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Summary: spare but powerful tale
Review: This book interweaves a contemporary story of a wife's insecurity and jealousy with the account of two murders - also the result of frustration and jealousy. The writing and plot are compelling. The major flaw of the book for me was that the male characters were incompletely characterized, thus leaving faceless and in shadows one part of this passionate equation.
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Summary: Meaningful, Engrossing!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It was so well-written! The parallel between the murders and Jean's life are well presented. Although i figured out who did what before it was revealed, the mounting suspense never stopped as I plowed through the pages until I was done. I've never read Anita Shreve before, but this book won't be the last.
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Summary: Very well done story, a pleasurable read.
Review: The language used in this book is sometimes mesmerizing as Shrieve moves us from past to present and back again. The unanswered questions don't detract from the quality of this highly recommended work.
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Summary: What was her mysterious illness at age 12?
Review: I enjoyed the book; I read it in many sittings and found myself constantly scanning what I'd read before. So perhaps that is why I feel the question is- what happened the night her mother died that she developed a strange illness that was perhaps more psychological than physical and lasted two years? Was she raped by her brother? They were found holding each other in bed when her father returned. Was this incest then "repeated" by the modern day advances to the brother in law? Are these parallels or just loose ends? Great story, weak ending but by the middle of the book I could not put it down. A good read.
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Summary: This book just blew me away
Review: This was one of the best books I have read in a while. Its a thin book, but theres nothing thin about the plot. It interweaves an event in the past with what is going on presently. The prose just spoke to me, as I am going thru a similar situation. There were lines in the book I copied and enlarged and have hanging in front of me at my work cubicle.
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Summary: Great promise, but details go awry
Review: Shreve weaves a compelling story, sucking the reader into the vortex of threatening and dangerous jealousy. Her ability to shift between time frames shows immense writerly control, and her descriptive language is arresting. Less successful is her handling of the "murder mystery" details. What actually happened that night? Since Shreve writes so meticulously, the reader feels let down by details that are not logical. For example, if it was so cold outside, why was Maren lying in bed without covers? What happened between Thomas and Jean? The ending seems oddly truncated and uncentered; the horrible tragedy is reduced to nothing more than a sense of disorientation and malaise.
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Summary: Enjoyable...interesting to read.
Review: As a resident of the seacoast region of NH, I entered this book with local kind of curiostiy.Having taken a boat on a very choppy day to the Isles of Shoals... I could identify with her little voyage. When she was giving descriptions of their dwelling on the Island, I recalled the picture on a bottle of Smuttynose Ale...a bleak thing of a house. Very easy to imagine how maddening survival could have gotten in such a small place on such a barren little island. A good read and excellent writing. I was a bit dissapointed in the drowning at the end..It was more or less rushed in for some purpose. It could have been excluded.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing, original, rich with atmosphere, but unresolved!
Review: I enjoyed this book--Anita Shreve expertly weaves together two very different eras and many complex characters, and carries the two storylines along at a brisk pace. But at the end, I was left with a question that caused me great frustration and consequently discolored my overall opinion of the book:
What happened to the white kerchief??
When we switch back to Maren's account of the murders, one particularly major detail is not resolved: According to the trial transcripts, Karen's body was found strangled with a white kerchief. When Maren attacks Karen, all she does is crack her with a chair--is that what killed her?? Where did the white kerchief come from?? We really don't get enough details of how Karen dies, especially considering she was the instigator of Maren's rage.
And was it just coincidence that all of the accused murderer's whereabouts jibe with Maren's story? Too easy. If you're going to write murder mysteries, you have to tie up the loose ends!
I also feel that Billie's death was unnecessary and gratuitous, and the relationships between Jean & others are not fully resolved. I'd recommend this book, but not for someone who asks a lot of questions--because they will not be answered.
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Summary: It's in the telling
Review: It goes without saying I enjoyed the book's plot, mystery, and historical aspect. But the thing that truly impressed me the most was the format and style in which it was written. It was refreshing to have the "flashbacks" interwoven with the contemporary setting without so much as an extra paragraph break, let alone a new chapter! It really kept me on my toes and kept things suspenseful. I have read one other book by Anita Shreve, Strange Fits of Passion, and was impressed with its unique format also. (First person accounts from several different characters, under the guise of being interviewed for a magazine.) There are plenty of good stories out there, but what can make the difference in which ones you spend your time with is the manner in which its told. Keep them coming!
Rating:
Summary: Nice blend of historical speculation and romantic suspense
Review: The author traverses nimbly between the known facts of a famous murder case, speculation on the lives of the principles, and a tense summer vacation which sets the stage for an unraveling marriage. While Shreve occasionally overreaches, and her theory of the unsolved murder is somewhat irritating, the rich texture of her writing compensates for these shortcomings. Recommended
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