Rating: 
Summary: Like The Tide..
Review: This book is like a tide,a bad and obvious metaphor,I know,but thats about the only way I can describe it. The trial part was engrossing;and the ending a surprize. Now,the low tide,I can't believe a mature established man would mess around with "jailbait" like Olympia,whose character both interested and at times annoyed me. And why do they always have to be so beautiful? Why not an average-attractive girl for a change? Not hideous,but maybe an awkward 15 year old,which is what most of them are anyway. Then maybe that would make Olympia's obsession with Dr. Haskell more believable and poigant,and add more depth to the story as a whole. A good book that could've been great..!
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining read, but lacks insight
Review: Borrowed from a friend, I read this book overnight. It makes captivating reading, however, it does lack insight into the behaviour of its characters. Whether this is deliberate to stir contraversy, or the author truly believes that a 15 year old girl and a 40+ man are capable of developing mature love, I do not know. Ms. Shreve has another novel hidden in the pages of this book, and I do suggest that she should write it if she finds the time: The story of Dr. Haskell's wife and the four children he abondones as a results of the consummation his mid-life lust crisis with Olympia's teenage infatuation. Perhaps their turmoil and feelings would make compelling reading, too.
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Summary: Age shouldn't matter
Review: I have read other Anita Shreve books (The Pilot's Wife, The Weight of Water) and thoroughly enjoyed her work. I finished this book in a week, couldn't put it down. I read some other reviews that felt this book was not realistic due to the age difference between Olympia and John. This was a beautiful love story between 2 people that didn't let age get in the way. If only we all dared to be with the person who made us feel like they did together. Very good book, very realistic, very romantic!! ENJOY!!
Rating:
Summary: Solid
Review: An enjoyable read but generally speaking, Fortune's Rocks is a predictable tale well-told. No plot twists and certainly little internal character development, the male protagonist is barely two dimensional. Its setting, in a summer vacation beach village in New Hampshire at the turn of the century (1899, not 1999), made the story different enough to hold my interest although I dare say the same thing could happen between a 15 year old girl and a 40+ man today and, at least in some communities, create almost a similar degree of scandal. It probably would be a decent beach book...
Rating: 
Summary: Slow start but thought-provoking story
Review: It was pretty clear when I started this book (which was verified by the author in the reading group Q & A) that she had enjoyed working with the language style of nineteenth century New England when working on "Weight of Water" and wanted to experiment further. I had a tough time with the first quarter of the book. I could see what was coming and found myself frustrated that it was taking so long to reach the inevitable. Midway through this book I was surprised. Suddenly the story became much less predictable and I was intrigued. This was not your standard hothouse flower character (regardless of the century) who found herself in a bad way and depended on her father or lover to help her out. She took total responsibility for her actions. Not the martyr, this girl. I am impressed, Ms. Shreve. All considered it's an interesting story with some pretty three dimensional characters, no one's totally good or evil. There are also some great courtroom scenes. If you find yourself frustrated with the beginning, keep going, it's definitely worth it.
Rating:
Summary: A bit unbelievable but well-written.
Review: About a young girl, Olympia, who falls in love with a friend of her father's, Fortune's Rocks is about love, risk, ruination and recovery. Unfortunately, [the lover] John Haskell is 41, married and a father of four children one of whom is very close to Olympia in age. Set in 1899, this affair becomes an absolute scandal not to mention the cause of Haskell's divorce and the cessation of his relationship with his children. As for Olympia, she finds that she is pregnant shortly after their relationship is revealed which further exasperates her father as well as sealing her fate as a young woman who may never overcome her ruined reputation. Through a dramatic series of events, she finds herself once again and becomes a woman of respectful standing some years later. The story itself is quite endearing, however, there are a few specific aspects I have found quite unlikely. The idea that a fifteen year old girl meets and falls in love with a middle-aged man she will supposedly never stop loving is one of them. Are most teenage girls really apt to faithfully love a man that is absent for more than a few months at a time? Is it not more likely that the next man who paid her attention would win her affections? Consider the fact that this man is betrothed already to a woman Olympia likes quite well and that he is a personal friend of her fathers with whom she is quite close. How many young women know who they are to such a degree that they are capable of picking a mate for life at the tender age of 15? Do not all people change considerably between the ages of 15 and 25? What is the likelihood that Olympia's character is truly the exception to every rule? It is not that I didn't enjoy the book. It was well-written and easy to finish in a few days. I just found the relationship between the two main characters to inhabit an unlikely maturity and it made me cynical I suppose of their idealized love, the kind worth waiting for. Those of you have read this novel know what I mean.
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Summary: No formula writer!
Review: Anita Shreve constantly surprises and her topics cannot be pigeon-holed or even classified. Every novel of hers is totally different from her others. "Fortune's Rocks", a variation on "Wuthering Heights", is written in the style of the day---1900--and reflects the author's meticulous research and her total grasp of the spoken language of that era. In 1899, Olympia Biddeford, the daughter of an influential and wealthy Boston family, embarks on a brief but torrid affair with Dr. John Haskell, 41 and married with children. The affair is brief because the lovers are discovered, in a most public and humiliating way, during Olympia's 16th birthday celebration. The scandal that follows tears families apart and exiles the former lovers. The book is gracefully written and well-constructed in the style of the day, fairly formal and very descriptive. A polished gem!
Rating:
Summary: A thought-provoking book
Review: A book about adultery, giving up a child and illicit love ~~ what more can a reader ask for? Sometimes, the book does seem drawn out and long ~~ but the writing prose is excellent and Shreve does a wonderful job (again) to keep the reader's interest. The characters ~~ especially Olympia, the main character ~~ is well-drawn and you feel that though there are some parts of her identity that you don't understand, but you are still drawn to her. You watch her fall in love, struggle with the consquences of her love affair with Haskell, and watch her grow up from a provacative teenager to a sturdy young adult. She, however, writes wonderful descriptions of the house in Fortune's Rocks and of the scenery. It makes one wants to live by the ocean and see the seasons change throughout the year. One can almost taste the salt in the breeze and hear the mute roar of the ocean tide. It's a great beach book! It is a pleasant read ~~ despite the theme that runs through the book. It is a book best read in snatches; the dialogue and scenery can be a bit much to take sometimes. But overall, it is thought-provoking and well-written. It is a great book to take on a vacation ~~ where you don't feel the need to rush back into it. It is a book meant to be savored one word at a time ~~ it's an elegantly written and entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful love story
Review: The book began slowly, and I didn't think I wanted to deal with the language, but I am so glad that I hung in there. I have had a similiar love story like this in my life. I just hope mine ends the same way as Olympia's!
Rating:
Summary: This book "rocks" - get it???
Review: First of all, I would like to say that this is the best book I have ever read. For one reason, it mirrored my own real life story - sort of. I would like to respond to the man in Brookline who cannot fathom that a 41 year old man could fall for a 15 year old. My boyfriend is 48 and I am 20, and we have been very happy for almost two years. No matter what anyone says, ours is a love that comes only once in a lifetime. So there! Anyway, back to the book. Fortune's Rocks is not your typical romance novel. First of all, the writing was excellent and I could not put the book down for an instant. It was very suspenseful with brilliant characters and interesting subplots. Some people may think the dialogue was mushy, but I didn't think so. I thought it was very romantic and besides, it was the Victorian era, so people spoke in a different manner than we do today. Also, I have a love for the Victorian era and the customs, dress, and the way society was structured back during that time. That also caught my interest - the excellent historical research the author had to do to make the time period come alive. I felt like had been transported back in time and felt very real empathy for the characters. The opening scene with Olympia's realization that she is coming of age from a girl into a woman is the hook that masterful storytellers are adept with - the foreshadowing that tells you what the book will ultimately be about and leaves you with a lasting impression for a long time. The book has very memorable scenes that you can visualize in your mind and I think it would make a wonderful movie. If you haven't read this book, go ahead and do so right away. I will definitely read the rest of Anita Shreve's novels. If this one blew me away, I no doubt think the rest of her writings will keep me entertained as well.
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