Rating: 
Summary: Refreshing
Review: I loved this book - in my opinion it is better than 'The Pilot's Wife'.
Eden is beautiful and mysteriously haunting, Shreve seems to stir up a range of emotions in me through Eden.
Simple, easy to read and wonderfully written - a kind of tragically beautiful masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: Another great book
Review: i read this book after reading the pilots wife and enjoyed this book immensly...the story was intriguing and kept me into the book that i finished in 2 days...i reccommend this book highly
Rating: 
Summary: Unexciting, transparent plot
Review: I really can't understand why anyone would be thrilled by thistired rehash of family secrets, young love and physical abuse. I readthis book because it supposedly is to be made into a film by Touchstone Studios. I see what appeals to the filmmakers: a potentially histrionic plot complete with bloody, violent murder and sexual abuse of a blind girl. The characters of Eden and Eden's controlling mother easily offer challenges to actresses. But the book as a whole and the rest of these characters (especially the male protagonist) are uninteresting and border on cliches. I sincerely hope Shreve's recent novels (I've only read this one) have improved since this, her unpromising debut. I was thoroughly disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking little book
Review: I really enjoy Anita Shreve's books and this book is no exception. It is a quick read and a thought-provoking little book ~~ one that I couldn't put down after picking it up. Andrew returns home to ready the house for sale after his mother died, only to embark on a personal journey to rediscover love with his oldest childhood friend, who lives next door ~~ Eden. Haunted by the incidents that had happened to Eden during her teen years ~~ the summer before Andrew left home for college ~~ Andrew begins to investigate what had really happened that summer. And to his surprise, the answers weren't what he expected. It is a quick read ~~ perfect for a hot summery day of reading. I recommend this book ~~ it's just as good as Shreve's later books and it will haunt you for a while after you put the book down. It's a rare glimpse inside of a man's soul and mind as he explores the possibilities of love again.
Rating:
Summary: A TOO -GOOD- TO- PUT- DOWN Book!!!
Review: I started this book one night. Read for 30 minutes. Woke up the next morning and didn't stop reading until the very last page!! Eden Close is a compelling story of Andrew and his beautiful next door neighbor Eden. Andrew, after many years away, returns to his hometown to plan his mothers funeral. Planning to stay only a few days, he is never the less drawn into the memories of a tragedy that occured one hot Summer night seventeen years ago. A gunshot. Piercing screams. A tormented girl. This story is mesmerizing, compelling, haunting and a story you won't soon forget. I loved this book!!
Rating: 
Summary: It's no Weight of Water!
Review: I thought her symbolism was a little forced and the story kind of fell apart at the end. Everything wrapped up a little too neatly.
Rating: 
Summary: Trite and Predictable - unusual for this author
Review: If this is Ms. Shreve's debut novel, she's come a long way, baby. It took me all of twenty pages to figure out how the entire story would unravel, and the only reason I stuck it out was because I thought surely (surely!) she would offer a twist. No twist. In addition, the story was packed with trite details (Andrew and Martha met in college during war protests? Yawn.). But what really got to me were the COMMAS. Help. The author's profuse use of commas became a distratcion, with snake-like sentences uncoiling down entire paragraphs, perhaps in some desperate, but effective, I suppose, effort to control the cadence of sentence flow, for the reader, and the listener, should the story make it to Books On Tape. Ack. Her other work is much better.
Rating:
Summary: Could not put this one down
Review: Like all of Anita Shreve's works that I have read thus far Eden Close has kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a thoroughly entertaining and engrossing novel, Eden Close was a story that really pulled me in. While I guessed what the "Secret" was early on, it did not matter at all to the enjoyment of the novel. Full of twists and turns, what really makes this novel incredible, as well as all of Anita's other works, is her character development and her unique style of writing. She really makes you feel as though you know these people and you begin to care what happens to them. If you pick this one up - you won't want to put it down. Also try Pilot's Wife and The Weight of Water.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Read This Book
Review: Like so many other "artsy" writers, while reading this book of very little story, one gets the feeling that perhaps Ms. Shreve was paid "by the word".
Rating:
Summary: Predictable but Sensitive
Review: Most of Anita Shreve's books contain a mystery and most end with a dramatic twist; "Eden Close" is no exception. The problem is, most readers will be able to guess the ending twist long before the last page. This doesn't, however, negate all the fine points of this sometimes lovely, sometimes harrowing, book. As the book opens, Andrew, then a teenage boy, hears shots coming from the neighboring farmhouse where a tragedy is in the making. The book then flashes forward to Andrew as an adult and his meeting with Eden, the teenage girl who was his neighbor at the time of the tragedy. Gradually, piece by little piece, we learn the details of what took place that night and the (sometimes) surprising facts of the tragedy itself. Eden and Andrew were close friends as teenagers; Eden was even made an "honorary boy" by Andrew and his friends. This was good for the adopted Eden, for, while she was adored by her father, her mother saw her as little more than an intrusion. As they grew, however, Andrew and Eden naturally drifted apart and Andrew eventually lost all contact with Eden until he returned to his home town as an adult. As Andrew and Eden rebuild their friendship and become close once again, we learn, with Andrew, the details of the tragedy that befell Eden that night so long ago. I think Shreve is especially good at description in this book. She really catches the feel and ambiance of "small town USA." Additionally, both the present action (which takes place when Andrew and Eden are adults) and the flashback action (which takes place when Andrew and Eden are younger) take place during oppressive summer heat. Shreve seems to have used this heat to link the two sections and achieve a common bond between them. If that is truly what she has done, it works and it works well. The characters in "Eden Close" are fully drawn and very believable. They act in ways keeping with the personalities Shreve has given them, even when they are confronted with the most disturbing elements of the book. I think Sherve did a particularly good job at bringing Andrew to life; his guilt over his past was easy to feel, as was his need to rehabilitate himself psychologically. It is very easy to become emotionally involved with these characters and their plight. And, unlike "The Last Time They Met," Shreve does reward us for our caring. But "Eden Close" is far from a sentimental book with a "feel good" ending. In fact, there may be a touch too much melodrama in this book, but just a touch. Overall, the story tension is balanced and it certainly holds our interest despite its rather predictable end. "Eden Close" is definitely not Shreve's best work. I think you need to read "The Weight of Water" for that. But "Eden Close" is well-written and intriguing. Some readers may not like Shreve's poetic use of language, but I did and I thought it fit this storyline very well. And, despite the fact that I could guess the "secret" tragedy of Eden's life, that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. It was enjoying to see how the characters dealt with the past and how it would impact their future. Shreve is a good storyteller and she is very good at portraying ordinary people caught in extraordinary situations. Although the storyline is a bit over-the-top, Shreve did handle the details with sensitivity and caring. Despite some flaws, and despite not being Shreve at her best, I still think "Eden Close" is well deserving of four stars for its very good points, most particularly the beautiful use of the English language and the sensitivity with which Shreve has endowed her characters.
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