A Complicated Kindness

Actually, I enjoyed the whole book! The humour is sharp, the sadness profound and the disintegration of a family is heart wrenching. It's a complicated life in a deceivingly simple town for Nomi Nickle, a girl struggling with the loss of her sister and mother to a faith and fate that she fears. Everyone (except perhaps Nomi's father, Ray and Nomi's sick friend Lids) is quick to pass judgement.

That Nomi survives this oppression at all is a triumph worth celebrating! She stumbles along the way and develops a wry and sarcastic sense of humour (I think) as a self-preservation mechanism. That her only remaining family member is her emotionally absent father who likes to clean the dump and get rid of their furniture is surely cause for concern! What teenager wouldn't feel compelled to drink, smoke and let loose with a wise-crack or two?

The comedic narrative of this novel is in complete contrast to the devastation of the family nucleus. It echoes like a plea and gives this novel a unique and haunting voice. I didn't like the ending but that was a plus in the case of, "A Complicated Kindness". Life, like this story, isn't always a fairytale. Things don't always work out the way we would like them to in the end.

Interesting but depressing story. Read it in small doses so that the sad, emptiness of the story would not have the same affect on me.

I was so surprised to see the low ratings people had given this book. I laughed out loud, cried out loud, read sections to innocent bystanders out loud. I'm not sure of the last time I was so totally absorbed by a book. Miriam Toews will be remembered as one of Canada's best - I highly recommend this book!

I have heard that this was not a great book, and I'd have to agree (I gave it a chance, but only made it halfway). Nomi Nickel is definitely not the modern day Holden Caulfield.

I absolutely loved this book. It was very easy to read and I finished it quickly, but it has stayed with me for days after. The multiple layers unfold very slowly. Although the writing style is breezy and often seems only to be reflecting the surface, the truer, deeper meanings are also carefully revealed. I believe that the author has really captured what it is to be a teenager - one who understands much more than she is given credit for, and whose false front of cynicism covers a truly optimistic spirit.

I enjoyed this read as it was a small look into the life a little girl growing up in a Mennonite community from the girl's point of view. I saw myself many times throughout this book. I felt very real!

I did not think Nomi's belittling of others was in the least bit witty or entertaining. I wouldn't have bothered finishing it if it wasn't for my book club.

As a person of Mennonite descent (though NOT proud of that), I found this book thoroughly engrossing, incredibly witty, and also provocative and often very funny. Miriam Toews writes with an insight and wisdom beyond her years. This is a sparkling little crystal of anxiety and hope, in equal measure. HIGHLY recommended!

Fantastic - went out and bought her other books.

Toews opens the eyes of Canadians in this story of a menonite community trying to survive in the modern world. At first I had trouble believing that any of these events could actually happen. However, after talking to friend who grew up in similar circumstances it was made clear to me that Toews didn't go over the top at all. I found the story to be very interesting and felt that I learned a little about Canadian history in the process.

I just could not get into this book. It was slow moving and just plain boring. The overall concept of the book has a lot of potential but I do not recommend this book.

This book is witty, comical and morbid all the same time. The reader gets to see life through the eyes of someone who is not understood in their own culture or by society at large.

I finished reading this book about a year ago and I still feel that this is one of the most amazing novels I have ever read. I find that it captures you in the narrative so well that it's hard to decipher reality from fiction. The characterization is so exceptional that even if the plot does not come to a dramatic finalization you're still completely satisfied because you have formed such a strong bond with the main character (she is extremely witty and intellegent) that you don't really want it to end. I'm seriously contemplating picking it up and reading it from beginning to end again.

For those interested, the places Miriam Toews writes about is an actual place. The town is called steinbach, and its located in Manitoba Canada. Growing up in that area, i was surprised at how accurate her book really was considering the timeline.

Clever and witty from the get-go. One cannot help but chuckle at the obscure humour, while at the same time feel sympathy for the anguished Nomi. It is both a funny and devastatingly heartbreaking story that leaves the reader entranced until the bittersweet ending.

Simply written and yet hard to put down. A Complicated Kindness pulls at your heart strings and draws the reader in.

I generally love the "Heather's Picks" selections. I had high expectations for this book and was left dissapointed. I finished the story feeling like I had missed some important section, idea or message. I was left feeling like there was no resolution to the story and the charachters just hung in the air. I find it hard to believe this was a prize winner.

This book started slow and never really took off. The story of Nomi's life could have been very interesting, but it was told in a very uninteresting way. It was one of those books that you can put down and never go back to.

Miriam Toews can tell a story like no other! This great piece consist of quiet and descending humour of real life according to Nomi Nickle, a teenager growing up in Menno environment. I felt Nomi struggle to avoid her life direction to resemble that of chickens at happy farm. Nomi's journey left me in tears and laughters at the same time, because life is just heartbreakingly funny. I am now more concious of my surrounding after taking the road with Nomi. From the nicely design cover, to the refreshingly set up text, this book will not disapoint you one bit! If you're a fan of Holden Cauffield, you'll love Nomi Nickel. Brilliant. Absolutely Brilliant!

I loved this book. Original, fresh, funny. I can see why it won the CBC Canada Reads contest for best novel of 2005.