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Book Reviews & Giveaway: Rescue

Author: Anita Shreve

Anita Shreve’s characters never miss an emotional nuance; the clarity of honesty within Peter, Sheila and Rowan Webster pivot and swirl like an emotional collage – all dead on. Shreve’s writing infuses a purity, a contagion of emotional intelligence that grasps us, pulls us into the intimacy, and sometime futility and sadness of marital relationship.

As always, Shreve’s characters’ faults are also their lifelines. They trip and muddle, creating lives that widen our eyes – for they are our lives too. No gimmicks with Shreve, just pure and lovely prose that never overrides her ability to inhabit her characters with reality and poignancy.

Peter Webster, an EMT in a small Vermont town, raises his 17 year old daughter Rowan by himself: his brief marriage to Sheila, whom he sent away 15 years ago, feels musty in his memory. Sheila is an alcoholic, and almost kills herself, Rowan and another driver in a DUI. Webster shunts her out of town and out of his life, to keep her out of jail and to ensure the safety of his toddler daughter.

In the present, Rowan falls off the track of the “good daughter” and student. She begins to drink, and acts out her teenage rebellion with dropping grades, distance and defiance and anger at Peter. When she finds Peter almost accidentally reading her diary, the bottom falls out. Rowan crosses the line into real trouble, with her life hanging in the balance, and Peter reaches out to Sheila, now in her 40’s and living in Chelsea, Massachusetts as an artist. Sheila flies to Peter’s side to watch as their beautiful 17 year old daughter lies in a coma.

Rescue: A Novel is available at Amazon.com for only $15.46.

Ratings are based on a 5-star scale

Overall: 4

Review by Broad “A” – Ava

We received a copy of this title for our book review. All opinions are our own.


GIVEAWAY

Extra entries

* Be sure to leave a comment letting me know if you’ve done any of these (if you already subscribe or have our badge – please note that in the comments as well).

* This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and over and ends on December 28, 2010 11:59 EST.
* Good Luck

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