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Summary: What price the soul?
Review: As we watch Carrie, the heroine of "Dive" struggle with questions of love, loyalty, humanness, and the freedom of her own heart and soul, we can't help but ask some of the same questions about our own lives.On the surface, this is a story about what one person owes another in light of the history of their relationship, on a larger scale it is about finding out who you are, learning to become who you truly are, and standing up for that new-found person. My book club loved this book and had a hard time ending our discussions at our regular time.
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Summary: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Review: After graduating college Carrie Bell finds herself questioning her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Mike. They have grown so close over the years that she feels there is nothing left to learn or to discover about him and their relationship. Carrie feels like she's in a rut. During a Memorial Day picnic at Clausen's Reservoir Mike has a dreadful accident that leaves him paralyzed and in the hospital with a long road ahead of him. Now Carrie is faced with the ultimate decision: should she remain loyal to Mike despite her prior uncertainties or should she break free and find what is best for herself? Furthermore, she must make her decision without appearing to be selfish to her friends and family. THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER has received some harsh reviews on this website that I personally do not agree with. Sure, there were some holes in the plot and some characters were one-dimensional but it was an enjoyable read nevertheless. I wouldn't rate this book in my top 5 books of the year, but I also wouldn't rate it as a "stinker" either.
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Summary: kept expecting more
Review: At first this book seemed too slow, then I understood the need for the turtle-like pacing. I thought that when Carrie escaped to NY the story would pickup, that her character and her life would have more depth and substance. But no, I had to suffer through Kilroy, in my mind, he was pompous, arrogant loser; his personality bored me. I could not believe the author made him 40 years old, that just made him more of a loser. I understood Carrie's need for leaving, I loved her passion for sewing and designing clothes. So what did the author do, she diluted Carrie's passion, she sent Carrie back home in much the same way she left Mike to begin with. Did she grow, a little. Perhaps the book needs a sequel, though I'm afraid the sequel would include Kilroy. With or without Kilroy I doubt that I would want to read it.
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Summary: This Book Annoyed Me!
Review: I picked up The Dive from Clausen's Pier from a pile and just started reading. I kept reading past the accident, wondering when it would get interesting. It really didn't ... and instead I developed such ANNOYANCE and dislike for Carrie that I kept reading to see when she would come to her senses, get spine and make a finite decision. She did none of these things, and the book just went on & on. I would not recommend it to anyone. I didn't like ANY of the characters and the detail of what they DID was just too much. As a matter of fact, I have such disdain for this book that I decided to write this review. Ugh. There's such better stuff out there!
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Summary: A little help from another reader, please
Review: I'm on page 133 and so far what I've read sounds something like this: "I woke up this morning and brushed my teeth. I washed my face and ran my fingers through my hair. I put on my green slacks and my white sweater and I went downstairs. I put the coffee on and when it was ready I put Equal and skim milk in it..." and on and on and on for one hundred thirty three pages. So far Carrie has not gone to New York. Does this book get any better when she does or should I stop now? Thank you.
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Summary: Loyalty or Happiness
Review: Twenty-three year old Carrie Bell has been in a long-term relationship with Michael since they were in high school. However, for Carrie, the relationship has gone stale. After a tragic diving accident leaves Mike paralyzed from the shoulders down Carrie must decide where her loyalty lies. Should she stay for Michael's sake and risk her own happiness? Should she leave Michael and risk the image of selfishness and abandonment. As Carrier's mother thoughtfully told her, "People aren't defined by what they do so much as they define what they do." The storyline of The Dive from Clausen's Pier is something that can happen in anyone's life. The reader can imagine themselves as Carrie and decide what they themselves would do in her situation. This articulate novel grips you from the first page and stays with you through the end as you learn what Carrie's decision will be and how it will affect her life and those closest to her.
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Summary: realistic, enjoyable
Review: In this well-written debut novel, Ann Packer explores the life of a early twenty-something who is trying to figure out who she is, independent of who others expect her to be.
Carrie Bell's life has gone relatively stagnant: she's engaged to the boyfriend from high school with whom she is no longer in love, looking for a way out. When her fiance is paralyzed during a diving accident, she's forced to decide who she is; who she wants to be.
The characters are very lifelike. There are no heros in this novel. These are people with real dilemmas and serious character flaws. While some may find it hard to "get into" a book where you don't feel that the characters are lovable, I find the realism of these individuals to be much more of an asset than a liability.
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Summary: yes, but
Review: I loved this book. Ann Packer writes so well that her readers are gripped immediately. The characters were so real. I believed everything they did. Motives were tangible. Interactions credible. As I read, I thought about what I wanted to happen. It didn't. Why WAS that? Because the book is closer to real life than I would have wanted. This raises a paradox for anyone who's reading for escapism. Do you want a book that emulates real life or do you want one that provides wish-fulfillment? I've walked away from this book, still loving it, but thinking that I would have rewritten the ending . . . I'd love to know what you think. It's a book well worth a read -- and discussion.
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Summary: How a young woman struggles to find herself
Review: After having this book on my bookshelf for a while, I finally decided to pick it up and read it. At first I felt that this book was going nowhere and that I should just put it aside, but later as I got into the book, I felt drawn into Carrie and her world and I could not put the book down. When an accident cause's Carrie Bell's fiancée Mike to have be in the hospital and have to deal with the life of never being able to walk again. Carrie struggle with the fact that she feels no real pain or emotions during the entire time. She feels that there is something wrong with her and that she is not happy. So Carrie takes a chance in life and decides to go to New York City to look up a friend she met and see how her life might be different in NYC as opposite to Madison. When Carrie arrives in NYC and finds Kilroy she finds that there is part of her that is happier then she has ever been, but there is still part of her that wonders if she did the right thing. This book covers the life of a young woman who has to deal with the reality that things in her life will never be the same and how she must see and learn the new things in her life, but not before she discovers her own troubles in life. This was a wonderful book and I hope the author writes many more great books.
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Summary: thought provoking coming of age in the face of tragedy
Review: Our bookclub read this book which provided lively and passionate emotional feelings on behalf of all of our members. We were all in agreeement that this book is extremely well written; lovely use of metaphor and imagery. We were divided as to the nature of Carrie's abrupt departure. Some of us (therapists) believed that Carrie was in a state of exteme crisis and was unable to fulfill the "obligations" others of us felt were appropriate for someone in her position. Exactly what did Carrie owe Mike? This led us to explore deeply held values as to the nature of family and sense of obligation. It was one of our best discussions ever. I would highly recommend this book and will look forward to others from this author.
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