While I was looking around at my library, I came across many of Ms. Shreve's books. While I've never read any of hers, her name was certainly familiar to me and I decided to give Body Surfing a try. It was a fast read and ok. I give it a B.
From Amazon:
At the age of 29, Sydney has already been once divorced and once widowed. Trying to regain her footing, she has answered an ad to tutor the teenage daughter of a well-to-do couple as they spend a sultry summer in their oceanfront New Hampshire cottage. But when the Edwards's two grown sons, Ben and Jeff, arrive at the beach house, Sydney finds herself caught up in a destructive web of old tensions and bitter divisions. As the brothers vie for her affections, the fragile existence Sydney has rebuilt is threatened. With the subtle wit, lyrical language, and brilliant insight into the human heart that has led her to be called "an author at one with her metier" (Miami Herald), Shreve weaves a novel about marriage, family, and the supreme courage it takes to love.
I really didn't like the setup of the book. There was maybe a paragraph or two and then a page break. It took me awhile to get into that and I have to admit, made the story seem a bit choppy. I felt like I really didn't get to know any of the main characters, which was a shame, and didn't allow me to connect to anyone. The story itself was in intriguing and there were plenty of twists and turns and I didn't understand some of the reactions and motivation of the characters until the end of the story. While I didn't fall in love, I may check out more of Ms. Shreve's books in the future.
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1 comment:
It seems Shreve has many supporters and many like you who were underwhelmed. I've only read two of her books (Pilot's Wife & Weight of Water) and really liked them both.
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