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Summary: Strange Fits of Passion
Review: I love everything Anita Shreve writes...but feel that this one is extraordinary...it felt interactive it was written so well.I could feel Maureens pain and since of defeat so vividly.I loved the cottage...experiencing how comfortable she must have felt there.And as always the descriptions of the New England coast is spellbinding...although in this story it takes on a sinister life of its own.The sea,the fog etc. become characters in the story. For anyone who has come any where close to actually living through this type of thing,the most powerful sentence in the whole book has only two word...when Harrold says"---- Caroline" something in Maureen shifts so severely that you know she has reached the point of no return...this is much more of a defining moment than any of the physical assaults she has endured have been for her.I have read "Black and Blue" by Anna Quindlin and although it is a powerful story it compares to this book like a made for tv movie might compare to a Big Screen production. I was happy to hear Anita Shreve read from "Sea Glass" and get my books signed at the UCLA/LA Times Festival of Books a few weeks ago.I must urge everyone who has not read all of her books yet to read them in the order that she has written them..you will be rewarded if you do!
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Summary: A Novel That Stays With You Long After You Put It Down
Review: Of all of the Anita shreve books that I have read I found "Strange Fits Of Passion" the most memorable and disturbing. The authors description of a relationship that becomes abusive is very real and it made me reflect on couples I know and how a marriage can appear to the observer to be very different than the reality. Anita Shreve is a master story teller. You will find this book hard to put down and hard to forget.
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Summary: It doesn't get any better than this...
Review: This is one of my favorite books, ever.
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Summary: Perceptions of Reality
Review: This book pulled me in from the first page, something that happens rarely. I just re-read this book and found it every bit as good as before. Shreve's talent is to write in such a way as to make the reader care so much about her characters and the outcome of the story. Set in the 1970s when abuse was rarely discussed, and if it was, only in private in hushed voices. It was as though the women being abused had done something shameful. This is why Maureen/Mary flees her abusive husband, with her baby, and seeks refuge by hiding in a small Maine coastal town. Yet she still lives in fear --the fear of being discovered. Shreve's description of the place remained with me for the years between my readings of this book. The bleakness of the landscape, the cold......all were so very real. This powerful novel was written from the viewpoints of a newspaper reporter who wrote about Maureen/Mary, the people of the town, and Maureen/Mary's own letters. Through their voices, Shreve reveals the story and allows the reader to interpret it and decide what, if anything, is the "real truth".
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Summary: Strange Fits of Passion
Review: I was totally captivated by this book. I thought about it at night after I put it down, and I thought about it again in the morning. I have read other books by Anita Shreve, and they were excellent as well. But this story makes you want to scream at Mary. You see her mistakes, you see her helplessness, and you can't do anything. It brought to mind Black and Blue by Anna Quindlan. The same idea of wife beating, and not understanding how it gets this bad. I didn't want this story to end. I will certainly read all other books by Anita Shreve.
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Summary: Reads true to life,
Review: Lately, I have read quite a few books with this theme, and as a rule they usually read a like, but not, "Strange Fits Of Passion," by Anita Shreve. I found the characters in this book interesting, the dialogue different (had its on voice on the issue at hand), and the plot quickly pulled me into the storyline. I found the mix to be a very appealing combination. John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
B.H. California
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Summary: haunting tale--DON'T be turned off by the theme!
Review: This is a great book. Don't let the idea of a book about domestic violence turn you off. This is deftly written without a lot of actual descriptions of violence. There is a lot of other material being covered here as well. Protecting your child over protecting yourself; the nature of love; the mechanics of a small town; what motivates people to lie or twist a story; guilt, forgiveness. Please read this. You will not regret it. It is enjoyable and philosophical.
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Summary: Another page-turner by Anita Shreve
Review: Anita Shreve is my all-time favorite author. Her characters literally come alive. I feel as if I know them, as if I am one of them. Her descriptions of the settings are so real that I can see them. I can feel the cold and see the wind blowing the leaves as she describes it. This book was no different. The central character, Maureen English, could very well be my next door neighbor or my co-worker and her situation could belong to any of us. Shreve's endings always leave you with a feeling of surprise or awe, yet this time I felt the ending was a little flat. The entire book is filled with emotional recollections regarding Maureen's situation and I breathlessly turned the pages waiting to discover her fate. However her fate and the fate of those who contributed to the story, after so much build up, was simply mentioned in passing. I felt unsatisified. I felt as if Ms. Shreve had devoted so much of herself to the building of the climax that she had no energy left to devote to the end. The important and intriguing questions that are raised by the subject matter simply disappear, like a blip on the screen, as we learn of Maureen's fate and the story ends. Anita Shreve will remain my favorite author, but her other books, Fortune's Rock, The Weight of Water (followed immediately by The Last Time They Met), and All He Ever Wanted will prove to be much more satisfying.
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Summary: Any violence is disturbing to a caring person but...
Review: this story by Anita Shreve grabs you and holds to the very last page and will stay with you forever. When I find an author I enjoy, I go back to the very first one written and buy all of them. I love to watch the author grow. Ms Shreve writes truly in elgaic prose and can only get better with each written word.
Murder with a Message one reviewer wrote, but such tantalizing maneuvers, such explicit descriptions, pathos and terror.
Domestic violence is never forgivable and any who reads this will want to shake Mary til she comes to her senses.
Read this wonderful book and you will be a fan of Ms Shreve's forever.
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Summary: A disturbing look at domestic violence
Review: Anita Shreve is a fine author, and she again shows her talent in this early novel. Strange Fits of Passion is a well written page turner that delves into the terrifying realm of spousal abuse. The era is the late sixties and early seventies, and while domestic abuse is certainly prevalent it is rarely discussed and often quietly accepted. Maureen English would appear to be leading the perfect life; an outwardly happy marraige to a successful journalist and a lovely new baby daughter. Behind closed doors however life for Maureen is anything but blissful. Her hard drinking husband is subjecting her to regular doses of physical and sexual violence. Terrified for the safety of herself and child, Maureen flees in the night to the relative anonimity of a small New England town. Maureen changes her name and begins to attempt to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. The facade quickly crumbles when Maureen's husband locates her and attempts to force her to come home. While very disturbing to read at times, this novel also shows us how far we have come in understanding domestic violence and it's effect on it's victims. Women who were subject to this brutality had few resources and even fewer options for help. Remember, in the era the story occurs, a man could not even techinically be charged with raping his wife in the State of Maine. While domestic violence is still prevalent, one would hope in today's era a woman would fare far better than Maureen ultimately did.
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