Comments (39)

What did you think about this title?
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Apr 17, 2022BARosen1112 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Unique, original, entertaining story in which the narrator's early childhood is spent with her parents, an older brother and a sister, Fern, who's a chimp. At times riotously funny, the narrator, Rosemary, is as the action begins a…
Jan 26, 2021Indoorcamping rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This author has quite a following and after reading this, I can see why. It’s like listening to a new frin share he story of her quirky childhood. I had the weird feeling that I was reading a memoir, which fiction rarely does for me. Must…
Sep 07, 2020
A lovely book full of cynical truths and poignant reflections. The sister twist is odd at first but ultimately rewarding as it is explored and resolved. Working through grief over family issues would seem to be a non-starter for good…
Jul 04, 2020jrkl rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Confession: I never would have read Karen Joy Fowler if this book had not seemed like the best option for the summer reading program requirement of an Indianapolis book. Another confession: I am not what most people would consider an…
Mar 06, 2020alleycat rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Love love love. Read to the last page - it will move you in a big way.
Jan 21, 2020maryellenwilson rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Gave to Beth.
Nov 19, 2019tulane1102 rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Contrived. Forced. Really uninteresting. Bland.
Aug 03, 2019breid11 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A n unconventional coming of age story. I was struck by how the main character has a unique early childhood that weirdly resonated with my own. I don't know how Karen Joy Fowler did it. In a way, this is a novel about how our earliest…
Jul 13, 2019Motorod rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
What a terrific read! If only I could find more books with this level of creativity and humanity.
Apr 05, 2019rlbeekman rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Fowler has an intriguing topic. And a wisecracking verbal style, antic characters and events, and starting the narrative "in the middle" while delaying revelations that are critical for the plot did engage me at the outset. However, all…
Jan 26, 2018ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Karen Joy Fowler is such a good writer! This book has wonderful characters and plot and raises important moral questions.
Estha
Aug 23, 2017Estha rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Great writing, big questions...just what you'd expect from a Booker finalist. A masterful revealing of the narrator's family story and how an experiment on an animal left lasting affects on the whole family. The novel compliments Colin…
Sep 05, 2016wordpix rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Whoa! A fascinating book and kind of a wild ride. Couldn't put it down.
Jun 04, 2016TSCPL_ChrisB rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves is an incredibly intelligent and insightful novel. Several times it got me thinking about our relationships with others and with animals. The subject is well thought out and the research is abundantly…
May 06, 2016
This book is quirky and full of intelligence. It will give you all of the feelings! You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll probably be a better person after you've finished it. Recommended by Gennifer
Apr 08, 2016sandraperkins rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
I found this book to be depressing. First, it is about yet another dysfunctional family, and I find those books depressing. I must say this family is dysfunctional in a most unique way, and it may be worth your reading the book to find…
Apr 03, 2016KMJ_ rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The story begins in the middle, when Rosemary is a college student who hasn't seen her brother or sister for years. There are so many fascinating issues presented here. Rosemary’s father is a professor surrounded by graduate students, and…
Jan 26, 2016Chapel_Hill_SarahW rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
As others have noted, this book is read best with no previous information about it, so no spoilers here! I was just telling my co-worker how great it was, but also how it broke my heart and my eyes filled with tears and I got a lump in my…
Nov 06, 2015EmilyEm rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One sister, still at home with her parents, begins her story in the middle. Her brother and her sister have gone. She's going through adolescence and on to college. Slowly the story unfolds, worth the wait and quite a story. Pitch perfect.…
Aug 03, 2015Chapel_Hill_ShannonB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is one of my favorite books that I have read recently. If you can avoid spoilers before reading it, you should do so. The novel has a wonderful narrator who begins telling her story by starting in the middle, a device that Fowler…
Jun 09, 2015Wong_Anne rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
[2014 WINNER Pen/Faulkner Award] From the Man Booker site [short listed]: "As a child, Rosemary used to talk all the time. So much so that her parents used to tell her to start in the middle if she wanted to tell a story. Now Rosemary has…
May 22, 2015mockingbird7 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For the first 2/3 of the book, I thought this may be the best novel I have ever read. Fowler is a heck of a story teller, and this is a heck of a story. In my opinion, a great author and a great comedian have something in common. They…
Apr 12, 2015Mothercat rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Hmmm ... have to confess to feeling a bit ho-hum about this book, and that it didn't really measure up to all the rave reviews I had read about it. I found the way the story hopped backwards and forwards in time more than a little…
Cas22
Feb 17, 2015Cas22 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is a disturbing and thought-provoking book that highlights the trauma that can occur to both humans and animals in the name of scientific research. The narrator, Rosemary, reflects back on her childhood growing up with Fern, a…
Sansha
Feb 11, 2015Sansha rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Memorable.