Fortune's Rocks

Rating:
Summary: Visually charming but ultimately a letdown.
Review: I enjoyed this book almost until the final few chapters. Although I enjoy "happy endings," this one wraps up a little too cute - and it didn't ring true for the characters that had been developed up to that point. Shreve makes the New Hampshire coast sound amazing and the character detail is excellent - I had no trouble picturing every place and person. My only complaint was the final third of the book did not jive with the first part. The ending was hollow and unenjoyable because of this.

Rating:
Summary: This left a lot to be desired.
Review: It started out good and I was intriqued. But, I must confess that I was disappointed. GREATLY. This book gave the impression that it's ok to just leave a wife and children because, "you want too". It was too easy and left a really bad taste in my mouth. Not even the time period of this book was realistic. This would never have happened. I just didn't buy it and had no respect for the characters. A real let-down.

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing change
Review: Having finished "The Weight of Water", which I enjoyed, I decided to give this book a try. The 19th century style language was a little unfarmiliar to me, yet a refreshing change from past novels I've read recently. I felt for Olympia as a confused young woman. John, however, should've known better, especially with a family. I was disappointed with Shreves' discription of the towns. I live on the New Hampshire seacoast and I could not picture any of settings. All in all I really enjoyed this book- a very fast read.

Rating:
Summary: I Liked It
Review: If you just want a good read on a Sunday afternoon, this is it

Rating:
Summary: a passionate story of love conquering all
Review: I absolutely loved Fortune's Rocks and I think it's one of Anita Shreve's best! However, every novel of hers that I've read thus far could be considered her best. I've read the Pilot's Wife, the Weight of Water, Strange Fits of Passion, and now Fortune's Rocks (in that order) and every story is so beautiful and every character so real that I find when I'm reading one of her novels, everything else is no longer a priority. I don't want to give anything away for anyone who is about to read this book so I'll just say that, as always, Anita Shreve has developed her characters so well that when I was finished with this book I was so sad that I could no longer be a part of their lives. I reccomend this book to any fans of Anita Shreve.

Rating:
Summary: Good til the end
Review: This book was most enjoyable until the last 10 pages. Everything came together too pat. I would have preferred a more somber ending.

Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: The story was predictible...the writing so so. I expected more from Ms. Shreve. Stick with Anne Lamott or Kaye Gibbons.

Rating:
Summary: A Great, Great Read
Review: This is one of the best books I've read. I'm a big fan of Anita Shreve, and she certainly didn't let me down with this one. I especially enjoyed the writing/language style, which I believe is reminescent of what early 20th century writing is like. The characters (especially Olympia and Haskell) are well developed, and I felt as though I knew them. Although the plot was a little fundamental, it grabbed me and held my interest throughout. I tend to judge a book by how much I think about the characters and the plot when I'm not reading it, and "Fortune's Rocks" pulled me away from necessary chores on several occasions.

Rating:
Summary: An elegant read but not a great romance novel: part 2
Review: Fortune's Rocks is a very cinematic novel. I can just imagine Ishmail Merchant and James Ivory obtaining the film rights and producing a gorgeous, lush and sumptuous period drama with Reece Witherspoon as Olympia and a grey haired Jeremy Northham as John. It certainly has all the attributes and hallmarks of an eloquently beautiful E.M Forster nineteenth century costume epic such as A Room With a View. As I was reading I had visions of Reece Witherspoon dressed in taffeta, lace and silk wondering elegantly along the sea wall of Fortune's Rocks. She stands wistfully and looks out at the ocean thinking passionately of John (aka Jeremy Northam!). Perhaps other reviewers have misinterpreted Shreve's aims and objectives in writing this novel.Fortune's Rocks is not merely a pedophiliac take on human relationships; rather she presents a relationship that is remarkably honest and beautiful. The novel is in reality an indepth exploration of adolescent longing and sexual passion and like her earlier novels, Shreve is effectively exploring the ramifications of "forbiddden love". Adultery, illicit love and betrayal are subjects that interest the author and those who are sickened by the subject matter need to take a far closer look at Shreve's insights. The age gap is not the issue; rather the act of betrayal and the concept of a love that by societal standards can never be consumated is the real issue here. The setting is 1899 and a new century is dawning. Along with this new century comes a loosening of social mores. Olympia's character reflects this. She is stoically independent and her actions in fighting for the return of Pierre show that although she is a woman, she is also a formidable foe. Her affair and subsequent ostracism from society WAS terrible but at the heart of this disaster came something good. Her new found vocation, her vitality and her independence of spirit are her triumphs.

Rating:
Summary: Elegant but not a great romance novel
Review: The first half of Fortune's Rocks is a stunningly sexy and poetically elegant treatis on adolescent love. I found the build up to Olympia's affair with John Haskell quite startling, however, it seems to get bogged down as it goes and the plot mechanics slow, especially in the final quarter. It almost comes across as a "half baked" melodramatic court room drama. On some levels the novel works but it certainly doesn't live up to the wonderful Weight of Water, Shreve's earlier historical drama. Although like The Pilot's Wife, Fortune's Rocks is certainly a page turner. The reader throughout most of the novel does become involved in the characters' emotions and there is a feeling of dread effectively produced, especially in the first half: we know Olympia and John are going to be discovered, it's only a matter of where and when. After the initial discovery of the affair though, we know that the socially down trodden girl is going to ultimately triumph. The characters tend to be either stock stereotypes or too underdeveloped. Olympia's foreboding staunchly rigid and ultimately forgiving father, the handsome John, and the ineffectual, bland mother. This is certainly no masterpiece of literature with its generic, formulaic plot. However, the characters' for all their idiosyncrasies are likable and at least Shreve makes an attempt to develop Olympia's character.