Strange Fits of Passion: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Without Refuge
Review: This is an excellent novel, absolutely absorbing, sure to cause the reader to reconsider what they thought about domestic violence. It is totally believable; a woman, taught to be law-abiding and truthful - as so many women were in that time and still are - is deceived by multiple parties to her utter detriment. Taught to be compliant, Mary/Maureen is offered no safe havens, and when she tries to take some happiness for herself, becomes the target of male violence and jealously. Although the Bonfire-Scene was too contrived, everything else was riveting.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting and Compelling
Review: This is a fantastic book by Anita Shreve. Though I was not intrigued by the topic, I kept hearing raves about this, and picked it up. I am glad I did, because from page one, I was hooked. Shreve builds many characters, in great depth to the extent that the reader feels a part of the story. I found myself so captivated by Maureen/Mary's plight to save her baby and herself from an abusive husband that I wanted to get into the small community she ran to and help her. This story teaches the reader that things are not always what they seem, and that sometimes, people will stop at nothing to protect those they love. It is a disturbing book, but important and satisfying. It does not disappoint.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars Not Enough For This One!
Review: This is a real winner. Often times if I have trouble in the opening pages of a book, I give up. In this case I'm sure glad I didn't. The author of this one really shows what she is literally made of. She changes time settings and voices at a rapid pace and she does it perfectly. After the story got rolling I read hungrily, devouring this book. Yet at the same time wanting to savor it. I even went back and reread the beginning which at that point was perfectly clear. I have read a couple of her others but I have not read anything quite as feverishly lately as this. Don't let this slip buy. Although reading late at night could get a little scarey! Anita Shreve has really impressed me that she is very capable of grabbing and forcing you to hang on for dear life, with her writing.

Rating:
Summary: This book made me ponder...
Review: Needless to say that Anita Shreve is talented. She does an excellent job of allowing you to experience this woman's life from different perspectives. In this way, it leads you to contemplate what really is the truth? Shreve subtly asks the reader to "associate" with one of the perspectives OR asks the reader to not associate with any. Because, who can say with accuracy what happened exactly during an incident or a person's life? The story on the surface here is one of a woman who believed that she handled her life the only way that made sense, to her at least. Lying quietly beneath this story, the book begs the question of "who's truth is the truth?" If your opinion is subjective and so is everybody elses, then is there such a thing as "the truth" and whose truth is the "real truth?"

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: Anita Shreve has produced a masterpiece. "Strange Fits of Passion" is rhythmic, gripping, and shocking. It tells of the path to domestic violence and courage to overcome. This is Shreve's best work.

Rating:
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.

Rating:
Summary: strange fits of enjoyment
Review: I have just this minute finished this insightful novel. From the pits of despair Anita Shreve has introduced us to another strong female to be reckoned with. Her story is one of fear, strength, love lost and found. you will become a part of this novel and you will become a part of the community in which Mary grows emotionally and physically, so much so that yo will want to add a chapter and give your own opinion on what is and what is not truth. Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: Strange Fits of Passion
Review: Strange Fits of Passion

Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve displays a victims helplessness in a society and government unwilling to change their opinions and rules to favor the victim. Set in the 1970's, this fictional story's authenticity has the reader believing that the story is true. Based on this realism, the author is able to evoke from the reader compassion for the woman's situation and anger at a society that in large did not care enough to protect her. Therefore, the novel is successful because it has a deep and lasting impact on how the reader perceives domestic abuse. This alternative approach to educating about domestic abuse leaves the reader more enlightened than if he/she had watched a commercial. In other words, Strange Fits of Passion personalizes a case of domestic abuse, which allows the reader to connect more with the issue. The realistic approach Shreve takes to the novel has the reader believing that it is true. By forming a domestic abuse situation that most women can picture themselves in at the beginning of the novel, Shreve lays the foundation for the rest of the book. This average woman's life holds multiple similarities to almost any female reader's life. For example, the woman's utmost concern was always for the safety of her baby, which coincides with almost any woman's maternal instincts. Consequently, the reader is easily filled with compassion for the young woman. Throughout the novel, Shrieve maintains the woman's normality, even in the midst the woman's terrifying situation. By taking an issue usually banished to billboards or commercials and personalizing it, Shreve creates a novel that significantly touches the reader. This unconventional approach to such a serious issue educates the reader about domestic abuse in a way that he/she won't likely forget. One of the reasons Strange Fits of Passion is successful is because of Shreve's ability to transform a serious issue such as domestic abuse into a situation anyone could find themselves in, including the reader. By creating a believable scenario of domestic abuse, Shreve leaves the reader frustrated and heartbroken for the woman's plight. This method touches the reader more effectively than a billboard or commercial while supplying the same educational information. Therefore, the novel successfully touches the reader in an unconventional way about a very serious issue.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully crafted masterpiece.
Review: Like many of Anita Shreve's novels, the structure of this book seems to have started as a writing assignment Shreve might have assigned as a college professor. The story begins with with Helen Scofield, an experienced journalist who began her career at a prominent weekly news magazine, visiting a young college co-ed. Helen has come to turn over her research and notes from a famous story she wrote decades earlier about the girl's mother. While we don't know the details, it is clear that the magazine piece had a profound effect of the family's life and that Helen has second thoughts about the story she wrote. The research consists of transcripts and notes from Helen's interviews with Mary Amesbury aka Maureen English, a former colleague at the magazine, and those who knew her during her brief stay in St. Hilaire on the Maine coast. It quickly becomes apparent that the subject of the piece is domestic abuse, as seen through the lens of the prejudices and ignorance of the early 1970s. Shreve lays out the facts in the "research" and allows us to hear the original voice of the relevant characters and come to our own conclusions about what happened and why. At the end of the book we get to read Helen's original article and consider the accuracy and sensationalism of Helen's take on the story.

The structure of the book certainly makes it a fascinating read, but equally noteworthy are Shreve's lyrical prose and vivid descriptions of the Maine shore. One constant in all of Shreve's books is her obvious love for and familiarity with the rugged New England coast and the people who live there. All in all, this is a wonderful book, challenging, intriquing, thought-provoking. You'll be glad you read it.

Rating:
Summary: Strange Fits of Passion
Review: While this was not my favorite Shreve novel, I still enjoyed it. As for suspense, I think we can all infer what happens throughout the novel in the first 50 pages of the book, but its the emotion and tenderness, not events, that Anita Shreve always instills in her books that makes them worth reading. As with any of her storys, you become entwined with the characters, feeling their hurt, feeling their betrayal.

And as with any good book, Shreve ends her stories leaving you with more questions than answers.