Rating: 
Summary: The ultimate "what-if".
Review: This was the first novel I had read in many years, and I found it to be magnetic from the first to the last (or the last to the first). The end was just the beginning; the beginning was the ultimate "what-if". So much has been written in previous reviews about the disappointing ending, the clues throughout or the magnificent ending, but I was enthralled over the eight continuous hours I set aside to read it by every aspect. The single thread that was woven from the first page to the last was beautifully illustrated by evocative prose and hinted thoughts. I will read and reread this book again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: not happy
Review: The beginning was tedious and the middle just dragged on too long. It wasn't until the third section that I felt the story was coming together - and then the ending. It was as though the author just couldn't come up with a plausible ending - so chose to wind things up the way she did. I enjoyed The Pilot's Wife, but I can assure you I won't be buying another one of Ms. Shreve's books again. I'm giving the book a two instead of a one because it did manage to keep me reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Didn't Finish It, BUT...
Review: My first (and only) Shreeve book up until now was "The Pilots Wife", which I read in two days (and recommended to everyone). I was looking forward to reading this one, being so impressed with her other book. Alas, excitement turned to disappointment, which turned to boredom, until Part 3. I almost closed the book for good before that, yet kept hearing about the "surprise" ending; which didn't surprise me much at all (pay attention to how parts 1 and 2 are written distinctively different from part 3), but did in fact delight me. Shreeve writes the final ending so beautifully, you end up forgiving her for dragging you through this book for 300+ pages.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting...
Review: I picked up this novel after years of not reading a book, hoping that this would not be a cliché "Bridges of Madison County" styled novel. I was pleasantly surprised. The reverse chronological order forced me to pay close attention to the details and drew me into the story. I was shocked by the end. I re-read that page twenty times, trying to get myself to accept what the author had hinted at all along. When I could not get the characters out of my mind, haunted by the beauty and melancholy of the story, I searched for answers in reviews. One small review urged the readers of this novel to read "The Weight of Water" and then re-read "The Last time They Met." This was great advice because the central character in this novel is the husband of the narrator in the other. Many events resonated through the novels and allowed the reader to have two distinct perceptions of the same event, one of the husband in this novel, and the wife in the other. In the "Weight of Water" the character asked "What would a woman do when pushed to the very edge?" I think that both novels deal beautifully with this question about how humans cope with disasters, personal tragedies, love lost, passion found and the sub-text of a marriage. I highly recommend this novel to any reader searching for a story that pulls you in, turns your entire perspective upside down in the end, and forces you to think about the novel. I am pleased that Ms. Shreve does not spoon-feed her audience with the obvious answers and endings. Rather, she forces us to pay attention, to hoard the tiny crumbs of information, until the last piece completes the mosaic. This is one of the best novels she has written, and certainly one of the best I have read.
Rating:
Summary: ZOWIE!!!!!
Review: Ok, I admit, I'm still confused. But, unlike many reviewers, I'm not angry about it. I'm titilated. Afterall, not every author could blow your socks off on the last page. I'll even admit that after I finished the book, I went back and reread the first chapter again, picking up on things I'd missed before.I definitely feel this book could keep a reading group debating for hours. And, that is what makes for a great read--something that haunts you, makes you think, even curse, question your sanity, or question the author's sanity. But anyone who reads this completely through and comes away with a "ho hum" attitude is either brain dead or decieving his/herself. You'll either love it or hate it, there isn't much room for complacency in this novel. It did remind me a little of the movie Momento in terms of starting at the end and working backwards and finally wondering what actually happened. Writing in reverse order (from ending to beginning) like Shreve did cannot be easy and for this alone I applaud her. Don't listen to the naysayers. Give this book a chance. And if you're convinced you understand it completely, drop me a line! You're someone worth talking to....
Rating:
Summary: Amazing...
Review: To say that I am frustrated with the other reviewers for not having the intelligence to understand why the majority of the dialogue is in italics is an understatement. Not ALL of the dialogue is in this form, for good reason. This is a book that could easily be used for educational purposes in a lit. class, and the readers should be prepared to think while reading. This is not a no-brainer, Danielle Steele, romance novel; but rather, a deep story full of symbolism and hidden messages. I will read it again, because there is so much I am sure I missed and and so many minute details I would pay closer attention to. I think it's fabulous. I love the characters and the mystery of them. I would urge all of my friends to read it, and then give my copy back so that I can read it again...but for the time being, I need to rest...you will not believe the ending!
Rating: 
Summary: Shocker
Review: I immediately fell in love with this book & couldn't put it down. I finished the book last night and had trouble falling asleep because I couldn't believe what I had read in the last couple of paragraphs. I started flipping back to the beginning of the book, trying to put things together & decided at the end that I should just re-read the book. This is only the second book I've read by Shreve and it has just made me want to read more of her books.
Rating:
Summary: I feel cheated
Review: I fell in love with the love story between Linda and Thomas in the first third of the book. I personally found the writing in the middle section about Africa a bit dull (there seemed to be quite a bit of pontification), but was still drawn to the story and cared very much about the characters. The last third I flew through, it answered so many questions, but the last page pulled the rug out from under my feet. I felt cheated that I'd given my time and energy to care about this story just to find out that it ended before it even began. In fact, so much so that it's highly unlikely that I will read this author again.
I also agree that the italicized dialogue was, for some reason, difficult to follow.
I'm giving 3 stars to a book that I would have given 4 stars to had the ending not been so disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Old Lovers Meet Again
Review: The novel begins when Linda Fallon and Thomas Janes, both published poets, meet at a literary conference after not having seen each other for years. The novel travels backwards in time to re-discover the various times they have met over the years, finally culminating in their high school romance. The first third of the novel is very confusing because of the veiled references and illusions to some event in their distant past that caused them to lead separate lives, although it is obvious that they love each other and have probably always been in love. The writing style is somewhat cumbersome. The author's habit of punctuating all dialogue with a dash followed by italicized letters, caused me to back track many times to figure out who was speaking. Sometimes the italicized letters were thoughts rather than spoken words, so I was occasionally confused about whether any dialogue had actually occurred. The book finally started to get interesting when it revealed the time during which Linda and Thomas were both in Africa with their spouses and how they rediscovered each other after many years apart. Finally, the beginning of their relationship in high school was described, and the awful event that had been alluded to throughout the book that caused them to be separated.
If you can bear with it and trudge through the first third of the novel, you will be rewarded with a story that is rich in detail, fascinating, troubling and poignant.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!....till the end
Review: I really enjoyed the character and storyline being brought into this book from the Weight of Water. I enjoyed reading about Thomas and Linda...all the way till the end. I was disappointed and confused by the ending.
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