Post by Charlynn on Jun 9, 2013 17:02:07 GMT -5
A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve
Many dream of exotic adventures in far off lands, but that's all the ambition ever amounts to: a dream. A wish or a fantasy. A perpetually unchecked off item on a bucket list. But this is not the case for Patrick and Margaret, Boston newlyweds who immediately head off to Kenya following their hasty union, the ink not yet even dry on their marriage license. Patrick is a doctor, working in Kenya as he simultaneously uses the opportunity to further his research, and Margaret is a photographer mesmerized by the foreign beauty of the African people, landscape, and culture, yet intimidated, scared, and repulsed by the horrors and injustices surrounding her. Nevertheless, she's content - both with her life and her husband. Then, they, along with two other couples, attempt to climb Mount Kenya. When tragedy strikes, and a life is lost during the climb, the very foundation of Margaret's marriage is shaken. While she and Patrick attempt to save... or at least salvage... their relationship, her eyes are opened to more than just the problems in her marriage. She gets a job for an outspoken newspaper, makes new friends, falls in love - again, and suffers a great personal loss. After everything that happens between Margaret and her husband, they determine that, before they can move past their issues, they must first face the specter of Mount Kenya, experiencing, once again, the ultimate 'chance in altitude.'
But perhaps the climb isn't what the title refers to at all; maybe it's in reference to the highs and lows of a marriage, of a relationship, and how rapidly the feelings between two people can change. The beauty of Shreve's writing is her ability to tell a heart's tale. While her plots are never that complicated, her characters are, and their actions - good, bad, or somewhere in between - always understandable. And this holds true in A Change in Altitude. Readers might not always agree with Margaret's deeds - in fact, hopefully they don't, but it can't be said that she does anything unexpected. Shreve is loyal to the woman she created in this story and allows her to, consequently, act truthfully. This honesty is utterly fascinating. While the author might have failed in creating an engrossing plot and setting for her characters, she knew well enough to stand back and allow their personalities to, instead, tell the story. A Change in Altitude might refer to Margaret's climbing of Mount Kenya, or maybe it is in fact a reference to the short lived life of her marriage, but, ultimately, this book is the story of a woman. Or perhaps it's a tale of all women...
Three out of Five Stars
Many dream of exotic adventures in far off lands, but that's all the ambition ever amounts to: a dream. A wish or a fantasy. A perpetually unchecked off item on a bucket list. But this is not the case for Patrick and Margaret, Boston newlyweds who immediately head off to Kenya following their hasty union, the ink not yet even dry on their marriage license. Patrick is a doctor, working in Kenya as he simultaneously uses the opportunity to further his research, and Margaret is a photographer mesmerized by the foreign beauty of the African people, landscape, and culture, yet intimidated, scared, and repulsed by the horrors and injustices surrounding her. Nevertheless, she's content - both with her life and her husband. Then, they, along with two other couples, attempt to climb Mount Kenya. When tragedy strikes, and a life is lost during the climb, the very foundation of Margaret's marriage is shaken. While she and Patrick attempt to save... or at least salvage... their relationship, her eyes are opened to more than just the problems in her marriage. She gets a job for an outspoken newspaper, makes new friends, falls in love - again, and suffers a great personal loss. After everything that happens between Margaret and her husband, they determine that, before they can move past their issues, they must first face the specter of Mount Kenya, experiencing, once again, the ultimate 'chance in altitude.'
But perhaps the climb isn't what the title refers to at all; maybe it's in reference to the highs and lows of a marriage, of a relationship, and how rapidly the feelings between two people can change. The beauty of Shreve's writing is her ability to tell a heart's tale. While her plots are never that complicated, her characters are, and their actions - good, bad, or somewhere in between - always understandable. And this holds true in A Change in Altitude. Readers might not always agree with Margaret's deeds - in fact, hopefully they don't, but it can't be said that she does anything unexpected. Shreve is loyal to the woman she created in this story and allows her to, consequently, act truthfully. This honesty is utterly fascinating. While the author might have failed in creating an engrossing plot and setting for her characters, she knew well enough to stand back and allow their personalities to, instead, tell the story. A Change in Altitude might refer to Margaret's climbing of Mount Kenya, or maybe it is in fact a reference to the short lived life of her marriage, but, ultimately, this book is the story of a woman. Or perhaps it's a tale of all women...
Three out of Five Stars