“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. The story had merit, the writing was good, but the ending was utterly incomprehensible to me. The main character is a girl engaged to a man who becomes a paraplegic just after their relationship goes sour. This is actually a re-read. What does this exercise reveal about their relationship and … Unable to add item to Wish List. The characters are very real, the setting is very real. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2010. Then it's all about fashion, and BAD fashion at that. i just kept thinking "why would people like her?" i really like the premise of the book - your fiance is in an accident and now a. i wanted to like this. Slow to get going, unsympathetic main character I wanted to slap at times, but the second half was a good read. I actually felt trapped as if the main character were making life decisions for me. [3], http://www.shelfari.com/books/53101/The-Dive-From-Clausens-Pier/editions, http://www.annpacker.com/the_dive_from_clausens_pier, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Dive_from_Clausen%27s_Pier_(novel)&oldid=976252428, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 September 2020, at 00:23. Remember how important she was to the plot? I listened to the audiobook in one day (it was part of Audible's two books for one credit sale), though I'd heard of it before and just never gotten to it. i grew up near madison and kept trying to find connection to the characters and places. Novel about woman’s boyfriend in coma from accident [s], Readers' Most Anticipated Books of November. I really enjoyed the character studies. Eww! Making matters even more complicated, in the months just before the accident she had begun to fall out of love with Mike. Ann Packer is the acclaimed author of two collections of short fiction, Swim Back to Me and Mendocino and Other Stories, and three bestselling novels, The Children's Crusade, Songs Without Words, and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, which received the Kate Chopin Literary Award, among many other prizes and honors. I felt like I had known any one of these people. I loved the way the book kept me guessing, and the way in which no one was a caricature, they were all fully fleshed out, living, breathing individuals. The problem? While this isn't classic literature, I was touched by the book. This book surprised me. She wanted to break it off with him before the accident, now what should she do? i wanted to like this. She is still going through an existential crisis, and although she doesn't say it, suspects she has outgrown many of her relationships in Madison. Fast, FREE delivery, video streaming, music, and much more. And because I couldn't give up everything, I also thought I couldn't give up anything." i finished it, and a lot of the writing is strong, and it wasn't what i expected it to be. They've been dating since high school. - everyone was a cliche, or not very detailed. These ruminations occur as she finally decides to drive on whim to New York, chasing after a gay high school friend who has moved there to be accepted and Kilroy, a man she happens to meet at a dinner, who immediately and incisively reads her. Now I'm not sure why, as this time around I was so annoyed with Carrie (the main character) and didn't find much in here to be realistic or inspiring in any way. It's a bit suspensful because you don't know if she's going to return to him or not, or if she should. It's about a young couple in their early 20s living in the midwest-- Wisconsin (I think). She is confused, sometimes self-centered, yet struggles to keep her integrity in an overwhelming turn of events. Envision an inverted version of The Dive from Clausen's Pier written from Mike's point of view in which Carrie had been the one to have had the accident. They've been dating since high school. The character Kilroy talks about "hard" art (Picasso) and "soft" art (Matisse) and certainly Packer's is the former. I enjoyed all the supporting characters and their stories, but I'm relieved the twenty-something me didn't follow in any of their paths. by Vintage. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages that interest you. He cannot move his hands, has no sexual sensitivity and is going through his own sort of depression. The main character is a girl engaged to a man who becomes a paraplegic just after their relationship goes sour. I'm still haunted by this story. You're stuck. Still, she moves to. Potential for a good read, right? Skip to main content.ca Hello, Sign in. When she is considering making a life change, destiny makes it for her. She faces the guilt of leaving behind her life and paraplegic fiancé. It had potential - the plot centers around the question of what we owe those we love. She's about to break up with him, then he has a horrible diving accident while they're picnicing with friends. i grew up near madison and kept trying to find connection to the characters and places. Things suddenly change for everyone at the picnic when Mike dives off the pier, and breaks his neck, and is permanently paralyzed. The Dive from Clausen's Pier reminds us how precarious our lives are and how quickly they can be divided into before and after, whether by random accident or by the force of our own desires. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. The character Kilroy talks about "hard" art (Picasso) and "soft" art (Matisse) and certainly Packer's is the former. It was first published in 2002 by Alfred A. Having read a book where The Dive was referenced, I had to read it for myself, and I was not disappointed. Carrie has pretty much had it with the relationship with Mike and he suspects the same. “Lonely is a funny thing," she said slowly. and all of the sex scenes were written in a really awkward and laughingly weird way. One day, when they are hanging out at the pier with their friends, Mike jumps in the lake and breaks his neck, becoming quadriplegic. I don't think that I would have stumbled upon this book had my friend not recommended it to me. About Ann Packer Ann Packer is the author of two best-selling novels, Songs Without Words and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, the latter of which received a Great Lakes Book Award, an American Library Association Award, and the Kate Chopin Literary Award. Refresh and try again. I am compelled to read on! no one talks or acts like these people, especially 23-year-olds. Her relationship with her fiance Mike is boring her, and she wants to see the world and learn who she is. It's a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of what it would be like to be about to break up with someone, and then something tragic happens and you feel like you can't. Someone in the book either had cancer, was dying, or was just killed and I sobbed from the beginning of the book to the end. It doesn't have an obvious story, it just drifts along - like life. - but carrie, the main character, is really lame and does random things without explanation or care. The story begins with a group of close friends from small town Madison, Wisconsin head to Clausen's Pier to celebrate Memorial Day. In the end, I was disappointed by the catalyst for action the author used. Told through first person narration, the novel centers on Carrie Bell's response to her fiancé's paralysis and through her reactions, questions the obligations and loyalty people have to those in their life. The novel begins with Carrie spending a Memorial Day picnic with her childhood friends, including her fiance, Mike. why am i giving it three stars? I felt so torn because I loved both of these young people. Secondary Characters: Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Mayer, Simon, Jamie, Rooster, The novel was named as one of the Best Books of the Year by Entertainment Weekly, Newsday, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Jose Mercury News. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. The book leaves you in genuine suspense as to whether Carrie will abandon Mike for a new life or will she turn her back on her own needs and settle down to do the "right thing". Carrie Bell feels the pull of a new life awaiting her outside her Wisconsin hometown. The protagonist kept having all these realizations and experiences and stuff that all just seemed really obvious and banal to me. Rarely have I cared so much about a character: Carrie Bell is faced with the gut-wrenching decision of staying with her boyfriend, Mike, of 7 years after he has become a quadriplegic. I really enjoyed the character studies, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2015. April 8th 2003 It was just sort of dumb. The first several pages of this book had me hooked. I hated it. He cannot move his hands, has no sexua. I simply did NOT find the actions, thoughts, and dialogue believable for a young woman of her age. i started out liking it but by the time i was wrapped up in it, i realized how trite it was. Meaning you do what you do. Her boyfriend (now fiance) of 8 years takes a plunge from Clausen's Pier, breaks his neck and becomes a quadriplegic. The protagonist kept having all these realizations and experiences and stuff that all just seemed really obvious and banal to me. but the second half was a good read. And who is it the "right thing" for? I was quite sad when I finished it partly because I did love it so much but also because I was a bit disappointed in by the ending which I will say nothing further as to not ruin it for anyone else. Prime Cart. This book sucks. It had potential - the plot centers around the question of what we owe those we love. She is also beginning to get a bit bored with her friends, including Jamie, her best friend for many years. I actually did not enjoy this book, and it definitely leaves a very bitter taste's in the mouth after you finish.

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