This is an ugly book, filled with nothing but filth and darkness. It takes your view of humanity, throws it to the ground and administers a few sound kicks to it, till it is bleeding and crying out.Hate is a strong word, but I hated the story, the characters and practically the entire book. I hate the fact that I live in a world where this isn't fiction, but the true story of thousands of 'Teena's and 'Bethie's each day.I hate the fact that people find it ok to label rape as 'unfortunate' or 'sa...

It's shocking and almost unforgiving that I have been on this earth for 30 years and have never read Joyce Carol Oates. Reading her entire cannon will soon become my latest addiction in 2009. So how do I review this novel? (note : I am writing this review after already having read 'Zombie' a few days ago). First of all, Joyce C Oates, where have you been all my life? And to my literary friends : Why did nobody tell me about the lyricism, harshness, brilliant POV changes, and upsetting yet beauti...

I have a love/hate relationship with JCO. She is a brilliant writer and I admire her. Sometimes I am blown away by the intensity and chilling insight of her books and sometimes I find them unnecessarily cruel, mean and overly dramatic. Now, don't get me wrong, she can write in any genre with skill. It's amazing. As a matter of fact, in one short story collection she wrote a brilliant and complete short story in one page. She is an eccentric individual and her choices reflect that.The title of th...

Wow!This book deals with a horrible situation (if you hadn't already guessed from the title) in the most beautiful way.Weird to say considering the harsh content, but no less true.She writes all the POV's from a 3rd party narrative which allowed me to distance myself from the subject matter while still staying connected to the characters.I loved it and will definitely be seeking out more Joyce Carol Oates!

Am I allowed to say I love this while I honestly hate it?I hate everything it shows. I hate more or less every single event in it. I hate how degenerated some characters become. I hate how much this book is needed.I absolutely hate that this behavior is found in our reality.Something else?I love this book. Most of all, I like the humanizing of the events. Oates pulls the story of a gang-rape and its aftermath off, however this is possible when this is such an unspeakable crime. For over a day I'...

A chilling, haunting reminder of the evil that humans are capable of, the author describes the brutality of the rape and terror beyond what we are capable of imagining on our own. The second attack from the community slandering the victims is almost more disgusting, being from a small town full of small minds I could visualize it full-force. “She asked for it” I understand that no rape story has a “happy ending” but Joyce Carol Oates delivers us the best possible conclusion.Earlier this year i r...

One of the most emotionally shocking books I have read recently. Not a fan of the longer Joyce Carol Oates books because of the excessive description. This book was one of the best I have read recently and shows what can be accomplished when all of the excessive bs is removed. Oates portrays what is really meant by "rape". It is an ugly brutal crime that often victimizes the victim further by forcing them to prove their case. If anyone ever doubted the brutality of a gang rape they should read t...

At the falls she leaned over the railing. The wind blew cold spray into her face, clothes. Within seconds her clothes were soaked and clung to her thin body. Tourists perceived her as a drunk or drugged or deranged woman and kept their distance from her. On her head she wore a silk scarf that loosened in the wind, slipped from her head, and was blown out above the thunderous water; without the scarf, her hair was revealed as sparse, tufted, without color. Now she was perceived as possibly a sick...

"Not just those animals but you people at the courthouse have destroyed her"First published in 2003, this is a book that feels like it was written in an ice-cold rage. JCO's control never slips in her version of what has become a desperately familiar story: the brutalised woman who finds herself on trial for 'asking for' her rape. But, then, this is Joyce Carol Oates and so the story doesn't stop there, and instead takes a controversial direction (view spoiler)[ of vigilantism (hide spoiler)] th...

*TRIGGER WARNING*I didnt expect to read this story. I had never heard of it or the author. I was having a long, sweaty day and popped into the library to kill some time before catching the bus home. In fact, I almost walked right past it. But a word jumped out at me from a black and white cover:rape. My feminist bells are ringing. Is that a cover of black and white hearts? Is that a story titled Rape:a love story? So it only takes me a second to double take and backtrack. I pick up this small bo...

Reading this book was a bizarre experience for me, affected primarily by the summary on the dustjacket that offered its own, rather narrow interpretation of a story that should be left open to broad speculation. Oates's writing is fluid and her selection of details is as mundane and powerful as a Cézanne platter of fruit. Her decision to describe different scenes from different characters' perspectives also contributed well to the story. The rape scene and the ensuing trial are deftly portrayed

Powerful story told in something of a rush. Joyce Carol Oates shares John Updike's tendency to churn out books at a prolific pace (at least one novel a year, typically, plus a barrage of cultural criticism), often at the expense of the book itself. Provocative title, no? This is a love story, though -- the love between a mother and a daughter, both of whom suffer a vicious attack from a dog-like pack of 4th of July revelers; vicious young men methed-out, drunk, and on the prowl. Also the love of...

Joyce Carol Oates is not in the habit of pulling her punches. She might be the only writer in the history of the world both willing and able to name a book "Rape." She's a powerful author, and I'm a big fan.This wasn't my favorite of her books. What's it all about? Fury, right? I mean, and rape. It's definitely about rape. Nothing else happens. It's short. The personalities and histories of the people in it are briefly sketched out. Mostly, there's a rape and then there's the aftermath of the ra...

What first drew me to this book was of course, the title. And it wasn't until the end of the story that I realized what the 'love story' in the title was referring to. But the story was so completely harrowing right from the first sentence that I didn't really have time to wonder about the title while reading it. The novel is an all too real depiction of a brutal gang rape and its aftermath. Reading it was tough; Oates' sparse prose really wrenches your heart at times, making you cringe and cry