Rating: 
Summary: A variation on themes of lost love and emotional ties
Review: In 1968 at the Mexico City Olympics, Jesse Autsin wins a silver medal in the Women's 100-Meters Freestyle. She would have won the gold if it hadn't been for her closest competition, the mysterious and seductive Marty Finch.Flash forward to July 1990. Jesse is about to turn 40, but is she happy with the choice she made immediately after winning the silver? In an unusual novel, author Carol Anshaw gives us a look into three posibile presents for Jesse. In the first, she has been married for 20 years to Neal Pratt and still lives in her small hometown of New Jerusalem, Missouri. Her mentally retarded brother lives with them and helps with the upkeeep of Pratt's Caverns, the small business left to them by Neal's parents. Her godmother, Hallie, talks of the upcoming retirement party for Jesse's mother, an English teacher at the local high school. Jesse is content but still wonders about her first love, Marty Finch. In the second, Jesse is an English professor in New York City, something she thought her mother would be proud of, but isn't. She also lives with her lover, Kit, who plays vampy Nurse Rhonda on a soap opera. Jesse is taking her to her mother's retirement party in New Jerusalem, Missouri, unsure of how the family will react to the two of them together. Her godmother Hallie has always known. Jesse thinks that Kit is going to leave her, especially when Jesse's mother asks her to take in her retarded brother Willie. But, in the back of her mind, she still wonders if she was being used by Marty Finch on that day in Mexico City. In the third, a divorced Jesse lives in Venus Beach, Florida, with her children Anthony and Sharon. Anthony's had a run-in with the law, and now, his father is on his way from New York to "take care of things." Just what Jesse needs. Her godmother Hallie, who moved to Florida a few years after Jesse, is returning from Jesse's mother's retirement party back in Missouri. She feels as though life has passed her by and wonders if anything really happened between her and Marty Finch, or if it were all just a dream. Each scenario has many of the same characters (Kit, Hallie, Willie, Jesse's mother, Marty Finch) and similar situations, giving the reader a feeling of looking at lives running parallel to one another. This novel does a marvelous job of weaving together these three scenarios of choices made or passed by and how these choices affect the future and the emotional ties between Jesse and the people in her past. A thought-provoking book, definitely worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Another author recommended this one, however...
Review: Michael Cunningham (who wrote the fabulous book THE HOURS) recommended this book. I can see how he liked the stance of a woman who is a champion swimmer and takes a dive into three different scenarios of how her life could have been. I suppose it's up to the reader to decide which is the TRUE story (if one wants to go that route). Alas, the book didn't flow as well as I would have liked. There were some memorable lines though: "I don't want you to think I'm after your secrets. I'm not. I'm just looking for a way in." I would have rather it been ONE FULL STORY with her psychological feelings all wrapped together. I guess its just another author trying to be creative. The writer wrote: THE NEXT MINUTE IS AN AQUAMARINE BLUR. I find that amusing now because most of the book will ultimately be a blur. I wouldn't strongly recommend this as it's easy to put down and NOT pick up again. It took some strain for me to finish. I like a book that I can't wait to read...try MEMOIRS OF HECATE COUNTY by Edmund Wilson instead--quite a literary find!
Rating:
Summary: Another author recommended this one, however...
Review: Michael Cunningham (who wrote the fabulous book THE HOURS) recommended this book. I can see how he liked the stance of a woman who is a champion swimmer and takes a dive into three different scenarios of how her life could have been. I suppose it's up to the reader to decide which is the TRUE story (if one wants to go that route). Alas, the book didn't flow as well as I would have liked. There were some memorable lines though: "I don't want you to think I'm after your secrets. I'm not. I'm just looking for a way in." I would have rather it been ONE FULL STORY with her psychological feelings all wrapped together. I guess its just another author trying to be creative. The writer wrote: THE NEXT MINUTE IS AN AQUAMARINE BLUR. I find that amusing now because most of the book will ultimately be a blur. I wouldn't strongly recommend this as it's easy to put down and NOT pick up again. It took some strain for me to finish. I like a book that I can't wait to read...try MEMOIRS OF HECATE COUNTY by Edmund Wilson instead--quite a literary find!
Rating:
Summary: A nice "what if" tale
Review: The "what if" genre of fiction seems popular both in books and in movies today. This book is not just another "Sliding Doors" or "Passion of Mind" work, although being either of those works is not a bad thing to be. Ms. Anshaw wants to illumine character with her plot device--what becomes of an Olympic silver medalist in three alternative scenarios based on different choices the swimmer makes during the next 20 years. The themes of betrayal and its effect on the ability of the betrayed to share intimacy are well spun out here. This is a good book, and the Missouri scenes' atmosphere is very down to earth and real.
Rating:
Summary: A nice "what if" tale
Review: The "what if" genre of fiction seems popular both in books and in movies today. This book is not just another "Sliding Doors" or "Passion of Mind" work, although being either of those works is not a bad thing to be. Ms. Anshaw wants to illumine character with her plot device--what becomes of an Olympic silver medalist in three alternative scenarios based on different choices the swimmer makes during the next 20 years. The themes of betrayal and its effect on the ability of the betrayed to share intimacy are well spun out here. This is a good book, and the Missouri scenes' atmosphere is very down to earth and real.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: This book is on the Planet Out list of the 10 best lesbian novels ever written. My question is, why? I thought it would be an interesting concept to have three different endings for the same story. It wasn't. The middle story isn't bad, but the first and third stories aren't interesting at all. The first one asks you to believe that someone who went to the Olympics and then had a pretty cosmopolitan experience ended up basically barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. The third one is even more confusing. And what's with the ending? Which life is it supposed to be? Save your money and don't buy this.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing book with interesting twists
Review: This book was in the new book section of my college library, I thought it looked intersting so I picked it up. Boy am I glad that I did. This book was awesome. It portrays the story of a woman who had a very promising career in swimming but missed her shot at the big time. The story branches off from the moment Jesse looses the big meet. It chronicles her life three different ways, a "what if" concept. The stories are told in a great way. They are very real and I could indentify with each character. you ant to finish the book qickly to see what happens to Jesse but you don't want to miss a single thing in this book. It was awesome and well worth the read. The author of this book will go very far. I loved it and would tell anyone to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book with interesting twists
Review: This book was in the new book section of my college library, I thought it looked intersting so I picked it up. Boy am I glad that I did. This book was awesome. It portrays the story of a woman who had a very promising career in swimming but missed her shot at the big time. The story branches off from the moment Jesse looses the big meet. It chronicles her life three different ways, a "what if" concept. The stories are told in a great way. They are very real and I could indentify with each character. you ant to finish the book qickly to see what happens to Jesse but you don't want to miss a single thing in this book. It was awesome and well worth the read. The author of this book will go very far. I loved it and would tell anyone to read it.
Rating:
Summary: This Book took my breath away!
Review: This is a book filled with remarkable, vividly drawn characters and places. Smartly interwoven stories told with such splendid honesty and powerful moments that the reader feels compelled to turn the page. If you miss Aquamarine you have missed a beautifully written story.
Rating:
Summary: the pages will fly by
Review: this was a brilliantly written book that i only barely managed to put down. it did a great job of keeping me interested, and it's subtle, witty details made me smile. anshaw covered all the bases with her snappy little work, aquamarine. when finished, you will be left thinking of jesse, and maybe even, of yourself.
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