Rating: 
Summary: Heart renching ending
Review: Most books that start in present time and go backwards usually start with a big event and then preceeds to show how events unfolded to get there. This book actually reveals bigger events the further along you go into the past of the two main characters. You learn more about the characters the more you travel through there past. Also most times it's easy to figure out the big event that's expected at the end of a book but this book draws you to an unexpected and huge surprise.
Rating: 
Summary: ug!
Review: I'm sorry. I wish I could get my money back on this book. It was far too depressing, so had to toss it in the garbage after halfway through the catterwolling and moaning! What a waste, and the author obviously detests fat people and old people. save your money
Rating: 
Summary: Run That By Me Again
Review: Having read a few of Shreve's earlier works I expected more from this book. I was disappointed in "Fortune's Rock" but really disliked the ending of this book. Since this was suppose to be a continuation of an earlier book the ending made me feel like I wasted my time twice. I had to re-read the end three or four times because I didn't think my understanding of it was correct. It made a mockery of the intensity and complexity of thier love story and was insulting to the reader. I just picked up "Sea Glass". If Ms. Shreve doesn't redeem herself here I won't be reading anymore of her books.
Rating: 
Summary: I loved/hated this book...
Review: A beautiful story idea, I will admit. The writing, although slow at times, was not dull or boring to me. The ending, definitely a surprise. What I hated about the book was simply the fact that the surprise ending made the entire love story meaningless. I love the idea of two people so connected, they can't help but cross paths. But the ending as is turns the story from a romantic tale to the fantasy of an guilt-stricken alcoholic. Had the ending been different (I was expecting it to return to the future and drawing some sort of meaningful conclusion) I would have loved it through and through, but as is, I remain disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most memorable books I've read
Review: This is the first book I've read by Shreve, and certainly won't be the last. Her writing is like poetry -- every page a descriptive melding of action and emotion. She is wonderful at pinpointing the human psyche and explaining why we do the things we do. This book would be excellent for a book club, as it lends itself nicely to long, philosophical discussions.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for the ending alone!
Review: In reading the reviews, I became aware that I could expect a shocking ending, but nothing can prepare you for what Anita Shreve dishes out. At first the book was kind of hard to read, as this work is so well written, but once into the work, it's a joy-ride. Nothing exciting (until the end), just a nice stroll the history of a star-crossed couple. And to top that off, it's backwards! Starting with the last time they meet and going back to the first. However, the ending was so shocking I had to do a double-take and read the very last page again, to make sure I read right. It's so hard to imagine that I'm sure I'll find myself reading it again one day to catch the clues that I'd missed. A fabulous book!
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great.
Review: This novel starts later in 2 star-crossed lovers lives and moves backwards in time unveiling a series of tradgic events and failures in both their lives. Bad marriages, pre-mature deaths of loved ones, etc. These star crossed lovers never get married and you'll find yourself wondering "why not?" throughout all of it's 300 plus pages. On the very last page that question will be answered. Don't peek, it's a surprize worth waiting for! So why did I give this book a "Good but not Great"? The book is broken into 3 sections. The first section "Linda" and "Thomas" are 52 years old, the middle section they are 26 years old, and in the final section they are 17 years old. The first 2 sections are pretty slow moving but the last section you will breeze through to get to the grand finally.
I give this one 3 stars...
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Shreve's attention to the details of human behavior are what make this an exceptional read. This book is wonderful. At first, it ran a little slow, but as the book goes on, and you explore Thomas and Linda's love affair through time, it picks up, to a positively breathtaking finish. I have not read Shreve's other books, but I will likely pick them up, for this book was well worth the time spent.
Rating:
Summary: .........About Moments of No Return
Review: One day my wife and I switched books. I gave her a Ken Follett novel and she gave me this one. At first, I said to myself, Great, the literary equivalent of a "chick flick" from So-and-So's book club. Boy, was I ever wrong. "The Last Time They Met" is anything but that. It's so much more. By now most folks know the gist of the plot, Thomas and Linda, lovers for the ages, meet again at a writer's conference. Despite their relationships in the past, they have only crossed paths three times and the book is divided into three sections, "52", "26", and "17" that correspond to their ages at the time they are involved with one another. The catch is that Shreve tells the story in reverse, beginning with age 52 and ending with age 17. At the very, very end, in Shreve's words, the whole story is turned on it's ear. So no peaking at that last page. Two things I liked about this book. First of all, Linda. Her character grows in complexity as the story goes on ( and the ending explains why ). Hence, she is more complex when she is younger, and maybe that is true of life. She is sort of ho-hum at age 52, a little more involved at age 26, but complex and somewhat dark at 17. Strangely, Linda is devotely religious as a teen but hates God passionately when she is older. She has a dark secret that is alluded to throughout the book and it's not too hard to figure out. But it's the character development as she gets younger that really intrigued me. The second thing I liked is that Shreve accomplished something that very few authors can do. Elizabeth George can do it, James Michener could do it. And that is write from the viewpoint of the opposite gender. When she takes up the pen as Thomas, especially the part of the story that takes place in Africa, she really IS Thomas. When Thomas runs into Linda at the fruit market in the town in Kenya and "watchs her walk away and all the blood in his veins follow her" Shreve is reminding us that when it comes to lost love, men can be such fools. Linda and Regina meet and Thomas wants to separate them as soon as possible so that his conversation with Linda can go on for as long as possible. Linda mentions her husband's name ( Peter ) and the sound of it is "like a slug in his chest". I mean Thomas could have sat in Linda's cottage forever. The second part of the book is, to my mind, the best written. Shreve spent time in Africa in the 1970s and it shows throughout this section. She captures the romance ( small R ) of the dark continent. Yet, it is the third section that, to me, moves the quickest, maybe because Linda is more proactive. I read about 40-50 books a year but this may be the one that I enjoyed more than others because it just wasn't what I expected. Well done Ms. Shreve. And this is from a guy reviewing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Corker of an ending . . .
Review: I personally love reading Anita Shreve. She has wonderful style and character development. Without going into any detail, I was just sailing along with this wonderful read, and as it got better and more interesting, boom! It ends surprisingly and still has me thinking, and thinking . . .Time to stop thinking now and start reading it over. See ya! Enjoy it for yourself!
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