Where or When : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Didn't live up to my expectations
Review: I had heard such marvelous things about Anita Shreve, but it seems I just picked the wrong book to pick up first. I liked her actual writing style, but as stories go this one was difficult to get into since the characters were tough to relate to... on reflection, it was a nicely written morality tale, made its point without being preachy, but at the moment of its ending it left something to be desired.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting mood piece
Review: This book captures the mood of yearning for a lost love better than it depicts the realities of an adulterous affair. The loneliness of two adults who believe that if only they can go back to the point where thier lives separated at age 14 all will be well is the overwhelming theme. Charles & Sian can only connect in a limited way. They essentially try to erase the intervening years as if they did not matter. Anything that brings up the ugly reality of exisitng family responsibilities & neglected spouses is ignored by them. Especially disturbing is Charles' unwillingness to do something to protect his family from impending financial disaster. But it is meant to be disturbing.
The sense of longing for the one person who could see into your soul without you having to say a word is described in a lyrical style. The use of music to set the mood, especially the title song by Rodgers & Hart, is especially poignant.
This was a quick read for me. I have read "Resistance" & "the Pilot's Wife". I would rank "Resistance" higher, but I enjoyed "Where or When" very much. And for any who question the ending, how else do you end an affair built on memories?

Rating:
Summary: Makes One Think
Review: I, too, had an intense love at age 14. I have been married to a wonderful man for the past 10 years, but have always wondered about my first love. We know where to find one another and every so often we exchange notes letting each other know what's been going on in our lives. This book is a wonderful cautionary tale about those types of notes going too far. It is not a "happily ever after" book, and I disagree with anyone who thinks that it should be. There will always be times in any marriage when one gets bored and fantasizes about their past, about the what-if's. This book perfectly captures how acting on this way of thinking can play itself out and hurt so many people. The nice thing about this book is that it gets this message across quickly and concisely.

Rating:
Summary: A SEDUCTIVE TALE
Review: Charles and Sian met at summer camp when they were 14 yrs. old. They spent only one week at this camp, but when they had to go home each felt love for the other. Because they were only children at the time they were not able to keep in touch as they lived 400 miles apart.....In the years following this brief encounter they each lived separate lives, married other people and had children.....When Charles contacted Sian after 31 yrs. she agreed to meet him at the old camp which is now a country inn.....They both become obsessed with each other and are very reckless about their marriages and children as they have a sexual relationship for a time....I don't much like these two characters and the ending is not a "live happily ever after" ending. But, what can you expect when you flaunt all morals....Remember, you must suffer the consequences of your actions!!!! I love Anita Shreve's books, but did not like this one as much as I do all the other books of hers that I have read.

Rating:
Summary: A Heartbreaking Tale
Review: This is a heartbreaking story about a man and a woman who meet again 31 years after spending a week together at camp as teenagers. As adults in their mid 40s, they discover an instant, and strikingly powerful, connection. The problem? Both have families. As the story continues, the bond between them grows deeper through secret letters and clandestine meetings at the camp where they met 31 years ago that has now been turned into an inn. Leaving morals behind, the two succumb to their weaknesses for one another, only to later be forced to deal with the horrific consequences of the families left behind. The author develops an amazing connection between the two characters, but the reader often wonders if the connection is a result of discovering one's soul mate, or just an escape from the harsh realities of adulthood into the simplicities of childhood. Did Charles and Sian really find this unusual fulfillment in one another or do they simply long to escape from the hardships of their own lives and return to a time when feelings of emptiness are unknown? The story's fatal ending added more depression to a story already filled with an abundance of unhappiness.

Rating:
Summary: You're in their shoes
Review: This book really places you in these peoples shoes. You feel the desperation and unhappiness of their lives. Then you feel their longing for each other, and the fever to be together. The ending is pretty predictable, I won't spoil it though. But, it's a fun read, very quick, and I enjoyed it because I was engrossed. I love her writing, often it's like poetry. I enjoy her themes-- love, loss, choices...I was a little disappointed with the ending, but over-all I thought it was a good book

Rating:
Summary: REMEMBERING
Review: FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER HAD A LOVE IN THE PAST WHO HAS RE-SURFACED. FOR ANYONE WHO HAS WONDERED "WHAT IF." FOR ANYONE WHO IS A DREAMER, THIS IS A GOOD READ!

Rating:
Summary: An Engaging Book Except the Last Part
Review: This is the third novel by Anita Shreve that I have read, the others being "Fortune's Rocks" and "The Weight of Water".This book is not as strong and complex as these two books but nevertheless it is an engaging book and you are thrilled reading the build-up to the first meeting between Richard and Sian after thirtyone years when they were seperated at the age of fourteen. Their return to the place of their first meeting and their longing and passion for each other are beautifully portrayed. However, their lives and marriages are not fully explored by the author. And in the end, you feel cheated by her.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but Shreve does better later
Review: I agree with "Ladyslott," who enjoyed _Where or When_ enough but recommended _The Pilot's Wife_ and _The Weight of Water_ over this one. I would also add that _Fortune's Rocks_ is much better than this one. _Where or When_ isn't bad, and I agree with the reviewer from Kenosha who reads Shreve when a quick, easy read is in order; this book really does serve as nicely-written escapist literature, without being too fluffy. The story was compelling enough, as I have found all of Shreve's books to be so far, but it did not grab me in the same way her other books had.

Rating:
Summary: Very Confused
Review: This was the first Anita Shreve book I read. I heard so many good things about "The Pilot's Wife" and this author but was unable to get "The Pilot's Wife" so I got this book instead. I found it to be VERY SLOW. I think Ms. Shreve spent too much time setting the scenes and not enough time developing the characters. I didn't bond with or have any connection to any of the characters in the book. Now, I am not looking forward to reading "The Pilot's Wife" because I am afraid it is going to be as boring and long to read as this book was. I can usually read a 400 page book in a day and a half. It took me two weeks to read this book and I only finished it because I felt as though I had to. I might give Ms. Shreve one more chance with "The Pilot's Wife" but I would not recommend this book as a good read.