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| The Condition | 
 enlarge | Author: Jennifer Haigh
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
Buy Used: $15.85
Used (5) from $15.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  79 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: First Internation Edition
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0061685917
EAN: 9780061685910
ASIN: 0061685917
Publication Date: 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: THIS ITEM SHIPS FROM EDMONTON CANADA. Priority shipping upgrade free. Used - Very Good Thanks!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 74 more reviews...
 The Condition - Awesome Read! July 20, 2008
18 out of 21 found this review helpful
I got this book through the VINE program. Read the book in two sittings. The characters are past believable... they are PAINFULLY believable!!! I imagine anyone with extended family dynamics will find someone aptly described in this novel. Ms. Haigh intricately describes each characters weaknesses and foibles, yet keeps them endearing - a hard task indeed, but essential to keep our interest up until the end.
I was content that all the story lines I cared about were tied up and I was even happy with how she ended them. I though the balance between plot and character development was excellent.
If possible, I would avoid reading reviews with spoilers on this one - this story flows well and it would be a shame to waste such good writing by already knowing what was coming...
I wholeheartedly recommend this book - just make sure you have some time free when you start reading it - you're not going to want to put it down!
All the best,
Jay
The author gets TS right July 13, 2008
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
As a woman with turner syndrome and as a librarian, I found this book to be extremely well written and researched. The author gets the details about turner syndrome right without failing to make the character Gwen fully human. She is neither overly sympathetically portrayed, or used as a foil for the other characters. Some curious readers may find themselves running to Wikipedia to find out more details about the biology referenced in the story (phenotype, knockout mice?) but this doesn't distract from the main story and adds interest. This isn't a book about turner syndrome; it's about the Human Condition (as the jacket blurb says) that we all have. I would heartily recommend "The Condition" to anyone interested in an engaging, realistic read.
Could not put it down, very real and extremely moving. July 16, 2008
8 out of 13 found this review helpful
I read this book for two days straight. Staying up much too late because I just needed to read one more chapter...
The characters in the book are complex, their interactions with each other have the tenor of real relationships, flawed, messy and emotional but real. The flyleaf indicates that the plot revolves around a daughter with Turners (an actual genetic condition in which a girl does not physically mature). However, I felt that the book was really about family, and this fictional family was very authentic. The daughters situation served to frame some of the interactions, but was not the sole focus.
If you like books about people, about the inevitable miscommunications, connections, relationships, sibling envy, marital friction and every facet of love you will enjoy this book. If you like Anne Tyler (Breathing Lessons), Sue Monk Kidd (Secret Life of Bees) , Amy Tan (Joy Luck Club), Alice Sebold (The Lovely Bones) or Madeline L'Engles books for adults (The Small Rain) you will enjoy this novel. I was sad to see it end. Please write more.
 DIAGNOSIS OF THE McKOTCH FAMILY = TUNNEL VISION AND NO COMPASSION September 14, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Turner Syndrome is the most obvious condition in Jennifer Haigh's latest offering however the overall condition of the McKotch family unit is so complex it almost defies description.
If you looked up the word dysfunctional in Webster's dictionary, there is a good chance you would find a picture of the McKotch family. Paulette, the mother, displays signs of insecurity, galloping paranoia, is deceitful and controlling, but at the same time emotionally needy. She is definitely my least favorite character in this book. Frank, the father, is portrayed as a man obsessed with his scientific career but is observant enough to see that his daughter, Gwen, is not developing physically as she should and is accepting enough to pursue treatment for her "condition". Each parent is absorbed in their own ritualistic lives and neither seems to possess the capacity for the unconditional love each of their children crave.
The children Billy, Scott and Gwen are the casualties of their parent's relationship and could be poster children for any number of physical, mental and emotional afflictions.
Covering the course of twenty-some years in the lives of these five and literally running the gamut of self-obsessive behavior, The Condition leaves its readers happy to rid themselves of any further contact with the maladjusted McKotch clan. 2 1/2 STARS
Another Homerun by Jennifer Haigh July 8, 2008
7 out of 12 found this review helpful
Jennifer Haigh is one of the finest writers today. None of her books are anything alike, it is amazing. I was engrossed from the first page, the family and characters were very interesting and real - I totally recommend this book.
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