The Divide [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Nicholas Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2005

Two backcountry sklers 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 chainsaws to prise her out. Identifying her doesn't take so long. Abble Cooper is wanted for murder and her picture is on law enforcement computers all across America. But how did she die? And what was the trail of events that led this golden child of a loving family so tragically astray? From the number one bestselling author of The Horse Whisperer, master storyteller Nicholas Evans, comes this powerful new novel, an epic thriller of the human heart. In a journey of discovery and redemption, from the streets of New York to the daunting grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, it tells the heart-rending tale of a family fractured by divorce. As both parents and children struggle in search of lost happiness, some devastating truths unravel. The Divide is the story of a great love betrayed and of the yearnings and needs, the dashed hopes and disillustonments that connect and separate all men and women.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This fourth novel lacks the power and intensity of Evans's debut, The Horse Whisperer (1995), and it's not nearly as carefully written. A pretty, upper-middle-class girl is discovered frozen in Montana ice and is soon identified as Abbie Cooper, wanted for murder by the FBI. After a promising beginning that introduces a colorful cast of Montana locals, Evans breaks off and flashes back to Abbie's upbringing in suburban New York, and centers the book on Abbie's now-divorced parents, Ben and Sarah. Evans follows the Coopers' high-end careers and estrangement from their domestic lives in meticulous, mind-numbing detail; their separation propels the already idealistic Abbie into the arms of Rolf, a shadowy eco-terrorist. As Abbie's Patty Hearst-like adventures in the eco-underworld slowly unfold, Ben takes up with Sante Fe-based artist Eve, and Sarah is left alone with son Josh, who emerges late in the novel as an improbable principal. Compelling minor characters like Sheriff Charlie Riggs and besieged ranchers Ray and Martha Hawkins are largely wasted. All winds down to a sadder, wiser, relatively reconciled ending that conforms to the norms of family drama, and of romance. The most vivid thing in the book is the wrangling early on over Abbie's remains. Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Evans demonstrates the same intricacy of plot and depth of characterization that defined his international best-seller The Horse Whisperer (1995). When the frozen body of a young woman is discovered in a -remote creek in the Rocky Mountains, the heartrending story of a family in crisis begins to unfold. Reaching back in time, members of the seemingly perfect Cooper family present their version of the events, emotions, and twists of fate that forever altered the benign course of their collective lives. After the unanticipated divorce of Sarah and Benjamin Cooper, their daughter, Abbie, becomes involved with a dangerous ecoterrorist group, while their son, Josh, drifts along in a marijuana-fueled haze. As they all move inexorably toward the ultimate tragedy, their individual perspectives coalesce, providing the reader with an opportunity to fully understand the toxic intersection of expectations, needs, and desires that inevitably caused their family unit to implode. Attempting to understand how and why Abbie wound up in the bottom of the creek, the Coopers are finally able to come to terms with the past and move toward the future. Sure to be a runaway success, this lyrical novel runs the gamut from devastation to despair to deliverance. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 519 pages
• Publisher: Center Point Large Print (December 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585476870
• ISBN-13: 978-1585476879
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nicholas Evans studied law at Oxford University after serving in Africa with Voluntary Service Overseas. He then worked as a newspaper reporter, TV producer, and screenwriter before writing four bestselling novels. His first book, The Horse Whisperer was made into a movie directed by Robert Redford. He lives in Devon with his wife, singer/songwriter Charlotte Gordon Cumming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story - bittersweet ending, January 23, 2006

By 

Edie Jacobs "books enlighten" (Sheboygan, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Divide (Hardcover)

This was my first book by Nicholas Evans. I know he is an acclaimed author and have seen the "Horse Whisperer" movie. It was the blurb on the book jacket that intrigued me. After I read a few chapters I wasn't sure I wanted to read the rest. I have a daughter that has been missing for 20 years under similar circumstances, and this book really was touching me to the core. But I read on.

Contrary to other reviewers opinions, I think the characters are very believeable. These tragedies do happen to families, good families. Good marriages fall apart for complex reasons. Abbie reacted to her parent's breakup in a very real way. When her world changed she became very insecure and vulnerable to causes and people that gave her a purpose, even if they were wrong. And yes, even kids from good homes and good parents are capable of making grave mistakes that change their lives forever.

I liked Evan's style of writing the ending first, and then backtracking to develop the plot. We know right from the start that Abbie is dead, but we need to know how it all came to be. The story is both compelling and so very tragic. Evan's is a good writer and I plan to read more of his books. Give "The Divide" a chance. You won't be sorry.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful, interesting and emotional look at marriage and the differences between men and women, October 5, 2005

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divide (Hardcover)

Nicholas Evans's new book, THE DIVIDE, may turn out to be one of my favorite books of the year. The story is that of the Cooper family --- Ben, Sarah, Abbie and Josh --- who start out as a typically happy middle class family, until a series of events tears them apart.

The title has a dual meaning. In addition to being the name of the ranch where the Coopers visited for two weeks each summer, the book's title also represents the divide between men and women, which is portrayed in the unraveling of the Cooper family's marriage. The lives of their loved ones are torn apart by this separation, which in turn leads to the more devastating destruction of their daughter, Abbie.

At the start of the novel, two skiers find the body of a young woman embedded in the ice of a remote mountain creek. The police work throughout the night to dig her out. She is later identified as Abbie Cooper, who was wanted by the FBI for murder and acts of eco-terrorism.

The book then proceeds to tell the story of Abbie's family, beginning with Ben and Sarah, their courtship and eventual union. Ben, who has been unhappy for a long time, knows his love for Sarah is not enough to keep the marriage going and therefore announces his decision to leave the family. The "catalyst," as Ben tells Sarah, is Eve, a lovely woman whom they had met at the Divide the last year they vacationed there. While at first Eve was sought out as a friend, she is now the enemy.

Ben's wife and children react a lot more unfavorably than he had anticipated, and each handles his or her grief in slightly different ways. Sarah grows angry and resentful, while son Josh becomes distant. Abbie, who was Ben's favorite, turns her anger toward her father into something destructive and exhibits behavior that is out of control.

The year of her parents' separation, Abbie begins her freshman year at a college in Montana (against their wishes) and finds her interests focused on groups that lead radical protests at major political events. But when she meets a man introduced to her as Rolf, Abbie's life takes an even more dangerous turn as she becomes involved in his treacherous attempts to bring attention to his causes, burning down buildings for the sake of his beliefs.

THE DIVIDE tells two stories --- the breakdown of a marriage, and the destruction of a young girl full of promise. Abbie's story is heartbreaking and tragic, which will prompt readers to ask themselves, "Whose fault is this?" While the bulk of the novel is told in flashbacks, Evans does allow his characters to resolve their issues, giving closure to the mystery of Abbie's death, as well as resolution to Ben and Sarah's relationship.

Like the authors' previous work --- THE HORSE WHISPERER, THE SMOKE JUMPER and THE LOOP --- much of the story is set in Montana, which Evans describes beautifully. In the opening pages readers can see, and feel, the setting. This continues throughout the pages and there are times where the landscape almost becomes a character as much as a place.

Nicholas Evans writes emotion with extraordinary candor. Woven in the story is a stark look at what marriage means and the differences between men and women. Beyond this, Evans is a great storyteller. You will close this book wanting to talk about it. If this book doesn't pick up new fans for Evans's work, I would be greatly surprised. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton ([e-mail])

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story but no PUNCH, January 27, 2006

By 

Long Island Lady "L.C.F." (LI, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Divide (Hardcover)

I liked this book and found that it was hard to put down. Mr. Evans writes a very interesting story that kept me turning the pages but I did not feel strongly about the relationships and people. After I read Smoke Jumper a book that blew me away I was eagerly awaiting The Divide. But unfortunately it did not have the intense power that Smoke had. I did not close the book at the end saying to myself that "God I Loved that book"