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Feb 02, 2011

Cleverly rated it:

Eternal on the Water was painfully beautiful. Joseph Monninger is an sublime writer. The book flowed even though nothing overly exciting happened. I stayed interested and tuned in through the whole book.
Jonathan Cobb and Mary Fury were lovable characters. I don't think there was a single character in this book that didn't immediately have a personality you couldn't relate to. Jonathan and Mary's Yeti love was one in a billion. Their journey together was heart-wrenching, joyous and encha More...

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Nov 22, 2011

Melissa rated it:

There was much to love about this book – especially if you are a fan of heavy, thought-provoking fiction with vivid sensory detail. A love story at its core, this novel is narrated by a nature-loving teacher named Cobb and is steeped in scientific study of the natural sciences (just the right amount to keep the reader reading and to lend credibility to the various environmental themes).

Rooted in science and sprinkled with folklore, the novel spoke to my own environmentally sensitive s More...

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Sep 30, 2011

Sasha added it

Monninger knew what he was doing. There are so many risks the author took in crafting this novel. The death of Mary Fury, right at the very first sentence, is just one. Another is the fact that this is an unabashed love story between two very lovely people—aren’t love stories the most difficult things to write, and to execute well? You’re either deemed too fantastical, or too girl-pornish (augh), or too sickly sweet.

But the risks paid off. Eternal on the Water is a lovely book, a lov More...

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Jul 17, 2011

Kendra rated it:

While this is not a book I might have picked up to read on my own, it was recommended by another mama friend who also does not have time to read, so we only share the cream of the crop with one another.

This is a love story with an expiration date...I hope that's not too much of a spoiler.

What I liked about this book: Mary, one of the main characters, is a biologist, specializing in crows, ravens and other birds from the family Corvidae. Natural history *and* mythology of More...

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Dec 29, 2010

Michele rated it:

I'm conflicted about this book. It was recommended by one reviewer as the one book she would want with her if she were "stranded on a desert island". On the one hand, it really is beautifully written. It takes place mostly with nature as the backdrop, and is told from the perspective of a Thoreau-loving professor (what's not to like there?) On the other hand, it's one of those "soul-mate" romances, complete with intimate scenes that most people find completely acceptable. More...

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Mar 27, 2010

Heather rated it:

Firstly let me warn you that this book actually begins before Chapter One. I grabbed this book one evening and flipped to Chapter One, started reading, and loved it. Then about halfway through the book I checked into the Barnes & Noble discussion on it, and I found that they were asking how the readers felt about knowing in the beginning of the book that Mary would die. Know? I had sort of figured out that it was gonna happen, but they made it sound as if it had played out in the beginning of th More...

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Mar 08, 2010

Amy rated it:

Eternal on the Water is the story of two people falling in love after meeting unexpectedly on the bank of the Allagash River the evening before they planned to kayak down the river. There is a connection, a bond between Jonathan Cobb and Mary Fury the moment they meet which they cannot ignore. So strong is their connection that a couple they have dinner with a day later thinks they have been together for years. But this is more than a love story. It is a story about truth and consequences, about More...

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Feb 02, 2010

Lynda rated it:

I'm really torn when reviewing this novel because it certainly has the potential to be amazing but in a couple of areas I believed it fell a little short.

First of all, there is the tragic story told in the prologue. It reveals the ending and the reader is drawn into the story to determine the specifics regarding the death. A clever device because it invests the reader immediatly otherwise there is little pizzazz to keep the reader interested. Secondly, there is Mary. She More...

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Jan 28, 2010

Ziaria rated it:

This book grabbed my attention from page one and it never let go, not once.

I instantly loved Mary and Cobb, The Chungamunga Girls, Wally, Francis, Turtle Freddy, their parents. I even enjoyed all the smaller characters that were a part of Mary and Cobb's journey through their life together. I thought Joseph did a wonderful job telling Mary's story of living with Huntington's disease. I think the disease and it's effects were told with compassion by Joseph.

On top of the am More...

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Jan 18, 2010

Heather rated it:

I wasn't expecting to like this book. I got an advance reader copy but didn't remember signing up to receive this particular book. When I got it, I read the back and thought "Eh, whatever." Today, I ran out of things to read and I picked it back up and read it straight through. I fell in love with the characters and the beautiful descriptions of national parks. Mary's love of life is something one generally hears about in novels of this genre, but it is rarely brought to life with More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Polly rated it:

This is such a 'readable' novel. The scenery, beautifully described and lovingly recreated, made me want to get outdoors and set off on an adventure with Cobb and Mary. One of my favourite things about this book is the setting - and I love the fact that it varies. I felt caught up in the magic of the Allagash River and in staying with the Chungamunga girls, and with meeting Annie and John and having a cosy dinner in the warm out of the storm. And similarly I loved the contrasting setting of the More...

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Feb 20, 2010

Colleen rated it:

This book is beautifully written - the prose is simple but artful in its simplicity. There is a lyricism in the writing that is difficult to articulate in a review - as a reader, I felt that I was gently carried through the novel. Below is an example of the simplicity of the writing:

"The boy's breathing had been unsteady for the past two hours. Air had become more difficult for the boy to find."

By saying air was "difficult to find", the autho More...

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Feb 15, 2010

Deb rated it:

My favorite things about this book:

The settings: you'll want to kayak in Maine, visit Yellowstone and Indonesia, and live in a converted carriage house.
The references: literature, science, film, music, knock-knock jokes. Monninger makes excellent use of these tidbits to create fully drawn characters and make their conversations real.
The characters -- I'd like to be friends with Mary and Cobb, her brother and his dad, and Wally. Especially Wally.
The writing: there More...

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Jun 23, 2010

Jodi rated it:

I think I would have liked this book a little more if the author didn't go off on animal stories and keep trying to tie those stories into the characters lives. Once in awhile was fine, but I felt like it went on too often in the book and I found myself skimming those paragraphs. I truly liked the main characters. Mary was an inspiration to me and I wish I could live my life more like she does. I love how she did everything with gusto and never held back. I liked Cobb even more. He never t More...

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Aug 07, 2011

Eagleeye rated it:

First of all, yes I liked this book. I was pulled into the love story right away, and just kept reading. This book also made me feel profoundly sad at times. It tugged at that basic desire in me (and I imagine in most people) to truly experience connections with nature. This is why the love story worked for me, it was so intertwined with a love for nature. But I have to say, this book is a lot more than just a love story. Its underlying themes of naturalism and voluntary euthanasia and ass More...

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Jan 27, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

At first glance, I wasn't sure that this was a book for me. But once I started, I could not put it down. Yes, the novel is romantic, heartbreaking, and a bit controversial, but it is more than the sum of these parts. The characters were built with care - and although the relationship between Cobb and Mary starts off running, readers always feel as if the two are being true to themselves.

The novel explores the idea that crafting meaning in your own life involves love and ris More...

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Jan 28, 2010

Milka rated it:

Cobb and Mary. From the second they meet each other they know they are destined to be together. They really are quite perfect to each other; both teachers, both passionate about something and at the moment they meet, both going to the same direction.

The story begins by foreshadowing what is going to happen in the end; Mary is going to die. Cobb starts to tell the story about their love to a ranger and that way the reader gets to know the story as well. I really liked the way Monninge More...

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Apr 28, 2010

Jinny rated it:

This was a poignant read, especially because I have something in common with Cobb: falling in love with and marrying an amazing person with a fatal illness. For this reason, the portrayal of Mary didn’t seem sentimental or unrealistic. As “Eternal on the Water” says, when you meet someone like Mary Fury, you know you’ve met someone. Joseph Monninger’s choice of the surname “Fury” for Mary speaks not of anger but energy, movement, and power – so fitting for her character and approach to living. More...

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Jan 25, 2010

thewanderingjew rated it:

This book shines a light on true love and the courage necessary to face life and death.
It is a beautiful but tragic tale, described as a love story by the author. For me, it was more than that. It was a journey about survival, about facing life threatening challenges, about dealing with impending doom. The author's writing style is very easy to read. With a spare use of words, he paints really sharp and often extremely descriptive images. I felt as if I was in the setting and knew the char More...

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Jan 26, 2010

Beth rated it:

From page one this book took me in and really held me. At first I was a little leery thinking it was going to be a very depressing book. Boy was I wrong! Mary, one of the main characters is found dead in the Allagash River. I wanted to know why. I like how Joseph Monninger gave us the ending right off the bat and then took us back through the whole story of how Mary met Jonathan Cobb and how they came to be a couple. The story just flows wonderfully just like the river which plays an important r More...

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Jan 29, 2010

Lydia rated it:

I received my ARC copy of Eternal on the Water a few days ago and was excited about being able to be included in the first group of people to read the book.

However, the story just didn't live up to what I thought it would be. This is the story of Jonathan Cobb and Mary Fury, a woman who has Huntington's Disease. It's the story of their relationship and includes all sorts of descriptions relating to nature; crows and turtles being two prominent figures.

What I didn't li More...

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Jan 28, 2010

Mike rated it:

"Eternal on the Water", by Joseph Monninger, is destined to become a classic in it's own rite. It is a beautiful story of love and desire to live life to the fullest.
Monninger takes the New England rustic area and gives us a look through the eyes of Mary and Cobb, as they find each other fall in love and live life to it's fullest. There's no looking back as these two show that life can be great, if only we allow it to be. The story initially takes place on the Allagash R More...

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Feb 06, 2010

Sheree rated it:

Eternal on the Water is a beautiful, graceful, sad, whimsical, funny, joyful story and I absolutely fell in love with it. As I came to the last few chapters I read slower and slower not just because I knew I'd cry buckets at the ending but because I wanted to savour the feelings this story evoked. It's a book about 'Yeti' love, about life and really living it.

"... Yeti love. You never expect to see it, but you've heard it's out there and it might just be a legend. But you keep l More...

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Mar 15, 2010

Julia rated it:

At first, I was a little upset the prologue so absolutely foreshadowed the end of the novel. But, as I came to read this beautiful romance, I became more forgiving. Jonathan Cobb meets Mary Ford one day as they both arrive by Toyota pick-up to kayak on the Allagash River in Maine. Cobb is there to follow lines of thought from Thoreau for a paper. Mary returns often, after having first discovered it as a Chungamunga adventure girl in her youth. I really liked the blend of the outdoors and ro More...

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Jan 09, 2010

Quiltgranny rated it:

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

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

May 31, 2011

Lisa rated it:

Okay this is another four star book, though it could have easily been a five. So close!! Read this one if you want to feel love in your heart and happiness that a woman can feel so alive and at peace. It started out a bit slow and I thought to myself, "oh no, this is going to be a bit of a bore to finish," but I kept at it and it got really, really GOOD!! If you like nature, romance, kayaks, and commitment in a marriage read this. It kind of stayed with me for awhile after I had f More...

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Jul 12, 2010

Rosanne rated it:

Jonathon Cobb meets Mary Fury as he begins his journey on the Allagash in New Hampshire. He sets out to learn more about Thoreau. She is a familiar face along this trail as she frequently ventures out to further her study of crows.

Their attraction is like a powerful magnet drawing them to each other instantly and securely.

As their lives progress together they discover amazing things about life and nature. All too soon their paradise is shattered by Mary's devastating dia More...

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Feb 03, 2010

Melissa rated it:

When I read the description for this book on the Barnes & Noble site as part of their First Look program, I thought that it sounded interesting and couldn’t wait to read it. I wasn’t disappointed. This was a very quick read for me because I couldn’t put it down. I got caught up in the story between the two main characters, Cobb and Mary, and in the scenery that Mr. Monninger describes in the book. I felt as if I was with them on their journey as a silent participant in all that they did.
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Jan 23, 2012

Christine rated it:

Very easy, quick, contemporary, (there's even a Facebook reference!) bittersweet love story. One of those where they tell you the ending at the beginning and then you read on to find out how it happened. Likeable characters, has a bit of that "Nicholas Sparks" feel, but not as corny. I thought it would be more about the couple's outdoor adventures, but it was more about the couple's love. Lots of dialogue. The main female, Mary, loves nature folklore and myth and I started to just skim More...

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Mar 16, 2010

Stephanie rated it:

I have never been a fan of romance novels, or anything resembling romance novels, because the plot and characters seem to always be flat and I quickly lose interest and find myself mocking the book and the author and wondering why I didn't come up with the nonsense myself.

HOWEVER, once in awhile an incredible story comes along that happens to have a love story at its center that leaves you floating once you have turned the last page. Eternal on the Water, set against the backdrop of More...

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