The Hour I First Believed
by Wally Lamb
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb holds a well received rating of 3.80 out of 5, based on 46.5K reader ratings. First published in 2007. The book spans 740 pages.
About The Hour I First Believed
Wally Lamb's two previous novels, She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, struck a chord with readers. They responded to the intensely introspective nature of the books, and to their lively narrative styles and biting humor. In The Hour I First Believed, Lamb travels well beyond his earlier work and embodies in his fiction myth, psychology, family history stretching back many generations, and the questions of faith that lie at the heart of everyday life. The result is an extraordinary tour de force, at once a meditation on the human condition and an unflinching yet compassionate evocation of character.When forty-seven-year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his younger wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, Caelum returns home to Three Rivers, Connecticut, to be with his aunt who has just had a stroke. But Maureen finds herself in the school library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed, as two vengeful students go on a carefully premeditated, murderous rampage. Miraculously she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues. While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers a cache of old diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in an upstairs bedroom of his family's house. The colorful and intriguing story they recount spans five generations of Quirk family ancestors, from the Civil War era to Caelum's own troubled childhood. Piece by piece, Caelum reconstructs the lives of the women and men whose legacy he bears. Unimaginable secrets emerge; long-buried fear, anger, guilt, and grief rise to the surface. As Caelum grapples with unexpected and confounding revelations from the past, he also struggles to fashion a future out of the ashes of tragedy. His personal quest for meaning and faith becomes a mythic journey that is at the same time quintessentially contemporary -- and American.The Hour I First Believed is a profound and heart-rending work of fiction. Wally Lamb proves himself a virtuoso storyteller, assembling a variety of voices and an ensemble of characters rich enough to evoke all of humanity.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Author | Wally Lamb |
| Published | 2007 |
| Pages | 740 |
| Genres | Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction |
| Average Rating | 3.80 / 5.00 |
| Total Ratings | 46,475 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is The Hour I First Believed?
The Hour I First Believed is categorized as Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction. Its primary genre classification is Historical Fiction.
Is The Hour I First Believed worth reading?
Based on 46.5K reader ratings, The Hour I First Believed has an average score of 3.80 out of 5.00, which is considered "Well Received."
How many pages is The Hour I First Believed?
The Hour I First Believed has 740 pages. It is a longer read suited for dedicated readers.
Who wrote The Hour I First Believed?
The Hour I First Believed was written by Wally Lamb. It was first published in 2007.
What is the ISBN for The Hour I First Believed?
The ISBN-13 for The Hour I First Believed is 9780060393500.0.
Data sourced from community book ratings and reviews. Last updated: April 15, 2026
