I just couldn’t get interesting in this book. I read up to page 60-something and still felt it was going nowhere, just a bunch of flashback-like storytelling that didn’t seem to connect with each other in any way except that they were all part of the narrator’s life. I also didn’t care much for the narrator’s character himself nor his style of storytelling.

Do yourself a favor and instead of wasting an hour and a half watching this, use that time to read the book instead.
This movie leaves out some of the best parts and mixes everything else up.

There is a regular (not user-submitted) entry for this book on All Consuming but for some reason it doesn’t usually show up in search. http://allconsuming.net/item/view/2862829

Just a note to self: I have not marked this as “not worth consuming” even though it says I have. I left it on “wishy-washy” (which is how I feel about it), but for some reason it defaulted to “not worth consuming,” bug?

I think this movie is a really good example of Deontology (or Duty Ethics), and I like it for that. Patrick does the “right thing” because it is his duty, because it is the right thing to do period; he doesn’t base his decision on the consequences. A perfect example of a Deontological choice.

When the movie was over my mom said, “He made the wrong choice didn’t he.” I said no. She said, “but her mom will never change,” and I replied, “but that doesn’t mean she should stay with people who kidnapped her.” No telling how that would go either.

I didn’t know much about ethical theories until last semester when I took ethics class. It gave a good overview of the main theories, and while most of the student in my class seemed to think Duty Ethics was absurd, I connected with it the most.

Spoiler ahead, consider yourself warned
I also like how Patrick was somewhat taking responsibility in the end by checking up on Amanda and her mother and even babysitting. Who knows maybe the guy she was going out on a date with (who seemed quite the creep from what was told), will end up killing her, which would leave Amanda’s uncle Lionel, who was involved in the kidnapping and is now incarcerated, or his wife as her next of kin. Then perhaps somehow Patrick will have the opportunity to adopt her, knowing that he will provide a good, safe home. Then his girlfriend will come back and they can be a nice little family. That’s what I’d like to think anyway, and the ending lets you draw your own conclusions, such as that.

There is an error on page 93 of Anchor Books’ 1994 edition. On line 21 the name “Odukwe” is misspelled as “Okukwe.”

I have to stay wishy-washy on this one. While the story was mostly good, you feel through the length of the book that you’re waiting for something (a specific thing, not just something) to happen, yet it never does.

I, for one, was disappointed. I really enjoyed “The Milk of Human Kindness” and this doesn’t compare to it at all. It’s good to be different from past albums, but I wasn’t expecting this different. It’s an okay album, but there are not any stand-out tracks and I don’t see myself keeping it.

There is an end quotation mark missing from line 9 on page 35. I am now on page 92 and am still unable to put it out of my mind.

Grammar Nazis Unite!

It could have moved along a bit quicker, but that would have been contradictory to it being a made for TV movie.