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Anchor Books

A Map of the World: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)

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Format: Paperback


Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of the widely acclaimed The Book of Ruth comes a harrowing, heartbreaking drama about a rural American family and a disastrous event that forever changes their lives. "It takes a writer of rare power and discipline to carry off an achievement like A Map of the World. Hamilton proves here that she is one of the best." —Newsweek The Goodwins, Howard, Alice, and their little girls, Emma and Claire, live on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Although suspiciously regarded by their neighbors as "that hippie couple" because of their well-educated, urban background, Howard and Alice believe they have found a source of emotional strength in the farm, he tending the barn while Alice works as a nurse in the local elementary school. But their peaceful life is shattered one day when a neighbor's two-year-old daughter drowns in the Goodwins' pond while under Alice's care. Tormented by the accident, Alice descends even further into darkness when she is accused of sexually abusing a student at the elementary school. Soon, Alice is arrested, incarcerated, and as good as convicted in the eyes of a suspicious community. As a child, Alice designed her own map of the world to find her bearings. Now, as an adult, she must find her way again, through a maze of lies, doubt and ill will. A vivid human drama of guilt and betrayal, A Map of the World chronicles the intricate geographies of the human heart and all its mysterious, uncharted terrain. The result is a piercing drama about family bonds and a disappearing rural American life. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anchor (December 3, 1999)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385720106


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 06


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.2 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.83 x 7.98 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #242,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2,218 in Small Town & Rural Fiction (Books) #3,563 in Family Saga Fiction #15,144 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#2,218 in Small Town & Rural Fiction (Books):


#3,563 in Family Saga Fiction:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Another great Jane Hamilton book
I love Jane Hamilton and have read most of her books. I love this one. This is the second or third time I have read this in the last several years. Parts of it are hard to read bc it’s so easy to imagine the exact same things happening to your own family and life. It’s a testament to how well she writes that it IS painful to read. She pulls you in from the very beginning and doesn’t let you go. Definitely recommend. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2021 by MistressOfTheCastle
    • A difficult book to read, but rewarding nonetheless
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton A Map of the World centers around Alice, a woman that seems to march to a different drummer, and apparently does not seem to fit in with regular society. There is nothing really wrong with her, but for some reason, she lacks the social skills that helps others fit in. She is married to a wonderful husband Howard, who is as different from Alice as night is from day. I couldn't understand why anyone would be drawn to Alice, but Howard obviously loved her. The story opens with Alice in a panic, taking care of her two young daughters and her friend Theresa's two girls, while Theresa is out. Alice obviously does not enjoy taking care of the kids. Motherhood does not suit her. What happens next is what sets the tone of the book. The younger of Theresa's two girls, Lizzie, drowns outside in the pond where the girls often played. The reader and the characters in the book wonder, "Whose fault was it?" The town has already made up their mind about Alice, and it is not favorable. However, Theresa stands by her friend, despite the great loss she and her husband Dan have just gone through. This is only the beginning of Alice's troubles. Rumors start to circulate about Alice and her work as a school nurse. What follows is a series of events that threatens to tear Alice's family apart. From reactions I received from friends, and reading the reviews at Amazon, I've noticed that this is probably one of the more difficult books to get through that Oprah chose for her book club. I'm the only person I know that actually enjoyed this book. What kept me reading was Jane Hamilton's beautiful writing style. That alone was worth reading this book. The story is depressing and the main character is not a likeable person at all. Despite this, I do recommend the book, but with a word of caution, that one needs to be patient in order to finish this book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2002 by Ratmammy
    • A bit of a disappointment...
The good news is that about halfway through, The Map of the World becomes a page turner. You want to find out what is going to happen. It's kind of like gossiping about the neighbors or reading the tabloids. You know that something is wrong, but you're not really sure about all the details. The bad news about this novel is that all the characters are just so ordinary. Even the extraordinary circumstances in which they find themselves (a toddler drowning and child sex abuse charges) don't serve to bring out anything exceptional in these characters. At the end of this book, I felt that Jane Hamilton had played with her readers by basing her story on such sensational and emotion-filled events. Usually an author uses events like these to bring out the best or worst in her characters. In this case, nothing changes. The Goodhearts (can you believe this name?), are just as ordinary at the end of the book as they were at the beginning. While Hamilton tries to make them seem extraordinary because they are latter day hippies in the middle of suburbia, she does not succeed. The horrible events, not the characters or plot, carry this story. The ending of the book is predictable and not terribly interesting. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2000 by Karen L. Vandusen
    • It made me want to read other novels by Jane Hamilton
I read it in 1999 and recently ordered it for a friend who at the age of 70+ decided to read some fiction...and I told her this book was one of my favorites. She liked it, I don't know if it turned her into a reader...
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2024 by Jerusha
    • Better than the hype
I read this book DESPITE the fact that Oprah loved it. And in loved it too! Absolutely lyrical prose create a deep understanding of the characters and make it very real.
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2024 by squatmom
    • Safety's Peril
I was prepared not to like this book as I hadn't cared for the previous one. But I promised someone I would read it and was rewarded. This book deals with hard but everyday issues and I don't mean idea of middle-class sexual abuse. I mean the crippled friendship that maintains its intent, its good will, if not its life. The perhaps permanently hobbled marriage that struggles forward without being able to see where its going. The uttererly rejected potential of an irreparably damaged, but skillfully manipulative child to conceive and execute evil. The impersonal malice of authoritative bureaucracy and righteous community that can destroy lives, dreams and ideals then pat its systemic self on the back for achieving justice. Of significant resonance was the manner in which Alice could stand both inside and outside an experience, cataloging all the while the most bizarre extremes it could reach, always without imagining the closer, more perilous reality. It was intrinsic to her character to note and ridicule absurdities. She was a born outsider who thought she was thereby isolated from the gods, the powers that be. Alice's experiences in jail were the frighteningly small and real. A place where it is imperative to hold some important piece of yourself aloof and untouchable. A place where you become aware of an otherworldness that coexists and after which you forever know that it is not possible to trust in the eventuality of justice, or even its sporadic existence. I have great admiration for anything written so close to the bone. I will try whatever Hamilton's next book is when published. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2000 by A. Hannon
    • Paperback book
This book arrived in excellent condition. I am well pleased.
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023 by Christine R Tubbs
    • Good Story
It was good, complicated and very complete in the end. The characters were very good and the story line was compelling.
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2022 by Kindle Customerpolly

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