Customer Reviews

Fortune's Rocks: A Novel

5 star:		(127)
4 star:		(64)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(27)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

As I began Anita Shreve's Fortune's Rocks, only to find that the novel's premise was the development and consequences of a turn of the century affair between a 41-year old man and a 15-year old girl, I thought "here we go again", a chick book filled with despicable male characters. After finishing The Pilot's Wife, Shreve's previous work, in which the pilot is found to have lived a secret life in another country, complete with second wife and family, my reaction was that the depth of such evil and deceit, while plausible in the plot of a novel, was a little fantastic for most to consider. And now in Fortune's Rocks, we face another quite improbable scenario.

But I kept reading, almost helpless to stop. Anita Shreve is a fine storyteller and as a native of the New Hampshire coast, I am a sucker for novels set there. I think she does a fine job of getting it right. It was also easy to picture the fictitious textile mill town and its immigrant population just miles from the coast that plays a major role in the story.

It was more than the landscape of Fortune's Rocks, however, that kept me hooked. A novel centered on an inappropriate and tragic affair is populated with very likable, even normal characters (save one, almost comically obsequious dweeb). And when these likable people step off the edge with disastrous consequences, readers, at least this one, ponder their own edges walked each day...maybe a secret friendship hidden from a spouse, or power exerted over an employee or family member that goes a little beyond appropriate, or a deceitful business relationship, or...? What is it that keeps most of us on the safe side of the edge? And how safe is that safe side?

In Fortune's Rocks, Anita Shreve moves freely into this reader's discomfort zone, yet this move seems somehow non-intrusive. There seems to be a way out. Her characters seem to do all the right things after the catastrophic event. And should any of us fall off that edge, it may be too much to expect that almost everything turn out so right at the end. For life is not a novel.

I absolutely loved Fortune's Rocks and I think it's one of Anita Shreve's best! However, every novel of hers that I've read thus far could be considered her best. I've read the Pilot's Wife, the Weight of Water, Strange Fits of Passion, and now Fortune's Rocks (in that order) and every story is so beautiful and every character so real that I find when I'm reading one of her novels, everything else is no longer a priority. I don't want to give anything away for anyone who is about to read this book so I'll just say that, as always, Anita Shreve has developed her characters so well that when I was finished with this book I was so sad that I could no longer be a part of their lives. I reccomend this book to any fans of Anita Shreve.

This book is my third Anita Shreve novel. The first two were the Pilot's Wife - which I wasn't that crazy about - and The Weight of Water - which I enjoyed very much. As a matter of fact, it was the Weight of Water which caused me to give Anita Shreve another try. And I am very glad that I did.

I found Fortune's Rocks to be touching and a real page-turner. Olympia and Haskell were not all that sympathetic, of course. They were selfish and self-centered, and did some truly terrible things. Yet there is something about all that passion that is very intoxicating!

This book reminded me very much of a book called Emmeline by Judith Rosner. In Emmeline, a girl goes to work in some type of factory (I forget what kind) and falls in love with an older married man. Emmeline ends up getting pregnant by this man, and he betrays her. I thoroughly recommend that book as well, by the way. It has one of the most shocking endings I have ever read.

I am now reading my fourth Anita Shreve novel - Eden Close - and am enjoying that one as well. I'm glad I discovered this very entertaining, talented writer and I'm glad I didn't give up on her after the mediocre Pilot's Wife.

It is apparent by the other reviews I have read of this book that I am in the minority, but I truly did not like this book. I constantly had to tell myself that this was a work of fiction as tried desperatly not to throw it across the room.

My main problem with this book is the "love" between 15 year old Olympia and 41 year old John. This relationship is based purely on sex. There was nothing written to make the reader believe otherwise. It bothered me quite a bit that I was supposed to find both of these characters sympathetic and buy into their feelings for each other.

Another aspect of the story that bothered me was the fact that Olympia continued to have her father's wealth to support her even during her self-imposed exile. She never had to work for anything, which I think detracted from the story.

Shreve has always been a "hit or miss" author for me and this one was definetly a miss.

A book about adultery, giving up a child and illicit love ~~ what more can a reader ask for? Sometimes, the book does seem drawn out and long ~~ but the writing prose is excellent and Shreve does a wonderful job (again) to keep the reader's interest.

The characters ~~ especially Olympia, the main character ~~ is well-drawn and you feel that though there are some parts of her identity that you don't understand, but you are still drawn to her. You watch her fall in love, struggle with the consquences of her love affair with Haskell, and watch her grow up from a provacative teenager to a sturdy young adult.

She, however, writes wonderful descriptions of the house in Fortune's Rocks and of the scenery. It makes one wants to live by the ocean and see the seasons change throughout the year. One can almost taste the salt in the breeze and hear the mute roar of the ocean tide. It's a great beach book!

It is a pleasant read ~~ despite the theme that runs through the book. It is a book best read in snatches; the dialogue and scenery can be a bit much to take sometimes. But overall, it is thought-provoking and well-written. It is a great book to take on a vacation ~~ where you don't feel the need to rush back into it. It is a book meant to be savored one word at a time ~~ it's an elegantly written and entertaining read.

"Fortune's Rocks," an upscale, rocky beach community reminiscent of Newport and Maine, is the setting for the shocking love affair of 15 year old Olympia Biddesford and John Haskell, forty-ish. The two are drawn to each other over the great divide of their ages by an almost mystical pull, which quickly turns into a torrid love affair. The setting makes the book--I loved the descriptions of the sea, beach, rocks and sky in all moods and seasons, Olympia's joy in shedding boots to walk in the sand, the shock of the icy New England water. Shreve also does a fine job of recreating the golden years before WWI, the sheltered upbringing of young women, the iron-clad rules of propriety. Inevitably the lovers are found out, in a scene at Olympia's 16th birthday party which would shock even today.

Olympia is dragged away and cloistered in her Boston home, only to be met with a further shock--she and Haskell conceived a child, who is also taken away from her. Away from the sea, the story oddly lags, and Shreve keeps this part mercifully brief. These seemingly doomed lovers who have lost everything re-emerge to try to claim their lives and the child, but Shreve is known for surprise endings, and the child seems lost forever. Read the book to see how it all works out.

I only wish Shreve had made our heroine just a bit older--I couldn't help be bothered that no matter how compelling the passion, how mystical the bond, how passionate Olympia was in pursuing her lover, even today in a society whose mores have utterly changed, Haskell would have been thought to have done something terribly wrong, even criminal. But otherwise this is a fine summer book--well written, beautifuly conceived, but not too heavy.

Olympia, the main character, begins a passionate, forbidden romance with a much older man. I don't always like these May/November romances, but I found this one compelling -- perhaps because it's told from the point of view of Olympia who is struggling to grow up in repressed, Victorian times. She may be young and inexperienced, but she certainly isn't seduced -- in fact, at times, she seems like the stronger of the two. Olympia is able to grow into her true self only by breaking the rules and stepping outside the bounds of "proper" society. She has a conscience, too. This book deals with not only their romance, but touches on questions of conscience, such as women's rights, abortion, poverty and other social issues. I didn't see the ending as a cop out to the happy endings that we love so well, but as the natural outcome of Olympia's spirit and determination. GREAT STORY! I also loved it that the author used the same setting as she did for The Pilot's Wife. It was fun to read about how that area was at the turn of the century.

I had only read one book by Anita Shreve (The Pilot's Wife) prior to picking up Fortune's Rocks, so I wasn't really expecting anything phenomenal, just a good, decent story. Was I ever pleasantly surprised! Fortune's Rocks was way more than your average book -- the historical setting by itself was enough to keep me reading.

Fortune's Rocks tells the story of 15-year-old Olympia Biddeford and the summer that changed her life. While vacationing with her family in Fortune's Rocks, New Hampshire, Olympia notices something different about herself. She does not feel like a little kid anymore, but more of a woman, aware of her surroundings and the looks she receives from the boys on the beach. But it isn't just boys who find themselves drawn to Olympia -- at a dinner gathering, Olympia's father's guest, John Haskell, a 40-something doctor and writer, feels himself drawn as well. Soon, Olympia and John embark on a love affair despite their age difference -- and despite the fact that John is married and the father of four small children. And this affair, although true love for Olympia and John, only proves to be disasterous for all involved.

Set in 1899, the historical era of the novel is its best asset. I love historical fiction, and I believe this aspect is what made the story so involving and good. Anita Shreve's writing is very complementary to the time frame -- I really felt I was dropped in the midst of 1899 while reading. Fortune's Rocks was less predictable than Pilot's Wife, and I was actually surprised a few times at the direction the story was taking. I highly recommend this novel -- especially to those who love historical fiction.

I've read all Anita Shreve's books and this one is a giant leap from a wonderful writer who just keeps getting better and better. Fortune's Rocks tells an incredible story--one you simply can't put down--with period touches that are so authentic, you're sure you're reading an Edith Wharton contemporary--if not the great lady herself. A fantastic read from a true talent.

As I began to read Fortunes Rock, I was entranced by the very descriptive writing. I felt that I was almost physically there in the place where the story unfolds. But as I continued to read the story, I felt an uneasiness with what I sensed would be the main thrust of the story, a love affair between a 15 year-old young lady (not a woman in any stretch of the imagination) with a man some 40 plus years old. I am not a prude by any means, but as I continued reading, reaching the pages about their first kiss, I felt a surge of anger that a writer as fine and gifted as Ms. Shreve (I thoroughly enjoyed The Pilot's Wife) should have thought that this story should be written and read. What a pity that Ms. Shreve did not use her talents for better purposes.