistencies lead to a loss of credibility. It reads as a first novel (maybe it is?) before the author has realised her strengths and abilities. It should have been so much better.

I was required to read this book for ninth grade honors English, and I can definatly say I enjoyed it. I liked the way that so many different point of views were displayed, so you could look at the situations from all angles. I found the mother the most interesting, but the main character was also entertaining. It's hard to define the young girl's character, I found myself often thinking I had figured her out when she would do something completely different. I guess that's what makes this book so different, because I found it related a lot to real life. I definatly recommend this book, don't count on a fantastic plot, but more of an every-day one.