Customer Reviews

A Change in Altitude: A Novel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Shreve consistently delivers well-conceived novels, drawing from her understanding of character and the all too human flaws that inhabit each of us. The canvas for this novel is Africa in the late 1970s, Patrick a doctor, Margaret wielding her camera, taking in the variety of the country. Patrick absorbed in his research, Margaret is left to her own resources, by chance- and a broken-down vehicle- stumbling on an English expatriate couple, Arthur and Diana, who offer the newlyweds a charming cottage on their property. When the more sophisticated Brits announce a planned trek up Mt. Kenya, Margaret experiences some trepidation, but is soothed by Patrick's confidence. Tragically, the adventure ends in a shocking accident that changes all their lives.

Mischance, conflict, the emotional shifts of relationships: this is familiar territory for this author, who builds the first part of the novel with a sense of expectation and a frisson of danger. The signs are ominous, any number of problems poised to derail such a mission, serious physical issues that result from the changes in altitude while climbing the mountain. Unfortunately, it is the unknown that proves the undoing of the climbers, the small emotional disturbances that remain etched in the mind, the doubts and resentments that can't be dislodged by time.

Struggling to keep their marriage intact after the accident, Patrick and Margaret withdraw from conflict, each seeking resolution through time and concentrated effort. But the doubt has been planted, a subtle shift in the foundations of the marriage. Margaret throws herself into her photography, redefining her identity in this time and place, her work a source of income, validation and pride. But everything since the accident registers as anticlimactic, the great drama followed by a series of aftershocks. While Margaret explores Africa in all its beauty and complexity, her marriage continues to totter. How Margaret deals with her marriage, her place in the world and her perceived part in a tragedy drives this story, whether it is possible to survive such blows or if grievous faults are impossible to mend, even with the best of resolutions. A young married woman caught in a faraway place and sideswiped by fate, Margaret absorbs the beauty and depth of the continent, her lesson: "All losses are the same loss. Each has encompassed the others." Luan Gaines/2009.

One thing she usually does so well is to get us involved and caring about the characters early on. That didn't happen for me in this one. Her last novel Testimony reeled me in from the get-go, as some of her others have also done, but with this one I just couldn't find myself caring one way or the other whether they made it up the mountain or not (and later on whether their marriage survived or not).

Granted, reading about Africa, especially the Nairobi area is not one of my favorite settings. The thievery, the poverty, filth, disrespect of women and violence toward them and children, just all of it is depressing. Also the main gist of the novel, a young recently married couple trying to stay connected in strange circumstances, is not the most enthralling subject matter either. I stayed with it anyway, so I could lend my "Vine Voice" to the pre-release for this review, but it didn't get very interesting until about the end of Part Two - which is about 2/3 of the way through. The ending was a little odd too, it just kind of stopped... the main protagonist, Margaret, seemed to resolve a couple of issues within herself, but it left some loose ends.

As of this writing, the other reviews are 5 stars, so I am in the minority with my so-so review. Let me say however, that many will enjoy this. She can write well about relationships, and that is what this is really about, not the climbing of Mt. Kenya, or even Africa and her culture. Her description of Africa does show us the various facets of the country, not just the unattractive sides, but the beauty of it as well (I still have no desire to visit there, however). The second half is better than the first, but it is not something I will remember for very long, reading as much as I do, whereas with Fortune's Rocks, The Last Time They Met, or Testimony, I don't think I will ever forget.

I have read only 1 other book by Ms. Shreve. And I am disappointed with this one in comparison to the other.

I liked the setting - Africa - in the 1970s (I believe). It was interesting to read about the dynamics between the local tribes and the British/American residents.

Margaret, follows her husband, Patrick, to Africa from New England. Patrick is a doctor studying disease. Margaret is a photographer. Early on in the story, Margaret and Patrick join a British couple on a climb of Mt. Kenya. The climb ends in disaster and since this event, Margaret and Patrick lose ground on their marriage. The story continues with Patrick and Margaret's strife. At one point, they think their marriage is better and then it is not.

Overall, I had absolutely no compassion nor feeling toward Margaret. I found her to be quite annoying. She constantly dwells on the tragedy and lets it affect her marriage to Patrick. Instead of trying to resolve the conflicts, they both just plod along hoping things to get better. Patrick, to me, was awful! A quite 2-dimensional character seeming to have been inserted into the story to only add grief and irritation to Margaret. The marriage was also lacking substance. The ending? HORRIBLE! I couldn't believe that we would go through all that trouble to read the story only to be left with an ending that didn't resolve anything and seemed too abrupt. (I don't want to give any spoilers).

I haven't read all of Anita Shreve's novels but I've read enough to know she is a very talented writer who sometimes writes terrific stories and at other times, not so terrific ones. A Change in Altitude, IMHO, is in the latter category. I thought the circumstances surrounding the two climbs were highly implausible and the main characters were poorly developed, both factors in the book's lack of appeal to me. (I think the most implausible part of the book is that someone with no mountain climbing experience would be talked into making this trek, not once but twice. Of course, in all fairness, this is coming from someone with such crippling acrophobia that I can't even go out on a balcony.)

I also found, mostly in the beginning chapters but also in some of the latter chapters, a herky-jerky rhythm, with short, declarative sentences and abrupt transitions which I do not recall from Ms. Shreve's other works. Her descriptions of Kenya and the people and the mountain were beautiful, but even they aren't enough to overcome the weak plot, unlikeable characters, and a general lack of cohesiveness throughout the book.

I read "Testimony" and loved the multi-layered story and different viewpoints.
I was excited to see "A Change in Altitude" on the Vine listing and promptly ordered it due to Anita's Shreve's reputation.
I was disappointed from Chapter One from the standpoint that I never CARED about the characters! Margaret & Patrick are living in Kenya and decide to join a climbing expedition to climb Mt. Kenya even though they are NOT in shape and have no experience in climbing! Seemed a bit ludicrous to begin with but I was hoping the book got better. While on the climb of course Margaret is laboring over the physical exertion of climb and she is the last one to make it in at the end of each day. When a member of the climbing party dies it affects Margaret and Patrick's marriage and they never make it back to the loving couple they once were. Part of me kept thinking "just get a divorce already" while reading the laborious chapters of them going back and forth of trying to save their crumbling marriage.
When Patrick announces they will GO BACK to the mountain and make it to the top this time I had stopped caring and just thought, "WHY?"
I thought the book ended abruptly and it never lived up to the potential of Shreve's capabilities as a writer of human relationships.

This book seems to be a study of a marriage, but there is absolutely no passion. I couldn't even figure out why Margaret and Patrick got married in the first place. And the jealousy and betrayal are based on the stupidest misunderstanding. I suppose what comes next is a spoiler alert: a really annoying character dies. As a reader I was glad to see her go and it was her own fault. I couldn't believe that Margaret spends the rest of the book feeling guilty for it. Worse: feeling guilty then denying her feelings of guilt, then feeling guilty again. Towards the end when she kneels in the middle of the glacier to "atone" I was really annoyed that Shreve evidently expected I would buy into this baseless emotional moment.

i recently read "Fortune's Rocks", also by Shreve. This one doesn't compare! What a disappointment. It makes no sense. No explanation given for why she attempted this climb in the first place. And why would she want to spend time with those nasty women? And THEN guilt over holding hands which in turn leads you feel responsible for some idiot's death? And a husband who holds you responsible for this? Sorry, but what a STUPID concept. I'll be a little apprehensive to try another Anita Shreve novel from now on.

I'd always been a fan of Anita Shreve after reading The Pilot's Wife when it was selected as an Oprah pick. Since then I have read all of her earlier work and tried to keep up with her current releases every year. For the last 3-4 years, I have been disappointed. I enjoyed Light On Snow, but Testimony, as well as A Wedding In December, really bored me. The writing is good, but over and over the story doesn't compel me to finish. A Change in Altitude is no exception. The preview sounded intriguing, especially since it is set in Africa. I read to page 55 and put it down. I picked it up again two days later, thinking I'd give it another chance, and read to page 79. Then I put it down for good. I just can't finish it.

The book is about a young couple's experience climbing a mountain in Africa. It explores their marriage, and the accident that happens during the climb. I didn't feel connected to the characters from page 1, and I didn't feel connected to the story. I felt that Margaret and Patrick were cold and detached characters, and I found myself not caring what happened to them or their marriage.

To me, Shreve is becoming one of those authors who just pumps a book out every year. After awhile they all start to sound the same, the same boring characters, the same predictable tragedies. After this one I think I'm going to take a break.

My experience with Anita Shreve before has definitely been hit or miss and this was a big miss. The characters were unsympathetic, especially the main character Margaret. The plot was forced. The ending, as many reviewers have stated, was out of nowhere and largely annoying.

The most annoying factor was this woman's inability to defend herself when faced with the story crisis. I was waiting to hear her say to her unsupportive husband when challenged -- look, I didn't want to be on the stupid mountain in the first place seeing as how you decided we were going to do the climb without you even asking me, I didn't ask that pompous man to flirt with me, I didn't encourage him, you were barely paying attention to me and I didn't unhook that crazy woman from her rope. All of that was plainly there in the previous storyline.

The only value for me in the book at all was the occasionally illuminating images of Kenya. But there are much better sources for those images and stories without having to slog through this poorly developed story.

I've been lukewarm about Shreve before, but never disliked one of her books this much. I'm not clear what happened here, but hoping for better stories again in the future.

Interesting story about a young couple, Margaret and Patrick, and life-altering event that occurs while they are living in Kenya. The young couple partner up with two other couples on what was to be the adventure of a lifetime....to climb Mt. Kenya. But during the climb, a series of events primarily between Margaret and the husband of one of the other women in the party leads to strained relationships.....and ultimately to a catastrophic event that alters the lives of all involved forever. The story especially documents how one horrific event can cast a fatal blow to a marriage, threatening its very survival.

Although I found the storyline to be mediocre and the Margaret's character to be insufferably annoying, the strength in this book in my opinion lay in its descriptions of Africa, its people and its culture. A tolerable tale that gives its readers a peek into another culture....not a bad reading choice.