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Summary: Last Page
Review: I've never read a book where it was so necessary to read all the way to the last page to understand the whole novel! For anyone who hasn't read it but intends to, don't read the end until you really get to it (my suggestion). Pretty interesting. I recommend it.
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Summary: complex, involved characters make for a intriguing read
Review: Anita Shreve has done it again. A master of detail, Ms. Shreve sets the stage for readers to plunge into this book with its first page. Like the wind from the revolving door in the first scene, her reader audience is pulled into the lives of Linda and Thomas, two people who meet again after many years and who share a past.Set against the dreay streets of Boston and the brilliance of Africa, the reader is swept into the lives of two very complex characters' lives (Thomas, again, makes a appearance from Shreve's The Weight of Water) and the choices they make, not to be satified until the last page of the novel. Rich in detail, fascinating in dialogue, with unique plot twists, this is a book you will want your book club to read and you will want to have in your library. An excellent read. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Roller coaster reading!!
Review: Very wordy!! Too much description of seemingly non-descript people. Couldn't put the book down, I was addicted and excited based on her other books. I was hoping for a real show stopping ending but what I got was CONFUSED? What was the unspeakable thing Linda did? Was Thomas ever alive? Was this a story that he or Linda wrote? I am lost and confused and sadly disappointed. I am tempted to read it again just to see what I missed!!
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Summary: response to short hills, nj
Review: If you haven't read this book, please disregard the "review" from the respondent in Short Hills, NJ. To even THINK about equating this book with the tv show Dallas, tells you where that person is coming from. This is by far Ms. Shreve's most compelling book. I loved it. But I can also see why many people may feel cheated. DON'T! You read a beautifully written book, and the ending, if you really read and understand the last page, makes the rest of the book all that more touching. For the author to have worked in the plot from The Weight of Water (her 2nd best book) is really tremendous. I found myself thinking, "is this the same guy"? What a talent Ms. Shreve is! There are few authors that I've read that I can't wait for their next novel, she is definitely one of them.
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Summary: Beautifully written
Review: Ms. Shreve has a writing style that is poetic without being lofty and distant. Her descriptions of Africa, particularly the open air bedroom, make the reader actually see what she is describing. You can almost feel the oppressive heat. I liked the Pilot's Wife and chose this book on that basis, but this is a book that I will want to read again and recommend to friends. Generally, I have issues with any popular entertainment that attempts to make a cheating spouse a sympathetic character - hated the English Patient for this reason. For some reason I did not have that reaction to this book, until I was explaining the plot to a friend of mine. There was something timeless and basic about the relationship between Thomas and Linda. Brilliantly written. I recommend it without reservation.
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Summary: A Haunting Experience
Review: I absolutely loved this book (at least up until the very last page). The writing is luminous, the characters real and fascinating,and the plot intriguing. Even the switches in time were handled masterfully. I am amazed at the number of reviewers who disliked this book. I somehow suspect that these are folks who find the idea of a "soul mate" or "one perfect love" ludicrous. The whole story makes no sense if one scoffs at the concept that each person has one "perfect" soul mate, that one can live a successful life and even have a happy marriage without it, but once true loves meet, it is like two halves of a whole finally fitting together. Maybe this is all in my own mind and is not even what Shreve intended to convey, although I can't believe this was nowhere in her mind. In any event, reading this book was a haunting experience that will remain part of myself for a long, long time. Only in the final paragraphs, did I feel shocked and even cheated by the author, but it was not enough to negate the rest of this wonderful story.
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Summary: Pam Ewing's Dream Season All Over Again!!
Review: Do you remember the show Dallas? They killed off one of the main characters (Bobby) at the end of a season. The next year the show received horrible ratings. So on the 1st show of the following season, you are told that last season's episodes were all a dream...Bobby is still alive! And there you have 'The Last Time They Met.' I love surprise, twist endings...such as Edith Wharton's in Roman Fever - one of the best endings EVER!! But this ending makes you think,"why did I even waste my time forcing my way through such a poorly written book?" When you are done reading you can't help but think..this was a complete sham and a waste of my time and effort. This is a book that seems to have been demanded by the publishers in order to follow up the popularity of The Pilots Wife. A definite waste of time!! I have made a point to tell people NOT to read it.
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Summary: An amazing twisting novel.
Review: I loved "The Weight of Water" (which you should read first) and was looking forward to this one. I did find it confusing to an extent (and I went back to figure out some of the twists which really helped over the last few pages.) The ending was breathtaking - and I truly enjoyed the flowing prose, the twists in the story, and the requirement that you stay alert as the book moves along. I will absolutely read more of her works and recommend this one to careful readers looking for a well crafted story.
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Summary: Where or When by Anita Shreve
Review: Having just read the review, by Michelle De La Haye, on the novel by Anita Shreve, Where or When I agree with her completly. The build up of the two central characters, is not only engaging but compulsive reading. The ending stayed with me for many days after I had completed the novel. To say that it is just a love story could be true but what made it so special for me, was the way in which the songs of the two lovers featured (when they first met) was followed through as a central theme. Especially the title, "Where or When" So often a song can take me back to a moment in my life and for that moment, I can relive the emotions I was feeling. Superb novel, but the ending could for me, (feel good) have been so much easier to live with if it could have been just that....feel good. David.
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Summary: The Visitor by Lee Child.
Review: A really great read, a murder mystery but much much more than this. Half way through the book, and I still did not know why Reacher (the main, tough guy character) was involved, if he was involved, and what the main aim of his mission was. There were so many mysteries. So for anyone who likes a tough professional character, like Reacher is, and does not just want a straigtforward "who did it" mystery, then this is for you. Even with the attention to detail the narrative moves like a high speed train. tis Good. David.
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