This incredibly prolific author has readily admitted to this novel as her most autobiographical. Marya
whirlwinds through the brutality of schoolyard life, the angst of adolescence, the trials of academia, the upsets of failed relationships. In the loosest sense, this is a Bildungsroman, the tale of a young person on the make. If one scene in the novel stands in the reader's memory, it would be an episode about a third of the way through when the school's English teacher is tormented by the class to the point of nervous breakdown.. The episode invites comparison with what happens early along in another Bildungsroman, Richler's THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ.
This story is Marya's life, but in some strange way Marya is an outsider, someone less at the centre of events than someone pushed round by them. Self-awareness is her salvation; if not for Marya, then for everyone around her we are reminded of Nietzsche's words about nondescript people who register their presence in the world with a kind of dumb amazement. Everything Marya does shows her on a level of understanding far beyond that of her kin, her classmates, her coworkers. Halfway through the novel (p. 137), we have the intellectually precocious Marya , for whom "every word of LEAR [was] hooked in flesh and could not be dislodged." [218 words]

It was Virginia Woolf who decried the lack of literature about the lives of the masses, the everyday folk: "All these infinitely obscure lives remain to be recorded," she said. Of course, she didn't promise to read them!

In MARYA, A LIFE, Oates attempts to fill that void. Marya is a portrait of a modern woman from a bewildered childhood to a womanhood that commands admiration, respect and love. She is a loner, bright and different from the people around her. She strives for self understanding and fulfillment.

Joyce Carol Oates is a meticulous storyteller and a vivid writer. I wonder if this is autobiographical. If so, the Woolf reference becomes irrelevant. Oates is definitely ordinary folk -- she is one of the finest and most recognized writers on the contemporary American literary scene.

But if you're in the mood for a book about a woman growing up and "making it" on her own, you'll enjoy this one.

Sunnye Tiedemann (aka Ruth F. Tiedemann)

I read this book and couldn't help thinking that I was just "hearing" an account of someone's life. I felt as if I was missing something which I was. And it came out in the last sentence of this amazing and I don't know how she does it book by Joyce Carol Oates. Between "Them", "Do With Me What You Will". "You Must Remember This", and Short Stories written by this woman, I don't know how she knows, how can she get into "our" lives, "our" minds, "our" thoughts, and write so knowingly and correctly about life with such feeling and understanding, I'll never comprehend, just wish if only I had the insight and ability she has. A friend years ago said this book was written as if about my personal family and knowledge she had about our life, but this book was everyone's story, no one could not relate. Again, I thank Joyce Carol Oates for her knowing. I am sure she would understand the previous sentence.

With it's tipped in plates and beautiful end papers I think this book is a bibliophile's dream. Being a big fan of Cornell's work I was very impressed and pleased with the overall packaging, which I find to be quite lovely, and the quality of the writing. Finally I was really impressed when I found out that the editor put it all together while he was still in college. I think this is a great book for fans of Joseph Cornell's boxes.

I received this book from an old friend who I hadn't seen in nearly twenty years--she showed up unannounced, spent a few hours sitting in the sun, and then disappeared just as unexpectedly. I still don't know if she meant to leave the book behind, but I've decided that I won't give it up. Cornell's boxes have a strange beauty that seems to attract strange birds--deceptively simple, at first you barely realize how quickly you can slip into these lost, overlooked, forgotten worlds that seem hum along according to an amusingly skewed logic. Many of the stories and poems show writers who've successfully crossed over and have sent back postcards filled with the fresh and unfamiliar voices of travellers far from home.

IÂ'm a huge Joseph Cornell fan, and own every book that has anything to do with him. This is the best! Not only are the images beautiful and plentiful (and many new to me), but the stories and poems are so unbelievably entertaining and different from one another. IÂ've never seen a book quite like this one, and IÂ'm going to give a copy to everyone I know!

"Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates" consists of interviews with various newspapers and magazines over a twenty-year period (1969-1989). It is the type of book to dip into at one's leisure. In it, Oates addresses the controversy that her publishers had with her adopting the pseudonym of Rosamund Smith. Another publisher sounds absolutely bitter between the smiles when talking of Oates's decision have "Bellefleur" published with Dutton. The Vanguard representative complains that the promos for that book are "ghastly."

Oates addresses her prolificacy and the charges that her writing is too violent. She mentions her influences from Balzac to Chekov and numerous others. She acknowledges the need for the Stephen Kings of the world who through their bestsellers keep the publishers churning out the lesser-knowns, the small little gems, that might otherwise be overlooked.

Interesting pieces include mentions of what were then forthcoming works, works that never ended up being published. What ever became of the novels "The Crosswicks Horror" and "The Green Island"? Oates mentions writing a screenplay for Martin Scorcese who wants to bring "You Must Remember This" to the cinema. A reader today is left wondering what ever happened to this adaptation.

All in all, an interesting glimpse of writer in her own words and a must-have for all Oates admirers.

...at least among those I've read, which is about half her output (that may be a quarter by the end of the week, at the rate she publishes.) I don't think it would be giving too much away to say Cybele deals with the human condition, more specifically its degradation. Most Oates novels do.

When Black Sparrow published Cybele in 1974, it was considered shocking, even in a time when tell-all fictional exposes were becoming increasingly common thanks to the successes of just-above-dime novels like Peyton Place in the decades before. And thus Black Sparrow, a press known for keeping books in print forever, let it lapse. Twenty-five years later, it still hasn't been reprinted, and that's a crime. Short (at least, shorter than most of Oates' novel output), engaging in the same way as a splatter film, unremittingly ugly in its honesty and forthrightness, as of now Oates has never again achieved the power she did in this novel. Do whatever you need to to seek a copy out, if you're a fan of Joyce Carol Oates.

I have just recently discovered the extremely talented and prolific writer Joyce Carol Oates. Currently, I have read three of her novels,MAN CRAZY, BROKE HEART BLUES and DOUBLE DELIGHT. Her writing style is always interesting, but at times, unpredictable, and while some of her novels are conventional, others are more free-style and sometimes difficult to get through. DOUBLE DELIGHT, written under the pseudonym of Rosamond Smith, is one of her more conventional novels, an intricately plotted, psychological thriller that keeps you always guessing. A story of seduction, sexual obsession and deception, that drives an ordinary, upstanding man, Terrence Greene to commit extraordinary crimes in the name of passion. DOUBLE DELIGHT is an excellent book for the JCO novice to begin with. She is a wonderful writer, one of the masters of the psychological suspense genre.

Joyce Carol Oates, The Edge of Impossibility: Tragic Forms in Literature (Fawcett Premier, 1972)

It seems sometimes as if the very idea of a book of literary criticism published in mass market paperback by a major publisher is absurd. Andin most cases, approaching a major publisher with the idea is likely to get you laughed all the way out of New York. But Oates was just coming off a National Book Award for _them_, and Fawcett decided to take a chance. I'm not sure, but they probably got the sales figures they were dreading. No one wants to read literary criticism anymore.

Which is too bad, because Oates has some worthwhile things to say. This book seems almost a response to Lionel Abel's _Metatheatre_, which Oates calls "odd" and disputes throughout her essays on Shakespeare (Abel called Hamlet the last true tragedy, arguing that tragedy requires an outside influence, e.g. ghosts or the gods; this is the point with which Oates has some problems). While she never mentions Abel again after that, the choices of essays she used in the book, all post-Shakespeare, would seem to be a refutation of Abel by their very presence.

No one who's ever read critical essays needs me to tell them what critical essays are like, so I shall refrain; Oates performs admirably in these. They make me want to go read the source material I haven't read, and re-read that which I have, and isn't that one critical essays should do? Perhaps if more of them had this effect, they might become popular again, assuming they ever were. ****

Most of us will know Bellows as the painter of Stag at Sharkey's, the fabulously active, almost abstract image of a boxing match. (collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art).

Oates sees George Bellows as a true American artist: always on a quest of discovery, individualistic, heroic. While not intended as a well-rounded exploration of Bellows, this rather short but intense book is a deep and strongly-felt critique of about 18 of his paintings. The selection of work seems to be hers alone; she chooses paintings that elicit true passion and interesting insights. Several interesting juxtapositions of American literature are in here, as well; all Oates' selection. These help place Bellows in American history and culture.

Interesting for the American Art History buff; may not be of great interest to anyone else. Could be useful as a "how to write art criticism" guide for Art History students.

16 vivid, small color plates are in the middle of the book, not inserted in with the relevant text.

There is a story in this book about a philosopher who can't stand to see big, brawny guys picking on girls in bars, but who is likely to get punched squarely in the face if he attempts to assert that the tough guys are misbehaving. It wouldn't be so psychotic if the story was not set so late in his life that this compulsion to repeat his behavior whenever he encounters the same stimuli is likely to put him in the hospital. I can't remember where I put this book at the moment, but I'm sure the story is in A SENTIMENTAL EDUCATION because it helped me appreciate Joyce Carol Oates as a writer who is capable of revealing the moments that tell us the most about who we are.

Modern readers deserve to have their emotions described for them in the kinds of settings which they are increasingly exposed to in a world that pushes information overload to a point where even a simple sexual fantasy, presented in the story, "The Tryst," ends in a macabre mess that is in danger of being reported on the local evening news. Events at the largest level reflect tiny episodes in our past, as the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, in which a young George Bush helped transfer two naval vessels into the covert supply ships, the "Houston" and the "Barbara," could be preparation for a President Bush of a later generation to supply Americans to the unfree people of Iraq for their liberation. Considering people in another country so unfree that the United States does everything it can do to encourage the people to overthrow the government that is bothering the U.S. most at the moment is scant preparation for sending Americans to face the situation on the ground, come sandstorms or high water, which would be really unusual in Iraq, but it might be compared to what readers could learn about people from this book, which is small but can still be as shocking as any newspaper.

We were always told in school to read the classics...and so, having embarked on an attempt to do this, I find it very uninspiring. Just as interesting as Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde novel is both unexciting and a waste of time. Maybe the modern day media has dullened my senses, maybe I have become anaesthetized to the twists and turns of this timeless classic. Then again, maybe it is hugely overrated by literature readers who get their cues from the 1940's.

Equally entertaining in it's own right, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde maintained my interest. However, since it is not the slang I am used to in speech and in text, the language was difficult for me to comprehend at first. But as the story progressed, I was able to keep up with the extensive vocabulary and sentence structures. The story line captivated me, being mysterious and well put together. Dr. Jekyll is a jolly man who is well liked and well respected, and with good reason. Initially, I was fond of this character as his lawyer, Mr. Utterson, described him throughout the book. Yet, when it is revealed what Dr. Jekyll did, my opinion of him becomes shady and unsure. This character is essential and puzzling in this story, causing one to wonder his credibility. Mr. Hyde, on the other hand, is a man who is easily dislikable. He shows no reason to be admired most notably when he does the unthinkable. Murder, mystery, missing links and possibly psychotic scientists ... and that's just the beginning. This book obviously had no trouble intriguing me.

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is assured a place in the history of horror fiction because it the literary classic that represents the archetype of the werewolf (the human with the hiding inside). Along with Mary Wollstonecraft's "Frankenstein" (the Thing Without a Name) and Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (the Vampire) Robert Louis Stevenson's novella is part of the gothic foundation of the modern horror story. All have in common the fact that they promise to tell a story that might best be left untold, which, of course, is exactly the sort of story we want to hear.

Given that Stevenson was writing when the genre of horror fiction was not recognized as such, it is surprising that "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is cast in the form of a mystery novel. Stevenson invites his readers to try and get ahead of the story, to put the clues together and come to the conclusion. Today it is nearly impossible to pick up this story and not know the "secret," but if you think back to the late 19th-century when this story was written you can get a sense for how Stevenson used the biases and limitations of his readers to his advantage in keeping them from what we might consider to be an obvious conclusion.

More importantly, Stevenson is writing several decades before the writings of Sigmund Freud revolutionized the whole idea of human psychology. Yet we can certainly find evidence of the conscious and subconscious mind of which Freud would write. Stevenson reinforces this metaphor with the block of buildings that divides this particular part of London, with one side representing the civilized world of a respected physician and the other side the squalor of the world inhabited by an inhuman creature who gives in to his every earthly desire. The novella also speaks to the topic of evolution, with Hyde being described as "ape-like," reinforcing the idea that our most human attributes remove us ever further from the category of mere animal.

Of the three classic horror novels, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is the most accessible. Not only because of its shorter length, but also because its evil is more realistic, even in terms of our imagination. We might be unable to reanimate the dead or to become the walking dead, but we can certainly relate to the idea of unleashing the beast buried with us. Even if we could not, we can recognize the "werewolf" in the real world in the form of serial killers who try to show a civilized face to us in public. This is not to say that the novella is simplistic, for Stevenson offers a sophisticated narrative. If this is one of those literary you have never read because you already know the story, then you should take out an evening to sit down and finally get around to reading it.

I read everything I can get my hands on written by Joyce Carol Oates. Never was a character more suitable for a novel by Oates than Marilyn Monroe. One must remember when reading this novel that, as the author warns, the book is a work of fiction based on the life of Monroe. I was fascinated by the book, but I was both saddened and repulsed by the main character. Oates does a wonderful job of reacreating the fog in which her character lived, but this is often disconcerting for the reader. I've commented that I don't think someone who wasn't an Oates fan would make it through this book. What it did do was make me want to read a nonfiction account of the life of Marilyn Monroe.

Just because a writer produces many works should not mandate that we ignore new output -- like many of Oates' earlier works, the writing is breathtaking. I have to admit that since I'm in my early 30's, Marilyn Monroe per se holds little interest for me, but Oates' insights into the human condition and her winding prose held me to the very end of this 700 + page book. I would encourage readers who like well-written, literary works to give this a try even if the topic does not interest you. Its gives special pleasure to read the work of a great 20th century voice who is still living. Yes, much of the book is depressing, especially the early chapters about her attachment to her crazy mother and her search for love and affection. Despite the somber tone, the prose itself breathes life into the subject and shows hope. It made me want to find and read more of Oates' earlier works.

I have never read Joyce Carol Oates before. I have actually never read a Marilyn book, or seen a Marilyn miniseries, so I came to this a MM virgin.

I finished the book two day ago, and I was so impacted by this novel that I can't stop thinking about it. It drained me. I am left almost hurt, and I can't understand how seriously I connected with the Marilyn character. I hope to goodness that this was completely fiction, because I don't see how Norma Jean could have lived as long as she did, trapped in herself.

As a portrait of madness, this book is amazing. You know how it's going to end, but you are driven to read to the last sentence, with no hope that it will turn out well.

There is an amazing amount of reviewers who do not like this book at all. Maybe people's projections of Marilyn and her life are still too strong to allow her to be Norma Jean. Otherwise, I don't see how this book could get one star.

The powerful use of imagery, stream of consciousness, shifting points of view, and poetry make this beautiful book perhaps out of reach of the John Grisham crowd. That is not an insult, I also read John Grisham. However, this style of writing is measurably different than most NY Times Bestselling authors. I would recommend this book to those who can adapt to different styles and views in the same novel. Otherwise, if you are reading this only because you want to know about Marilyn Monroe, but have a short attention span, then look elsewhere for your information.