Sea Glass

Fortune's Rock, the setting of two of Anita Shreve's earlier books once again plays a significant role in her newest title, Sea Glass. It is to a house in the area of Fortune's Rock located in England, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and a secluded beach, that newly married Honora and Sexton move to in June of 1929. Honora looks forward to keeping house while Sexton will continue his job as traveling typewriter salesman. The house they occupy is rather run down but in lieu of rent, Sexton has agreed to fix it up for the owners. But when the house becomes available for them to buy and while they don't have all of the money, Sexton jumps at the opportunity to purchase it for their futures. Unfortunately, for this couple and other characters in the book, the stock market crash is only weeks away and will ultimately test them economically but also emotionally. In an eerily foreboding manner reminiscent of Shreve's earliest works, the author depicts the lives of characters caught up in events that will shatter their world as the book takes hold and readers race towards the climactic ending.Told in alternating voices are a cast of wonderful character whom Shreve portrays so well that we feel as though we know them. In addition to Sexton and Honora who spends time collecting sea glass on the beach, there is also the very wealthy Vivian who meets Honora on the beach and her one time lover and once wealthy Dickie. Rounding out the characters are McDermott, a factory worker and labor organizer and his protégé 11 year old Alphonse who dreams of becoming a pilot. These are vivid characters we come to care about whose stories once set in motion, keep the reader wondering how their lives will play our and what will become of them at the end of the book. And all the while, we are witnesses to these character's lives as they struggle with loyalty, trust, betrayal and solid marriages during a time when our country was gripped with both economic and moral dilemmas. And as we come to know more about them we fear for their lives as the climate of the country grows darker and darker.While Honora continues to collect her beautiful sea glass, the reader marvels at how Shreve parallels her characters lives with the sea glass. How glass remains intact despite the pounding of the ocean waves and its journey to shore. But people are more fragile as Shreve reminds us in this book and we mourn for these people as the pages turn almost by themselves. While some might say that this title is a historical novel and few do research as well as Anita Shreve, it is also the portrayal of vastly different people who come together under difficult circumstances as they try to survive their own waves and pounding. Few authors can evoke a period of time and place the way Shreve can and does. Once again Ms. Shreve has written a worthwhile read and engaging title.

This was my first Anita Shreve novel and I will definitely be checking out her prior work. Although I did not live through the Great Depression, I feel that Ms. Shreve effectively depicted the emotions and effects that people undoubtedly suffered through during that time. I personally enjoyed her detailed development of the characters. I found nothing slow or uninteresting about any of them. In fact, I found myself reading at every available moment and sorry to see the novel end. I highly recommend.

I finished Sea Glass this afternoon and think it is an excellent novel. The carefully illustrated scenario and clarity of descriptive exposition draw the reader in, but serenity is short lived. Shreve begins to intertwine the lives of her well drawn characters about half way through, and their meeting up and joining ranks in plot integration is seamless and logical. The growth of Honora is specifically noteworthy and quite beautiful to me, as is the revelation of Sexton's true character emerging, which the reader knows is not merely the direct result of the onset of The Great Depression. The Alphonse and McDermott links are my personal favorites. What a stalwart and shy young eleven year old is Alphonse, who has far too much weight on his gentle shoulders. McDermott proves his mettle and engages the trust of the reader early on by befriending him. Vivian is a jaded socialite who redefines her character by becoming involved in meaningful relationships, discarding frivolous decadence, while retaining her humor and zest. The author gives each character's voice his/her own significant appropriation in the structure of Sea Glass. One would know who is who without the chapter headings. Shreve's timing and research are exemplary, and all the crumbs laid as clues pan out, even crimson sea glass. The house in which Honora and Sexton start their married life is the beach home of Olympia in Fortune's Rocks, a character in itself, and a minor surprise awaits lovers of Fortune's Rocks in the history of Vivian's home. In addition, within the novel, reference is made to Sexton's and Honora's albatross shore house once being used as a convent for unwed mothers. Another novel to come?The shards of sea glass Honora collects along the beach have smooth edges. So does this novel.Roe Wiles

Please remember that people who read these reviews are usually doing so because they want to find out if the book is a worthwhile read.... we do NOT want a synopsis of the book that gives away the ending! If you give away the ending, it really takes away from the enjoyment in reading a new book...if you want to discuss the ending, please join a book club!

I've read and enjoyed all of Shreve's books, and this is one of her best. Told from the perspectives of five separate characters, Sea Glass is the story of a disparate group of people whose lives become intertwined and changed forever following the stock market crash of 1929. Like Fortune's Rocks, it will transport you to another time and place. Highly recommended.