The Heights [Hardcover]

Peter Hedges (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2010

Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin.

Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she's also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn't quite understand, even as all the Range Rover- driving moms jockey for invitations into Anna's circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world.

Like Tom Perrotta, Peter Hedges has a keen eye for the surprising truths of daily life. The Heights is at once light of touch and packed with emotion and depth of character.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hedges's first novel in more than a decade reads a lot like Tom Perrotta minus the satire or Jonathan Tropper with less humor, but Hedges's excellent characterization and writing render it a worthy outing. Tim Welch and Kate Oliver are happily married, living the urban dream in Brooklyn Heights, until the wealthy and beautiful Anna Brody moves in nearby, forcing them to question if happiness is enough. Anna's arrival coincides with the forced retirement of Tim's father, a celebrated women's basketball coach, due to a sexual scandal; a lucrative job for Kate; and the reappearance of Kate's former love, now a television star. And while the entire neighborhood is fascinated with Anna, it's Tim and Kate she pulls into her orbit—intent on taking Tim as a lover—causing the seams of their marriage to fray and forcing them into situations they never would have predicted for themselves, even if the reader isn't exactly surprised at how things play out. The plot tends toward busy, but Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape) keeps it under control, his sympathetically real characters holding down the novel's solid center. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Kate and Tim tell the story of their practically perfect life (he’s a history teacher in a posh private school; she’s a stay-at-home mom) in alternating chapters. Brooklyn Heights, their neighborhood, rife with social strata, rules, and conventions, is rocked by a newcomer, Anna Brody, the beautiful, mysterious wife of a very wealthy man who latches onto the couple. Then, when opportunities impel Kate back to work, Tim becomes the at-home parent, ostensibly at work on his long-delayed dissertation. An old flame of Kate’s, now a TV star, stirs up more mischief, while Bea, a student of Tim’s with a crush, offers her perspective. Ultimately, deceptions replace perfect openness. Hedges, of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1991) fame, demonstrates a sure touch with people and settings. The somewhat predictable outcomes are ameliorated by the charm of his characters and his obvious fondness for them. While Hedges’ use of the old-fashioned convention of beginning chapters with a variation on “ if only I had known” can be tiresome, this is an enjoyable novel of modern manners. --Danise Hoover

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (March 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052595113X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525951131
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #873,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Light, Enjoyable Read, February 20, 2010

By 

Kristen Stewart (Midtown Memphis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Heights (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Peter Hedges' The Heights centers around a young couple living in a upscale neighborhood on a shoestring budget with two small children. With his dissertation hanging over his head, Peter teaches history at the local private school, and Kate stays home with their boys. The characters are extremely likeable and the novel is easy to read, drawing readers in with charm and grace. I even found the secondary voice of Bea (one of Peter's students) fun to read, even if generally less believable than her adult counterparts.

We follow along as Kate and Peter wrestle with changes in their lives, their ever-mounting bills, and the challenges of marriage. Like many young modern couples, they are physically and emotionally distant from their families and are trying to make their way more alone in the world than previous generations. Their stories and their voices, though silly and exaggerated at times (I can see the makings of the screenplay already) are easy to relate to.

Like many contemporary novels, it alternates between several voices. Though it wasn't poorly written, I didn't find it overly distinct. The aim seems to be more towards a movie deal than a literary prize. Overall, it's a light and enjoyable read, very appropriate for the beach. (3.5/5)

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Escapist Reading: Simple, Funny, Sweet, and Tender Story Told With Heart, February 14, 2010

By 

Techie Evan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heights (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I would put this novel under the "Good Escapist Reading" category: a simple, frequently funny, almost always sweet and tender story told with heart.

Tim and Kate married when he was 23, and she 25. Despite having so many attractive and bound-to-be-financially-successful suitors, Kate - in Tim's mind -- chose to "marry down" when she chose to marry him. Kate, for her part, found Tim's kindness, soul-baring vulnerability, and honesty touching.

Nine years into their marriage and raising two small boys with Tim's modest private-school history teacher's salary in a tony Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, Tim and Kate find themselves constantly under financial pressure, and for Kate at least, longing for an alternate future, one where they could afford the finer things in life.

In come three people into the picture: Anna Brody, wife of the newest richest guy in town; Bruno Schwine, Kate's former gay boss who has a new gig running a charitable foundation for a highly successful former classmate, and Jeff Slade, one of Kate's former suitors who is now a rich and famous actor.

Through their encounters with these people, Tim and Kate got a taste of the potential good that fame and fortune can bring to bear on people's lives. But alas, not all of their experiences would turn out to be positive. How would their lives change as a result? Would their marriage survive?

The story is told mostly from Tim's and Kate's first person accounts of events and their reactions to them as those events unfold, with the narration occasionally switching also to first person accounts of other characters, most notably Bea Myerly, whose intense student crush on Tim rivals that of Rachel's on Mr. Schuster in Glee's Endless Love episode (smile). Mr. Hedges used this narration technique to good effects, especially when dramatizing a character's inner conflicts, when the words spoken by a character belie the real thoughts or emotions rushing through the character's mind or heart.

The story contains many funny or amusing moments, such as: Kate's shrieking with pride over the phone to inform Tim of little Sam's singular achievement of the day walking over to a potty and pooping unassisted, Tim's method of determining whether sex would follow depending on how a person hugs you, and Tim's imaginary conversation with Neil Armstrong to help him decide whether to have sex with Anna or not. And as for what Bea Myerly's role is, well, all I can tell you is this: Almost always, whenever she appears on a scene, something dramatic or a plot twist is about to happen. (smile)

The novel was a quick read, and I did smile or chuckle many times while reading it. The ending was satisfying to me, but overall, I didn't really find the novel especially stirring, moving, or enlightening; thus, the four- rather than five-star rating.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER GOOD ONE FOR HEDGES, February 7, 2010

By 

Pamela A. Poddany "Book Freak!" (Toledo, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Heights (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

THE HEIGHTS

This book is told in one of my favorite ways -- each character tells a portion of the story. Sometimes that section goes on for pages, other times it will consist of one or two words. Very good story telling. Each character has their own personal voice and makes this book gratifying.

We meet Kate and Tim, living in the Heights section of Brooklyn. It's a great neighborhood to raise a family in and Kate and Tim are doing just that; bringing up their two young sons. Tim is a much loved history teacher and Kate stays at home with their boys. The neighborhood hosts a diverse bunch of people -- mostly upper middle class, some upper class. These young couples work, set up play dates with their children, party together, and gossip about everyone and everything in the Heights.

Enter a new family who moves into one of the most fantastic brownstones in the neighborhood. This family is THE FAMILY now in the Heights. Everyone wants to be included in their circle of friends. However, the Mrs. of the couple, one Anna Brody, is elusive and pretty stand-offish to everyone in the Heights. She seems to want to befriend one couple only and that couple is Kate and Tim.

Little do Kate and Tim realize how Anna Brody will effect the lives of their neighbors and their own lives. Anna will befriend pretty much only Kate, plying her with gifts and her company.

Enter into Kate and Tim's lives Kate's former boss who offers her an awesome job. She accepts and starts to be the major bread winner in the family. Tim becomes a stay at home dad and enters into the world of play dates, kids, and the social conditions of 'the mommys'. Kate and Tim's roles have been reversed and this causes many unsettling effects that cause some problems in their marriage.

Not helping this situation is the arrival of Kate's old lover, now a TV star, who wants Kate back, never mind the fact she is a happily married woman. Or she is?

Does the union of Tim and Kate and their very happy marriage falter under the barrage of attention from Anna Brody and Jeff the TV star? Can love withstand anything and can it still conquer all even though temptations are being pitched at both Tim and Kate?

Peter Hedges writes a comical, fun, exciting, and very interesting book about life and relationships. This book reads quickly and I was sorry to see it end.

Being a fan of Peter Hedges from long ago, I was happy to see he has graced us with another novel. Aside from being an author, he is also a film-maker and playwright. If you haven't seen some of the movies he has been involved in -- WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, PIECES OF APRIL, and DAN IN REAL LIFE, you should treat yourself and rent them. Better yet, READ his best book ever, WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE. I absolutely loved that book. He is also the author of AN OCEAN IN IOWA. Check them out.

Thank you.

Pam