Publication
New York : Putnam, 2005.
Collection
Call number
Fiction E
Physical description
339 p.; 22 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
Two backcountry skiers find the body of a young woman embedded in the ice of a remote mountain creek. All through the night, police work with arc lights and chain saws to dig her out. But identification doesn't take as long. Abbie Cooper is wanted for murder and acts of eco-terrorism, and her picture is on law-enforcement computers all across America. But just how did she die? And what was the trail of events that led this joyous, golden child of a loving family so tragically astray?
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
This was such a fantastic read, I'm in danger of running out of superlatives if I'm not careful. It was all there: drama, suspense, mystery romance, humour, tears. Neat without being contrived, straightforward and compellingly readable. I enjoyed Evans' famous novel 'The Horse Whisperer' but this
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knocked even that into a cocked stetson. Almost every section begins with a small drama which draws the reader in, making us want to know more about the characters - right down to the very first scene when two unnamed hikers discover a body. We know next to nothing about the hikers, and they will not appear again but the interest is immediately there. It all adds up to a masterclass in storytelling and a highly recommended read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Wuzzlicious
I had been anticipating the release of The Divide for years and was irritated it took me so long from its release date to get my hands on the book, but I finally recieved it as a Christmas gift from a generous co-worker (in hardcover, even). It didn’t disappoint. The story opens when a young
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woman’s body found in the ice in Montana after a brutal winter. Identifying her isn’t difficult, she’s wanted for terrorism and murder. It’s how she wound up there that is infinitely more interesting. You see her grow from a young girl in love with the land of Montana to an environmental activist who winds up way over her head. I highly recommend this and any of his other books. Show Less
LibraryThing member karriethelibrarian
Compelling story about a young woman who's ideals get the best of her, especially when she becomes influenced by her boyfriend -- a man who is wanted for eco-terrorism crimes. She quickly finds herself involved in the murder of a young man and is forced to go into hiding with the boyfriend who
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becomes controlling and abusive. This is a quick paced thriller. Evans does a beautiful job of capturing the nuances of relationships -- both good and bad ones -- and the intracacies of family relationships. Show Less
LibraryThing member wispywillow
Wow.
I was mighty impressed with this book! It had the elements of two of my favorite authors—Pat Conroy and Jeffery Deaver. It had the crime and suspense of Jeffery Deaver’s novels, the gorgeous descriptions and deep sadness of Pat Conroy’s novels, and the real-to-life characters and deep
I have Evans’ "The Horse Whisperer" at home. I haven’t read it yet, but I might just have to get to it as soon as I can. This man can write!
I was mighty impressed with this book! It had the elements of two of my favorite authors—Pat Conroy and Jeffery Deaver. It had the crime and suspense of Jeffery Deaver’s novels, the gorgeous descriptions and deep sadness of Pat Conroy’s novels, and the real-to-life characters and deep
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plots of both of those authors. So, so beautiful…I have Evans’ "The Horse Whisperer" at home. I haven’t read it yet, but I might just have to get to it as soon as I can. This man can write!
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LibraryThing member drausche
very good ... liked listening to this on my travels to & from work ... had a tough time when I was so close to finishing it & had to fly out of town ... the suspense to get back to it kept me going.
LibraryThing member FerneMysteryReader
On the back cover, there is a quote from The Providence Journal-Bulletin that says, "A tale that lets you see into everyone's mind and heart." WoW! So true!! There are often novels that allow the reader a view into a character's mind or a view into a character's heart. In thinking of this
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presentation, Nicholas Evans truely allows the reader to view into each of his character's minds and each of his character's hearts. I started it on vacation and it was so hard to put it down each night but I had to get some sleep for the next 'business' day. Not last night. I had to keep reading and finish it. This is truly one of those books you don't want to miss! Show Less
LibraryThing member BigNess
I really enjoyed this book, as I have enjoyed all of Nicholas Evans books. I love getting to know his characters, their struggles, their past. The ending was interesting, choices made according to grey lines, not black and white.
LibraryThing member Anntstobbs
This book is a good read. The story focuses on a family torn apart by betrayal, anger and divorce. the 'hero" leaves his wife and children to follow a new love to the other side of the continent. The wife is an angry, cold woman who doesn't get much sympathy. The children are the real victims. The
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daughter becomes involved in environmental terrorism and her death brings the family closer together. Show Less
LibraryThing member mikedraper
Abbie Cooper's body is found by two skiers. She had been dead for some time and her body was frozen in a mountain ravine.
Abbie had been an easy going, family loving high school student at the start of the story.
Her family went on vacation to a dude ranch and she experienced a friend's parent's
Abbie's family's life seemed to get back to normal until her father told the family he was unhappy and was moving out. This devastated Abbie who took it as a second betrayal and told her father he was ruining their lives.
She goes to a college in the west and gets into the protest movement gradually becoming more radicalized.
In the story the author gives two good points. In one case he shows the devastating effect of divorce on a family, in particularly on the children. Also we see the uncaring attitude of companies who are drilling for gas, on the land of the farmers where they were drilling.
A quick and entertaining read but not up to the level of "The Horse Whisperer."
Abbie had been an easy going, family loving high school student at the start of the story.
Her family went on vacation to a dude ranch and she experienced a friend's parent's
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ranch where they raised horses. She was told that ranches nearby were being drilled on for gas and that the government had sold these ranches as surface ownership only. They kept the mineral rights and now they were leasing the rights to private companies.Abbie's family's life seemed to get back to normal until her father told the family he was unhappy and was moving out. This devastated Abbie who took it as a second betrayal and told her father he was ruining their lives.
She goes to a college in the west and gets into the protest movement gradually becoming more radicalized.
In the story the author gives two good points. In one case he shows the devastating effect of divorce on a family, in particularly on the children. Also we see the uncaring attitude of companies who are drilling for gas, on the land of the farmers where they were drilling.
A quick and entertaining read but not up to the level of "The Horse Whisperer."
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LibraryThing member Mike-L
Interesting character study of a family in crisis. GREAT book! On the recommendation of a friend I went into this reading experience with absolutely no idea what the book was about and was blown away by this thought provoking, well written novel. I generally stick to non-fiction and more hard edged
It begins with a father and son out snow skiing, lots of imagery involving snow covered landscapes and narrative commentary on their relationship - around page three or four I'm thinking that at 400-odd pages this may not be the book for me... then they find a young woman's body encased in ice and the story kicks into gear. As the story of who the woman was begins to unfold the plot jumps back in time a few years and then comes forward, along the way unraveling the unlikely mystery that we've stumbled into.
The mystery is built around the story of how a family of four (father, mother, and their teenaged children) begins to fall apart as a result of various decisions made by all involved and the unintended consequences that each member's personal choices has on the others. At times their behavior is heart wrenching, other times infuriating, still other times bewildering and yet it rarely comes across as sappy or overly sentimental (in the broader sense of the story). In the process it gives a well rounded story from multiple points of view with each of the major characters becoming very real and fully dimensional so that no one is completely bad or good, right or wrong, they are all just people making mistakes and having to deal with it.
For me, the one false note in the story was the way that many of the secondary characters were portrayed in a broad stereotypical, almost caricature fashion. The environmental hippie types, the greedy, soulless corporate types, the humorless FBI agents, the simple, down-home country folk, all seem pretty much standard issue. Granted many of them only make brief appearances and are often described from one of the major character's point of view but it still came across as a bit too easy at times.
It's a mystery, a good one, but it also has to do with the interactions of people in general and family in particular. It will have you thinking about it for days after you've finished.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a taste for smart, well written general or literary fiction. There is some sexual content, strong language and reference to drug use that might offend very sensitive readers.
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detective/crime novels so this was an unexpected treat.It begins with a father and son out snow skiing, lots of imagery involving snow covered landscapes and narrative commentary on their relationship - around page three or four I'm thinking that at 400-odd pages this may not be the book for me... then they find a young woman's body encased in ice and the story kicks into gear. As the story of who the woman was begins to unfold the plot jumps back in time a few years and then comes forward, along the way unraveling the unlikely mystery that we've stumbled into.
The mystery is built around the story of how a family of four (father, mother, and their teenaged children) begins to fall apart as a result of various decisions made by all involved and the unintended consequences that each member's personal choices has on the others. At times their behavior is heart wrenching, other times infuriating, still other times bewildering and yet it rarely comes across as sappy or overly sentimental (in the broader sense of the story). In the process it gives a well rounded story from multiple points of view with each of the major characters becoming very real and fully dimensional so that no one is completely bad or good, right or wrong, they are all just people making mistakes and having to deal with it.
For me, the one false note in the story was the way that many of the secondary characters were portrayed in a broad stereotypical, almost caricature fashion. The environmental hippie types, the greedy, soulless corporate types, the humorless FBI agents, the simple, down-home country folk, all seem pretty much standard issue. Granted many of them only make brief appearances and are often described from one of the major character's point of view but it still came across as a bit too easy at times.
It's a mystery, a good one, but it also has to do with the interactions of people in general and family in particular. It will have you thinking about it for days after you've finished.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a taste for smart, well written general or literary fiction. There is some sexual content, strong language and reference to drug use that might offend very sensitive readers.
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LibraryThing member tloeffler
The book starts with the discovery of a body, and then goes back to find out "what went wrong." We get every detail of her life, her parents' lives, the erosion of the parents' marriage, her plunge into despair, and then a fairly uneventful denouement, followed by everyone living happily ever after.
LibraryThing member mbergman
Although set mostly in & around New York City, there are, as in Evans's earlier book, The Horse Whisperer, loving descriptions of the Western landscape. An upper middle-class family (the father an architect, the mother a bookstore owner, & teenaged son & daughter) vacation four consecutive summers
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on a dude ranch in Montana. The daughter falls in love with the Western landscape & gets involved with the son of a rancher whose land is being despoiled by a gas company. She decides to study environmental studies at the U of Montana though her family had expected her to go to an Ive League school. Meanwhile, the apparently ideal husband & father finds himself unhappy in the marriage & leaves. The daughter, angry with her father & the corporations who are despoiling the environment, gets involved with an ecoterrorist, participates in an act that results in the death of a victim, then goes into hiding while the FBI tries to track her down. Part murder mystery, part family drama, part sappy romance. It's always engaging but sometimes overwritten, trite, & melodramatic. Its message appears to be that we CHOOSE to be happy or unhappy. Show Less
LibraryThing member kmoynihan
This wasn't my favorite Evans book, but I did enjoy it. It was very suspenseful, and had so many twists and turns that it made you want to keep going.
LibraryThing member The_Book_Queen
The storyline was mediocre at best, and it did have it's moments, but they were very few and far between. I would have rather they stayed with one theme--either romance or mystery, not a sad 'combination' of both.
LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
When two back-country skiers discover the body of a young woman, frozen into a high-country Montana stream, the corpse is quickly identified as that of an ecoterrorist and accused murderer long sought by the FBI.
But how Abbie Cooper got there is another story indeed; one that reaches back miles and
Evans does a great job keeping things moving, and creates characters who are compelling even when they aren’t being particularly likeable.
But how Abbie Cooper got there is another story indeed; one that reaches back miles and
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years and through the tangled history of one family.Evans does a great job keeping things moving, and creates characters who are compelling even when they aren’t being particularly likeable.
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LibraryThing member kristicw
Good writing. Good character development. Thoroughly depressing. No a likable character in the bunch - too many tragic flaws.
LibraryThing member seasidereader
The Divide was recommended by book club members I respect, and I finished it for the story rather than the writing. After having been "spoiled" by writers who present primarily through dialog and first person narrative, I'm increasingly irritated with the omniscent voice explaining what every
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character thinks and does. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
This book is mainly set in Missoula which is the main city in the Bitterroot Valley and one we visited on our trip. So that made it interesting to me personally. It was also an interesting story about a marriage breakdown and how that affects the husband, wife and their two children. The daughter
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gets involved with a radical ecological group or at least one radical person who is an ecological terrorist. I thought the character of the husband, the one who caused the breakup of the marriage, was more sympathetic than that of the wife and I suspect that is because the writer is a man. There was also one thing which was never explained (I don't want to go into details because I don't want to spoil the ending) and which is crucial to the denouement. Other than that, it was a good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Charlotte1162
The Divide reveals the story of a family slowly torn apart by divorce, criminal offence and depression. Although a seemingly complex storyline, The Divide proves to be a simple and rather slow story which takes you chronologically through the events which led to the interesting mystery you are
Evans' drama routinely skips between the different personae as the storyline gradually progresses. As each reveal of the plot passes, the character most responsible or affected by the event takes the lead in the story and the book remains easy to follow despite these character changes. Each of the characters are well-written and easy to imagine. At times the realism of the family and the nature of the events experienced enable you to imagine how you and your own family would fare in similar circumstances. The emotion is certainly present. The most well written and intricately described moments in the book however, remain those of the scenery; predominantly set in the West of USA, Evans' descriptions of the mountains, valleys and landscapes easily paint a beautiful picture in your mind.
Evans' is the best-selling author of The Horse Whisperer, a book which in my opinion surpasses this work of fiction. The Divide, though cleverly and emotively written, in my opinion, remains a rather slow and unexciting story despite the promise of the plot. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys slow and detailed family dramas but for a bit more of a suspenseful and thrilling kick, I'd look elsewhere. Alternatively, if you want to stick to the same author, I'd choose The Horse Whisperer over this story any day.
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presented with at the beginning of the book. Evans' drama routinely skips between the different personae as the storyline gradually progresses. As each reveal of the plot passes, the character most responsible or affected by the event takes the lead in the story and the book remains easy to follow despite these character changes. Each of the characters are well-written and easy to imagine. At times the realism of the family and the nature of the events experienced enable you to imagine how you and your own family would fare in similar circumstances. The emotion is certainly present. The most well written and intricately described moments in the book however, remain those of the scenery; predominantly set in the West of USA, Evans' descriptions of the mountains, valleys and landscapes easily paint a beautiful picture in your mind.
Evans' is the best-selling author of The Horse Whisperer, a book which in my opinion surpasses this work of fiction. The Divide, though cleverly and emotively written, in my opinion, remains a rather slow and unexciting story despite the promise of the plot. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys slow and detailed family dramas but for a bit more of a suspenseful and thrilling kick, I'd look elsewhere. Alternatively, if you want to stick to the same author, I'd choose The Horse Whisperer over this story any day.
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LibraryThing member JenniferRobb
I thought the structure of this book was rather different. It begins with the discovery of a girl's body entombed in ice, then goes backwards in time to explain how she ended up there, then goes forward in time again to update us on how her parents and brother are doing.
The term "divide" is used
This book had a different tone than other Evans books that I've read. I listened to the audio version and I'm not sure if it was the reader or the prose, but at times it almost sounded snooty or bored.
The term "divide" is used
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as the name of the ranch where the Cooper family vacationed, but it also signifies the rift that develops between Ben and Sarah Cooper and also between Abby Cooper and the rest of her family after her father leaves them. A divide also forms between Abby and most of the people she knew before she met Rolf. This book had a different tone than other Evans books that I've read. I listened to the audio version and I'm not sure if it was the reader or the prose, but at times it almost sounded snooty or bored.
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LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
A young woman is found dead underneath ice in the Rocky Mountains, someone who was an ecoterrorist wanted for murder. This is the story of how she happens to end up there and how she died, plus about her family that was affected in many ways by the parents' divorce. The son and daughter handle
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things very differently. Each member of the family appears in the book. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2005 (1e édition originale américaine)
2006-05-03 (1e traduction et édition française, Albin Michel)
2007-10-11 (Réédition française, Presse Pocket)
ISBN
9780399152061