Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing At Best
Review: I was very disappointed with this book. I picked it up at a used book sale solely based upon the fact it was a past selection from Oprah's Book Club.The characters were so weakly painted and shallowly portrayed the only ones I was more than vaguely interested in were Jack's children, Jack and Kathryn's daughter and Kathryn's grandmother. In fact, I found it amusing that one of the readers on this page referred to Kathryn as a stay-at-home wife when she was a music teacher at the local high school... her job is mentioned several times throughout the book.... Though the way the book reads I am not surprised he didn't pick up on it! The story was predictable except for a couple surprises which were so jarring they annoyed me more than anything else. From the first chapter I could have fast forwarded to the end with amazing accuracy. I did read it quickly, mostly because I wanted to get to the end AND there was no intriguing, interesting or poetic writing or character development to get in the pathway of my journey through the 291 pages. The only reason the book gets 2 stars from me is because it did compel me to keep reading.... If only to confirm my prophetic view of the story.....which I managed quite efficiently.
Rating: 
Summary: Largely Fascinating
Review: Within an instant, Kathryn Lyon's normal life is forever changed. When the news comes that her pilot husband, Jack, and those on board his plane have died in a mysterious crash, Kathryn is numb with shock and disbelief. Comforted only by her grandmother, daughter, and airline investigator Robert Hart, she is totally unaware of the horrible circumstances that surround her husband's death. But as Kathryn tries to find out more about the death of her husband, she cannot help but be pulled deeper and deeper into a mystery that forces her to realize that she never knew her husband at all. If nothing else, Anita Shreve has penned a compelling and "tightly written" mystery. Her excellent writing just makes a person want to read one more page, and her revelations of Kathryn's character are fascinating and well timed. She skillfully includes flashbacks that reveal scenes from Jack and Kathryn's former life, filling these flashbacks with subtle clues to Jack's personality and deep insights that enhance the book. Not many other writers could fill a book with virtually nothing but the musings of a grieving woman, but Shreve could. With intelligence and fascinating detail she develops her main character, providing excellent passages of description and knowing exactly how to craft a mystery. However, I was somehow a little disappointed at the end of this book. Suspense was built so superbly somehow the book's resolution seemed inadequate. The final "revelations" were somewhat unremarkable, and the book seemed to "drift" away instead of coming to a strong finish. Furthermore, Jack's motivations for doing what he did were rather unexplained, vague, and unconvincing. Basically, it's a shame that the book didn't finish as faultlessly as it began. Despite a somewhat weak ending, I'm still giving "The Pilot's Wife" four stars. Anita Shreve's writing style is superb, her mystery entices even non-mystery lovers like myself, and her main character is fascinating. Best of all, the book serves as an enlightening exploration of the question, "How well can you really know anyone?"
Rating: 
Summary: COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! FANTASTIC READ!
Review: I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. I highly recommend it and would probably read it again...it was just that kind of book. I am still a little confused about the very end though. A must summer read!
Rating:
Summary: Unexpected!
Review: The Pilot's Wife was excellent! I just couldn't put it down! I read Sea Glass, but didn't like it. This book turned me back onto Anita Shreve.
Rating:
Summary: An attention-getter
Review: This novel held my attention from the very beginning. Shreve captures the emotional tumult and confusion following the death of a loved on. These feelings are multiplied for Kathryn due to the shocking secrets surrounding her husband's life and death.
Rating:
Summary: For anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one
Review: I'll be brief... if you've ever experienced the loss of a loved one, particularly a husband, this book is for you. Anita accurately portrays the grief of losing a loved one; the thought process (or lack thereof), the conflicting feelings, etc. It is so easy to identify with Kathryn.
Rating:
Summary: A real page turner
Review: This was my first book of Shreve's I read and I loved it, getting through the 1st couple of chapters was a little hard but once I got to know and understand the characters I couldn't put it down. I loved the story line and thought she did a wonderful job. I have passed this book onto many and all have thought it was a great read. I highly recommend this book!!
Rating: 
Summary: fly away!
Review: Anita Shreve has a good story for readers here -- "Kathryn Lyons" finds out her husband, Jack - a pilot - has crashed his plane. Robert Hart shows up at Kathryn's doorstep and brings her the bad news: Jack is gone. But as the story takes flight, Kathryn falls deeper and deeper into not just depression, but also into the dark buried secrets that Jack had been living in and with. The idea of her marriage basically plunged into the sea with Jack himself. And, as the story goes on, the reader might find the story itself plunging slowly into an interesting yet dissapointing plot.
Kathryn knew, "...the divers would not find Jack, that he no longer existed." And the Jack she thought she knew never really existed either, which brings a message: Don't trust what you hear, trust what you see. And look hard. But, if you are looking for a skeleton, you may find another life in the closet...
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding Narrative
Review: Shreve did in this book what she failed to do in most of her other books: hold your interest from beginning to end and create likeable characters. I could not put this book down until it was read (and I know two other people who felt the same). These characters were real and courageous. Some of the moments were so true to the heart of human experience that my cheeks were wet reading them. And, as icing on the cake, there are a few surprises to pick up the blood pressure along the way. This is a truly great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Remind me to ignore...
Review: the bestsellers lists. Pedestrian writing style and incredibly boring characters (the most interesting one is the pilot and he's dead...). Just one more book about one more woman who's been through SO much but finds the strength in her noble woman's heart to rise above it and carry on. Another Pity Party...puleeeeze.
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