Rating: 
Summary: Is Anita Shreve having a joke at our expense?
Review: I admire Ms. Shreve's talent and enjoyed all of her books until I read "Fortune's Rock" or I should say started to read "Fortune's Rock." I finally abandoned it because I could not find a single character who was not totally self absorbed. The idea of a spoiled 15 year old child seducing a middle aged, married friend of her father is nearly as disgusting as the idea of the lecher consumating sex with the child. I hope this is a departure for Ms. Shreve and that she will return to the mature and sensitive themes she has explored in the past.
Rating: 
Summary: A touching book about more than one theme
Review: I was very moved by this book. What astonished me when reading the other reviews is that they gave the impression that there were only two topics in this book: A dramatic love story and the landscape of New Hampshire. But in fact the book set me thinking about many other things which today are as important as a hundred years ago. For example, the dilemma (in some cases) between universal rights and the respect for cultural minorities (see the court scenes!). The problem of survival of languages. The question of how to deal with teenage pregnancies. Women's education. The changes imagined at the beginning of a new century. And there's more... However, for me the core of the book was the part describing Olympia's separation from her child and her struggle to get him back. In fact there are many passages which completely blew me away. For example the part, somewhere shortly after she has learnt about her son's first name, while not yet having met him, where she daydreams about "a boy called Peter" on her lap and telling him things about the world. Such a natural and unspectular scene, and yet in this case something so remote and unreachable. Maybe one needs to have small children of one's own in order to imagine the pain. And what's worse, the reader knows at this point that it is most probably already too late, that even if she got her child back their relations wouldn't ever be that easy and natural. I think that the ending of the book, which has been criticized by other reviewers as too cute, is a beautiful compromise. I do not agree that it is a happy ending. There is no delusion about the most irreparable loss: the lost years.
Rating: 
Summary: Had a Hard Time with Child Abuse Disguised as Love!
Review: I had a hard time reading this and feeling empathy for a 41 year old married man and a 15 year old girl. Granted, times were different in 1900 than they are today, but really! Ms. Shreve's writing is excellent. Her imagery is great. But why have a 41 year old man having sex with a 15 year old? How can most people relate to that and feel empathy for these characters?
Rating:
Summary: Very passionate! Highly recommended!
Review: A very passionate and emotional book. I could not put it down. Anite Shreve knows how to pull you in and not let go. Very well-written and touching. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Jane Austenish Romance
Review: If you like movies by Merchant-Ivory and books by Jane Austen, you'll probably love Fortune's Rocks. Shreve strays from her contemporary novels to write a turn-of-the-century romance, complete with all the anguish of a woman facing her limited choices in life. Shreve tries to portray the flavor of the times by using period dialogue, which works well once the reader gets accustomed to it. Although the book's ending is a bit pat, I for one was glad it ended as it did. Shreve can get rather gloomy. This was a nice change of pace, and Shreve knows just how to hook the reader with everything she writes.
Rating:
Summary: This is Anita Shreve's best!
Review: From the first page, I found Shreve's writing style more compelling than ever. This is a very sensual book. One can feel the warmth of the sun, hear the rustle of Olympia's dress, and feel the sand between the toes (for beginners). I was impressed that Ms. Shreve could weave a story from such distasteful subject matter into something evoking real empathy for all of the characters. Of course, she has done that to a certain degree with her other books... taken totally unthinkable situations and shown us the extremes of human behavior, making us see how such situations could occur. Being a romantic, I hoped for a happy ending. But I thought if it turned out to be so, the story might be done an injustice, possibly losing its depth. What a wonderful turn of events to have the happy ending and find my own expectations to be erroneous. Anita's writing has fascinated me for a quite a while now. She's made real strides with each book. This really is her finest hour.
Rating:
Summary: Very Compelling
Review: I found that I could not put this book down. This is a book that, once you finish it, it is not yet finished with you. Also loved the fact that it took place on the coast of NH ,it brought me home for a while.
Rating:
Summary: Anita,YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!
Review: I feel this is in the ranks of earlier classics. It was for me a very fast read that I enjoyed from beginning to end. I found Olympia a very strong young lady that at the turn of the century was not so unbelievable; unlike today. Mature beyond her years she faces terrible dilimas. Shreve shows this character as a senitive person that has to make a very diffcult decision that she will have to live with the rest of her life. I don't know who could not like this book. I only wish there would have been more development at the end of the story. Read it, you'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: It started off very slow and boring, but picked up with a good love story and a surprise ending. I really enjoyed listing to the tapes. I loved the ending.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly disappointing
Review: A 41 year old molests a 15 year old. There is nothing romantic, engaging or entertaining about this sad tale.
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