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A Change in Altitude

by Anita Shreve

3.10 · rating details · 3,322 ratings · 739 reviews

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.
A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and th...more

Hardcover, 307 pages

Published September 22nd 2009 by Little, Brown and Company (first published 2009)

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Aug 07, 2010

Lisa rated it

This is the second Anita Shreve novel I've read, and in reading it, I've come to appreciate the way that Shreve hones in on the smallest of moral choices that occur within an ambivalent, personally charged context, and the devastating consequences that often result. This novel charts the topography of a young marriage between two Americans, one a photojournalist, the other a doctor, living in Kenya. The wife narrates. The couple agrees to climb Mount Kenya with their landlords and the landlor...moreThis is the second Anita Shreve novel I've read, and in reading it, I've come to appreciate the way that Shreve hones in on the smallest of moral choices that occur within an ambivalent, personally charged context, and the devastating consequences that often result. This novel charts the topography of a young marriage between two Americans, one a photojournalist, the other a doctor, living in Kenya. The wife narrates. The couple agrees to climb Mount Kenya with their landlords and the landlords' friends. Frustrated by her slow pace on the climb, the doctor husband leaves the narrator behind to the willing attentions of the landlord whose alpha female wife presses forward at the front of the climb. On the night before the fateful accident, the narrator lets the landlord hold her hand in the middle of the night after a rat runs over her sleeping bag. They get caught. And thus begins the chain of events that leads to death and a seemingly irrevocable rent in the fabric of the marriage.

Shreve's observations of interpersonal dynamics between women and between the sexes ring true. The foreign setting of the story does for the story what travel does for the reflective traveler; it isolates you from your usual camouflage, reduces you to your essentials out of context, such that you cannot help but see what you are about. This story probably would have worked in a less exotic setting, but here its centerpiece, the marriage, stands in stark relief to the political and social chaos of 1970's Kenya. I couldn't help but to notice the quality of the disconnect between the altruistic-seeming doctor husband, and the sensitive, adrift eyes of the photojournalist narrator.

It seems like Shreve is plumbing and testing the soundness of women's moral reasoning, illustrating the feminist view that moral choices are intensely personal and multi-dimensional, and turn on the crux between rationality and the realm of emotions in a way that cannot be discounted. None of the choices are easy ones, and they usually have tragic results. While I'm not sure that I buy the extent to which the results are inevitable, I certainly admire her project.(less)

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Oct 05, 2009

Cursingmama rated it

I'm having a very hard time putting into words how I felt about this novel. I was really looking forward to reading it, I had never read anything by Ms. Shreve, but had heard good things about her writing. I'm not sure if my personal reactions to the book are based in a style of writing that doesn't appeal to me or expectations that could never be met. I had a hard time following where the story was going and I'm still not sure if the feeling of confusion was an intended response to the writi...more

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Oct 07, 2011

Rebecca rated it

Shelves: chicklit

One of the lamer books I have read recently. I like simple stories with simple plots and this one had too many details that had nothing to do with anything. I know it was trying to make an impact; I just wasn't in the mood. A husband and wife travel to Africa for the husband’s job. They become friends with the other "Europeans" in the area who have been around longer. They get invited to climb some mountain which they are not trained for, but go anyway. The husband of their other frien...more

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Jun 20, 2011

Sheila DeChantal rated it

Newly married Patrick and Margaret decide to make a trip to Kenya. Patrick a doctor, is busy with his practice and Margaret a photography novice, finds she has much idle time on her hands. When her car breaks down, Margaret finds herself being helped by an English couple Arthur and Diana. The couples quickly become friends and Arthur and Diana offer Patrick and Margaret a nice cottage to use on their property. In short time it is discovered that Arthur and Diana are planning a trip up ...more

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Jan 03, 2011

Brittany Jedrzejewski rated it

“The Ascent of Drama”

Anita Shreve, author of A Change in Altitude is one of my all time favorite authors. This captivating novel is about an American couple whose lives dramatically change when they move to Nairobi, and in particular during their ascent to Mount Kenya.

While I did not like that the novel was told entirely in the third person, the plot was fluid and intriguing and the language and descriptions were excellent. For example, when describing an antique typewr...more

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Jan 03, 2011

Steve.lovell rated it

Anita Shreve is, in all senses of the word, an attractive writer.From way back she has been a constant in my reading life, churning out books at approximately one per year. She can always be relied on to produce a good yarn without pretensions to great literary merit.The machinations of human relationships are her constant, set to variations in time and location. Her novels are never less than eminently readable, and on odd occasions somewhat more. This effort though does not fall into the latte...more

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Oct 27, 2010

Guera rated it

· review of another edition

What an amazing book. I think this is my final verdict. I was torn between it being exceptionally good but lacking the "ting" factor. There was just something off. It is one of those books that leaves you thinking about the message long after you put it down.

It is the story about a newly married young couple. He is a doctor working in Kenya doing research in tropical diseases. She worked for a newspaper before as photographer. Not working now in Kenya she needs something to d...moreWhat an amazing book. I think this is my final verdict. I was torn between it being exceptionally good but lacking the "ting" factor. There was just something off. It is one of those books that leaves you thinking about the message long after you put it down.

It is the story about a newly married young couple. He is a doctor working in Kenya doing research in tropical diseases. She worked for a newspaper before as photographer. Not working now in Kenya she needs something to do and eventually ends up working for the local newspaper amidst a lot of political unrest and less freedom of speech than she would like.

But the story is really about her personal growth and the journey from being an inconspicuous young naive to becoming confident enough to make decisions about what she wants. A weakling always tagging along, last to get up the mountain, not drawn into the circles by the other woman in the story, always more interested in the local labour force's well-being than in the British traditions brought to Kenya. I came to dislike her husband. Although he showed glimpses of caring for her, I think it was more a matter of owning up to the responsibility of having to take care of her because she accompanied him to Africa. As a newly married couple, the move to Kenya kept them together but it is a relationship that had no chance of surviving and she realised this, fought it, but then grew to accept it and move on.

The name of the book and the short synopses on the back cover about concurring Mount Kenya suggested it related to the mountain and a chance in the place they were living. I see it as a change in her altitude. She rose above the circumstances and came out stronger for it. Stunning representation of the non-tourist reality of Kenya and the description of dealing with a crush on a member of the opposite gender when you are married was very human.

The only think that bothered me in the book is the change in speed, for lack of a better word. Pages would be devoted to a single activity, followed by a paragraph or two almost going into a Star Trek like warp speed towards a date 2 weeks later. The book covers about a 14 month stay in Kenya. A few sentences into the paragraph do you only realise you are getting some generic fill to book with info to make it a book snippets. That distracted from the main story and prevented the book from becoming unputdownable.

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Aug 18, 2010

Bree T rated it

Shelves: library-reads, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Margaret and Patrick are newlyweds who are spending a year abroad in Kenya. Patrick is a doctor who is undertaking a study in equatorial medicine. In return for using the hospital as a base for his research, he must do free clinics for the locals where they are in Kenya. Margaret is a photojournalist who came to Kenya simply because Patrick did. They consider themselves ‘lucky’ to be able to rent a small cottage on the grounds of a large house occupied Diana, of Brit origin and raised in Kenya, ...moreMargaret and Patrick are newlyweds who are spending a year abroad in Kenya. Patrick is a doctor who is undertaking a study in equatorial medicine. In return for using the hospital as a base for his research, he must do free clinics for the locals where they are in Kenya. Margaret is a photojournalist who came to Kenya simply because Patrick did. They consider themselves ‘lucky’ to be able to rent a small cottage on the grounds of a large house occupied Diana, of Brit origin and raised in Kenya, and her husband Arthur, who works for Colgate and Palmolive in Kenya. When the toilet in their cottage breaks down, they move into the ‘Big House’ with Arthur and Diana and it’s there that Patrick has the idea to climb Mt Kenya.

Mt Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the highest in Africa after Mt Kilimanjaro. Patrick is extremely enthusiastic about climbing the mountain whereas Margaret has more reservations. She is talked into it though and preparations are made. Joining Patrick, Margaret, Arthur and Diana are a European couple, friends of Arthur and Diana’s but I’m not even entirely sure why they’re there as they don’t lend much to the story at all.

The group undertake a preparatory climb of a nearby, smaller peak and that should’ve been an indication to Margaret that the whole climbing of Mt Kenya wasn’t such a good idea for her. She struggles to keep up with the group and she gets attacked by fire ants. However she doesn’t let this deter her and the 3 couples, plus some porters and a guide, begin the climb. Margaret is in trouble from the beginning, she cannot keep up with the rest of the group and her presence constantly slows them down, irritating Diana. Her husband leaves her behind (a low act, in my opinion) and leaves her vulnerable to Arthur, who is showing signs of an attraction to Margaret. When it’s Arthur that comforts her in one of the huts along the climb overnight after she feels rats running over her, Diana and Patrick are furious when they awake to find Arthur and Margaret holding hands.

To be honest, it was kind of a thin stretch that such an innocent act would rile up two spouses. They’re up a mountain, there were rats running everywhere, her own husband wasn’t sleeping near her, and Margaret was frightened and completely exhausted. She took comfort where she could get it and on the scale of marital betrayals, holding hands with another person doesn’t really rate that high! Diana takes off in high dudgeon though and Patrick is icy towards her, despite the fact that he’s been leaving her behind since the beginning of the climb. When a life is lost due to carelessness, jealousy and anger, Margaret and Patrick’s marriage spirals downwards at a rate of knots.

They are forced to move and find alternative accommodation and Margaret struggles to deal with what happened on the climb. She decides to get a job, to give her something to do and hopefully, help her move on. She takes a job as a freelance photojournalist for a local newspaper. Patrick doesn’t seem to approve of her decision, or of her job and he shows her almost no support at all. He doesn’t help her deal with the aftermath of what occurred on the mountain (even going so far as to tell her once that he blamed her) and he doesn’t make much effort to heal their marriage either. His idea of moving on seems to be forgetting it ever happened or pretending it never happened. He’s buried in his work and makes little time for Margaret, which makes even more puzzling his displeasure in her taking the job.

Margaret is paired with a journalist named Rafiq Hameed, who was chased out of Uganda during the purges in the early 70s. His father is Pakistani, his mother Welsh and he was educated in London. He wants to write challenging articles, meaty kinds that question human rights and the problem of poverty in Kenya. Margaret is impressed and the two develop a deep understanding and friendship. He is someone she can really talk to and she seems to find more comfort in him than she ever did in her husband. They fall in love, of sorts, but it doesn’t go the way you might think. Normally I loathe extra-marital relationships (a personal moral), I never really think there’s a justified excuse for them but in this book, I found it different, maybe because they didn’t actually take that extra step into an an affair. I enjoyed their relationship immensely and more importantly, I could see it. Rafiq as a character was far more interesting, far more believable and far more attractive than Patrick. Rafiq had a realness to him that Shreve didn’t seek to give to Patrick. Most of the time I found Patrick sanctimonious, patronizing and irritating and I couldn’t understand what had made Margaret marry him and then run off to Kenya with him.

***Spoilers***

The differences in Patrick and Rafiq are made glaringly obvious when Margaret suffers a miscarriage. She was unaware that she was pregnant but was still deeply upset. Patrick is vague, unsympathetic, distant and acts like he really couldn’t care less. He says that it was probably a good thing that she lost the baby, as they wouldn’t want to have a baby here and he’s not ready to leave Kenya yet. Rafiq, who by this time, has distanced himself from Margaret because they are aware they’ve crossed into the more-than-professional realm. He visits her in hospital and his visit is so perfect, he provides her with the ear and shoulder that she needs for her grief and confusion. Nothing happens between them, other than him comforting her and staying until she falls asleep but it’s the act of a man who loves her. Which casts her husband into a glaring and very unflattering light.

After the miscarriage and with the loss of Rafiq’s friendship (he has to leave Kenya) Margaret is even more depressed than before. The year of their climb of Mt Kenya is approaching and Patrick suddenly comes up with a wonderful idea. The only way to exercise the demons and move forward is to successfully climb the mountain. Margaret is (once again) apprehensive but she allows herself to be talked into it and they invite another couple, who are also ex-pats, to join them.

This book was a wonderful insight to a country I’m never likely to visit. I think the author portrayed very well how easy it would be to be a fish out of water as an American in such a country. Margaret was totally lost, with nothing to do except wander around and have her car stolen by locals. Once she got the job, she had some focus, she had some direction and she came to care for the country she was living in. She saw the poverty, she heard the stories of violence and suffering like it was for the first time.

Where this book is a let down, was characters. Patrick, Margaret’s husband is such a bland and boring character that it was so hard to even know anything about him and mostly, I couldn’t understand why Margaret bothered to stay with him. Diana and Arthur were cardboard cut-outs of what rich Brits living in Kenya would supposedly be like and the Dutch couple who undertake the climb with them were a total waste of time. Why were they even there? At most all they did was establish a semi-friendship between Diana and Saartje that was not there between Diana and Margaret. Even that friendship lacked any real credibility and warmth.

While I ultimately enjoyed this novel, I think it promised a lot more than it delivered. I expected the tragedy to be played out, not glossed over in a matter of a page. Although Margaret has problems dealing with the aftermath, it seems that Patrick just moves on like nothing happened, even though he was the only who wanted Margaret to undertake the climb. He happily blames her which I felt was an incredibly unfair thing to do. The highlight for me, was the relationship between Margaret and Rafiq. I’d have happily read a whole book on that.(less)

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Aug 05, 2010

Rosanne rated it

A Change in Altitude is yet another magnificent novel by Anita Shreve. Margaret and Patrick leave Boston and head to Africa so that Patrick a doctor can do research. While there, they move into a cottage owned by Diana and Arthur, who are an adventuresome type. Before too long, Margaret and Patrick are planning to go on a climb to the top of Mt. Kenya. This is no easy feat and Margaret soon comes to realize that she is ill prepared for such an expedition. She struggles to keep up and belong...more

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Jun 30, 2010

Laura Rittenhouse rated it

· review of another edition

I'm beginning to think I'm a huge Anita Shreve fan. This was a great book. The back of book gives away that there is trouble on the horizon for the couple, but you still get caught up, waiting for the crisis. There was enough suspense in the first third of the book to have kept me turning the pages.

Then the crisis was reached and part 2 began. This shift initially threw me a bit because the pace is totally different. After the crisis, the protagonist muddles about trying to find her ...more

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Jun 17, 2010

Author Anna del C. Dye rated it

· review of another edition

Audio review for ReadersFavorite.com
This book on tape is the story of a woman, Margaret, from Boston, her husband Patrick and their lives in Africa. It starts when they live next door to an English man and his Kenyan wife with two children. They invite Margaret and her husband to climb the nearby mountain, and with a third couple they start their trip. Altitude soon gets the better of Margaret as she tries to keep up with the group and her husband. In contrast, the Kenyan woman pushes even ...moreAudio review for ReadersFavorite.com
This book on tape is the story of a woman, Margaret, from Boston, her husband Patrick and their lives in Africa. It starts when they live next door to an English man and his Kenyan wife with two children. They invite Margaret and her husband to climb the nearby mountain, and with a third couple they start their trip. Altitude soon gets the better of Margaret as she tries to keep up with the group and her husband. In contrast, the Kenyan woman pushes even harder and causes a deadly accident that changes the lives of Margaret and her husband.
Afterwards, they move to a different house to forget the accident and perhaps re-ignite their young marriage. Margaret decides to do something with her free time. Having been a photographer for an American newspaper, she finds work as a free lancer for the Kenya Tribune. Her husband is worried because this newspaper is a radical minority and could get her in trouble.
Margaret finds solace in her work, especially when she feels that the shadows of mistrust are building in their marriage. Her husband, a Doctor, has many demands on his time and he spends more and more time away from her. Pretty soon she is doing quite well for herself at the newspaper and she gets better and more fulfilling assignments. With this comes the new acquaintance of an African man who often is assigned with her as the reporter.
After her husband goes away for a class, she starts to feel closer to her companion reporter. An event happens during one of the assignments in which the African man saves her life; he also shows some feelings for her. By mutual consent they take separates roads until another unexpected event takes her to the hospital. In this situation she feels more sympathy from her reporter friend than from her husband.
Trying to keep her marriage alive and bring trust back into their lives, she is informed that her African friend has been deported and she will never see him again. By now the anniversary of the aborted trip to the mountain the year before is coming close, and she feels that much has changed since them. Her life and her marriage have been altered by what happened there. He husband thinks that claiming the mountain again may bring everything back to the love they felt when first married. She agrees to do it to give their relationship a new chance.
Though an interesting story, I found that I really didn’t relate to the character who didn’t know what she wanted and didn’t seem happy. She had no control over her mind and heart. They seem to take her down dangerous paths and she didn’t truly try to stay focused on her love for her husband.
It has some unnecessary profanity. Also, I find it hard to believe that with eight months in Africa an English person can talk Swahili fluently. It took me three years to learn English well enough.
Recommended mainly for adult women. Although it’s not a romance, men may not get into it.
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Jun 13, 2010

Suzifla rated it

I always look forward to reading the latest Anita Shreve novel, but this one was totally disappointing--I wouldn't even give it one star. So many of these reviews mentioned a "horrible accident," but I didn't find the accident either believable or horrible, and therefore I was puzzled by the various characters' reaction to it. "Horrible" could be most accurately applied to the character whose rudeness, possessiveness, and lack of any human emotion other than anger made her ...more

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Apr 22, 2010

Cara rated it

Shelves: fun-or-frivolity

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. An intriguing story of a couple who move to Africa for his medical research. Although I was definitely hooked and read this at all opportunities until I finished it, the story is never really a pleasant one to be in, and it gets worse when they agree to climb a mountain with two other couples. Margaret, the main character, is out of shape and has a miserable time, and the other hikers (including her husband) are basically assholes about how much she is slowing them down. Then Diane, one of the o...moreAn intriguing story of a couple who move to Africa for his medical research. Although I was definitely hooked and read this at all opportunities until I finished it, the story is never really a pleasant one to be in, and it gets worse when they agree to climb a mountain with two other couples. Margaret, the main character, is out of shape and has a miserable time, and the other hikers (including her husband) are basically assholes about how much she is slowing them down. Then Diane, one of the other female hikers, does something really stupid and gets herself killed. Everyone blames Margaret, including Margaret, because of her slowness and because she held hands with Diane's husband in the middle of the night when she was scared of a rat--and people saw them, including Diane. Based on the cover blurb, I thought she actually had done something to participate in Diane's death, but really not. Diane unhooked herself from the safety gear and set off on her own to make her own track across the glacier--completely irrational and frankly not all that believable. An experienced mountain climber would unhook herself from all safety features and try to carve her own footsteps on a glacier to be maybe six minutes ahead of everyone else, because she saw someone else holding her husband's hand? Anyway, that's how she fell off. I get that everyone is irrational in grief and guilt, but still, everyone blaming Margaret for this seemed really stupid to me.

The rest of the book kind of limps along as Margaret tries to redeem herself with her husband and forgive herself. She actually does nearly have an affair with a colleague on the newspaper staff, but his ethics prevent it. Then she has a miscarriage and has a good reason to wallow around.

Eventually, she and Patrick (husband) decide to re-climb the mountain to expunge the bad mojo from the previous trip. They ask a nice couple along but don't tell them about the whole death thing. This all seems like a setup of the most disastrous proportions, but actually, it goes surprisingly well. Margaret is in better shape this year and everyone is nice to each other--what a great idea. But then she has a meltdown at the glacier, Patrick reveals what a complete dick he is, everyone except Margaret gets altitude sickness, nobody is angry about having been kept in the dark about what happened last time they tried this (!!), and Margaret makes it to the summit and realizes her marriage is over. Sounds like an uplifting ending, but actually, I found it kind of unsatisfying, partly because it wasn't believable enough, and partly because Margaret never convincingly gets strong enough to realize she'll be fine on her own.

Normally I'm a big fan of Anita Shreve's books, but this one just didn't do it for me. Better luck next time.(less)

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Mar 09, 2010

Jane rated it

I have read all of Anita Shreve's novels and enjoyed them. A Wedding in December, for example, seemed both well written and realistic. A Change in Altitude must reflect a visit Shreve made to Kenya and lots of research on her part into that country's politics and history. However, my 6 year old granddaughter, Brenna, wrote a story while sitting in the back seat of my car which came alive perhaps better than this book (I am exaggerating only a tiny bit.) The prose is straightforward, rather f...more

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Oct 29, 2009

Colleen rated it

Shelves: reviewed

In this latest effort, Shreve sticks to her general formula- how one moment, one decision can forever change a life. Margaret and Patrick are a young newlyweds living in Africa when a tragic moment on a mountain climb with their landlords causes a rift from which their marriage may never recover. The book covers the year following the actions on the mountain, and traces the efforts Margaret makes to rediscover her life and her love.

The book was well-written, and the flavor of expat l...more

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Oct 25, 2009

Nancy rated it

I've read nearly all of Anita Shreve's novels. She has set a series of them in the same waterfront home--different, unrelated characters with diverse stories and plotlines and story-telling devices. Although she is probably writing for the same audience, she doesn't write the same book over and over again--one of the reasons I will always read her newest: she will generally find something new to write about.

This also means I've had very different reactions to her books. This one felt...more

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Oct 18, 2009

Kellyreaderofbooks rated it

Young American couple Patrick and Margaret have high hopes when they move to Kenya, just a few months after they are married. He is a doctor; hoping to do some research on equitorial diseases and do a good deed by working at various clinics. Margaret is up for an adventure, and is an inspiring photographer who has found the perfect subject: the peoples of Africa.

Soon after their arrival, they become friends of a sort with Diana and Arthur, a fellow expat couple from the UK. Margaret...moreYoung American couple Patrick and Margaret have high hopes when they move to Kenya, just a few months after they are married. He is a doctor; hoping to do some research on equitorial diseases and do a good deed by working at various clinics. Margaret is up for an adventure, and is an inspiring photographer who has found the perfect subject: the peoples of Africa.

Soon after their arrival, they become friends of a sort with Diana and Arthur, a fellow expat couple from the UK. Margaret is a bit intimidated by them: Diana is a no-nonsense outdoorswoman who is cool towards Margaret; and Simon a controlling snob who likes to flirt with her.

Soon after they meet, the two couples plus another couple (friends of Diana and Arthur) plan a trip to climb to the top of Mount Kenya. Margaret is confident she can do it, despite having no experience with mountain climbing and knowing the risks. The trip turns out to be a nightmare for her, especilly as she and Simon come closer to doing irreversible damage to their respective marriages. Near the top of the mountain, a horrible tragedy happens that will affect Margaret and those around her for months to come.

A Change in Altitude is my second favorite of the four Shreve's books I've now read, second only to The Weight of Water. Some of the appeal of this book for me is the setting: Kenya is exotic, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous at the time the book is set (no idea what the current conditions are now, but the book is set shortly before Kenyatta's death in 1978). There's a background story going on during the novel that concerns the government and political unrest, and I found that more fascinating than Margaret's troubles. Margaret herself at times annoyed me; for most of the book she is very self-absorbed, and sometimes does foolish things under the circumstances. Despite that, I recommend this book, especially if you like books set in Africa. It's a really fast read (I zipped through it in a day, and I am not a very fast reader), and entertaining. (less)

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Aug 25, 2009

Sara rated it

If you (like me) are a fan of Anita Shreve, then you are probably salivating over her new release, A Change in Altitude. And after Testimony, who wouldn’t be a fan? Shreve seems to be getting better and better. This novel centers on a late twenties newlywed, Margaret, who jumped at the chance to follow her husband to Kenya where he is doing medical research. One day Patrick announces that they are going to climb Mt. Kenya with their land lords and another couple. The climb is an arduous sev...moreIf you (like me) are a fan of Anita Shreve, then you are probably salivating over her new release, A Change in Altitude. And after Testimony, who wouldn’t be a fan? Shreve seems to be getting better and better. This novel centers on a late twenties newlywed, Margaret, who jumped at the chance to follow her husband to Kenya where he is doing medical research. One day Patrick announces that they are going to climb Mt. Kenya with their land lords and another couple. The climb is an arduous several day affair, so Margaret does have misgivings, but in the end is easily persuaded. Once on the expedition, small indiscretions on Margaret’s part have dire consequences and put a seemingly insurmountable strain on her marriage. As the cracks in her marriage widen, Margaret considers whether she can save her marriage, and as she explores her own passions, a part of her wonders if she wants to.

The muscle that Shreve typically flexes is her ability to instantly grab and hold the reader, but for me that didn’t happen here. Instead I found myself sort of plugging away at the first few chapters. However, Shreve is an excellent story teller, and so I soon found myself engrossed in Margaret’s emotional drama which was beautifully set by the harsh African landscapes and Keynes details. The fish out of water feel of an American in Africa is explored, and is thematically similar to The Poisonwood Bible by Kingsolver or Louise Dean’s The Idea of Love. The culture shock is just an element to Margaret’s characterization, and not the focus of her story, and thus Shreve forges something new. I was shocked to enjoy the action sequences as much as I did, and found Margaret’s insecurities scarily relatable and fascinating. Overall, I was surprised with the restraint and subtlety which Shreve used in composing this novel. Though A Change in Altitude wasn’t my favorite book by Shreve (that is a tie between Testimony and Fortune Rocks), it is still one of her best.
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Jan 29, 2012

Azia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: in-english, mijn-bibliotheek, to-swap

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Margaret dan Patrick, pasangan muda yang tinggal di Nairobi,Kenya. Patrick ialah seorang dokter yang meneliti penyakit tropis dan membuka jasa klinik gratis bagi rakyat yang kurang mampu. Margaret tinggal di dekat rumah pasangan dari Inggris, Arthur dan Diana yang lebih lama tinggal di Nairobi. Sebuah rencana pendakian gunung Kenya digagas oleh Arthur dan Diana,mereka pun mengajak serta Patrick dan Margaret. Ada pasangan lainnya dari Belanda, Willem dan Saartje yang ikut juga. Tanpa disadari Mar...moreMargaret dan Patrick, pasangan muda yang tinggal di Nairobi,Kenya. Patrick ialah seorang dokter yang meneliti penyakit tropis dan membuka jasa klinik gratis bagi rakyat yang kurang mampu. Margaret tinggal di dekat rumah pasangan dari Inggris, Arthur dan Diana yang lebih lama tinggal di Nairobi. Sebuah rencana pendakian gunung Kenya digagas oleh Arthur dan Diana,mereka pun mengajak serta Patrick dan Margaret. Ada pasangan lainnya dari Belanda, Willem dan Saartje yang ikut juga. Tanpa disadari Margaret, Arthur mendekatinya. Sebelum pendakian,Arthur sempat memberikan perhatian yang lebih ke Margaret.

Ketika suatu malam di pendakian, tangan Arthur mengenggam tangannya Margaret hingga keesokan paginya tangan mereka saling menggengam. Patrick menanyakan apa yang terjadi antara istrinya dengan Arthur. Sementara Arthur bertengkar hebat dengan Diana. Perjalanan menuju puncak gunung Kenya dilanjutkan. Ketika memanjat glacier,Diana melepaskan ikatan tali pengamannnya dan tidak menghiraukan guide. Ia jatuh terhempas dan meninggal seketika. Walaupun kematian tersebut disebabkan oleh Diana sendiri,secara tak langsung anggota rombongan lain menganggap Margaret bertanggung jawab atas kematian Diana. Bahkan Patrick ikut menyalahkannya. Karena Margaret lah yang menyebabkan Diana emosi sehingga dia gegabah dan tidak menghiraukan guide. Sepeninggalan Diana, Arthur dan anak-anaknya kembali ke Inggris. Dan pasangan Belanda Willem & Saartje pulang ke negara asalnya.

Kecelakaan pendakian di Gunung Kenya juga berimbas ke pernikahan mereka. Patrick tenggelam dengan kesibukan di rumah sakit. 3 bulan berlalu,Margaret memutuskan untuk bekerja. Ia melamar ke surat kabar yang cukup fenomenal di Kenya. Ia diterima sebagai fotografer freelance. Sejak itu kesibukan Margaret terisi dengan mendampingi wartawan ke lapangan. Salah satu yang sering ia dampingi bernama Rafiq. Seorang keturunan pakistan yang merasa dirinya orang Afrika. Rafiq sangat concern dengan dunia pendidikan,baginya menjadi wartawan adalah cara untuk lebih mengerti kondisi negaranya. Kedekatan mereka di pekerjaan membawa keduanya dalam hubungan. Walaupun Margaret tidak pernah mencium,memeluk ataupun bertindak lebih jauh,secara hati Margaret telah mengkhianati Patrick. Ia kerap memikirkan partner kerjanya tersebut. Rafiq di deportasi dari Kenya berkaitan dengan pemberitaan pembantaian mahasiswa oleh pemerintah Kenya.

Hidup Margaret terus berlanjut di Nairobi. Kawan datang silih berganti. Kevin dan Everdene,pasangan ekspat yang baru datang dari Inggris. Kali ini Patrick mengajak sekali lagi untuk mendaki gunung Kenya. Bagi Margaret sebenarnya trauma dengan gunung Kenya. Dalam pendakian,Margaret berhenti sebentar di tempat jatuhnya Diana. Pada akhirnya yang berhasil mencapai puncak Gunung Kenya dari kelompok pendakian hanya Margaret seorang.

Gambaran Kenya yang saya dapat melalui mata ekspatriat seperti Margaret yaitu negara yang tidak aman,kriminalitas yang tinggi,pungli merajalela.Walaupun dibalik itu terdapat wajah-wajah Afrika yang mudah tertawa. Novel ini dibagi tiga bagian yang mempunyai konflik masing-masing tapi menurut saya,konflik-konfliknya berakhir menggantung. Tidak ada percik-percik dari konflik tersebut yang mengejutkan pembaca. Masalah Margaret-Arthur selesai ketika Arthur dan keluarganya kembali ke Inggris. Kisah cinta terpendam Margaret-Rafiq selesai setelah Rafiq dideportasi. Patrick pun sempat dicurigai oleh Margaret ada affair dengan koleganya,Elena tapi tidak dikembangkan lebih lanjut.
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Feb 04, 2010

Tawny rated it

Shreve is a difficult author for me, either I really like her work or I don't care for it at all. This one I really enjoyed. Right from the start I was taken in by the book. I thought that the positions that Shreve put her main charcter Margaret in some very mental and emotional situations. Many times Margaret seemed weak but you had to examine the overall situation and where infact they lived and the time in which this book took place. Margaret dealt in the best most approprate way possibl...more

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Aug 27, 2010

Maia rated it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, women-s-middlebrows

Well, in the end I began this book with more enthusiasm than I ended up. It definitely promised more than it delivered, on all counts: suspense (storyline falls flat half-way through), emotions (we never really get much insight into Patrick's character, for example) and even Kenya. While I quite enjoyed the first half, the 'set up', really able to visualize Kenya, a place I'll likely never visit and which, to be honest, I know little about and have never felt much interest in, after the so-calle...moreWell, in the end I began this book with more enthusiasm than I ended up. It definitely promised more than it delivered, on all counts: suspense (storyline falls flat half-way through), emotions (we never really get much insight into Patrick's character, for example) and even Kenya. While I quite enjoyed the first half, the 'set up', really able to visualize Kenya, a place I'll likely never visit and which, to be honest, I know little about and have never felt much interest in, after the so-called 'accident' I felt myself losing interest.

The book is billed as "Two couples brought together... Four lives torn apart" but this in and of itself also promises far more than the reality, a sort of Jodi Picoultesque drama of immense proportions that in the end changes all lives. Here, it's not the case. The story is set in the late 1970s, and Shreve does an excellent job of portraying the tone and feel of that time--I've read many, many novels from the 60s and 70s, and this one could easily have been written then and come off authentically. The relationship between protagonist Margaret, for example, and her husband Patrick, who are both in their late 20s is entirely different to what we'd read today about a twnetysomething couple--most whom wouldn't even be married yet! The POV is Margaret's--an apparently happy, well-adjusted, middle-class American girl (Boston, Mass) recently married to Patrick, a doctor, whom she has followed to Kenya while he pursues his doctorate research. Both seem entirely out of place in the wilds of Africa, as well as amid the other 1970s expatriates, mostly colonial-type Europeans. At the start of the novel they're living temporarily with their landlords, Arthur and Diana, a very colonial-type Brit couple in their 30s whose descriptions at times veer into caricature. For some reason (not well explained and not entirely believable), this couple persuades the younger one to join friends of theirs (an also caricaturesque couple, this time Dutch) on a climb to one of the highest mountains--even though Margaret neither enjoys these excursions nor has the experience for them. Why do they go? What's the point? I never truly found out.

Furthermore--or, worse--Shreve coats the entire expedition with a sense of urgency and importance that I never believed. I just couldn't get my head around why it mattered so much, or why a young recently married idealist very American couple like Margaret and Patrick would be lured into this, would already display fractures in their relationship, apparently as a result of the other couples' influences. It neither made sense nor was appropriately exposed, to be believed. The descriptions of nature, environment, surroundings, etc along the way to the climb are shrouded in a sort of mythical suspense--but why? In the end, towards the end of the climb, Margaret--easily the slowest and weakest, and therefore slowing and weakening everyone else--has been relegated to a sort of pariah role (why? this would make sense if they'd been on a sort of life-or-death situation where it really mattered) even by Patrick--who increasingly becomes more and more annoying a character, all without much motive or explanation. Then as a result of one instance that drives her to the edge (will not give away details) she can't find Patrick for support (supposedly, though he's only a few feet away) and instead leans 'inappropriately' on Arthur--who, until then, seems to have been placed in the story as comic relief! But that seemed ok for a while, because Shreve did quite a good job of softening Arthur's caricaturesque edges and showing a more humane side. I'd been content to leave it there. Instead, Shreve plunges you with a hammer on all the 'meanings' this little incident had (even though till then from Margaret's POV Arhtur had only been annoying and paternalistic) and its dire consequences. Apparently, tough old bird Diana couldn't bear to let Arthur out of her sight and, incensed, continued the climb recklessly. This is where the 'accident' comes in. A not entirely believable accident, either.

The second half of the book disperses with the Brit couple altogether and focuses on Margaret's and Patrick's marriage. Here, to be honest, I started to get bored. I had less and less insight into this marriage and therefore felt less and less interest in its ultimate and obvious unraveling.(less)

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Jan 08, 2010

Karalee rated it

Shelves: fiction-general, winter-09-challenge

In the latest book from Anita Shreve, two American expatriates living in Africa, Patrick and Margaret, join a group of people climbing Mount Kenya. On the mountain, a terrible tragedy occurs. The climb -- and the tragedy -- send shock waves through Patrick and Margaret's marriage and the remainder of the book is spent with them struggling to recover. This book is, in many ways, trademark Anita Shreve. One of her most common themes -- fidelity -- is examined in this book in myriad ways. The...more

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Feb 13, 2011

Carol rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

This was my first Anita Shreve book. I enjoyed it so much that now I am a fan and will look for her other books. The feel of Kenya’s wildlife and different tribe’s cultures were made the book very rich. I was
a little hesitant to read this book because of the scenes of climbing Mount Kenya as I have acrophobia and would not want to attempt any climb. I also had recently read several books about the violence of the different wars in Africa. I also had recently read several books about the vi...more

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Jul 21, 2011

VegasGal rated it

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Shelves: read-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 30, 2009

Diane rated it

Set in the late 1970's, Margaret and Patrick McCoglan are a young married couple from Massachusetts who decide to spend a year in Africa. Patrick is a doctor who plans to do research on equatorial diseases, and to conduct free clinics around the country for those in need.

In Africa, the couple meets Diana and Arthur a British couple, who convinces them to climb Mount Kenya with them, accompanied by an expert guide. When a tragic accident occurs during the climb, the blame seems to be ...moreSet in the late 1970's, Margaret and Patrick McCoglan are a young married couple from Massachusetts who decide to spend a year in Africa. Patrick is a doctor who plans to do research on equatorial diseases, and to conduct free clinics around the country for those in need.

In Africa, the couple meets Diana and Arthur a British couple, who convinces them to climb Mount Kenya with them, accompanied by an expert guide. When a tragic accident occurs during the climb, the blame seems to be directed toward Margaret, and it that event which causes her to re-evaluate her marriage.

A photo journalist back in Boston, and now with lots of free time on her hands. She must learn the do's and don'ts of the culture where she now lives. At one point Margaret's camera is taken from her, as in Masai culture, women are not allowed any possessions. She is offered a job as a photographer with the Kenya Tribune, a controversial publication, which she accepts. Her first assignment is to cover a plane crash where people have died. It is through this job, and new relationships she has formed, that Margaret begins to see Africa, as well as her marriage in a new light. Before the year is out the couple decides to try and climb Mount Kenya once again in remembrance of the tragedy which occurred one year earlier.

My thoughts: The author did an amazing job making the reader feel a sense of place. Every part of Africa, was so vividly detailed. As a reader, I really enjoyed the author's use of irony, metaphors and foreshadowing throughout the story. There were, however, things I did not like about this book. None of the characters were likable, and although there was some action in the story, the story just never had that "wow" effect. The book was easy to put down, and I never felt like I really cared about what happened next.

Having read ALL of this author's previous books, I was ultimately disappointed by A Change in Altitude. My recommendation--if you are a huge Shreve fan "read it, and decide for yourself". If you have never read this author before, try some of my favorites by Shreve: Strange Fits of Passion, Eden Close, Resistance, or Testimony. Each is a story that has stayed with me for a long time.(less)

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Jul 29, 2011

Erika rated it

Shelves: read-2011, set-in-foreign-countries

At first I liked this book, but I have to admit, that by the end, I couldn't wait for it to be over. In fact, I considered not finishing it at all, but didn't want to give up thirty pages before I was done.
None of the characters, with the exception of Kevin and Everdene were at all likeable, and they weren't introduced until the last few pages. Margaret, the protagonist, comes across as weak and self-absorbed, Patrick her husband seems selfish and frequently unkind.
SPOILERS

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Jan 03, 2010

Marti rated it

Shelves: books-2010, world-fiction

The book A Change in Altitude was a good read. The story kept me reading and I found myself debating in my head where the story was going to go. It is interesting to me that the main character started out so elusive almost like behind a curtain or the camera she used to take pictures. She was like a wraith in her movements and thoughts. I was pleased that she changed as the story continued.

The notion of guilt is what I am left with. When is something your fault, if the other per...more

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Oct 31, 2009

Barb rated it

I love Anita Shreve - a friend recently introduced me to her books and I have read a lot of them I was excited to see this new one and after reading it, I'm at a loss for words. This book pissed me off, so if that was Ms Shreve's intent, it worked. The main characters are a newly married couple who didn't act newly married - they hardly seemed to like each other. Living in Kenya was difficult and I would've expected a lot of connection with all the characters in the book, but that wasn't the...more

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May 22, 2010

Chris rated it

· review of another edition

As a big Anita Shreve fan, I was intrigued by the blurb on the back, especially because it seemed like such a departure from her last book, Testimony. I had the unexpected luxury of reading the whole thing in one sitting (where sitting means sitting at LaGuardia waiting for the rain delay to clear.) I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Or rather, I thoroughly enjoyed her style, the plot and the setting (Africa in the 70s), and the usual ambiguous situations, painfully realistic characters, and inevita...more

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Jan 13, 2010

Holly rated it

I've never really liked Anita Shreve's work and I can't really state why! I read The Pilot's Wife and it never lived up to the hype surrounding it in my mind. I then went to an author's breakfast and heard her read...she barely glanced at the audience and read with what appeared to be little enthusiasm. Maybe that's why I can't relate to her books - there's no real connection with the characters through her writing style. I can't seem to find where the story is going, what the characters are...more

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About Anita Shreve

Anita Shreve grew up in Dedham, Massachusetts (just outside Boston), the eldest of three daughters. Early literary influences include having read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton when she was a junior in high school (a short novel she still claims as one of her favorites) and everything Eugene O'Neill ever wrote while she was a senior (to which she attributes a somewhat dark streak in her own work). A...moreAnita Shreve grew up in Dedham, Massachusetts (just outside Boston), the eldest of three daughters. Early literary influences include having read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton when she was a junior in high school (a short novel she still claims as one of her favorites) and everything Eugene O'Neill ever wrote while she was a senior (to which she attributes a somewhat dark streak in her own work). After graduating from Tufts University, she taught high school for a number of years in and around Boston. In the middle of her last year, she quit (something that, as a parent, she finds appalling now) to start writing. "I had this panicky sensation that it was now or never."

Joking that she could wallpaper her bathroom with rejections from magazines for her short stories ("I really could have," she says), she published her early work in literary journals. One of these stories, "Past the Island, Drifting," won an O. Henry prize. Despite this accolade, she quickly learned that one couldn't make a living writing short fiction. Switching to journalism, Shreve traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, where she lived for three years, working as a journalist for an African magazine. One of her novels, The Last Time They Met, contains bits and pieces from her time in Africa.

Returning to the United States, Shreve was a writer and editor for a number of magazines in New York. Later, when she began her family, she turned to freelancing, publishing in the New York Times Magazine, New York magazine and dozens of others. In 1989, she published her first novel, Eden Close. Since then she has written 12 other novels, among them The Weight of Water, The Pilot's Wife, The Last Time They Met, A Wedding in December, and Body Surfing.

In 1998, Shreve received the PEN/L. L. Winship Award and the New England Book Award for fiction. In 1999, she received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey, and The Pilot's Wife became the 25th selection of Oprah's Book Club and an international bestseller. In April 2002, CBS aired the film version of The Pilot's Wife, starring Christine Lahti, and in fall 2002, The Weight of Water, starring Elizabeth Hurley and Sean Penn, was released in movie theaters.

Still in love with the novel form, Shreve writes only in that genre. "The best analogy I can give to describe writing for me is daydreaming," she says. "A certain amount of craft is brought to bear, but the experience feels very dreamlike."

Shreve is married to a man she met when she was 13. She has two children and three stepchildren, and in the last eight years has made tuition payments to seven colleges and universities.(less)

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