Best Selling Books by Wally Lamb

Wally Lamb''s two previous novels, She''s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, struck a chord with readers. They responded to the intensely introspective nature of the books, and to their lively narrative styles and biting humor. One critic called Wally Lamb a "modern-day Dostoyevsky," whose characters struggle not only with their respective pasts, but with a "mocking, sadistic God" in whom they don''t believe but to whom they turn, nevertheless, in times of trouble (New York Times). In his new novel, The Hour I First Believed, Lamb travels well beyond his earlier work and embodies in his fiction myth, psychology, family history stretching back many generations, and the questions of faith that lie at the heart of everyday life. The result is an extraordinary tour de force, at once a meditation on the human condition and an unflinching yet compassionate evocation of character. When forty-seven-year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his younger wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, Caelum returns home to Three Rivers, Connecticut, to be with his aunt who has just had a stroke. But Maureen finds herself in the school library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed, as two vengeful students go on a carefully premeditated, murderous rampage. Miraculously she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues. While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers a cache of old diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in an upstairs bedroom of his family''s house. The colorful and intriguing story they recount spans five generations of Quirk family ancestors, from the Civil War era to Caelum''s own troubled childhood. Piece by piece, Caelum reconstructs the lives of the women and men whose legacy he bears. Unimaginable secrets emerge; long-buried fear, anger, guilt, and grief rise to the surface. As Caelum grapples with unexpected and confounding revelations from the past, he also struggles to fashion a future out of the ashes of tragedy. His personal quest for meaning and faith becomes a mythic journey that is at the same time quintessentially contemporary—and American. The Hour I First Believed is a profound and heart-rending work of fiction. Wally Lamb proves himself a virtuoso storyteller, assembling a variety of voices and an ensemble of characters rich enough to evoke all of humanity.

With his stunning debut novel, She''s Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman''s painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you''re the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you''re into both survival of the fittest and being your brother''s keeper--if you''ve promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman''s gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey''s entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she''d had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother''s watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother''s gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn''t get it. But Dominick''s talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick''s lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily ''s Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather''s handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico''s fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man''s confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth''s of Domenico''s life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors'' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity''s deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.

Meet Dolores Price. She''s thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded. Beached like a whale in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the chocolate, crisps and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally rolls into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she''s determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly up. In his extraordinary coming-of-age odyssey, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch an incredible ride on a journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years. At once a fragile girl and a hard-edged cynic, so tough to love yet so inimitably loveable, Dolores is as poignantly real as our own imperfections.

For several years, Wally Lamb, the author of two of the most beloved novels of our time, has run a writing workshop at the York Correctional Institution, Connecticut''s only maximum-security prison for women. Writing, Lamb discovered, was a way for these women to face their fears and failures and begin to imagine better lives. Couldn''t Keep It to Myself, a collection of their essays, was published in 2003 to great critical acclaim. With I''ll Fly Away, Lamb offers readers a new volume of intimate pieces from the York workshop. Startling, heartbreaking, and inspiring, these stories are as varied as the individuals who wrote them, but each illuminates an important core truth: that a life can be altered through self-awareness and the power of the written word.

“A mesmerizing novel about a family in crisis.”— Miami Herald A disquieting and ultimately uplifting novel about a marriage, a family, and human resilience in the face of tragedy, from Wally Lamb, the New York Times bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed and I Know This Much Is True. After 27 years of marriage and three children, Anna Oh—wife, mother, outsider artist—has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her success. They plan to wed in the Oh family’s hometown of Three Rivers in Connecticut. But the wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora’s Box of toxic secrets—dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs’ lives. We Are Water is a layered portrait of marriage, family, and the inexorable need for understanding and connection, told in the alternating voices of the Ohs—nonconformist, Anna; her ex-husband, Orion, a psychologist; Ariane, the do-gooder daughter, and her twin, Andrew, the rebellious only son; and free-spirited Marissa, the youngest. It is also a portrait of modern America, exploring issues of class, changing social mores, the legacy of racial violence, and the nature of creativity and art. With humor and compassion, Wally Lamb brilliantly captures the essence of human experience and the ways in which we search for love and meaning in our lives.

From New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb comes a collection of some of his most beloved novels. This eBook bundle includes The Hour I First Believed, I Know This Much is True, We Are Water, and Wishin'' and Hopin''.

Behind every good man is a great woman - or threeA New York Timesbestseller- the kaleidoscopic new novel from Wally Lamb, author of She''s Come Undone.Every Monday, sixty-year-old Felix Funicello sets up a new film for his weekly club at an old-fashioned cinema. But one night, he is confronted by an unanticipated guest- the ghost of Lois Weber. Once a trailblazing director from the silent film era, Lois invites Felix to watch a new feature on the big screen - scenes from his past. As these magical movies play before him, Felix begins to understand how a trio of unforgettable women have shaped his history. An evocative and kaleidoscopic convergence of Hollywood, feminism and family secrets, I''ll Take You Thereis a radiant homage to a single life and to the resiliency, strength and power of women.

In Wally Lamb’s pitch perfect new novel, it is 1964. LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone’s turntable, and ten-year-old Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy. But there are several things young Felix can depend on: the birds and bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he’s never going to forget.

Eine ergreifende Geschichte über Macht und Unterdrückung, Liebe und Vergebung

Amerika Serikat telah menjadi pelacur dunia, membunuh orang demi minyak murah—demikian pendapat Thomas Birdsey. Dan siang hari itu, Thomas, memasuki Three Rivers, perpustakaan umum Connecticut, menyendiri di salah satu ruang belajar di bagian belakang dan berdoa kepada Tuhan, semoga pengorbanan yang akan dia lakukan dapat diterima. Thomas berdoa dalam diam, mengulang-ulang doa Santo Matius, “Dan jika matamu yang kanan menyesatkan engkau, cungkillah dan buanglah ia ... Dan jika tanganmu yang kanan menyesatkan engkau, penggallah dan buanglah ia karena lebih baik bagimu jika satu dari anggota tubuhmu binasa daripada tubuhmu secara utuh dicampakkan ke dalam neraka.” Lalu dari jaket sweater-nya Thomas mengeluarkan pisau upacara Gurkha yang dibawa ayah tirinya sebagai suvenir dari Perang Dunia II… Apa yang dilakukan Thomas sungguh tindakan gila, namun barangkali dengan cara itu dia menunjukkan kegilaan dunia, ketakwarasan kita. “Dostoevsky modern dengan sentuhan pop.” —New York Times “Tajam ... mengagumkan ... buku yang benar-benar bagus.” —Washington Post Book World “... sangat memukau—dan ungkapan itu bahkan tidak cukup kuat untuk menggambarkan novel ini ....” —Associated Press “Sebuah karya yang kompleks dan kuat ... menghanyutkan pembaca dengan arus emosinya yang deras ... Baca dan menangislah.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch. [Mizan, Qanita, Novel, Indonesia]

Toute sa vie, Annie Oh a été terrifiée. Terrifiée à l''idée de tomber amoureuse ; de se dévoiler à Orion, son ex-mari psychologue; de ne pas être une bonne mère pour ses trois enfants ; de ne pas savoir soulager les colères de son fils, les angoisses de ses filles ; d''affronter le souvenir des drames qui ont dévasté son enfance. Cette terreur, Annie a tenté de l''évacuer dans ses sculptures, ses tableaux chargés de rage. Alors qu''elle s''apprête à se remarier avec Viveca, une galeriste new-yorkaise qui l’a rendue célèbre, la peur la saisit de nouveau. Comment avouer à celle qu''elle aime les raisons qui l''empêchent de célébrer leurs noces à Three Rivers? Comment lui révéler ce qui s''est passé dans cette ville, un soir de 1963 ? Chaque jour qui sépare Annie et les siens du mariage les rapproche de vérités terribles, indicibles, qu''ils devront faire éclater pour tenter de renaître, enfin. Une œuvre magistrale. Version femina. Brillant. Aujourd’hui en France.

In a new collection of essays,New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb guides the writing of the inmates at York Correctional Institution into moments of honesty and revelation, presenting the truths discovered during incarceration An adopted woman searching for her origins discovers she was born in prison. A bank robber reminisces about her first theft in kindergarten. A prisoner serving a life sentence examines the nature of time. A young woman dreams of escape not from prison but from addiction and will sadly fail at both. These are just a few of the stories found inYou Don''t Know Me: The Incarcerated Women of York Prison Voice Their Truths. For more than twenty years,New York Times bestselling novelist Wally Lamb has led a writing workshop for the women at the York Correctional Institution, Connecticut''s only prison for women. InYou Don''t Know Me, their autobiographical essays challenge our assumptions about the incarcerated and the criminal justice system. The fifteen stories presented here offer an honest look at a group of women who write to confront and transcend their histories and their lives in prison, gaining valuable insight along the way. Alongside the women''s writing is Lamb''s own chapter devoted to his reunion with several of his former students--ex-offenders who discuss their lives after prison and their reentry into aworld dramatically changed by technology, altered family dynamics, and cultural shifts. In discussion with Lamb, the women movingly recount their reintegration into society, the challenges of finding work, the value of family and support systems, and the ways in which their writing enhanced their rehabilitation. Tackling timely themes and centered on the important issues of mass incarceration and draconian sentencing practices,You Don''t Know Me is a bracing call for rehabilitation and reform using stories that underline the humanity within us all.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two Oprah Book Club Picks—She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True—Wally Lamb comes the propulsive story of a young father who, after an unbearable tragedy, reckons with the possibility of atonement for the unforgivable. Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?

De sublieme roman van de auteur van Vergeef me en Walvismuziek In zijn roman Vleugelslag onderzoekt Lamb hoe oorlog en geweld mensenlevens onherroepelijk doen ontsporen. Mythen, psychologie en een familiegeschiedenis die vele generaties teruggaat, vormen de bouwstenen van deze roman. Wally Lamb heeft met dit boek een literaire krachttoer geleverd, een meditatie over het menselijk tekort en tegelijkertijd een onverschrokken maar liefdevolle karakterstudie - precies datgene wat zijn vele fans van hem verwachten. Als de 47-jarige docent Caelum Quirk en zijn vrouw Maureen, een schoolverpleegster, naar Colorado verhuizen, komen ze beiden op dezelfde middelbare school te werken. In 1999 keert Caelum voor een paar dagen terug naar zijn geboorteplaats Three Rivers, Connecticut, om bij zijn stervende tante te zijn. Wanneer hij op een morgen de televisie aanzet, ziet hij beelden van hun school: Columbine High School, waar zich op dat moment een drama afspeelt. En hij weet: zijn vrouw is die dag op de school aan het werk. Maureen bevindt zich inderdaad in de school en is getuige van het bloedbad. Wonderbaarlijk genoeg overleeft ze het drama, maar ze betaalt daarvoor een hoge tol: ze kan het trauma niet te boven komen. Caelum en Maureen ontvluchten Colorado om op de familieboerderij in Three Rivers een illusie van veiligheid te hervinden. Terwijl Maureen er alles aan doet om weer de oude te worden, stuit Caelum in een van de slaapkamers van het huis op oude dagboeken, brieven en krantenknipsels. Het intrigerende verhaal dat zij vertellen omspant vijf generaties Quirks, vanaf de Amerikaanse burgeroorlog tot Caelums eigen problematische jeugd. Stukje bij beetje reconstrueert Caelum het leven van de vrouwen en mannen wier erfenis hij met zich meedraagt en hij ontdekt de schokkende waarheid over zijn eigen afkomst. Lang begraven gevoelens van angst, boosheid, schuld en verdriet komen boven - maar leiden ook tot inzicht en tot hoop voor de toekomst. Vleugelslag is een prikkelende en aangrijpende roman. Wally Lamb toont zich een virtuoos verteller die dankzij een verscheidenheid aan stemmen en een bonte verzameling personages een beeld weet te geven van het mensdom in al zijn facetten. De vorige twee boeken van Wally Lamb, Walvismuziek en Vergeef me, hebben veel lezers geraakt, dankzij hun levendige verteltrant, groot psychologisch inzicht en bijtende humor. Een van de critici noemde Wally Lamb een ''hedendaagse Dostojevski'', wiens personages niet alleen worstelen met hun verleden, maar ook met een ''spottende, sadistische God'', in wie ze niet geloven, maar tot wie ze zich niettemin wenden in tijden van nood. (New York Times) ''

1965 gerät die Welt der 13jährigen Dolores Price aus den Fugen: Trennung der Eltern, Vergewaltigung, 7 Jahre in der Psychiatrie, eine unglückliche Ehe und viele Schwierigkeiten, ihren Weg zu finden.

Imprint. A collection of heart-wrenching tales of abuse and violence from a writing class of women prisoners, edited by world-renowned US author, Wally Lamb.

Véritable livre-phénomène aux Etats-Unis, La Puissance des vaincus explore l''extraordinaire complexité des liens qui unissent des frères jumeaux. Un roman à la fois cru et sensible, sombre et pourtant optimiste, qui parle de la faute et du rachat, d''amour et de pardon. Le 12 octobre 1990, Thomas Birdsey entre dans la bibliothèque de Three Rivers et, devant les lecteurs terrorisés, s''ampute de la main : un acte religieux, dira-t-il, afin de protester contre l''intervention militaire américaine en Irak. Il est interné dans un établissement psychiatrique de haute sécurité, d''où son frère jumeau, Dominick va tenter de le faire sortir. Dominick a toujours lutté afin d''affirmer sa différence face à Thomas, l''enfant fragile, trop protégé par leur mère et peu armé pour affronter le monde ou la violence de leur beau-père. Mais, depuis les premiers signes des troubles mentaux de Thomas, Dominick l''a aussi porté à bout de bras, enrageant de lui sacrifier sa propre vie. Terrifié par le mélange d''amour et de haine que lui inspire ce double négatif de lui-même, il est dévoré de culpabilité. Afin de trouver des réponses à la folie de son frère, Dominick, avec l''aide de la psychiatre de Thomas, va accepter de relire leur histoire familiale. Une plongée dans leur passé d''enfants illégitimes qui l''entraîne jusque sur les traces d''un terrible grand-père sicilien. Là, peut-être, dans les douloureux secrets d''autrefois, trouvera-t-il enfin la clé de leur identité... " La Puissance des vaincus est un gros livre qui a le courage de s''attaquer à d''immenses interrogations. Comment peut-on, vivre avec des questions auxquelles seuls les morts pourraient donner une réponse ? Comment s''en sort-on, face à un beau-père violent qui pourtant a toujours été là quand vous avez eu besoin de lui ? Dostoïevski des temps modernes [...] Lamb montre que ce n''est pas seulement le présent qui est un enfer et ruine nos chances de bonheur, ce sont aussi les fantômes du passé. " New York Times Book Review " La Puissance des vaincus est un roman-fleuve, extrêmement touffu, qui nous raconte l''histoire de deux frères jumeaux, l''un schizophrène, l''autre sain d''esprit. L''auteur y aborde des questions de société aussi variées que les droits des Amérindiens et la pédophilie. Il nous offre une fin de toute beauté, simple et inoubliable. " Times " Le nouveau livre de Wally Lamb est une saga, une saga fascinante où le héros finit par trouver la paix après de terribles épreuves. " People " L''histoire est retorse, pleine des secrets coupables d''une famille qui reproduit de génération en génération ses comportements pervers. Un projet ambitieux, mais qui atteint ses objectifs grâce à un suspense magistralement entretenu, un humour noir parfois macabre et quelques coups de théâtre bien sentis. " Publishers Weekly " L''histoire de la littérature est jalonnée de ce genre de bonnes surprises qui révolutionnent le roman. Le dernier Wally Lamb est époustouflant. Le Chant de Dolorès, sa première œuvre, était excellent, mais ce nouveau livre est un vrai chef-d''œuvre. " Associated Press

Véritable livre phénomène aux Etats-Unis, où il s''est vendu à plus de trois millions d''exemplaires, Le Chant de Dolorès relate la lente renaissance d''une femme au terme d''une adolescence meurtrie. Dolorès Price a onze ans lorque son père les quitte, sa mère et elle. Et treize lorsqu''elle est violée par le locataire de sa grand-mère, chez qui elle habite désormais. Blessée, humiliée, elle vit repliée sur elle-même, se gavant de nourriture et de feuilletons télévisés, et c''est une adolescente obèse qui, quoique à contrecœur, entrera à l''université. Maniant à l''envi le sarcasme et l''humour noir comme des remèdes à sa souffrance, Dolorès raconte le calvaire de ses années d''études : l''abîme de solitude dans lequel elle s''enfonce, à l''âge où ses camarades vont de fêtes en flirts, et son besoin désespéré d''amour et de tendresse qui finira par la conduire au bord du gouffre... Le combat qui l''attend, après sa tentative de suicide, sera le plus difficile : apprendre à s''accepter, seul moyen pour elle de survivre et, pourquoi pas, de renaître... Tour à tour désabusé, férocement drôle ou franchement désespéré, le regard que Dolorès porte sur elle-même est toujours d''une incroyable lucidité. A travers ce personnage vibrant de vérité, ce sont les fractures intimes et les douleurs secrètes de toutes les femmes que Wally Lamb a su comprendre et restituer.

Quand, en avril 1999, l’épouse de Caelum, Maureen, échappe de justesse au massacre de Columbine, le couple se réfugie dans la ferme où il a été élevé, à Three Rivers, dans le Connecticut. C''est là que Caelum découvre des archives familiales : les lettres de son aïeule, militante abolitionniste ; les journaux de son arrière-grand-mère, fondatrice de la prison pour femmes du comté ; des coupures de presse sur ces années 1960 qui l’ont vu grandir aux côtés d''un père alcoolique traumatisé par la guerre de Corée... Pour tenter de comprendre la colère qui l''habite depuis toujours, Caelum va devoir explorer les recoins les plus obscurs de sa mémoire... Une plongée au cœur de l’histoire des Etats-Unis à travers l’épopée flamboyante d’une famille sur cinq générations.Ambitieuse, foisonnante, cette vaste fresque entraîne le lecteur dans des tourbillons résolument romanesques. Non sans grâce. Sophie Pujas, Transfuge.

De levensgeschiedenis van een Amerikaanse eeneiïge tweeling van wie er één schizofreen is.

De levensgeschiedenis van een Amerikaanse eeneiïge tweeling van wie er een schizofreen is.