Helpful Score: 7
Anita Shreve, I have a question for you. Are you any kin to Nicolas Sparks? You have to be the female version of him as this book, Where Or When, shows the same draw them in, make them fall in love with the characters, get them to pulling for them, only to do the EXACT opposite at the end! OH, COME ON! This is the second book of her's I have read and while I have enjoyed both, I have also hated both. The characters are so believable, so full of life. And in this instance, the subject hit so close to home. Not sure where she gets her inspirations from but I hope her true-to-life experiences are not being mirrored in her books.
Basically, the book is about two people, and two families. Charles and Sian met when they were 14 years old and at camp for a week. In this brief period of time, they developed a love that would last for a lifetime. And yes, I believe in love for a lifetime. Fast forward 31 years to the present. Charles is married with children and so is Siam....just not to each other. In a freak chance, Charles sees a photo and review of Sian's book in the newspaper and remembers the past and the emotions he still has even after all the years that have passed. Making a decision that will possibly change the lives of two families, he contacts her, only to find that she still feels the same emotions. From there, I leave it for you to imagine.......until you read the book. A great book in the same spirit of many of Nicolas Spark's books, this one will leave you emotionally drained at the end with all the ups, and downs. I read this one in a day!
The lyrics of the song from whence the title of the book came......
Where Or When
Music by Richard Rodgers
Words by Lorenz Hart
When you're awake
The things you think come from the dreams you dream.
Thought has wings,
And lots of things are seldom what they seem.
Sometimes you think you've lived before
All that you live today.
Things you do come back to you,
As though they knew the way.
Oh, the tricks your mind can play
It seems we stood and
Talked like this before
We looked at each other
In the same way then but
I can't remember where or when
The clothes you're wearing
Are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling
You were smiling then but
I can't remember where or when
Some things that
Happen for the first time
Seems to be happening again
And so it seems that
We have met before
And laughed before
And loved before but
Who knows where or when
Basically, the book is about two people, and two families. Charles and Sian met when they were 14 years old and at camp for a week. In this brief period of time, they developed a love that would last for a lifetime. And yes, I believe in love for a lifetime. Fast forward 31 years to the present. Charles is married with children and so is Siam....just not to each other. In a freak chance, Charles sees a photo and review of Sian's book in the newspaper and remembers the past and the emotions he still has even after all the years that have passed. Making a decision that will possibly change the lives of two families, he contacts her, only to find that she still feels the same emotions. From there, I leave it for you to imagine.......until you read the book. A great book in the same spirit of many of Nicolas Spark's books, this one will leave you emotionally drained at the end with all the ups, and downs. I read this one in a day!
The lyrics of the song from whence the title of the book came......
Where Or When
Music by Richard Rodgers
Words by Lorenz Hart
When you're awake
The things you think come from the dreams you dream.
Thought has wings,
And lots of things are seldom what they seem.
Sometimes you think you've lived before
All that you live today.
Things you do come back to you,
As though they knew the way.
Oh, the tricks your mind can play
It seems we stood and
Talked like this before
We looked at each other
In the same way then but
I can't remember where or when
The clothes you're wearing
Are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling
You were smiling then but
I can't remember where or when
Some things that
Happen for the first time
Seems to be happening again
And so it seems that
We have met before
And laughed before
And loved before but
Who knows where or when
Helpful Score: 4
I've enjoyed some Anita Shreve novels in the past but this one was a huge disappointment. Too "romancey" and gratuitous sexual situations, along with an unbelievable story, made it a waste of valuable reading time for me.
Helpful Score: 3
If you liked any of her other books, you'll probably like this one too. It has a surprise end that made it worth the read for me.
Helpful Score: 3
I am a fan of Anita Shreve and have read other books by her but this one I didn't like. It's about a boy and a girl that first met when they were 14 years old at Summer Camp. They fell in love and had a sexual encounter. Thirty one years later when they are both married with children adults (not to each other) they meet again when the man sees a photo of the woman on the back of a book of poetry that she wrote. He writes a letter to her and eventually they meet and have an affair. The book flashes back and forth between when they were teenagers and now being adults, comparisons are made. It wasn't a believable story to me, it's complete fantasy.
Helpful Score: 3
This book is very well written, as are all Anita Shreve books I have read. But, I just could not sympathize with the selfish characters in this book! They gave little heed to the damage their affair was doing to everyone around them. Maybe it's because I love my husband dearly and could not imagine hurting him so much.
