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Paperback Ordinary People Book

ISBN: 0140065172

ISBN13: 9780140065176

Ordinary People

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Format: Paperback

Condition: Very Good

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Book Overview

One of the great bestseller of our time: the novel that inspired Robert Redford's Oscar-winning film starring Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore

In Ordinary People, Judith Guest's remarkable first novel, the Jarrets are a typical American family. Calvin is a determined, successful provider and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but now they have one. In this memorable, moving novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain, and ultimate healing. Ordinary People is an extraordinary novel about an "ordinary" family divided by pain, yet bound by their struggle to heal.

"Admirable...touching...full of the anxiety, despair, and joy that is common to every human experience of suffering and growth." -The New York Times

"Rejoice! A novel for all ages and all seasons." -The Washington Post Book World

Customer Reviews

7 customer ratings | 5 reviews

Rated 5 stars
At a loss for words

I read this after seeing the movie, yet it only enhanced every rewatch of the movie that came after. I am not exaggerating when I say that there was a line or sentence on every page that I felt with every fiber of my being. This book is one I recommend to everyone I know. It's beautifully written, it's poetic, and above all, it's honest. Whoever sees this and has been considering reading this book (and/or watching the movie),...

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Rated 5 stars
Not an ordinary book at all.

This book was by far the best book I have read in a long time. It's short in pages, but very long in thoughtful wisdom. The story is about a boy who's lost his brother in a boating accident, of which he was part of. When he tries to commit suicide, feeling guilty about his brother's death, this story takes a twist you could not have expected. His parents, himself, his grandparents turn into anything but Ordinary People, and...

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Rated 5 stars
The Price of Perfection

The Jarretts are the perfect family leading a perfect life in a perfect world: wealthy, respectable, an expensive house in an exclusive neighborhood, European vacations, Texas golf trips. But perfection comes at a price, and when older son Buck dies in a boating accident and surviving son Conrad attempts suicide the difference between the American dream and American reality becomes painfully apparent. The mask of perfection...

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Rated 5 stars
the shock of recognition

Ms Guest tells the story, which the movie faithfully followed, of an upper middle class family in suburban Chicago. Calvin Jarrett is a successful tax attorney and his wife Beth is the queen of the country club crowd, but their son Conrad has just returned home from a sanitarium after slashing his wrists following the death of his beloved older brother. As Conrad tries to readjust to school, friends, a new psychiatrist...

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Rated 5 stars
Maturation and Initiation

"Ordinary People" by Judith Guest, is a wonderful novel about maturation and initiation into the "real world". After attempting suscide over the loss of his brother, Conrad Jarrett, is struggling to retain his life. Growing up, Conrad never really got in trouble. His older brother, Buck, was always being taught the "lessons of life". This made loosing a loved one, even harder for Conrad to deal with. After being released...

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A Man for All Seasons Mentions in Our Blog

A Man for All Seasons in How Many Best Pictures Were Based on a Book?
How Many Best Pictures Were Based on a Book?
Published by Amanda Cleveland • March 21, 2024
With Oppenheimer's recent Oscars win, we had a question: How many Best Picture winners were based on a book? Countless classic films are adaptations, as if a great story tends to start in literature. Let's look at the numbers and the amazing books that have lead to great films.
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