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Loading... The Air We Breathe: A Novelby Andrea Barrett
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. The Air We Breathe is an historical novel about a group of individuals confined to a tuberculosis hospital in the Adirondacks during World War I. The story isn't really about historical events or the circumstances in which these people find themselves as it is about human conflict both large and small being fed by virtuous and selfish passions. Barrett uses all sorts of clever plot devices and narrative voice to create an almost claustrophobic narrative that weaves together science, history, politics, and social policy. It's a beautiful contemporary novel. Have you ever gone for a walk or been sitting outside, listening to music far off in the distance, music you can only just hear, that sounds really familiar and strangely comforting? That's the feeling I got from this book, i.e., eerily familiar and subtle throughout. (  )1   Voracious_Reader | Nov 10, 2009 |  Reviewed by Dixie Grupe (Social Studies) This was a great airplane read; not too difficult to read and very easy to become enmeshed in the story and characters. I read it in seven hours and it was a wonderful way to pass the flight time. The setting is an upstate New York small town which has become a haven for the wealthy and not so wealthy who have contracted TB in 1917-1918. There is a complicated love story, a WWI element, a socialist/ capitalist conflict and a thread which details the struggle of three women to rise above the conventions of a stifling society to follow their dreams. I love stories with many layers which are set deeply in a specific historical context and I love stories about topics I don't know much about. This is a book both men and women will enjoy and I would imagine would see much differently. ( ) HHS-Staff | Oct 20, 2009 | I like andrea barrett's novels, she has a nice mixture of ideas, science, and a people. she in that regard a lot like richard powers, this novel also had a historical novel feel. the story of america entering ww 1 also studied how we deal with grief. (  ) michaelbartley | Oct 10, 2009 | Uncharacteristically for one of Barrett's book, it was not until three-quarters of the way through the story that I suddenly was drawn in emotionally. Prior to that I was thinking, "the pace is slow - I am not enamored with this book." As a physician, much of the book was fascinating from a clinical and scientific perspective. Barrett's ability to do so is one of the many dimensions of pleasure I experience in her writing, but that wasn't enough to carry the day. In the end, however, its emotional power finally emerged. The ultimate political and social insights evoked a disturbing realization that felt all too real, all too recent, despite the setting of close to 100 years ago. It was at that point my opinion changed. I would not hesitate to recommend this book, though I would give the advice to be patient. It significantly pays off by the last page. ( )1 Griff | Sep 27, 2009 | The story of Leo Marburg, Russian-German immigrant, and his stay at the state run curing hospital in the Adirdondacks just before the start of WWI. The residents are concentrated on recovering from tuberculosis and the war takes a back seat to this in the early stages of the novel. Wealthy Miles, who is in a nearby private cure house, initiates weekly sessions where patients can share interesting information regarding life experiences. Leo is attracted to nurses' aide Eudora; Naomi (another aide and Eudora's friend) is attracted to Leo; and Miles is attracted to Naomi. This leads to circumstances that cause a fire at the state facility at Tamarack and destroys lives and relationships. Excellent storytelling as well as history and science. Barrett is terrific! ( )2 brenzi | Mar 26, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0393061086, Hardcover)The exquisite, much-anticipated new novel by the author of Ship Fever, winner of the National Book Award.In fall 1916, Americans debate whether to enter the European war. "Preparedness parades" march and headlines report German spies. But in an isolated community in the Adirondacks, the danger is barely felt. At Tamarack Lake the focus is on the sick. Wealthy tubercular patients live in private cure cottages; charity patients, mainly immigrants, fill the large public sanatorium. For all, time stands still. Prisoners of routine and yearning for absent families, the patients, including the newly arrived Leo Marburg, take solace in gossip, rumor, and—sometimes—secret attachments. An enterprising patient initiates a weekly discussion group. When his well-meaning efforts lead instead to a tragic accident and a terrible betrayal, the war comes home, bringing with it a surge of anti-immigrant prejudice and vigilante sentiment. The conjunction of thwarted desires and political tension binds the patients so deeply that, finally, they speak about what's happened in a single voice. The Air We Breathe, though entirely self-contained, extends the web of connected characters begun with Ship Fever. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:03 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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