What I Lived For (Abridged) Audiobook

" A hypertoxic tail of Irish human drags..are there men who survive like this? "

" What I Lived for by Joyce Carol Oates (1994) "

" Insightful character development of a character I didn't really care for...JCO is truly skilled. "

" admire the effort to speak from inside a man's mind - parts are very convincing - but the seams show a bit. still, a disappointing JCO book is better than the best of most, so. "

" Up to this point I've loved everything I have read by this author (Joyce Carol Oates). Not so much this one! To tell the truth, I'm not completely certain how the book ended. Won't say anything more as not to spoil it for a potential reader. "

" Though I didn't love this book, I was so impressed by the character development. If I meant the main character, he's the kind of guy I'd hate. But being privy to his intentions, one can't help but sympathize and even like him. "

" Abandoned JCO and I never abandon her, just didn't like the main character and wasn't interested in the story. "

" 608 pages is far too long to be stuck in Corky Corcoran's head. Enough said. "

" A haunting story, but fantastically written. It was my first Joyce Carol Oates book, so I'm not sure if there are better out there, but I love her character development. Gave me the chills. Would love to discuss it with anyone. "

" This is an oldie (1994) and a fabulous read. Joyce Carol Oates is one of my favorite authors. "

" Long. OK. Don't like part about mother kissing him--vague, but telling myself it was not hiniting at incest. "

" oh,oates always starts out well for me but she always drops me down intto such a deep well-why do i do this to myself? well written but as usual,unbearably dark and full of sorrow. "

" DNF. Too wordy, rambling, and the main character is completely insufferable. Ugh. "

" I wanted to hate this book. So many times I wanted to stop reading it, Corky drove me completely mad all the way to the very end. But, now that I've finished reading it, I find myself missing the testosterone driven roller coaster ride... "

" Thought I'd like it from the jacket, but I was just not impressed in any way. "

" I could not put this down. Oddly, I cannot remember in what part of my life I was reading this book--but I didn't stip until I finished. Now that I think about it, I would like to read a serious review of it to see if the critics thought she wrote this male lead character well--I do. "

" It was Joyce Carol Oates. It wandered, it rambled, it made me want to shake her and say get on with it! what's the point here?! It made me think . . . about people and what we live for...... "

" One of the most complex and interesting books I've ever read. "

" Sidney Sheldon for the literary set. "

" Holy crap. How good is this book? I can't believe a lady-author got inside the male psyche so accurately. "

" Fantastic...this story has been placed with my all favorites. Joyce has created a character (Corky) that I relate too. A huge book that the story takes place in four days over a Memorial Holiday weekend. Is he not an alcoholic? "

" One of Oates best contemporary novels. A powerful snapshot of a man's life in an aging city in upstate NY in the 1990's. Brutal... "

" High intensity novel taking place over a Memorial Day weekend. Main character is a high-power real estate broker whose life is circling the drain.Oates is amazing for the sheer number of her books, and that they are consistently of high quality is all the more amazing. "

" 608 pages is far too long to be stuck in Corky Corcoran's head. Enough said. "

" Though I didn't love this book, I was so impressed by the character development. If I meant the main character, he's the kind of guy I'd hate. But being privy to his intentions, one can't help but sympathize and even like him. "

" Sidney Sheldon for the literary set. "

" This is an oldie (1994) and a fabulous read. Joyce Carol Oates is one of my favorite authors. "

" Insightful character development of a character I didn't really care for...JCO is truly skilled. "

" Fantastic...this story has been placed with my all favorites. Joyce has created a character (Corky) that I relate too. A huge book that the story takes place in four days over a Memorial Holiday weekend. Is he not an alcoholic? "

" What I Lived for by Joyce Carol Oates (1994) "

" oh,oates always starts out well for me but she always drops me down intto such a deep well-why do i do this to myself? well written but as usual,unbearably dark and full of sorrow. "

" One of the most complex and interesting books I've ever read. "

" A haunting story, but fantastically written. It was my first Joyce Carol Oates book, so I'm not sure if there are better out there, but I love her character development. Gave me the chills. Would love to discuss it with anyone. "

" Thought I'd like it from the jacket, but I was just not impressed in any way. "

" Up to this point I've loved everything I have read by this author (Joyce Carol Oates). Not so much this one! To tell the truth, I'm not completely certain how the book ended. Won't say anything more as not to spoil it for a potential reader. "

" I wanted to hate this book. So many times I wanted to stop reading it, Corky drove me completely mad all the way to the very end. But, now that I've finished reading it, I find myself missing the testosterone driven roller coaster ride... "