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The World As We Know It
by
Joseph Monninger (Goodreads Author)
A lifetime of friendship begins the day brothers Ed and Allard save Sarah from drowning in an icy river near their rural New Hampshire home. Though their paths diverge through the years, the connection between the three endures until a heartbreaking tragedy in the remote mountains of Wyoming forces Sarah and Allard to confront the unthinkable. In their grief, they find the...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
October 11th 2011
by Gallery Books
(first published June 1st 2011)
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A love story set in a small town in rural New Hampshire, The World As We Know It was a good read, but a bit cheesy for me. Young brothers Ed and Allard rescue a little girl, Sarah, who falls through the ice on the river, and the connection between the three kids develops into a life-long friendship. When Allard and Sarah begin dating, the three remain thick as thieves, dreaming of starting their own wildlife film company. Life is full of domestic peace, adolescent adventures, and hope for the fu...more
Three words: Book Club Book. Or rather, two words, one used twice.
So I read the book description and I read the book club questions at the end of the book and I've concluded that neither scratches the surface of the book's heart.
Part I is the uncomplicated beginnings of the Ed/Allard/Sarah team. Ed and Allard are brothers who share a close, companionable relationship. They sleep in a cold room (mirroring the outdoors) under a large Canadian map and spend their days outside on the Baker River wh...more
So I read the book description and I read the book club questions at the end of the book and I've concluded that neither scratches the surface of the book's heart.
Part I is the uncomplicated beginnings of the Ed/Allard/Sarah team. Ed and Allard are brothers who share a close, companionable relationship. They sleep in a cold room (mirroring the outdoors) under a large Canadian map and spend their days outside on the Baker River wh...more
I liked this book, it was not an earthshaking work, burt a nice read. Ed, Allard, Sarah and their families seem like just regular people living in New England. But they are not the usual folks you meet. Allard's dad makes bass violins from trees in the forest that he sells to professional musicians. Sarah's family have moved to the area after winning the lottery.
The lives of Ed, Allard and Sarah become intertwined after the boys save Sarah's life when they come upon her after she has fallen th...more
The lives of Ed, Allard and Sarah become intertwined after the boys save Sarah's life when they come upon her after she has fallen th...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Edward and his brother Allard can remember their father telling them stories of Canada and the polar bears. He would talk for hours and they would go over a map. It got to be to the point that Ed and Allard decided that they could state from one frozen river to the next, until they made their way to Canada. On the day that Allard and Ed set out , they came upon a girl in trouble. The girl had fallen though the ice into the icy water. Ed and Allard saved her. The girl is named Sarah. From this da...more
How do you react to unexpected tragedy? What does your life look like when it is unexpectedly divided into "before" and "after"? Those are some of the hard questions faced by the characters in this powerful novel. When the novel begins, two brothers (Ed and Allard) in winter New Hampshire save a young girl (Sarah) from drowning when she and her dog fall through the ice into a river. So begins a powerful friendship that, for Allard and Sarah, develops into something more. Years later, on the eve...more
I enjoyed this book over Christmas break. My favorite aspect was the appreciation the author had for nature throughout this book. He showed great respect for the outdoors and what it lends to our life experiences. It really helped me stay with the characters as the story unfolded. The early chapters of the book were among my favorite.
I enjoyed reading about the ice and the river and the wildlife as much, if not more than, about hearing Allard and Sarah's stories. I loved the dynamic between All...more
I enjoyed reading about the ice and the river and the wildlife as much, if not more than, about hearing Allard and Sarah's stories. I loved the dynamic between All...more
Feb 01, 2012
Carisa Burns
marked it as to-read
RETRACTION!....I previously posted a not so great review of this book but I was SORELY mistaken. I thought I was posting a review about "The world as we KNEW it" not "The World as We Know It". These are two completely different books. My sincere apologies to author Joseph Monninger for this mixup on my part. It was completely inappropriate. I should have paid more attention to the book description when I searched for the book title and posted my review.
Now that I've read the description of this...more
Now that I've read the description of this...more
Two teen brothers Allard & Ed rescue a girl, Sarah who's fallen through the ice on the river. Allard falls instantly in love with Sarah, and it seems they are destined to be together. Yet tragically, a week before their wedding tragedy strikes and drives them apart (no spoilers). Set in the woods of New Hampshire the characters have an idyllic, magical youth. This is a beautifully written novel, by one of my favorite authors but I think the characters are almost too perfect, especially Sarah...more
The world that Monninger describes is the ethereal, natural world of rural New Hampshire, mountainous Wyoming, and wild Canada. It is also the world of a blissful childhood unmarred by unhappiness, and a first love that is both quiet and frenzied, in only the best of ways. In fact, everything is perfect, all the time. So perfect in fact, that when tragedy finally strikes 158 pages into the book, it is a welcome break from all the perfectness. The book is able to move a bit deeper here, as the ma...more
This book is a life experience. Allard, Ed, Sarah and their parents are so real I am tempted to walk over the hill and take them some vegetables I picked today. A writing gift can be many parts - some can write scenery that you swear you have a photograph of; some can create dynamic tension like a bow string pulled taut. Dialogue. Like you're sitting in a tent with an ice storm raging outside, trying to tell your pain without causing any more. Monninger is brilliant. Every detail is essential, t...more
Two brothers, Allard and Ed, grow up leading an idyllic life in rural New Hampshire. They become friends with a beautiful girl, Sarah, and all three dream of a life photographing & writing about nature and animals. The story flows along nicely, but there is no drama and the characters are all too good to be believable. Finally, after many chapters of basically nothing, there is a tragedy. How do the characters deal with the tragedy? Will true love win out? This is the "plot" of the novel.
I w...more
I w...more
Ed and Allard grew up in New England under idyllic circumstances. They were home-schooled, and they skated up and down the rivers with a plan to all the way to Canada by staying on the rivers. Their plans were changed when they found Sarah stuck in the icy river. As a trio, they grew up together, with Sarah and Allard bonded by an underwater kiss and a promise to be together forever. With nature as a fourth character in their development, Sarah, Allard, and Ed experience a growing up. both rare...more
This book may seem somewhat slow in the beginning, but by the time you have finished reading you will understand that all the details were absolutely necessary.
There is so much love, romantic as well as familial, and so much joy that when you see the tradgic event coming you almost can't believe it will happen. Then you have the grief, guilt and anger that are almost overwhelming. Finally, there is healing.
I could not put this book down. I could not stop turning the pages. I felt everything tha...more
There is so much love, romantic as well as familial, and so much joy that when you see the tradgic event coming you almost can't believe it will happen. Then you have the grief, guilt and anger that are almost overwhelming. Finally, there is healing.
I could not put this book down. I could not stop turning the pages. I felt everything tha...more
Perhaps because of the back cover blurb, I pretty much guessed what tragic event was forthcoming... So that somewhat diminished my enjoyment of the love story developing between Allard and Sarah. They meet cute when they are kids and he saves her from drowning. From that moment on, they are in love. They live in rural New Hampshire and both have a love of nature, animals and filmaking. With Allard's brother Ed, they start making short documentary films when they are teenagers. The writing felt a...more
This book is the story of brothers Ed and Allard and the girl they save from drowning one winter day in New Hampshire. It is the tale of their friendship and the love that Al and Sarah (the girl) have for one another. It follows them as they raise pigeons in their barn, start filming them and become documentary filmmakers. It also shows the development of the true love that Sara and Al feel for one another. And then one day a tragic event occurs that chances everything.
This is an inspirational n...more
This is an inspirational n...more
Sep 28, 2011
Terry
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Nicholas Sparks
Shelves:
first-reads
This was a beautiful human drama. The writing was smooth and pleasant to read. Mr. Monninger manages to bring us gracefully into New Hampshire, into the world of Ed, Allard and Sarah, our protagonists. He has created likeable, yes even loveable characters with these three. It's easy to develop an attachment to them from the very beginning, and you cannot stop turning the pages to follow their relationships and see what life has in store for them. Not in the least bit boring, the author captures...more
Jan 29, 2012
annelies
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
New Englanders, Fans of John Irving
Shelves:
2012-books,
favorite-books-ever
This book is one of my favorite books I have read in years. It actually moved me to tears at least a half dozen times, and I felt my heart beat faster and feel like it skipped a few beats during certain sections. Not only was it beautifully written, but it was a compelling page turner and vividly realistic. If you are fan of John Irving, you may enjoy this book. Although, there is none of humor of Irving, the New Hampshire setting and unique characters are there. I can't wait to get this author'...more
Mandy's Review:
Do you recall sitting in your high school English class and your teacher telling you that you would be reading a classic. Perhaps it was A Tale of Two Cities. Maybe it was The Giver or The Scarlet Letter. Do you recall how you felt while reading a story that was written so long ago, the pages yellowed with age? I have no doubt that The World as We Know It will be a classic that is read by English students years from now. The flow of the story and the way it read was reminiscent of...more
Do you recall sitting in your high school English class and your teacher telling you that you would be reading a classic. Perhaps it was A Tale of Two Cities. Maybe it was The Giver or The Scarlet Letter. Do you recall how you felt while reading a story that was written so long ago, the pages yellowed with age? I have no doubt that The World as We Know It will be a classic that is read by English students years from now. The flow of the story and the way it read was reminiscent of...more
As published in Localiez magazine (www.localiez.com)
This novel begins with Ed and Allard, two brothers, whose goal is to skate to Canada. Although they don't discover the land of polar bears and igloos that they were looking for, they do stumble upon something much more important - a girl that had fallen through the ice. The brothers place themselves in jeopardy in order to rescue Sarah and a lifetime friendship is born. As the years progress, the brothers grow up with Sarah as an integral part...more
This novel begins with Ed and Allard, two brothers, whose goal is to skate to Canada. Although they don't discover the land of polar bears and igloos that they were looking for, they do stumble upon something much more important - a girl that had fallen through the ice. The brothers place themselves in jeopardy in order to rescue Sarah and a lifetime friendship is born. As the years progress, the brothers grow up with Sarah as an integral part...more
It's clear that Joseph Monninger has both a deep love and connection to the rural New England landscape and the setting alone captured my attention. Brothers, Ed and Allard Keer set out one day to skate the frozen rivers to Canada. On their journey, they rescue a girl (Sarah) who has fallen through the thin part of the ice. This fateful day changes their lives forever. Allard and Sarah share an instant connection and a moment of destiny. Their lives become intertwined against an idyllic setting....more
Hmmm... It's a lovely book in a lot of ways. Well-written, and a beautiful portrait of a happy, rural community in New England. But the obvious foreshadowing to the tragedy in the middle of the book was almost distracting because I knew it was coming and found myself hurrying along because I just wanted to get it over with. The second half was different than I thought it would be, but not in a bad way. I was happy it ended well. Basically, I liked it. Didn't love it, but it was worth reading.
As with the author's other book, Eternal on the Water- you can read my review HERE, this story catches you. The two brothers, Ed and Allard, are very close throughout their lives. After they rescue Sarah and her dog, Allard is attracted to her and eventually falls in love. They decide to get married, but before they do, an accident takes the life of Ed and Allard is unable to cope. He leaves Sarah. Years later they are brought back together, but will she forgive Allard for leaving her?
I have taken so many books back to the library unfinished since I had Pilot that I have become a little cautious about starting books I'm not sure I'll have the time or focus to finish. On top of that, Monninger's last book I read, Eternal on the Water made me cry like a baby. I loved this book and read it as fast as I have been able to rad anything of the last year. I love that his characters and their relationships really feel like people I know. Loved it.
A lovely, lyrical book about young love, both for a couple who meet as early teenagers and two brothers who have a great love for nature and the world around them. I'm a big fan of Joseph Monninger's writing, and his nature scenes are fantastic. My favorite one in this book is the moment when the brothers, Allard and Ed, who are fly fishing in Wyoming, see their two shadows converge and become one. A gorgeous and memorable scene.
The ending was wrapped up just a little too "Hallmark movie" for me...more
The ending was wrapped up just a little too "Hallmark movie" for me...more
This book scared me to death! I was ready to start stock-piling canned goods, etc. to get ready for the end of the world. It makes you think about what you really would do if something happened in our society. We are so dependent on grocery stores, TV, technology of all kinds. The characters were so real and likable that my heart broke for all that they were going through. This is an excellent book club book.
I really loved this book. Maybe not the characters, but Monninger's writing style was fantastic, engaging, and so descriptive. I loved the nature aspects of it--which permeated most everything. Some of the dialogue was weird, but I like the book anyway. (Note-I did NOT like the little bit of bad language and premarital sex.) But I'll read other books by this author, because his style is fascinating.
Two brothers rescue a young girl from a frozen river and their lives become forever intertwined. The language in this book is beautiful. One of my favorite lines is when the father and one of the brothers are in his truck and the father asks him if he wants to talk and says "a father needs to make himself available at times like this" or words to that effect. It could easily be someone's diary, nothing specatular, but is so well told you just want to know what happens to the characters. Could ve...more
Although the plot is largely romantically driven, this book underscores the inevitable opposition life offers. Monninger always does a beautiful job pulling his plot and natural world imagery together to give evidence of the embodiment of natural cycles that exist in all living breathing systems. His exposure of the detrimentality of nature and the unavoidable pain that accompanies it, is shown with perfect, inseparable connection to the beauties and grandeur and majesty nature affords. In refer...more
Initially attracted to this book since it's a NH story/author, looked like a good winter read. Really liked it -- the beautifully written passages about nature, whether about birds, mountains, rivers, ice, meteor showers -- as well as a deep, emotional story. Lots to explore in the various relationships between brothers, parents, friends, coworkers, man and nature.
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Joseph Monninger has published eleven novels and three non-fiction books. His work has appeared in American Heritage, Scientific American, Readers Digest, Glamour, Playboy, Story, Fiction, The Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated and Ellery Queen, among other publications. He has twice received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and has also received a fellowship from the New Hampshi...more
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