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Summary: Shreve takes you on an umforgettable ride!
Review: This is possibly the bestbook that i have read in a long time. Anita Shreve does a wonderful job in pulling you into the characters' emotions. No words can describe what a wonderful piece of literature this is.
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Summary: Wasn't this book written in 1900 under a different title?
Review: Say one of those dime novels with a title of "The Undoing of an Unfortunate Family (or the Perils of a Physician and His Lover)". Nah, it couldn't be because while it is stilted and predictable, a bright, loved 15 year old with every advantage who SEDUCES a respected physician with a loving wife and three children after only a few encounters is ridiculous. The book goes on with our heroine defending herself because it was "love and will ever after be" was insulting to me.The trite ending which resolved in a few page was inane and the
"happily ever after" for the two who ruined everyone else's happiness made me gag. Yes, Ms. Shreve, we get it. "Fortune's Rocks"...the ship crashes on the sharp rocks and people's lives are lost...Olympia and Dr. Haskell have "fortunes" and they love their reputations on love's "rocks". I had to keep looking at the cover to make sure I wasn't reading a Harlequin novel. If you want a beach read, get it but stop halfway through...skip to the ending. You won't miss anything and once you read the ending, you'll be glad you didn't waste anymore time on it.
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Summary: Could have been better
Review: This book was just okay. It was fine while I was reading it, but I'd classify it as forgettable. It's nothing spectacular, though it would make fine reading when you don't have anything better at hand. It's a bit better though than Danielle Steel's novels with their interchangeable characters and settings. I do not wish to lambast any writer here, as I have great respect for both Ms. Steel and Ms. Shreve. I only hope to write reviews that give people similar to me in their choice of reading material an idea of what lies ahead before they pick up their next book. FORTUNE'S ROCKS is worth checking out if you are either a Shreve fan or a voracious reader who consumes most every bit of fiction.
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Summary: A classic tale of forbidden love
Review: A May-December romance with star-crossed lovers, the premise of Fortune's Rocks is nothing really new. However, Shreve writes it so compellingly, the story feels fresh. Fifteen year old Olympia Biddeford, a privileged New Englander, finds passion with middle-aged physician John Haskell. They are so darn in love that they recklessly plunder forth in their affair, consequences be damned. And there are consequences-Haskell's wife discovers their affair in a most unpleasant manner, the Biddefords must retreat from high society, and Olympia (not surprisingly) becomes pregnant with a boy who is taken from her as soon as he is born. After being confined for several months, Olympia is sent to a women's school from which she eventually escapes to return to the cottage in the coastal town of Fortune's Rocks, where her passionate affair began. Everything is different now-there is no John Haskell and Olympia is utterly unmoored without family or friends. She attempts to build a life for herself in the cottage, and in the process learns of her now three-year old son's whereabouts. She stakes out the boy's family home until she sees him and then decides what it is she must do-go to court to fight to gain custody of her son. The court scenes are remarkably well-written; Shreve must have done a lot of research to make them so convincing. I had a hard time, however, not peeking ahead to find out the verdict. The ending, as you might expect from Shreve, is not exactly a happy one, but somewhat bittersweet
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Summary: My favorite book by Anita Shreve!
Review: I have to say that I could not put this book down! The story was so interesting to me and each chapter left me craving for more. I love the works of Anita Shreve and this is my favorite yet.
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Summary: Superb prose with powerful story line......
Review: This was my first time reading Anita Shreve. It's certainly not my last, as I'm now reading "Resistance" and have "Eden Close" waiting on the shelf.
I thought Fortune's Rocks was one of the best books I've read in the past 20 years. Shreve's powerful writing is so dynamic, I found myself having to highlight certain sentences so I could return later and savor them all over again.
I found the story to be quite believable, despite the large age difference. I feel, as an author, she was able to convey to the reader that age simply is a number when love is involved. When one encounters that once in a lifetime love, as Olympia did, I fail to see how anything beyond this powerful emotion would be considered. To do so would diminish the very essence of love.
What impressed me the most was the way the author was able to allow the reader to "feel" what both Olympia and Haskell felt with her superb prose. Shreve eloquently contrasted both their intellect and their emotions and gave this reader a compelling read that will be long remembered.
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Summary: I dare say, this bookwill remain my most treasured read ever
Review: I must admit, I'm not an avid reader but when I start reading a book as beautifully written and as exquisite as Fortune's Rocks, I can't stop. This book had me, from its first paragraph to the last word, captivated. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and yet regretted reaching the very moment it would end. I wish there were another 400 pages to continue reading.
Shreve has done an excellent job in painting the perfect setting and describing beautifully the time period of 1899. She has outdone herself in the creation of Olympia Biddeford and John Haskall. Two characters I wish I could know because I have fallen in love with them both. Olympia is a girl I can't even begin to describe, but she has found a place in my soul and I am envious of the her class, character, and most of all her lovestory. It was very hard to let go of her and her story; it was difficult to close the book after the last page.
I can't begin to describe the love, passion, detail and controversy found within the pages of Fortune's Rocks, but I can tell any reader out there not to pass up this story. It has changed the way I feel about love altogether, not just romance, but love for family and children as well.
Please, should the opportunity to read this book land in your lap, take it quickly, for you will have no regrets!
Rating:
Summary: DESERVES 10 STARS
Review: I loved this book - It has taken me 2 long years to find one I enjoyed as much as this book.
If you like this book, then try THE TEA ROSE by Jennifer Donnelly.
Both wonderful books ;)
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: This was the first I have ever read by Anita Shreve but it won't be the last. The story starts out slow but after getting past that part you will not be able to put it down and are disappointed when it ends as you want it to continue. A wonderful love story!
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Summary: Fortune's Rocks-First book I never wanted to end
Review: This was the second book by Anita Shreve that I have read, besides The Pilot's Wife a relative dissapointment to me. So I started Fortune's Rocks not expecting much. Now let me warn you. The first 100 pages practically clunk along until I almost gave up. But by the time I hit page 101 I was hooked and could not put the book down. Olympia Biddeford is 15 years old. She is deleloping sexual pleasures and is looking for a thrill. The book starts when she is walking down the beach in Fortune's Rocks alone when she is on vacation with her family. She enjoys how the men stare at her. She returns to her house where her father Phillip, tells her that she will be meeting his friend, the author John Haskell, later that night. She spends the rest of the day reading his books and when she finally meets him, she falls in love. But, unfortunately, he is marreid with 4 children. But does she care? I don't want to ruin the book for you, but once you get started, you will not be able to put the book down and it will hold you until the last word. A magnificent book. Shreve is one of Americ's truly great writers! You must read this book!
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