Instruct: Classify an Amazon review into positive or negative sentiment.
Query: Very disappointing. Too much going on.

I've heard of this book, of course, for several years. I finally decided to read it after seeing previews for the movie. The way the book starts is promising. The first few chapters (and last few chapters) held my interest but I kept waiting for something more to happen. Actually, I kept reflecting back to the movie previews which make it seem more like a thriller or intense drama. That's not what the book is like. The book is more about an exploration of the grief process--in about a half a dozen characters. There's just as many subplots in the book which is too many! I think Alice Sebold should have picked 1 or 2 characters and and plots and focused on them. Instead, she tries to do too much and loses the effect she wanted to create. Overall, I think the book is a waste of time. Just my opinion, but I think the movie might be more interesting than the book--how often does that happen?