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Summary: Set Aside A Weekend for This One...
Review: Ann Packer's _The Dive From Clausen's Pier_ is riveting and full of surprises. Twentysomething Carrie Bell, who's lived her whole life in Madison, Wisconsin, is forced to make heart-wrenching life decisions after her fiancee (whom she'd already decided she didn't want to marry--but didn't tell anyone) takes a dive into a shallow lake and is paralyzed. I was reluctant to read this, as I usually don't care for "sweet" books--but Packer took me repeatedly by storm. Whether your usual reading material runs more along the lines of Tobias Wolff or _The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood_, _The Dive From Clausen's Pier_ is worth a read. Don't be deceived by the soft-sounding back cover; this book is solid through and through--full of character, details, and surprises.
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Summary: Boring!
Review: I was really disappointed by this book, given the great reviews. I found the characters not believable and the dialogue awkward. It was boring and I finally put it down after struggling through the first half of the book. Don't waste your summer on this one!
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Summary: A Beautifully-Written Book
Review: Carrie is the narrator of her own story in this heart-wrencher. She has spent all her life in Madison, Wisconsin, and is engaged to her high school sweetheart. She has begun to have doubts about their future together when he (Mike) has a diving accident which leaves her numb. She doesn't know what to do and finds herself having trouble relating to his family, her family, and all her life-long friends. This story explores questions of loyalty, love, friendship and sacrifice. And, the ultimate recommendation, it made me cry... a lot. And I can't stop thinking about it.
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Summary: Sewn into a great book
Review: This book begins with one of the most horrible experiences a person could ever have to go through.It never goes away you just learn to cope a little better. We all know what its like to find out we have a certain illness or problem that can be corrected by a pill or surgery. Carrie Bell is a lovely healthy young woman who is put in the position of having to be both a doctor, psychiatrist, girlfriend and enemy at times. What would you do if this happened to your spouse or boyfriend of seven years? Do you runaway and start a new life only to find out you will never be the able to just be you?This is a great story of making decisions about who you are when it comes to handling tragedy.Most of us have lost a loved one and went through our griefing period and moved on but in this story there is always grief and the reminder of what could of been. I enjoyed this book for keeping my attention all the way to the end. Take the time and read this compelling story of love, losses and finding out who you really are.
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Summary: Readers will be engaged with this novel's plot and setting
Review: THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER opens with an immediate tragedy to draw readers in to the story. Mike, showing off for his somewhat disgruntled fiancée Carrie, dives into some water and seriously injures himself. He is comatose for a period of time and, when he awakens, it is discovered that he is paralyzed. Though first impressions may suggest that the novel will focus on Mike and his recovery, in reality the central focus is on Carrie and her arrival to self-discovery.This tragedy begins Carrie's journey, literally and figuratively speaking. Carrie is feeling pressured by expectations; the expectations are those of Mike, his family, his friends and, most importantly, Carrie herself. Carrie feels she is expected to be there for Mike during his recovery, whether she wants to be or not. Mike and Carrie were having problems in their relationship before the accident. However, Carrie now feels obligated to stay with Mike throughout his recovery, given the circumstances. She almost begins to lose herself and her identity to Mike and the pressures of his recovery. Carrie ends up spending most of her time at the hospital instead of at her job. She feels guilty about doing anything other than sitting by Mike's bedside and even thinks she should give up her own life because of Mike's injury. She is identified at the hospital as Mike's fiancée, not as her own person. Eventually the pressure becomes too much for Carrie, and she takes off to New York City to stay with a friend from school. This allows her time away from her obligations caused by Mike's injury. While there, she runs into Kilroy, a man who she met briefly at a co-worker's house. Kilroy intrigues Carrie and she finds herself drawn to him, almost in spite of herself. Carrie and Kilroy begin a love affair, though it seems to follow Kilroy's terms and conditions. Carrie also begins taking fashion design classes while in the city. This opens up a new part of Carrie that has not yet been tapped into, helping her to regain her own identity. Gradually, Carrie begins to head home. Readers will find themselves swept up in Carrie's displacement when she finally returns. Her best friend is very angry with her and isn't speaking to her. Her relationship with Mike is unclear. His family and friends seem to almost resent the fact that she is back. Slowly, Carrie begins to find some sort of peace within herself. She starts making decisions that are right for her. She repairs her relationship with her best friend and reaches some sort of understanding with Mike. Carrie is a character who readers will become involved with on an emotional level. Readers will respond to her feelings and admire the strength that she finds at the end of the book. This novel has many interesting elements to it: a love story (or two, if you count Carrie and Kilroy), an interesting setting (New York City), and a plot that has many twists and turns to keep readers engaged. Despite its tragic beginning, this novel ends on a positive note. --- Reviewed by Melissa A. Martin
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Summary: soap opera stuff with too many adjectives
Review: Is knowing that Carrie's mother has a red and orange scrubby at her kitchen sink really integral to this moralistic, middle-American tale of a female doing the right thing in the end? It's page-filling pap, as high school short story writing by someone who visited New York twice in the 1980's. If you like non-poetic fipperary with the odd requisite erection, this is the book for you.
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Summary: amazingly good but also very sad
Review: Carrie Bell, aged 23, is already questioning her settling down with Mike, her fiancee whom she has dated since age 14, when a fateful dive in shallow water on Memorial Day puts him in a coma and then reveals he is a quadriplegic. Carrie is the narrator and she always has been in her hometown of Madison, WI, with the same friends and family she has known all her life (Mike, her best friend Jamie, Jamie's whole family, Mike's whole family, Mike's best friend Rooster.) Carrie retreats into her hobby of sewing as she grapples with the fact that it is Mike who is suffering, not her, yet she knows she hurts as well. A chance encounter at a dinner party makes her drive to New York City without a goodbye to anyone. Now Carrie has everything she was missing in Wisconsin -- including a new boyfriend named Kilroy --- but has she lost herself? The problem is Carrie never really formed a self -- she was always defined by everyone who knew her since childhood. This is like a coming-of-age story, which is odd as the woman in question is already 23. Her quaint hobby of sewing is a good metaphor as she progresses throughout the year after the accident, and interesting since most people today don't sew at home.
Rating: 
Summary: Average read
Review: This book is an enjoyable easy read, although I believe the author left many characters hanging at the end of the book. She develops a few characters that the reader never gets to find out what is really going on with them. I was a little dissapointed when I finished the book.
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Summary: I'm as confused as Carrie...
Review: First of all, I have to say that I found it difficult to put this book down. It also raised many of the important questions in my head that I'm sure it was supposed to. And, at times, I even found myself identifying with the main character, Carrie Bell. That being said, I should explain why I only gave this book 3 stars. My problem with the book started off with my impression that Ann Packer has never actually been to Madison, Wisconsin. Sure, she knows street names, and she never lets you forget the fact that there are 2 lakes, and that Picnic Point juts out into one of them. But Carrie is supposed to be merely 23, and has lived in Madison her entire life--even going to UW. She should at least know some simple things like the fact that there are 2 student unions, more than 10 university operated libraries, and that NO ONE calls Mifflin St. "Miffland" anymore--no one probably has since the 60s. I was offended, also, by the enormous stereotypes that Ms. Packer put all of her characters into, be it those who were born and bred in WI, or those in NY. Believe it or not, not everyone in Madison is dowdy, sunny-dispositioned, and simple. Especially living near the university. There are plenty of transplants--primarily from the east coast--that diversify the city. Ms. Packer should actually visit Madison sometime. She might be surprised. I bought this book after a year of debating with myself whether or not I should. The main reason was because it was finally in paperback and on sale. I'm glad I didn't pay full price. For while I can say that it was a page-turning "beach read", I can't say that I am interested in reading any more of Ms. Packer's offerings.
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Summary: Hit Close to Home
Review: This book hit very close to home for me. I am the same age as Carrie, and I too have sometimes felt that maybe my boyfriend and I shouldn't be together anymore. The Dive From Clausen's Pier is the story of 23-year-old Carrie, who is in a long-term relationship with a man she can't imagine herself with forever. He is not a bad man, just not right for her. In the very first chapter, her boyfriend is involved in an accident that leaves him paralyzed. The question posed by the book is "How much do we owe the people we love?" This is an important question. Mike after all, is not a bad guy. Her decision would be easy if he hit her or were otherwise abusive. All of this happens very early in the book. The remainder is Carrie's journey to discover herself and make a decision as to how to live the rest of her life. How much does she owe Mike? Some readers have called some of her actions selfish - they are right. But what 23 year old hasn't made a selfish decision? And imagine being in her position - I know for me I see many possibilities for my future and none involve taking care of a quadriplegic. Selfish? Maybe. Real? Yes. For the time I was reading this book I became very emotionally attached to the story, perhaps because I could see so many parallels between my life and Carrie's. I had several nightmares where my boyfriend became paralyzed, and he couldn't wait for me to finish it since it was all I could talk about! Any book that draws me in like that and hits me on such a personal level is worth reading. But as with any book, I am sure not everyone will have the same reaction. There were some flaws. As some readers have mentioned, there are a few annoying characters, and a few awkward scenes (I do not have a problem with sex in books, but these scenes seems out of place and almost silly.) But all in all, I enjoyed the experience.
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