Customer Reviews

Fortune's Rocks: A Novel

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I introduced this book to a book club several years ago and it was a big hit. I couldn't put it down, and since this book, i have gone on to read all of Anita Shreve's work. I would highly recommend this!!!

this is my favourite anita shreve book, (along with strange fits of passion).
the book has an air of henry james to it,
& the story is probably quite a typical victoria theme,
though one kept tightly uder wraps during this period!
the young, impressionable girl, bored & restless, has her head turned by the attractive, intelligent, successful "married" older man, & following from the passion that ensues, this stories tells of the tragic results of this liaison,
anita really studies her subject, is a thoughtful & gentle writer, who writes with a air of quietness that draws you in.
i loved this book as it evoked a key period in history of dramatic change & the subsequence of this is apparent now,
& particulary an interesting time for women, who were beginning to get their voice more, & here we see a spirited, strong minded version of this in our heroine.

I started my Anita Shreve reading with "The Pilot's Wife." The next novel I came across by her was this one. I have a busy life, sometimes larger novels can take me quite some time to accomplish. This book, I basically sat down and read in just a couple sittings. The main character in this novel showed what it was like to love and be loved, and how love can overcome all time. Normally that would turn me off about a novel, but there was an actual story surrounding it. A life that you could get yourself drawn into and appreciate the words on the page for. It was a very moving novel and I can not wait to pass it on to my friends to enjoy. I can't wait to read another book by what is becoming one of my favourite authors.

This was a fantastic read!

I grew up in Biddeford, Maine, and my favorite beach there is called Fortune's Rocks. I've lived all over the country and have yet to discover a beach more beautiful, which is why the the title of the book and it's main character, Ms. Biddeford, caught my eye. I bought Fortune's Rocks because the title made me feel nostalgic and was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It is brilliantly written.

Ms. Shreve obviously enjoyed her time in my home town and recognized the beaty of Fortune's Rocks as it inspired her to write such an incredible novel.

While this is by no means an awful book, nor is it in any way memorable. The relationship between Olympia and Haskell - which the entire book revolves around - seems to spring out of nowhere, with a lack of build-up that dramatically decreases the reader's sympathy for their struggles. Despite having fallen for an older, married man myself, I felt a startling lack of any kind of connection to Olympia, which I assumed would be a given due to the similarity of our situations. I was in no way moved - the characters seemed to lack true depth and appeal, with a severe lack of tertiary or even secondary characters to contribute to the plot. The happy ending is also a let down, and inconsistent with Olympia and Haskell's constant mantra from the beginning of the book that no good can ever come from their affair. I was quite disappointed with what could've been an intriguing read of a difficult situation, and I would not recommend this book to the discriminating reader.

Not expecting much from Fortune's Rocks, after reading The Pilots Wife, I was pleasantly surprised that the book held me in thrall all the way to the end, so much so that I finished it in two days. Why?
Besides the seductive power of a deeply passionate, illicit relationship, the character of Olympia is one that every woman can relate to, whether they are mothers, aunts or precocious school girls. There is thankfully no moralising about the sins of the flesh or the evil of underage sex, even if the scandal does involve a sexual relationship between a 15 year old girl and a 40 + year old man with children and an ostensibly happy marriage.
Olympia is a passionate 15 year old, but older than her years or her peers. The attraction when she first sights Haskell is strongly brought out. Probably in this day and age, Haskell would probably go to jail for having sex with a 15 year old, but in the 1800's apparently he did get away with it.
The child born out of this relationship, the exile of Olympia and the surprise endings - leave a good tase in the mouth, because sub consciously the reader does want Haskell and Olympia to get together, each having sacrificed so much for the other.
Shorn of multi voiced narrations, the story moves ahead with only Olypmia as the protagonist/narrator. I guess the power of the characters is brought out by the fact that even as wives/mothers we may shudder at the thought of our husbands carrying on with teenagers and throwing caution and family to the wind, at the end of Fortune's Rocks, you can help but smile at how beautifully it all ends for the actors in this passionate tableau.

I almost skipped reading this book when I read the synopsis on the dust jacket. The idea of a 15 year old girl having an affair with someone her father's age did not appeal to me. But Shreve masterfully tells this story and once you are wrapped up in it, any and all "ick factor" disappears. What you find yourself reading is a sensual and painful tale of forbidden love and its consequences.

Shreve's brilliant description of life in 1899 is wonderful. I wish all historical fiction would pay as close attention to detail and make it feel so real as Shreve was able to do. This is a wonderful read, from first page to last!

Fortune's Rocks is about a young girl who during the summer of her 15th year shames her family by falling for an older man. She is exiled to a boarding school, where she thinks about nothing but what she lost. We follow Olympia into her 20s and find that she is a very strong woman who will fight for what is rightfully hers. The ending is just extraordinary and the perfect closing to a wonderful book.

In Fortune's Rocks, Shreve presents us with your basic young-girl-falls-in-love-with-married-older-man-and-gets-pregnant scenario. Shreve continues however, to create a story after the initial romance involving our heroine, Olympia, and her struggle to find the child she gave birth to.

Unfortunately, Olympia, (who is portrayed as independent but helpless, self-assured but needy) is generally unlikable. While I hesitate to say she got what she deserved, I do not find much sympathy for her or her lover who had the courage to ruin the lives of both of their families but not the courage to find each other again - in the face of it all - to be together.

While Shreve is skilled at creating a sense of place, and the beach community of Fortune's Rocks is enviable, her characterizations in this novel do not ring true and lack depth, insight or interest.

Shreve's pacing, snappy dialogue, great atmospheric locations, and above all, plot, will keep you rivited to this page turner. Don't miss this one! FORTUNE'S ROCK is by far one of this year's best reads.

Also recommended: HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG and BARK OF THE DOGWOOD