Status
Available
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML: At the age of 29, Sydney has already been once divorced and once widowed. Trying to regain her footing once again, 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' 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 for herself 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 métier (Miami Herald), Shreve weaves a novel about marriage, family, and the supreme courage that it takes to love.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member nperrin
I wasn't expecting much from this book, and was pleasantly surprised during the first third. Anita Shreve writes with skill, although I could have done without quite as much description of what people are wearing - especially since they change their clothes at least twice a day. But she captures
But by the last third, I started wondering whether she knew quite where she was trying to go with the development of Sydney and the course of her life, and the end felt a bit loose.
I often find it difficult to enjoy books that are so focused on the emotions of their characters, because they seem somewhat false to me, but that is one problem I did not encounter here. Shreve nails the emotions in every situation, for every character, and it all feels just right. I didn't love the plot and felt the end was weak, but all the same this was an enjoyable read, and not as light as I had expected.
Show More
the scene of a WASPy New England family summering on the coast of New Hampshire perfectly.But by the last third, I started wondering whether she knew quite where she was trying to go with the development of Sydney and the course of her life, and the end felt a bit loose.
I often find it difficult to enjoy books that are so focused on the emotions of their characters, because they seem somewhat false to me, but that is one problem I did not encounter here. Shreve nails the emotions in every situation, for every character, and it all feels just right. I didn't love the plot and felt the end was weak, but all the same this was an enjoyable read, and not as light as I had expected.
Show Less
LibraryThing member skokie
Great novel with a vivid writing style. Thanks to this book, visiting the New Hampshire coast is on my list of to-do's. The novel follows a young, intelligent woman as she blends into another family, falls in love, and faces some of her greatest fears. The author does a good job of asking whether
Show More
being described as resilient can ever be a good thing. Show Less
LibraryThing member msbaba
Obviously, there are a lot of widely divergent viewpoints about this novel, but personally, I loved it. I loved it precisely because it is a most unusual novel. The novel is written entirely in the present tense—a structure I found wholly unique, stimulating, and ultimately thought-provoking.
Reading a whole book in the present tense takes some getting used to—at times, especially in the beginning, the style seemed jerky and off-putting. But this is exactly the point: life is jerky, strange, and confusing while it is happening in the moment. As a result, it is a very different type of novel. Just like in real life, there are many unanswered questions and unresolved issues. The author leaves it to the reader to try to figure out why events happened the way they did. We are left to ponder the motivation behind important deeds. We are introduced to complex characters and are left with little to help us ferret out the puzzles these characters create in our mind.
With this book, we get to live real life in the moment and inside the mind of Sydney Sklar, the main character. There is little or no detailed character development for the other people in this book because we get to know these people, always in the moment, from the Sydney’s point of view.
Sydney is a fairly typical educated American woman on the verge of becoming 30. She has had a difficult and tragic past. She was briefly married to an air racer who she realized was too unstable to be the father of any future children they might have together, so she divorced him. She then married a physician, but ironically, this husband died of a brain aneurism within a year of their marriage. At the point the novel opens, Sydney is recovering from the death of her second husband and is a recent college graduate with a specialty in adolescent development.
She has taken a summer job living in a New Hampshire seaside cottage as a live-in tutor for Julie, the family’s 18-year-old learning-disabled daughter. Her job is to try to prepare the girl for next year’s college entrance exams. She lives in the house half as a family member and half as an employee. There is plenty of time for body surfing, relaxing, and observing the family. The mother, Mrs. Edwards, is openly anti-Semitic, and obviously dislikes Sydney, who is half Jewish. Mrs. Edwards appears distant and cool toward everyone in her family, but Sydney discovers layers of hidden loving complexity within this strange woman. Mr. Edwards is an architect who spends his summers at the beach house tending his rose garden. Sydney is deeply attracted to this surrogate father figure and Mr. Edwards finds in Sydney the brilliant older daughter he wish he’d had.
In her first few weeks on the job, Sydney is content tutoring Julie, body surfing in her spare time, and enjoying learning all she can about this interesting family. But then the two grown sons come to spend time at the summer home. Ben is a 35-year-old Boston corporate real estate executive, and Jeff is a 31-year-old M.I.T. professor of political science. It is obvious from the beginning that these two brothers have a major ongoing competition. It is also obvious that they both have eyes for Sydney.
Soon after they arrive, the two men take Sydney out body surfing at night. It’s fun, exhilarating, dangerous, and exciting. But something occurs that night that causes Sydney to turn against Ben, and toward Jeff. What happens next is the plot that makes up the core of this novel.
It strikes me that this work is an experiment in writing a novel completely in the present tense. This must have been a very difficult feat to pull off. Certainly, there are countless short stories written entirely in the present tense; but not to my mind an entire novel—at least none I can remember. Obviously, Shreve felt she was working in new territory. In the Acknowledgments, Shreve thanks no less than nine editors, “some professionals, all of them friends.” That’s an unusually long list of editors! The reader has to ask why Shreve chose to write this book in this unusual fashion.
Personally, I think it is because of the house. There is something very special to Anita Shreve about this fictional beach house on the New Hampshire coast. She has written four novels so far that deal with characters who have lived there: Fortune’s Rocks, set around 1900; Sea Glass, set in the Great Depression; The Pilot’s Wife, set in the mid-1990s; and now Body Surfing, set in the present day.
At the end of Body Surfing, Mr. Edwards leaves Sydney a box of archival papers that he has lovingly collected concerning the long history of the house and its inhabitants. To me, this is a clue that Sydney, and her box of house history will one day reappear in some future Shreve novel that will once again deal lovingly with this beautiful seacoast cottage. Will the next New-Hampshire-sea-cottage-centered book be set in the near future…perhaps during a time of dangerous rising coastal waters? I don’t know if I can imagine Anita Shreve doing a sci-fi book set in a near future. But that would be intriguing—and Shreve might love the challenge. Past, present, or future—whatever it is—I’d bet that Shreve will write another book about this house, and I know I’ll read it!
Show More
Throughout the novel it made me feel like I was vicariously there beside—or in the mind of—the main character. I love books that keep me thinking about them long after I’ve finished. I love books that don’t have a neat ending, but make the reader participate in the story, dream up possible back stories, try to figure out what is happening…just like real life.Reading a whole book in the present tense takes some getting used to—at times, especially in the beginning, the style seemed jerky and off-putting. But this is exactly the point: life is jerky, strange, and confusing while it is happening in the moment. As a result, it is a very different type of novel. Just like in real life, there are many unanswered questions and unresolved issues. The author leaves it to the reader to try to figure out why events happened the way they did. We are left to ponder the motivation behind important deeds. We are introduced to complex characters and are left with little to help us ferret out the puzzles these characters create in our mind.
With this book, we get to live real life in the moment and inside the mind of Sydney Sklar, the main character. There is little or no detailed character development for the other people in this book because we get to know these people, always in the moment, from the Sydney’s point of view.
Sydney is a fairly typical educated American woman on the verge of becoming 30. She has had a difficult and tragic past. She was briefly married to an air racer who she realized was too unstable to be the father of any future children they might have together, so she divorced him. She then married a physician, but ironically, this husband died of a brain aneurism within a year of their marriage. At the point the novel opens, Sydney is recovering from the death of her second husband and is a recent college graduate with a specialty in adolescent development.
She has taken a summer job living in a New Hampshire seaside cottage as a live-in tutor for Julie, the family’s 18-year-old learning-disabled daughter. Her job is to try to prepare the girl for next year’s college entrance exams. She lives in the house half as a family member and half as an employee. There is plenty of time for body surfing, relaxing, and observing the family. The mother, Mrs. Edwards, is openly anti-Semitic, and obviously dislikes Sydney, who is half Jewish. Mrs. Edwards appears distant and cool toward everyone in her family, but Sydney discovers layers of hidden loving complexity within this strange woman. Mr. Edwards is an architect who spends his summers at the beach house tending his rose garden. Sydney is deeply attracted to this surrogate father figure and Mr. Edwards finds in Sydney the brilliant older daughter he wish he’d had.
In her first few weeks on the job, Sydney is content tutoring Julie, body surfing in her spare time, and enjoying learning all she can about this interesting family. But then the two grown sons come to spend time at the summer home. Ben is a 35-year-old Boston corporate real estate executive, and Jeff is a 31-year-old M.I.T. professor of political science. It is obvious from the beginning that these two brothers have a major ongoing competition. It is also obvious that they both have eyes for Sydney.
Soon after they arrive, the two men take Sydney out body surfing at night. It’s fun, exhilarating, dangerous, and exciting. But something occurs that night that causes Sydney to turn against Ben, and toward Jeff. What happens next is the plot that makes up the core of this novel.
It strikes me that this work is an experiment in writing a novel completely in the present tense. This must have been a very difficult feat to pull off. Certainly, there are countless short stories written entirely in the present tense; but not to my mind an entire novel—at least none I can remember. Obviously, Shreve felt she was working in new territory. In the Acknowledgments, Shreve thanks no less than nine editors, “some professionals, all of them friends.” That’s an unusually long list of editors! The reader has to ask why Shreve chose to write this book in this unusual fashion.
Personally, I think it is because of the house. There is something very special to Anita Shreve about this fictional beach house on the New Hampshire coast. She has written four novels so far that deal with characters who have lived there: Fortune’s Rocks, set around 1900; Sea Glass, set in the Great Depression; The Pilot’s Wife, set in the mid-1990s; and now Body Surfing, set in the present day.
At the end of Body Surfing, Mr. Edwards leaves Sydney a box of archival papers that he has lovingly collected concerning the long history of the house and its inhabitants. To me, this is a clue that Sydney, and her box of house history will one day reappear in some future Shreve novel that will once again deal lovingly with this beautiful seacoast cottage. Will the next New-Hampshire-sea-cottage-centered book be set in the near future…perhaps during a time of dangerous rising coastal waters? I don’t know if I can imagine Anita Shreve doing a sci-fi book set in a near future. But that would be intriguing—and Shreve might love the challenge. Past, present, or future—whatever it is—I’d bet that Shreve will write another book about this house, and I know I’ll read it!
Show Less
LibraryThing member nocto
A fab book, deeper than some of Shreve's recent work. She's back in the same house on the New England coast that has featured in several of her other novels. This is good if you've read them. If you haven't the exposition about the house's history is probably a bit incestuous and certainly
Sydney Sklar, only about 28 years old or so I think, has already weathered two marriages: divorcing an aviator who was likely to kill himself and being widowed by a doctor who, well, just died. She comes to the house as an employee, tutoring eighteen year old Julie, and gets caught up in another family's web.
Shreve does place very well:- I feel like I know the coast and the sea here and I could have told you we were back at the same house before she did. The characters can seem a bit watery too, but I'm not really complaining. They don't always feel like real people but I like them that way. I also like the way the writing flips between present and past tenses; it could drive you nuts but the device is used well and it doesn't.
All in all: a good read.
Show More
extraneous to the story here.Sydney Sklar, only about 28 years old or so I think, has already weathered two marriages: divorcing an aviator who was likely to kill himself and being widowed by a doctor who, well, just died. She comes to the house as an employee, tutoring eighteen year old Julie, and gets caught up in another family's web.
Shreve does place very well:- I feel like I know the coast and the sea here and I could have told you we were back at the same house before she did. The characters can seem a bit watery too, but I'm not really complaining. They don't always feel like real people but I like them that way. I also like the way the writing flips between present and past tenses; it could drive you nuts but the device is used well and it doesn't.
All in all: a good read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DubaiReader
Not my favourite novel by Anita Shreve.
It took me a while to get into this novel - the writing was sparse, comprising short, brief paragraphs.
I found myself reading it jerkily and it took at least 50 pages to settle into the style. Once I'd become accustomed to it, however,I did enjoy it. The
Sydney Skylar is staying at the Beach House that appears in several of Ms Shreve's previous novels. She is recovering from the death of her second husband, having divorced the first. She is employed to teach Julie, the slow learning daughter of the Edwards family. When Julie's older brothers arrive for a holiday life starts to get complicated for Sydney.
Without giving too much away, I would say that there were some aspects of the narrative that I found a bit jarring, even far fetched.
This was not the best of Anita Shreve's novels that I've read and was almost disappointing in comparison, but Ms Shreve is an excellent author and I shall continue to eagerly await her books.
It took me a while to get into this novel - the writing was sparse, comprising short, brief paragraphs.
I found myself reading it jerkily and it took at least 50 pages to settle into the style. Once I'd become accustomed to it, however,I did enjoy it. The
Show More
characters were well drawn and I liked that Mrs Edwards disliked Sydney, that added interest.Sydney Skylar is staying at the Beach House that appears in several of Ms Shreve's previous novels. She is recovering from the death of her second husband, having divorced the first. She is employed to teach Julie, the slow learning daughter of the Edwards family. When Julie's older brothers arrive for a holiday life starts to get complicated for Sydney.
Without giving too much away, I would say that there were some aspects of the narrative that I found a bit jarring, even far fetched.
This was not the best of Anita Shreve's novels that I've read and was almost disappointing in comparison, but Ms Shreve is an excellent author and I shall continue to eagerly await her books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jules72653
Great story incorporating the beach house found in other Shreve titles.
LibraryThing member pdebolt
I thought the flow of this book was excellent, and I loved the way the chapters were separated. Shreve writes a very vivid picture of the characters and settings, which makes it easy to envision everything. The ending was startling, and it was an overall worthwhile read.
LibraryThing member LivelyLady
Again, Shreve has taken the "abandoned/left behind woman" theme and again added a new twist. This is not her best, but as an audio it was a good distraction for traveling. She has skill and some good ideas, but I wish she would reconfigure her recurrent theme. Maybe she has issues in her life that
Show More
need closure! Show Less
LibraryThing member KinnicChick
There are very few books in my life that I picked up and read all in one day. Body Surfing is one of those books. Sydney, age 29, has not had a terribly easy life thus far. She has had two marriages, one of which ended when she divorced her husband and the other ended when she was widowed. We meet
The story wends its way through three years of relationship changes and emotional stories before its conclusion leaving Sydney in a better place... or at least a hopeful one.
Show More
her as she tries to start anew working as a tutor to the teen daughter of a well-off couple spending their summer in a beach home in New Hampshire. The story wends its way through three years of relationship changes and emotional stories before its conclusion leaving Sydney in a better place... or at least a hopeful one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Grabbag
Like the other books of Shreve's that I've read, Body Surfing is a melancholy story of a woman who is consumed with grief. Where are the strong female roles? Where is the desire for something more than 'okay'?
LibraryThing member floppyrose
I really had a hard time getting into this book at first because of the style it was written. But once into it I really enjoyed it. It was interesting to see how the brothers were towards one another and the family dynamics.
LibraryThing member laws
This is the first book I have read by Anita Shreve and I loved it. The story just had a flow to it . I liked how she had sections of years instead of just making it all one story. This helped to show what was going on at the time and how/if any the characters may have changed. I plan on using this
Show More
book in my book group. Show Less
LibraryThing member alceinwdld
Very well written story of grief, betrayal, and the importance of family.
LibraryThing member barbaracornell
A young single widow/devorcee becomes a part of a family in their summer seaside home when she tutors the 17 year-old daughter. She becomes involved with both brothers in different ways--thereby hangs the tale.
LibraryThing member andiee
I really did not like this book. I feel like the author was very distant when writing this book.
LibraryThing member bobbieharv
Anita Shreve has certainly gone downhill. This was an uninspired plot, undeveloped characters, sparse dull writing that didn't develop either the landscape or the psychology of the characters. It had the feel of being dashed off, as opposed to the deep texture and careful writing in, for example,
Show More
Fortune's Rocks or The Pilot's Wife. Show Less
LibraryThing member ElDoradoHills
You are instantly pulled into this book because you are amazed at how much the main character, Sydney, can read about other people. Sydney has been divorced once, widowed once, and is trying to piece together her life when she meets two brothers who are both interested in her and pull her into a
~Mel
Show More
twisted love triangle that will change her outlook on life. I'd recommend this book for a book club because it's an easy read but also has substance and good writing.~Mel
Show Less
LibraryThing member porchsitter55
A lovely novel, centering around a young woman who comes to tutor the youngest child of a family who spends their summers at a beach house in New Hampshire. Before long, all of their lives become enmeshed in a complex way...and the young woman finds herself completely changed forever. I found this
Show More
to be an excellent book that put me right there at the beach house....feeling the ups and downs of this finely crafted story. Show Less
LibraryThing member bearette24
I'm not sure why this one got some poor reviews. I love how Anita Shreve combines a literary tone and eye for detail with soapy plots...a fun, plot-driven read that won't rot your brain.
The book is written in a spare, poetic style. Though some people complained about the present tense, I didn't
I thoroughly enjoyed the twisty (dare I say it--trashy! in a fun way) plot that focuses on a love triangle with one treacherous member.
The book is written in a spare, poetic style. Though some people complained about the present tense, I didn't
Show More
even notice. Many novels are written in the present tense these days! The story is set, interestingly, in a New Hampshire house that has appeared in 3 other Shreve novels (Fortune's Rocks, The Pilot's Wife, and Sea Glass). I thought this was a fun detail that added a sense of history/continuity and made the novel feel more "real."I thoroughly enjoyed the twisty (dare I say it--trashy! in a fun way) plot that focuses on a love triangle with one treacherous member.
Show Less
LibraryThing member smallwonder56
The story of a young woman who spends the summer at the beach house of the family of the girl she's tutoring. Two older brothers are both attracted to her for different reasons.
Anita Shreve is one of my favorite authors. She's adept at observing people and relationships and getting to the core
Anita Shreve is one of my favorite authors. She's adept at observing people and relationships and getting to the core
Show More
truth of both. I also love the fact that so many of her books take place in the same house in different periods of time. Body Surfing is just what you want a summer read to be--absorbing, satisfying and enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member ashley_schmidt
An uplifting book about finding one's self... the imagery in this book is wonderful and will stay with you for a long long time.
LibraryThing member Gingersnap000
Disappointed is the key word of this review. Six months ago read Ms. Shreve's Wedding in December and enjoyed the read. The characters in Wedding were far more developed than in this novel. You were never able to understand why a woman who had been hurt in romance would fall so hard and so fast for
Show More
some one. Show Less
LibraryThing member luvlylibrarian
Listened to the NLS Talking Book version. Very descriptive of surroundings and feelings. Plot is strange and examines human interactions.
LibraryThing member GlobalVagabond
The prose style putme off at first - seemed broken and jumpy. But after a couple of chapters I got used to it. The story was a little predictable, but the characters grew on me and there were a couple of good surprises.
LibraryThing member KC9333
Hated this book...choppy prose style was extremely distracting. Story was predictable......