Format:  Audio CD
Genre:  General Fiction
ISBN:  1594838747
Published:  April 2007
Setting:  New Hampshire

Rating:  4 of 5 stars

Back of the Book Blurb:

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 story about marriage, family, and the supreme courage it takes to love.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book very much, despite the fact that I have a sort of love/hate relationship with Anita Shreve.  She is a really good writer, but her books so often have characters that are utterly infuriating, and it is really difficult to see beyond them to actually enjoy the story.  This book is no exception, but (thankfully) Sydney Sklar, the protagonist, is a sympathetic character from the start, easy to like and easy to root for.  Having a divorce behind her, and then having endured the unexpected death of her second husband, she is somewhat emotionally bruised when she comes to New Hampshire to tutor Julie.  I appreciated her from the beginning, especially as she not only embraced her role as Julie’s tutor, but connected with her  in a personal way as well.  She was observant of Julie’s struggles and her abilities, and once she recognized what shewasable to do – and do exceptionally well – she tapped into it immediately, providing her with the supplies she needed and encouraging her to pursue it passionately.

It was hard not to fall a little in love with Mr. Edwards as Sydney did.  He was a thoughtful, kind man who had a soft spot for his daughter, and for Sydney as well as their friendship blossomed over the summer.  It was equally hard not to loathe Mrs. Edwards, and to wonder what exactly drew Mr. Edwards to her, because it was certainly evident that he loved her.  She was unexplainably cold & distant to Sydney, from the very start, and as the summer progressed, with the dramas of relationships ending & beginning, her chilly attitude toward Sydney grew more pronounced.  She offered such a shallow, pitiful explanation of this at the end that it left me a bit miffed that I, the reader, was deprived of any substantive reason why she behaved as she did.

Without completely giving away the plot, I will say that it was a brilliant move on Shreve’s part to have a number of unexpected circumstances occur throughout the novel.  I loved that when I was expecting one thing, something just outside the box was happening instead.  I also loved that the history of both the family and the house was a substantial part of the story, because it beautifully enhanced the reading experience.

In the end, this was an satisfying, enjoyable and nice crafted novel.  I liked the balance of characters, and while I would have enjoyed having more character development in some cases, I thought the mix was exactly right for the book.

Format:  Trade Paperback
Genre:  General Fiction
ISBN:  1400032113
Published:  December 2007
Setting:  Massachusetts

Rating:  4 of 5 stars

Back of the Book Blurb:

Rachel Jensen is perfectly happy: in love with her husband, devoted to their daughter Kate, gratified by her work restoring art. And finally, she’s pregnant again. But as Rachel discovers, perfection can unravel in an instant. The summer she is thirteen, Kate returns from camp sullen, angry, and withdrawn. Everyone assures Rachel it’s typical adolescent angst. But then Kate has a terrifying accident with her infant brother, and the ensuing guilt brings forth a dreadful lie—one that ruptures their family, perhaps irrevocably. Family History is a mesmerizing journey through the mysteries of adolescent pain and family crisis.

My Thoughts:

This was definitely a compelling read, and I found the entire family situation to be terribly sad.  What was most interesting, however, is how oblivious everyone seemed to be to signs that something bad was wrong with Kate.  From the outset, I found it unsettling that no one seemed more disturbed over her very sudden and very obvious behavior change after camp.  My immediate thought, of course, was that something terrible, personal and devasting had happened to her at camp, but that avenue was hardly even given a thought.  I thought Shapiro was shortsighted in introducing Kate’s mental illness in such a way, and then failing to follow through on such an obvious avenue…first.  I wonder how many of her readers had the same initial reaction…that something bad happened, and because she was teetering on the brink of a full-blown psychotic episode, this would have certainly tipped the scales.

Once it was evident that Kate had serious issues, I had such a difficult time sympathizing with Rachel, who seemed ridiculously resistant to pursuing real, effective treatment for her.  Further, why did it take incidents beyond the accident with her infant brother to convince Rachel of the need for intervention?  Kate’s mental & emotional unraveling was occurring right in front of her face, in a way that was putting her baby at risk, and she seemed almost paralyzed until the lie make sit clear that inpatient treatment is immediately necessary.  Rachel frustrated me profoundly because of her lethargy and sort of helpless inability to cope.

Frankly, though, her husband frustrated me as well.  To have a happy marriage, to witness a daughter descend into mental illness, and then to find himself incapable of allowing his wife a moment of self-doubt when faced with the impossible situation of choosing to believe either her husband or her daughter – a moment before fully supporting him and fully comprehending that her daughter had lied and needed professional help – made me furious.  He chose to leave, to move out, to virtually abandon his wife and baby.  Sure, the situation was unbelievably difficult.  His daughter told an almost unforgivable lie.  His wife almost completely broke apart under the stress, and he flaked.  I know, I know…I’m unsympathetic.

Overall, I suppose it was Shapiro that frustrated me.  She’s a good writer who wrote a good story about terribly flawed people who allowed their weaknesses to take over.  Thankfully, though, she saw them through those months to a reconciliation that emerged not only from love, but from finally & clearly understanding their daughter’s illness and either other’s needs.