Body Surfing (2007)

I have recently read two other Anita Shreve books, A Change in Altitude and Light on Snow and I enjoyed them both. However, this book did not live up to my expectations. The narration was excellent and the story line somewhat plausible but I didn’t connect with the main characters in a significant way.

The story revolved around Sydney, a young woman who was going through a period of self-reflection, rebuilding and perhaps even a little escape. She had lost two husbands, one by death and one by divorce and was trying to begin her life again with a new focus. She was hired as a tutor/nanny for the Edwards family and lived with them in their home on the ocean. She was hired to teach their almost adult daughter Julie, who had some learning difficulties.

Julie’s two brothers both entered the scene in a significant way one afternoon on a swim in the ocean. The results of this interaction stretched the credibility of Sydney’s character from the beginning as I could not imagine an intelligent adult woman having the reactions and assumptions that she did surrounding the events of the outing. The interactions and relationships seemed contrived from this point on and I observed that Sydney was portrayed more as an emotional teen than a responsible and experienced adult.

The idea of body surfing was intriguing and I felt Shreve described the activity and feelings and movements of the surfer’s with enough detail to give the reader an understanding of the lure of the waves, even to those of us who have never attempted that particular sport. Both Julie, and Mr. Edwards, a seemingly wonderful father and man, were two characters that were interesting and brought a degree of interest to the story that was more in-depth and capturing than the brothers or the mother. I would like to read a future novel from Shreve about Julie and her life beginning from the place where this story ends. She was a well conceived character and I felt her story was just beginning. ( )

A wonderful book. An entire family is seen through the eyes of Sydney, the outside-come-inside, as she struggles to find her own place after a series of personal catastrophes. But it's not maudlin or melodramatic. You can imagine this happening, even as you think how unlikely it is; I guess that's the gift of the author. Recommended. ( )

Sydney is once divorced, once widowed and decides to tutor the teenage daughter of the Edwards family. She arrives at their cottage and immediately the two older sons try to get to know her. There are tensions in the Edwards house that escalate when the daughter disappears and the closeness between Sydney and the brothers is threatened by jealousy in many forms. I enjoyed this book and give it an A+! ( )

In Anita Shreve's novels, the characters are often deceived about the true nature of their closest relationships. Sydney, who has little intentions of getting involved after having been divorced once and then widowed, is lured into a romance with the older of two brothers. She, however, is just caught in his rivalry with his brother.

Sydney is the lens through which all the members of the family are seen, at times with shifting clarity. The teen who she is tutoring finds an escape from her mother's hovering concern and control. ( )

Listened to the NLS Talking Book version. Very descriptive of surroundings and feelings. Plot is strange and examines human interactions. ( )