May We Be Forgiven: A Novel

This is an excellent book that manages to treat a serious subject in a humouress way. Perhaps a little overwritten in parts and could be a bit shorter. Nevertheless an enjoyable read that kept my attention throughout

I love Homes' writing style... But this story was so depressing and stretched out that it really drained me. It was hard to identify with the main character, since everything seems to go wrong for him, and then it gets worse. I enjoyed "This Book Will Save Your Life", by the same author, but this one took an effort to finish, it's like turning each page weighed a ton... and I was reading it on Kindle! Recommended for masochists and lovers of very depressing tales.

I could not suspend my disbelief except for the suburban sex scenes, which did not interest me But it is an entertaining read, and sometimes funny. I can't see why or how it nosed out the better novels by Mantell, Kingsolver,and Atkinson for the prize.

Very well written novel, the story line is unusual and therefore really an interesting read.
Recommended if you're looking for 'something else'.
The end is a bit disappointing, would have loved to see it end in a more absurd way

There is never a dull moment in this dysfunctional look at one particular suburban poor soul and how his impulsive affair with his sister-in-law has far-reaching effects. His brother, who is hospitalized for being in a car wreck discovers the affair and murders his wife in a jealous rage. From there on it seems to be downhill all the way for the mild-mannered brother who simply wants to continue in his teaching job and write a biography of Nixon. How this all turns out is the stuff of high drama mixed with humor and an outrageous viewpoint of modern suburbia.

He has no children of his own and his wife divorces him and so he moves into his brother's house, befriends the two children and becomes a caring parent figure. He also gets involved in a couple of romances and takes in some senior citizens as if they were his own family and an Hispanic child whose parents had been killed in the crash.. Add a weird and wonderful trip to Africa for his nephew's bar mitzvah and there is enough fresh material here to keep my eyes glued to the page and a heartwarming chuckle now and then to make this a surprisingly pleasant book.

I loved the characters, I loved the complex situations they were thrown into and I loved the happy ending as the whole household sparkles with wit and love. This book is full of homely wisdom. It's a fine book by a fine author and I heartily recommend it.

It was an engaging read. And I could appreciate the story development. But I don't think I would read another one of her novels. The seedier aspect of the story was not my taste. The guy had no moral compass at all. And I can appreciate that he needed to get from one side of the world to the other to access the center but there are so many other ways to express this. The money just flowed, he adopted these people as he went along...Like I said I can see what she was getting at it just wasn't for me.

I loved the book -- but with reservations! It needed to be edited down.
It started off with a bang and was riveting throughout. It was in fact a stinging indictment of the 21st century culture. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the descriptions of American excesses and shuddering at Homes's accuracy in conjuring up images of assisted living facilities.
Homes 's use of the protagonist and Nixon as a leif motif was brilliant.
She has a wonderful ear for the language of our times, and has caught the flavor of our times.

This book was excellent. Funny! If the main character didn't have bad luck he would have any luck at all. But.... It ended up being a good story in the end where he learns a lot about life and who he is as a person. He finds his way in life and ends up with a normal disfunctional family.

Beautifully written, totally engaging; encompassing and comparing realities; connecting and exploring; non judgemental; explorative; I love this writing; i love this author. Must read now and in the future.

I thought it was a resourceful and modern book: looking at reconstituted families in a positive light. It was also funny.
Only reservation was that it was a bit pat, perhaps - all the ends tied off too neatly.

The protagonist has a wonderful, quirky sense of humor although his behavior is not quite believable. Still, as an allegory it is wonderful fun and makes you believe that even the toughest episodes of life can end happily. Very nice writing.

Very interesting and a good read

Would you please change the name on my the store account to ANNE COPE. Peter Cope is my husband and when I opened the account it was to buy a book for him, that is why his name was on it. It my tablet and they are my books that I buy.
Thank You
Anne Pope

Though the story line is borderline unbelievable, Homes mines every event for its implications about the insane world we live in. Alternately funny and poignant, May We Be Forgiven made me grateful for my own comparatively ordinary existence. A man comes through the caldron of life-altering destruction and learns to be fully human.

This book should be listed under science fiction. An 11 year old who builds a village in Africa? Children who tie up a man who comes for "lunch" with their mother? The list continues. The entire novel is fantasy.

I enjoyed this book. It kept my interest and piqued my thinking. That said, Harry is an unlikely character. He admits to fits of rage against his angry and abusive brother George. They were raised by an angry, abusive man. He has been living in a superficial marriage. Yet after George kills his wife, Harold who had been sleeping with her, makes a miraculous recovery into his brother's life saving his children, a random set of elderly parents, and the survivor of a fatal accident caused by his brother. While Homes sends in the loss of a job and random sex, Harold overall becomes the ideal man. This while seeing the human side of Nixon in his research. And the 12 year old son goes from sullen "lump" to sensei on suburban life. All of his occurs in a number of strange adventures in which Harry is shown a secret side of Nixon and the American dream. I found the political asides distracting and am not sure why the disclosure of the secret side of American government has entered the book.
But I like a good forgiveness story and there are some funny scenes. My favorite was Harry's attempt to join AA due to his burden of past sins but is turned away in that they are not alcohol based. I agree, it isnt John Cheever. Given the seemingly limitless money backing these people, it isnt the crashed American dream of the foreclosure suburbs. A number of people make miraculous turn arounds in one calendar year and I found that very unlikely. But it is interesting.

Her best since Music for Torching. Unlike Music for Torching, which ends with tragedy, this book is ultimately redeeming without being corny. A beginning so fierce, it's difficult to sustain, but still extraordinary. Her dark humor and the main character's naive openness to the absurdity of post-modern American culture keep you invested. Highly recommended.

Emotive, mad, sad, bad, interesting, entertaining, clever, subtle, blatant ... A M Homes at her best. Get it, give it (if you're buying this Holiday Season!) but, most of all, enjoy this brilliant read.

This book has brilliant dialogue and a story that transports you through every imaginable emotion. As a writer myself, I am blown away by the characters who we love despite their flaws. Homes explores a range of experiences in new ways. I can't wait to order the rest of this writer's work.

I enjoyed this book because even though some of the stories premises were unbelievable many were not. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning about their development. Very well, written. This book was funny, sad, incredible and touching.

While I read about 10 highly recommended books over my holiday this is one novel that I kept thinking about long after I finished it. Right to the end an engaging and thought provoking read that also made me laugh at times. Interesting characters and ideas.

There are so many characters And traumas in this story, you could case study every major pathology of society today, but the heart of this well crafted book holds hope and community as a shining become in a neoliberal dystopia.