Rating: 
Summary: A Little Romance, A Little LIterary
Review: Anita Shreve has written another winner. It's too bad Oprah isn't around to push it to 800,000 copies sold as she did with Shreve's "The Pilot's Wife."Without Oprah, alas, it's up to other discriminating readers to recommend this novel. So here it is. In spite of the fact that some of the characters in this novel don't have the depth I prefer in literary novels, this one is so full of plot, so full of lessons to be learned (no preaching, of course!) that I can't help but love it. When you read it, note that the protagonist had doubts about the man she marries. Not the normal things like, "This is a huge step, do I really want to do it?" but bigger ones that point, in this case, to a dishonest nature. How many times in our lives do we ignore our instincts and suffer for it later? If we take this particular lesson of Shreve's to heart, it may keep us from relegating the "natural voice" we all have to the back burner next time we hear it. Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title
Rating:
Summary: A Fast Paced Read
Review: Although, not as good as her previous novels, Sea Glass, was still a pleasure to read. You can get well with the characters and be friends with them. Sympathized with their ideologies, sufferings and misfortunes. Read this book, and be a sister and a friend. R. A. Blanco
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Rating: 
Summary: way below average
Review: I am a huge fan of Anita Shreve. I devour her books in 1-2 sittings. This dull novel took me almost 1 week to get through. I was disappointed and not intrigued with the characters. I did find the protagonist, Honora, likeable. The entire narrative however was too simple. Exclamtions such as "sea glass doesn't break" when Honora's husband tosses it is just too simple and lame. The subject of the textile mills and New England was done so well in 'Empire Falls' that I felt here it was just dull.dull. Sorry Anita. Hoping for more intrigue in your next novel.
Rating: 
Summary: well-written historical fiction
Review: In 1929, Honora and Sexton Beecher move into their New Hampshire home. Honora loves her new place though it needs plenty of work. She adores her traveling salesman-husband until she learns why he is so successful at selling typewriters as he plays games with the truth. Soon Honora realizes that he stretches veracity with her too. When the economy tanks, Sexton loses his job and accepts employment at the mill where conditions are atrocious and pay and hours are despicable. Sexton joins a group of union organizers protesting the inhuman factory conditions. Through her husband, Honora meets union activist McDermott and preadolescent worker Francis. As Honora increasingly loses respect for Sexton, she turns to the seemingly more honest McDermott and an upper class friend Vivian for probity. With a strike looming, Honora joins the oppressed against the wishes of her spouse. SEA GLASS is a well-written historical fiction novel that provides the audience with a window to the impact of the Great Depression on various social classes. The tale is deep as readers observe the dangerous factory conditions a half century after Dickens as it impacts the blue-collar worker. The efforts to maintain moral standards by the middle class are cleverly described. Finally the influence with the stock market collapse on the upper crust makes for a rounded novel. Ms. Shreve is at her best with this triumphant look back to New Englanders on the verge of ruin. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: very good quick reading
Review: I have read every book by Anita Shreve. I love her writing. I would not put this one in the same class as The Weight of Water or The Last Time They Met, but it really was a good read. It takes place in 1929, 1930 in Fortunes Rocks, where 2 of her other novels took place, Pilots Wife and Fortunes Rocks. The story basically follows a newly married couple and a few of the other people in their town dealing with the crash of '29 and of course the relationships that Ms. Shreve develops are interesting. It was a fast read for me. I didn't really get into it until I was about half way through. If you are an Anita Shreve fan at all you will like this one, not as deep as others of hers but still a very good read.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: Honora lives a very sheltered life. While working at the bank one day, she meets Sexton Beecher, a salesman. After their wedding, they move into a rented house on the beach in Fortune's Rock, near a mill town, and later find a way to purchase it. She collects sea glass during her walks on the beach. The more time she spends with her new husband, however, and the less she realises she knows about him. When the economy takes a dive in 1929, Sexton loses his job and, depressed, is forced to start working at the mill. He also loses his self-esteem.
Here, Anita Shreve takes her readers into a world of lost fortunes, unions, survival, friendship, violence but also betrayal and, most of all, issues of trust. This novel serves up a full cast of characters you will not so easily forget, in a well-written package.
This is a memorable book by an extremely talented writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent beach bag novel
Review: Shreve knows how to weave a captivating yarn. Her characters are fresh and unique, and their stories are meaningful. My favorite aspect of this book was the carefully researched and rendered 1930's New England setting. The only thing that put a slight damper on the novel was the recurrance of particular images and descriptions which did not appear to serve a metaphorical purpose. The sea glass is a potentially fascinating trope, but there wasn't enough in the novel to support its symbolic significance. Despite a few minor weaknesses, Sea Glass is a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Want to escape?
Review: This book's descriptions swallow you and bring you into an entirely different world.
Rating:
Summary: Not Sophisticated Writing, But a Worthwhile Story
Review: Honora and Sexton purchase a ramshackle beach house on the coast of New Hampshire in 1929, setting the stage for their financial ruin. Their lives become entwined with others involved in a strike at a textile mill in a nearby town. This is simple, not sophisticated writing, but the story will hold your attention. It's a story suitable as a beach or plane read. I give it 3 stars because if you are unfamiliar with what life was like during the Great Depression, this novel will provide you with some inkling of it's hardships.
Rating:
Summary: i love this book
Review: i have no idea what this is all about until i read the Pilot's Wife. Great enough, i picked up Sea Glass and found an even more enticing novel. It is gripping in a sense that it leads you to a story slowly but dileberately,. I can almost feel the heat.
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