MostlyFiction Book Reviews » Anita Shreve We Love to Read! Wed, 14 May 2014 13:06:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3 RESCUE by Anita Shreve /2010/rescue-by-anita-shreve/ /2010/rescue-by-anita-shreve/#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:58:25 +0000 /?p=13873 Book Quote:

“They had one good month followed by a bad month. Then they had three good weeks followed by a horrific week. During the bad weeks, Webster began repeating a single phrase over and over, like a tune he couldn’t get out of his head: My family needs to be rescued. It galled him that he … couldn’t suture the simple lacerations in his home life.”

Book Review:

Review by Eleanor Bukowsky  (NOV 30, 2010)

When Vermont native Peter Webster was twenty-one and a probationary EMT, he helped rescue a drunk driver who wrapped herself around a tree. The victim was twenty-four year old Sheila Arsenault, a woman fleeing from an abusive boyfriend in Massachusetts. Sheila and Webster pair up too quickly for either of them to take a hard look at their motives. Webster is attracted to Sheila physically and wants to help her move on with her life. Sheila is drawn to Webster because he is kind, mature, and makes her feel safe. Pete will regret his rashness in getting involved with Sheila, but he will never regret the birth of their daughter, Rowan. Circumstances change for Webster and Sheila over the years. However, Rowan will always be number one in her father’s life.

Rescue, by Anita Shreve, focuses on the ways in which parents and children deal with physical and emotional trauma. It is a poignant story about a good man who makes a mistake, but takes full responsibility for his actions. Webster is a conscientious parent and a hard-working breadwinner who accepts the fact that he must make the best of a bad situation. Some might quibble that Webster is too good to be true and that may be so. Nevertheless, he is a person we can root for wholeheartedly. The capricious Sheila, on the other hand, is a tortured soul who lacks the self-knowledge to comprehend that no one can save her from herself.

Shreve’s style is concise and straightforward, with no flashbacks, no changes in points of view, and no gimmickry. One outstanding aspect of this novel is Shreve’s vivid depiction of the heroic work of EMTs and paramedics: We are there with Will when he rushes to help the injured in a six-vehicle pileup involving a school bus; a woman in heart failure; a mother and daughter involved in a domestic dispute; and a man who is has suffered a stroke. These are dramatic and unforgettable scenes that demonstrate how people’s lives can change drastically in an instant. Shreve’s attention to the details of everyday life illuminates her characters’ hopes, fears, and disappointments. The author offers no pat answers—just the insight that, in any relationship, love is not enough. It can grow and thrive only when it is accompanied by respect, communication, and genuine concern for the loved one’s happiness and well-being.

AMAZON READER RATING: stars-3-0from 99 readers
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Company (November 30, 2010)
REVIEWER: Eleanor Bukowsky
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK? YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE: Anita Shreve
EXTRAS: Excerpt
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION: More reviews of Anita Shreve books:

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*Set in same NH Beach House

Nonfiction:

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]]> /2010/rescue-by-anita-shreve/feed/ 0 A CHANGE IN ALTITUDE by Anita Shreve /2009/change-in-altitude-by-anita-shreve/ /2009/change-in-altitude-by-anita-shreve/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:33:57 +0000 /?p=5262 Book Quote:

“And Margaret thought, as she stared out the window, of Africa, of the country just beyond the screen. It had been her constant companion for nearly a year, teaching her, scolding her, enveloping her. It was in her lungs and blood now. She’d thought she wanted to absorb Africa, but the continent had absorbed Margaret.”

Book Review:

Review by Eleanor Bukowsky (SEP 28, 2009)

In Anita Shreve’s A Change in Altitude, twenty-eight year old Patrick and Margaret McCoglan have been together for two years and married for five months. In the late 1970’s, they are expatriate Americans living in Nairobi, Kenya, where Patrick, a physician, is completing a fellowship on equatorial medicine and treating patients at free clinics around the country. Although Margaret was a photojournalist in her native Massachusetts, she does not currently have a job and she misses the stimulation and excitement of her profession. One day, Patrick announces that he would like Margaret to accompany him, their landlord, Arthur, and his wife, Diana, on a climb to the summit of Mount Kenya, “seventeen thousand feet, give or take.”  Arthur warns the newlyweds that, although they will be accompanied by another couple as well as porters and a guide, the ascent will be difficult, with a bog, scree, and a glacier to navigate. He informs them that “typically four or five people a year die climbing Mount Kenya.” Not everyone can adjust to the high altitudes, and there is the ever-present danger of acute mountain sickness. This is definitely not “a trip for the squeamish.”

Life in Africa is challenging, even on level ground. Thievery is common. One is fortunate to return to a parked car that hasn’t been stolen or dismembered for parts or to an apartment that hasn’t been emptied of its contents. In spite of the challenges she faces, Margaret believes that she has adjusted well to the customs, language, and culture of Kenya. She appreciates Kenya’s otherworldly beauty, breathtaking vistas, and exotic flora and fauna. On the other hand, she acknowledges that there is a corrupt and dictatorial government, widespread poverty, illness, lawlessness, tribal divisions, misogyny, and grinding servitude that keep many of Kenya’s men, women, and children from enjoying economic and political independence. The females, especially, are subject to horrifying indignities exemplified by the sad plight of Adhiambo, the nanny who cares for Arthur and Diana’s young children. She is destined to undergo a dreadful ordeal that leaves her devastated.

When the climb to Mt. Kenya ends in disaster, Margaret feels partly to blame, and her marriage to Patrick starts to unravel. In addition, after Margaret takes a freelance job at the Kenya Morning Tribune, she meets a handsome and charismatic reporter to whom she is instantly attracted. Can she resist this man’s appeal and remain faithful to her husband?Anita Shreve dissects the anatomy of human relationships, exploring what can happen when a husband and wife notice their spouse’s flaws for the first time. Will they have the maturity and determination to work through their differences or will they take the path of least resistance?

Climbing a mountain is an obvious metaphor for the inevitable difficulties that everyone faces in life. Whether we embark on a new job, enter into a serious relationship, marry, or become parents, we are navigating unknown and frightening territory. How we fare is a matter of luck, persistence, flexibility, strength of character, and the ability to forgive oneself and others for the inevitable mistakes that all human beings make. The author chooses to give us scant background information about the protagonists, and she avoids offering simplistic solutions to their problems. In A Change in Altitude, Shreve poses a number of thought-provoking questions. For example, if a climber, for some reason, is unable to finish his ascent, should his effort be considered a failure? Or is the process of attempting to reach great heights in itself a worthwhile endeavor? Shreve respects her readers’ intelligence, allowing us to draw our own conclusions about the issues raised in this understated, sensitive, and subtle character study.

Editor’s note:  Eleanor Bukowsky gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com.

AMAZON READER RATING: stars-3-0from 144 readers
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Company (September 22, 2009)
REVIEWER: Eleanor Bukowsky
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK? Not Yet
AUTHOR WEBSITE: Anita Shreve
EXTRAS: Anita Shreve’s web site (see Books)
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION: More reviews of Anita Shreve books:

Another favorite set in Africa:

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*Set in same NH Beach House

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