Rating: 
Summary: Interesting.
Review: Even though the book interested me at first, I became more than just a bit depressed halfway through the narrative. Even so, I found that I was unable to lay the book down, feeling compelled to complete the story. Although I was dissatisfied with the eventual outcome, the ending still managed to ring true. Indeed, love and jealously were wondrously pitted within the makeup of one individual. The result was disastrous, as can only be expected. If you read this book to feel 'good' about life, marriage and family, then consider picking another novel. However, if you wish to experience life - the good with the bad - the pretty with the ugly, then the character study within this book is well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: too much missing
Review: Though I liked the writing, too much was left unresolved. (Don't read further if you've not read the book). We never learn the details of Etna's relationship with Samuel (either prior to marrying or after). I expected some big revelation that would help define Etna, but alas, it never came...only Nicholas' imagining what happened between Etna and Samuel's family. Also, Etna's final act was not in character...she loved her children so, yet was willing to abandon them? Given her previous acts, and her obvious love for her children, this did not make sense. Another disconnect-if Etna viewed her husband as a "monster," why would she ever leave her children with him? Too many holes to be satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: All I've Ever Wanted...
Review: This is the 5th book by Anita Shreve I've read and they have all been fascinating page-turners that couldn't be put down until the bitter end. And, indeed, every one has a bitter ending -- this one in particular. I now realize... all I've ever wanted is an Anita Shreve novel with a happy ending!! I'm a "glass is half-full optimist" and I'm tiring of reading these compelling stories about pathetic people desperately pursuing lives preordained to tragic disappointment. Yes, the story is personally thought-provoking. Yes, the author is brilliant. Yes, I recommend this book highly and I really should have given it 4 or 5 stars, but I just can't read any more Anita Shreve until a happier story comes along... Will some reviewer please let me know when that happens?
Rating: 
Summary: She's written better books
Review: I didn't like this book at all - I found nothing appealing in the main character and never grew to like him nor did I feel bad for the situation he created for himself. That being said, I didn't like the woman he was obsessed with either. I enjoy books that draw you in and make you feel something for at least one of the characters or the story they are telling, but this book didn't do that for me.
Rating:
Summary: Bleak and dreary
Review: This book is set in a Pennsylvannia college town at the turn of the last century. It is about a man's obsession to possess a woman, ie all he ever wanted. The main character is neither likable nor particularly interesting. The object of his affection, Etna Bliss (and there are some rotten puns on that name)is unappealling as well. So what is there to hold one's attention? The writing is deft and accurate, but it is not enough. I didn't like this story. It was very gloomy and self-consciously literary.
Rating:
Summary: Bleak and dreary
Review: This book is set in a Pennsylvannia college town. It is about a man's obsession to possess a woman, ie all he ever wanted. The main character is neither likable nor particularly interesting. The object of his affection (and there are some rotten puns on that name)is unappealling as well. So what is there to hold one's attention? The writing is deft and accurate, but it is not enough. I didn't like this story. It was very gloomy and self-consciously literary.
Rating: 
Summary: Just drug on and on....
Review: This was so slow... I picked it up with great promise, but it just wasn't a good book. Sometimes i think Shreve gets so side tracked with creating a character and a mood that she forgets something needs to actually HAPPEN sometime in the first four chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Love, Lies and Secrets
Review: "I set out to win the hand of the woman whose voice and hair and skin seemed to have permeated every membrane of my body and breached every boundary of my soul." - Nicholas Van Tassel, 1899.This story is delivered as a recollection by Nicholas Van Tassel, now 64 years old, on his way to Florida by train to attend his sister's funeral. Along his journey Nicholas replays the past in his mind, putting his memoirs to paper. He recalls his past and the choices he's made over the years while reflecting the consequences of those choices. It all took place in New Hampshire, 1899. It started with that terrible fire in the hotel's restaurant. How ironic that what started with a tragedy should end similarly. As fate would have it, Nicholas was dining at that restaurant. Beyond the smoke and chaos, he notices Etna Bliss and is instantly smitten by her. Etna is staying with her uncle who teaches at the same men's college as Nicholas. A courtship begins and quickly progresses until Nicholas proclaims his love for Etna and asks for her hand in marriage. Completely honest with her feelings, Etna agrees to the marriage, although she does not love Nicholas. Fourteen years and two children later, secrets will be revealed and lies will be told, putting this family to the ultimate test. I liked Nicholas in the beginning. A true romantic, seeking out the woman he loves. Later, as he turned desperately conniving, I despised him and his obsession with his nemesis Philip Asher. In the end, I only pitied him. Until the end, which I will not reveal, Etna was a very likeable character. She was very independent and modern-day, especially for a turn-of-the-century woman. I enjoyed the language and tone used in the writing of this piece, finding it easy to follow and enjoyable. However, the story itself left a little to be desired.
Rating: 
Summary: Stick With This Surprising Tale
Review: I am a fan of Anita Shreve, although some of her novels have dipped below par. I was afraid this was one of them, but the longer I stuck with it the more I enjoyed and admired this surprising tale. The language, which seemed stilted at first, became natural in both the appropriateness of the time period and the quirks of the characters. The last thing I expected from this story of unrequited love was a feminist slant, but the Virginia Woolf aspect of the story is very well conceived. Stuffy Professor Nicholas Van Tassel is not a monster, but a prim and proper man of his generation. He reacts to what he perceives as his wife's betrayal in a despicable manner, but probably not much differently than other men of that time would have. We never get much into the head of his unhappy wife, Etna, who keeps her secrets from the reader as well as from her clueless husband. Shreve has taken a chance writing a period novel featuring some unlikeable characters, and I think succeeds admirably with the material.
Rating: 
Summary: Bravura performance...a brilliant chamber piece...
Review: Five stars for one of the best books to come my way in a long time, as good as, but different from, The Weight of Water, which I also loved. I, too, listened to the unabridged audio by Dennis Boutsikaris (who played the dastardly D.A. on "One Center Street.") When it was over, I wanted to jump to my feet and shout "Bravo!" as if Id just listened to an exquisite violin ensemble I never wanted to end. I thought the novel a daring and poignant exercise in feminist fiction, similar to "The Yellow Wallpaper." It's also an experiment in Victorian fiction, and Shreve has pulled it off. Congratulations to a writer who just gets better with each book. (I've only read three of her books and can't wait to get more...)
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