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Summary: Eden Close
Review: This is another winner by Anita Shreve. Though not complex, it is an interesting read and I didn't want to put it down until I finished. I like happy endings too!
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Summary: Hard To Put Down
Review: I found this book easy to read.The two main characters grabbed me right away.There is alittle mystery and romance bound together in this book. I felt Andrew's character;was heartwarming and tender.I enjoyed this book immensely!
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Summary: I read this book avidly. Great, great insights,plot!
Review: Eden Close is a classic story, sensitively written and avoiding cliches. The character of Eden Close is both one we can feel bad for and bad with - empathy and anger, a strange combination. Shreve paints pictures and gives a sense of direction trhoughout. I loved it as I love all her books! Let's have more!
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Summary: It's no Weight of Water!
Review: I thought her symbolism was a little forced and the story kind of fell apart at the end. Everything wrapped up a little too neatly.
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Summary: A disappointing read after reading the Pilot's Wife.
Review: The book was sluggish, lacking substance. Couldn't hold a candle to the "Pilot's Wife". The story line was predictable. However, as usual, with Ms. Shreves' character introductions, the characters were well developed, apparent, and clearly defined!:), hence the 2 star rating.
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Summary: Painful. And not in a cathartic way.
Review: Don't get me wrong--I loved the Weight of Water. But this one? Yes, I guessed the "secret" about twenty seconds in. But what really kills the book is the crashing symbolism (the thunderstorm crashing down just as the climax approaches....he wants to run away, but his car won't start, maybe because he doesn't REALLY want to go! etc.) and Andy's incredibly irritating condescension towards Eden. Not to mention the fact he fell in love with her based on what? No conversations, nothing but their past as TEENAGERS. Whatever!One flash of promise, though--the friend TJ. He could've easily fallen into a stereotype, what with his "Andy-boys" and "I work out, don't you?", but he showed more insight and depth than that. I would've added 1/2 a star to the rating for him, except Amazon doesn't accept decimals, and 2 stars is too generous for what is essentially a gothic nightmare of a novel. I'm so glad I didn't read this one first, or I probably never would have tried Shreve again!
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Summary: Could not put this one down
Review: Like all of Anita Shreve's works that I have read thus far Eden Close has kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a thoroughly entertaining and engrossing novel, Eden Close was a story that really pulled me in. While I guessed what the "Secret" was early on, it did not matter at all to the enjoyment of the novel. Full of twists and turns, what really makes this novel incredible, as well as all of Anita's other works, is her character development and her unique style of writing. She really makes you feel as though you know these people and you begin to care what happens to them. If you pick this one up - you won't want to put it down. Also try Pilot's Wife and The Weight of Water.
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Summary: Another page-turner by Anita Shreve
Review: This apparently is Ms. Shreve's first book and is excellent. I highly recommend ALL of her books; they do not disappoint.
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Summary: Another Shreve Winner
Review: I have been on a Shreve kick ever since Pilot's Wife, and this one doesn't disappoint. Although I guessed Eden's "secret" almost immediately, the story unfolded naturally and Shreve's writing was as wonderful as ever. Shreve captures the romance and feelings of childhood with great sensitivity. And hooray - a Shreve book with an almost happy ending!
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Summary: A tragedy - a revelation of what went before, and after.
Review: The author enables you to walk through the door and into the rather mundane lives of individuals whose common past links them together in ways that are both sad and touching. The author sensitively reveals complex emotions that guide and direct the actions of people living their lives one day at a time. Shades of gray are everywhere. The reader's interest is heightened by the revelation of previously undisclosed facts,then is peaked further when even more "secrets" are revealed. Subtle clues, quietly inserted in sentences of simple dialogue, keep one reading far into the night. I liked the undercurrents that ran throughout the book, and the subdued display of feelings which were carefully displayed by the various characters. This was the first book by Anita Shreve I have read. I am rushing to the local library to search for other books by this author!!
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