Fiction_L Archives We Were the Mulvaneys Dates: 2/13/02,8:47 PM  through  2/15/02,8:27 AM  (6 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to February 2002 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: [removed]@aol.com
REC'D: 2/13/02, 8:47 PM

Hello,
I just wanted to get some input on any group that discussed We Were the
Mulvaneys. How did the like the book, what didn't they like etc. Our group
did not seem to excited when we announced this book for next months
discussion. I thought it would make for a great discussion!!!
TIA
Sandra

FROM: Hedy Hustedde <[removed]@libby.rbls.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 2/14/02, 1:23 PM

Sandra, one of my groups discussed WE WERE THE MULVANEYS just last night
and I'd say it was about half and half (18 in attendance) for liking and
disliking. Of course, that makes for a good discussion. And there's lots
of information out there about the book and about Joyce Carol Oates who's
written 90+ books.

The most frequent dislike was that the story was depressing.
Some did not
like how it ended--sort of happy--didn't seem realistic to them.
Some
didn't like Oates free and easy use of elements of punctuation like
exclamation points and dashes or that she used all capital letters or
italics so much.
Some didn't connect with the characters.
Some were too angry at how the characters treated each other.
Some didn't like how Oates wrote about animals--too mystical or something.
Some thought it was all unrealistic--who would choose their spouse over
their child anyway.

Well, take all the things that WEREN'T liked and they WERE liked by
someone else. Take the punctuation, etc. I read aloud several paragraphs
from the chapter named BABIES. It was brilliant! Exhilarating! And then
oh, so fearful. (are we good enough to be parents?)
Other people said it WAS realistic for some people to choose a spouse over
a child. In the case of this particular spouse, he'd never really grown
up, for one thing. And he was an alcoholic--that's what codependency is
all about.
Some thought the reaction of the girl, of the family, of the community to
an alleged rape was unrealistic; others thought it was totally
realistic--especially for the 1970s.
One man in my group said over and over that he loved the book and that
once he started reading it, he literally could not put it down. Other
people literally could not finish it.
Some people thought there was too much detail; others thought the detail
was a real plus.

It's just one of those incredible books that will enter some readers'
souls and remain at the gateway of others' souls.

*************************************************************************
Hedy N.R. Hustedde (daisy) tel: 563-344-4175 Information Librarian fax:
563-344-4185 Bettendorf Public Library email:
[removed]@libby.rbls.lib.il.us 2950 Learning Campus Drive
website:http://www.bettendorflibrary.com Bettendorf, IA 52722 Alles Gute!

On Wed, 13 Feb 2002 [removed]@aol.com wrote:

> Hello,
> I just wanted to get some input on any group that discussed We Were the
> Mulvaneys. How did the like the book, what didn't they like etc. Our group
> did not seem to excited when we announced this book for next months
> discussion. I thought it would make for a great discussion!!!
> TIA
> Sandra
>
> ......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
>

FROM: [removed]@carmel.lib.in.us (Mary Boyden)
REC'D: 2/14/02, 5:04 PM

Hedy:

GREAT comment at the end of your message! I'd say the same thing about
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG by Andre Dubus III.

My Page Turners group just discussed WE WERE THE MULVANEYS yesterday and
it was quite lively. We don't do the like/dislike bit, but did have a
split on understanding the mother's siding with the husband rather than
the daughter. Everyone was able to agree that there was no easy choice.

Mary Boyden
Readers' Advisory Librarian
Carmel Clay Public Library


From: Hedy Hustedde <[removed]@libby.rbls.lib.il.us>
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 13:26:25 -0600 (CST)
To: Fiction_L <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
Subject: Re: We Were the Mulvaneys

Sandra, one of my groups discussed WE WERE THE MULVANEYS just last night
and I'd say it was about half and half (18 in attendance) for liking and
disliking. Of course, that makes for a good discussion. And there's lots
of information out there about the book and about Joyce Carol Oates who's
written 90+ books.

The most frequent dislike was that the story was depressing.
Some did not
like how it ended--sort of happy--didn't seem realistic to them.
Some
didn't like Oates free and easy use of elements of punctuation like
exclamation points and dashes or that she used all capital letters or
italics so much.
Some didn't connect with the characters.
Some were too angry at how the characters treated each other.
Some didn't like how Oates wrote about animals--too mystical or something.
Some thought it was all unrealistic--who would choose their spouse over
their child anyway.

Well, take all the things that WEREN'T liked and they WERE liked by
someone else. Take the punctuation, etc. I read aloud several paragraphs
from the chapter named BABIES. It was brilliant! Exhilarating! And then
oh, so fearful. (are we good enough to be parents?)
Other people said it WAS realistic for some people to choose a spouse over
a child. In the case of this particular spouse, he'd never really grown
up, for one thing. And he was an alcoholic--that's what codependency is
all about.
Some thought the reaction of the girl, of the family, of the community to
an alleged rape was unrealistic; others thought it was totally
realistic--especially for the 1970s.
One man in my group said over and over that he loved the book and that
once he started reading it, he literally could not put it down. Other
people literally could not finish it.
Some people thought there was too much detail; others thought the detail
was a real plus.

It's just one of those incredible books that will enter some readers'
souls and remain at the gateway of others' souls.

*************************************************************************
Hedy N.R. Hustedde (daisy) tel: 563-344-4175 Information Librarian fax:
563-344-4185 Bettendorf Public Library email:
[removed]@libby.rbls.lib.il.us 2950 Learning Campus Drive
website:<a
href="http://www.bettendorflibrary.comhttp://www.bettendorflibrary.com">http://www.bettendorflibrary.com
> Bettendorf, IA 52722 Alles Gute!

FROM: "Madeline Guzman" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 2/14/02, 9:29 PM

Even though I did not like _We Were the Mulvaneys_, I appreciated hearing
all of the comments made by members of the reading group.

It seems to me that a lot of the books which are "most loved by some/most
hated by others" are those in which the reader must decide if the plot or
actions within the plot are believable.

If the action in a book seems not to be true to what an individual believes
might really happen, the book loses its plausibility, hence its favor in the
eye of the reader. Don't you think?

Some books are based on the "unbelievable" or fantasy plot, but that fact is
known and accepted by the reader at the onset of those particular kinds of
novels.

Opinions, anyone?

Madeline

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

FROM: [removed]@aol.com
REC'D: 2/14/02, 9:29 PM

Our group discussed We Were the Mulvaneys at last month's meeting. The book
was well received with a lively discussion that included many divergent
points of view. As usual, I brought in information about the author, Joyce
Carol Oates, gleaned mainly from her excellent biography, Invisible Writer,
by Greg Johnson (1998). It was fascinating to trace how much of her own life
is in We Were the Mulvaneys. (Including the very name Mulvaney) Two of our
members had read some of her earlier works and were surprised at how
different this book is from them. For those members unacquainted with her
earlier works, I recommended "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", a
disturbing short story that stays with the reader long after it is finished.
(It can be found in Updike's "Best Short Stories of the Century.")

There is also a 15-20 minute interview with Joyce Carol Oates at the end of
the Recorded Books version of the book during which she discusses the book.
We listened with interest to the interview after the discussion. After the
interview the discussion was rekindled and went past the end of our two
hours. I also had copies of all of her books on hand, several of which were
checked out. Including those books by "Rosamund Smith", the number of books
is impressive if not almost overwhelming. Last month's book discussion was
one of the liveliest we have had. I think you made a good choice. Good luck.

Louise Young
Fairport Public Library
Fairport, NY

FROM: Spencer Ms Martha <[removed]@usmc-mccs.org>
REC'D: 2/15/02, 8:27 AM

I think when you read a novel, you have to some degree to step into the
world the novelist has created. This is easier to do with some novels than
others, but if something seems jarringly unrealistic it really skews our
overall opinion of the book.

Martha Spencer

-----Original Message-----
From: Madeline Guzman [[removed]@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2002 7:21 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Re: We Were the Mulvaneys


Even though I did not like _We Were the Mulvaneys_, I appreciated hearing
all of the comments made by members of the reading group.

It seems to me that a lot of the books which are "most loved by some/most
hated by others" are those in which the reader must decide if the plot or
actions within the plot are believable.

If the action in a book seems not to be true to what an individual believes
might really happen, the book loses its plausibility, hence its favor in the

eye of the reader. Don't you think?

Some books are based on the "unbelievable" or fantasy plot, but that fact is

known and accepted by the reader at the onset of those particular kinds of
novels.

Opinions, anyone?

Madeline

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

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