The Divide (Paperback)

by Nicholas Evans (Author) "They rose before dawn and stepped out beneath a moonless sky aswarm with stars..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, The Divide, Charlie Riggs (more...)

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 the Hardcover edition.

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 the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Signet (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451219295
• ISBN-13: 978-0451219299
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #598,268 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 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.

16 of 18 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

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"

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ice maiden, August 16, 2006

By	Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Divide (Hardcover)

The body of a young woman is found, embedded in ice, on a mountain in Montana. Her body is easily identified as that of Abbie Cooper, the daughter of a comfortably off family, who was caught up romantically with an eco terrorist who involved her in the murder of an innocent victim. Wanted by the police and hunted by the FBI, she was estranged from her family and lived, in a similar situation as Patty Hearst, on the streets in squats, in filth and poverty, but still in thrall to her ruthless and non caring lover. Just prior to Abbie separating from her family, they were torn apart by her father, Ben, leaving her mother, Sarah, for another woman, after twenty years of marriage. This situation drives an insurmountable wedge between father and daughter and causes Sarah to accuse Ben of being the cause of Abbie's death, whether it was accidental or murder. It's a good read which skips backwards and forwards between time zones and delves deeply into the inner secrets of a family in trouble.