Title: She’s Come Undone
Author: Wally Lamb
First published August 24, 1992
465 pages, Mass Market Paperback
ISBN: 9780671021009 (ISBN10: 0671021001)
Rating: 3.9
Overview
Get ready for an unforgettable journey of self-discovery with Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone. The story follows the life of Dolores Price, a wise-cracking 13-year-old girl who has been dealt a tough hand.
Dolores suffers from pain and trauma that lead her to seek comfort in food, spending her teenage years consuming potato chips and Pepsi. As she enters adulthood at 257 pounds, Dolores is determined to turn her life around and finally find the strength to overcome her struggles.
This heartbreakingly comical tale takes readers on an emotional ride filled with love, pain, and renewal. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to witness Dolores’ journey of self-discovery and transformation in She’s Come Undone.
About the Author
Wally Lamb has authored several books such as She’s Come Undone, The Hour I First Believed, and I Know This Much Is True. Oprah’s Book Club has selected two of his books.
Lamb is a distinguished author who has won several awards such as the Connecticut Center for the Book’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Connecticut Bar Association’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the Connecticut Governor’s Art Award, the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, the 1999 New England Book Award for Fiction, and the Missouri Review William Peden Fiction Prize.
From 1989 to 1998, he directed the Writing Center at the Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, Connecticut. He also served as an Associate Professor of Creative Writing in the University of Connecticut’s English Department.
Lamb holds a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in English from the University of Connecticut, as well as an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College.
Since 1999, Lamb has been a volunteer facilitator for a writing workshop at the York Correctional Institute in Niantic, Connecticut, which is a maximum-security prison for women. He has also edited two autobiographical essay collections titled Couldn’t Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters (2003) and I’ll Fly Away (2007).
Currently, Lamb resides in Mansfield, Connecticut with his wife, Christine Lamb, and their three sons, Jared, Justin, and Teddy.
Editoral Review
Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone is a poignant and honest portrayal of a girl’s journey of discovery in a world that constantly seeks to undermine her. The book, a bestseller since its initial release in 1992, is a masterfully crafted piece of literature that delves into issues like mental health, family dysfunction, and societal expectations.
Lamb, a noted American author, and writing teacher, employs an engaging and conversational style in his storytelling. His prose is vivid and descriptive, fully immersing the reader in the reality of his characters.
The author displays a keen understanding of human psychology, which he brilliantly employs to create a memorable cast of characters. The book follows Dolores Price, a young girl who, having suffered significant trauma in her childhood, is struggling to navigate the complexities of adolescence.
She is subjected to the pressures of a society that continually pushes her to conform to unrealistic beauty standards, leading to an obsession with food that escalates into bulimia. She’s Come Undone is a tale of a young woman learning to accept herself, flaws and all.
The setting of the book is primarily East Coast America in the sixties and seventies. Lamb’s writing style immerses the reader in the time and place, making the historical context of the book a crucial element of its thematic undercurrents.
Dolores’s story is presented in the context of the time in which it is set and underscores the importance of the feminist and body positivity movements. Lamb’s novel is not one of those books with a neatly wrapped ending.
The story is rather a realistic portrayal of life’s challenges, with no easy or perfect solutions. The book doesn’t shy away from presenting some rather ugly truths, both about life and about society.
One significant strength of She’s Come Undone is the character development. The author creates one of the most unforgettable characters in fiction in Dolores.
The character’s story is transformative, and the reader is taken along with her on this journey of self-discovery. Lamb also crafts a convincing cast of supporting characters that add to the book’s realism.
One of the few limitations of the book is the pacing, which at times can be slow in places, and some readers may find the length of the novel a tad excessive. However, these factors do not detract significantly from the book’s overall merits.
In conclusion, She’s Come Undone is a must-read book for anyone who enjoys a powerful, character-driven and socio-cultural commentary piece. It’s a heartwarming story of hope, forgiveness, and perseverance that resonates with readers long after the final page.
Lamb’s story is a timeless classic that is well worth the time and emotional investment required to read it. The book, therefore, warrants a 4.5-star rating for its exceptional and timeless qualities.
