Rating: 
Summary: Insulting
Review: Anita Shreve is a fabulous write who takes oft done topics to a new level. I was however deeply disppointed with her latest effort. Shreve continually does a dis-service to the grand continent of Africa. For starters, she referred to it as a country instead of a continent. She then proceeds to talk about Kenya as though their culture encompasses that of all of Africa. Most insulting of all, is Shreve's portryal of African people and their homeland. I am not an African but having visited the continent, I know it to be far more than she describes; far more than that for which she gives credit. I do understand that Shreve was writing in context but it seemed to be the context of the expected, not that of the realistic. That said, the novel also lacks umph in its ending. It seemed rushed and the lack of explanation of it all, the lack of a why, was devastating. I gave the novel three stars for the quality of writing and not much else.
Rating: 
Summary: The Last TimeThey Met
Review: This book is wonderful...you will drift into Thomas' and Linda's world in an instant. If only this type of passion existed in all of us. I applaud Anita Shreve's writing, it is magnificent and breathtaking. The character's thoughts are endearing and touch very close to home. We have all had that first true love...so sit back and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprise ending transforms novel
Review: Anita Shreve's latest novel presents some problems for the reviewer. Reading it, I found certain elements of character, motivation and maturity baffling, even annoying, despite the beauty of the writing. The surprise ending, however, cast these apparent flaws in a new light, giving subtle, poignant meaning and transforming the story. But it's impossible to discuss any of this without giving away the ending.A story of intense, enduring, but frustrated love, the novel begins with the two protagonists in their early fifties, meeting at a literary festival after an interlude of some years. Linda Fallon and Thomas Janes, both poets, are free now, for the first time since their high school romance ended over an automobile accident. Widowed, Linda had a long, happy marriage while Thomas, twice divorced, never fully recovered from the death of his 6-year-old daughter, which occurred at the end of Shreve's "Weight of Water." Thomas was the husband of that book's protagonist and there are numerous references to the shipboard events of that novel from Thomas' point of view. (I wondered: Did Shreve have this novel in mind even then; is that why she killed off the little girl, an abrupt shock which seemed pointless in that context?) The first section is told from Linda's point of view - the reunion, her cautious renewal of this first love, reflections on her marriage, problems with her children. In sharp, anguished exchanges, they revisit the events that tore them apart. Linda, still harboring resentments, seems brooding, tentative, a little irritating. "He seemed taken aback by the contest. She knew what later she would mind this the most; that she'd become common in her anger. That in an instant, she'd reinvented herself as a shrew." The second section jumps back more than 20 years to their affair in Africa, seen through Thomas' eyes. An accidental meeting, both married, snatched, torrid graplings, literary love letters, all of it ending badly in a cataclysmic clash of duty and jealousy. Thomas, a more immediate, passionate presence, though no less conflicted, brings the heat and turmoil of Africa to bear on an illicit relationship which walls itself off from outside influence. "Were there people, he wondered, who had genuine, more-or-less continuous fun when they fell in love? It didn't seem possible, the enterprise too fraught to sustain the lightheartedness fun required." Thomas' wives - Regina, whose lack of confidence makes her ugly and desperate and Jean, mother of Billie, adulterer - both seem remote, unloved, and mildly repellant. Thomas himself seems to be drifting, fully engaged only in his writing. Thinking of Regina, he reflects: "What she wouldn't forgive, he knew, was the pleasure the writing gave him: sensual and tactile, a jolt that ran through him when it worked. Always, he was writing in his head; at parties, he craved to be at a desk. He sometimes thought it was the only honest conduit he had to the world around him, all other endeavors, even his marriage (Jesus, especially his marriage), lost in the excessive caution of failed expectations and injured feelings." The final section regresses in time again to the high school days of their first love. Told from Linda's viewpoint, this beginning has a spontaneous and organic feel, capturing the tentative, self-conscious forays of adolescent emotional and intellectual exploration, the blossoming of passion and respect, the surge of lustful love. Orphaned Linda is the poor, despised relation in a poor, overcrowded family. Thomas is the scion of privilege. A victim of sexual abuse, Linda struggles to overcome her fears; Thomas works hard to comprehend them. Together they are lovely, full of joy and fear. It's the best section of the book and I'm sure Shreve intended it to be. This is a novel for book groups. Readers will enjoy discussing the ending with others, arguing about its meaning, its repercussions, how it colors everything that went before, the subtleties Shreve employs, her handling of obsession, loss and, well, you'll see.
Rating:
Summary: Could not stop reading!
Review: I have read most of Shreve's books and with the exception of "The Pilot's Wife" (which I found too predictable) I have been impressed by her writing style. But this book was her best and so "gripping", I had a hard time putting it down. I think most of us have a past relationship that has made us who we are and the one between Linda and Thomas was so intense and mysterious I was hooked from the beginning. The ending still perplexes me and I will think about these characters for along time to come!
Rating: 
Summary: What is the big deal about this book?
Review: This is the first Anita Shreve book I've read and maybe I'm just not comfortable with her style but frankly this book just didn't get to me. I kept thinking it would grab me but it never did. I didn't [care] what happened to the main characters. They seemed totally self absorbed and not in the least likable. I was glad to get thru it and put it away. ... I doubt I'll read another of her books.
Rating:
Summary: Languishing Sentiment
Review: The story begins with Linda, the object of Thomas' love, but the story is really about Thomas, a poet. The relationship starts in high school & is severed for the first time when the two are involved in a car accident. Years later they meet in Africa, where they begin a short lived affair. They meet again at a writer's conference, over 25 years later. Ultimately, Thomas learns that there are consequences to his decisions, missed opportunities, time lost. The story was a disappointment, too slow paced, the only excitement - the denouement at the end. The story labors over Thomas' feelings, but there is little elaboration on Linda's feelings - her personality seems flat, almost indifferent. The story reads like a bleak rainy day.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I have read all of Anita Shreves books and have enjoyed them , however her latest novel has left me wondering if she wrote this book or had one of her students write it. The ending was disappointing and I found myself daydreaming about other things while I was reading the "meat of the novel" perhaps that is why I did not understand the ending. I hope in the future Ms Shreve will cover some new subjects she is a wonderful storeteller and I will give her another chance, however I couldn't get over the feeling of being gyped and wanted my money and time back after reading the novel Good luck in the future Ms Shreve - Stick to the basics and let Hollywood have the crazy endings....
Rating:
Summary: More about Thomas and the Magdeline Poems...
Review: This "part two" novel about Thomas' undying love for his first sweetheart, Linda (inspiration for the Magdeline Poems in "Weight of the Water") was interesting in that it was written in a reverse order, where the reader knows about "now", but then learns about "then". The frustrating part of this book is that I read "Weight of the Water" first, and was not even remotely interested in how Thomas faired after the tragedy, I was more interested in the main character, Jean and how she did. The most bizarre thing about this book is the last paragraph....WHAT???? They can finally be together after all, when neither has a significant other for once and Thomas does WHAT??? He was basically spineless sappy character throughout both of his marriages and this just proves that is all he was all along. In real life, he would have been lucky to have ONE person love him, much less three!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is the first book I've read by Anita Shreve and I intend to go back and read her previous works. Like most of you, I read often so I am rarely captivated by a book and most often can guess at the ending. Not so here, I could not put it down, and as the other reviews mention, I plan to read again. Thanks, Anita, for giving me such a great story.
Rating:
Summary: What a Disappointment!
Review: What was she thinking publishing this? Too many underdeveloped subplots/characters. The flash forwards, backwards, and sideways gave this book a feel of reading someones notes on what to write about that accidently was sent and published.
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