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310th out of 326 books
—
489 voters
The Heights
by
Peter Hedges
Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherentl...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
March 4th 2010
by Dutton Adult
(first published March 1st 2010)
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Tim and Kate are happily in love with two boys and struggling to make ends meet. Tim is a history teacher and Kate a stay at home mom. When Kate meets their new glamorous neighbor Anna, things start to change for the happy family. Tim takes a sabbatical to take care of the kids and Kate is offered a lucrative job working for a charitable foundation. With Anna and Tim going on play dates and getting closer Kate begins to drift back towards her former college days lover. The ending is to be expect...more
The story of Tim and his wife Kate is a simple one: they live with their two young children in Brooklyn, apparently quite happily – till their love for each other gets tested through the arrival of a new neighbour and an old flame. The plot doesn’t really offer surprises and the ending is rather predictable.
But none of this matters (and the lack of an interesting plot and a foreseeable ending would annoy me in most books) as Hedges’ writing brings the characters of the story alive. He narrates t...more
But none of this matters (and the lack of an interesting plot and a foreseeable ending would annoy me in most books) as Hedges’ writing brings the characters of the story alive. He narrates t...more
I like well written books even if the topic has been done or is boring. This one was kind of both, but well written for me. I don't need fancy, I hate fancy, but I like good (even if I don't write well). ANYWAY. Typical family lives in the Heights and a rich, glamorous family moves in and the wife immediately takes fancy towards her. Wife gets excellent job opportunity and takes it, so husband can quite job and finish doctorate or whatever rich-ish white people with options do. Husband and glamo...more
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This book has everything. Rich people interacting with poor people, married people interacting with unmarried people, kids interacting with parents, parents interacting with their parents, parents disappointing kids, teachers interacting with students, teachers interacting with principals, mentors interacting with mentees, famous people interacting with not famous people, the sick interact with the healthy. Happily married couples (or are they??) spend long periods of time deciding whether or no...more
I liked this more than I expected to. For some reason, I had been putting off reading it, afraid that it was going to come off as pretentious. Thankfully, I was wrong. It wasn’t pretentious, but it was one of those novels that didn’t really go far.
I was able to connect much more with Tim than with Kate. Tim is a bumbling young father who is somewhat misguided, and more than a little confused about what he wants out of life. Kate was much more dry, and frankly, uninteresting. It’s telling that, s...more
I was able to connect much more with Tim than with Kate. Tim is a bumbling young father who is somewhat misguided, and more than a little confused about what he wants out of life. Kate was much more dry, and frankly, uninteresting. It’s telling that, s...more
The Heights by Peter Hedges is an entertaining story with funny, likable and believable characters. It is a story of the danger of "secrets" in a relationship.
Tim and Kate Welch, a young married couple with two small boys, live in the Heights (Brooklyn) surrounded by the wealthy elite. They are the outsiders - young and poor. Tim is a history teacher working on a never-ending thesis and Kate is a stay-at-home Mom.
Then Anna Brody-Ashworth moves into the neighbourhood and life changes for the Welc...more
Tim and Kate Welch, a young married couple with two small boys, live in the Heights (Brooklyn) surrounded by the wealthy elite. They are the outsiders - young and poor. Tim is a history teacher working on a never-ending thesis and Kate is a stay-at-home Mom.
Then Anna Brody-Ashworth moves into the neighbourhood and life changes for the Welc...more
This is not the kind of thing I usually read, and there's a really good reason. It was pretty shallow and yuppie-ish and self-indulgent. The writing was fair, good enough to keep me reading but not good enough for me to ever read another by this author. The first half of the novel was markedly better than the second half, but still not that great. It was okay. The characters didn't ring true to me. These are not people I know or would ever want to know. This book had a kind of keeping-up-with-th...more
In truth this book deserves two stars for its rather smutty and childish nature, but I found it so readable that three stars seems more fair. This book reminds me of Little Children (but with an urban edge), MOrningside Heights (yet another book that makes more of a neighborhood than there actually is) and Election (it really echoes it in many ways).
The Heights is about a swanky section of Brooklyn and centers around Kate and Tim, a seemingly happy couple whose lives fall apart when a new, myste...more
The Heights is about a swanky section of Brooklyn and centers around Kate and Tim, a seemingly happy couple whose lives fall apart when a new, myste...more
Peter Hedges' The Heights centers around a young couple living in a upscale neighborhood on a shoestring budget with two small children. With his dissertation hanging over his head, Peter teaches history at the local private school, and Kate stays home with their boys. The characters are extremely likeable and the novel is easy to read, drawing readers in with charm and grace. I even found the secondary voice of Bea (one of Peter's students) fun to read, even if generally less believable than he...more
My definition of a good beach book is one that tells a good story, holds the reader's interest, doesn't insult the intelligence and goes somewhere. The Heights fits this to a T. Kate and Tim live in Brooklyn Heights among families of better means. Their marriage is almost too idyllic, and by shifting points of view between these two as well as other key characters, Hedges gives a Roshomon quality to the unfolding events. One central character is not given any voice at all, which would have given...more
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from Penguin Books. The author also wrote [What's Eating Gilbert Grape] so I was looking forward to it. The book was very well written and I had a hard time putting it down. That being said the plot was a bit strange. Essentially the book is about a married couple, Tim and Kate, with two children. In the beginning the wife is a stay at home mom and the husband is a history teacher working on his dissertation. They live in a nice area of New York an...more
Jul 07, 2010
Jennifer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who has made a friend above their pay grade
Recommended to Jennifer by:
Pieces of April
Shelves:
read-2010
This book made me wish for the "half star" yet again. I found this novel, told mainly from the alternating perspectives of a husband and wife living in Brooklyn Heights, to be an interesting, sometimes wince-inducing, comedy of manners. Tim Welch and his wife, Kate, live in a high priced neighborhood that they can barely afford. Tim is a history teacher at a private school while Kate is a stay-at-home mom. When Anna Brody, the wife of a wealthy businessman, moves into the most expensive brownsto...more
Just excellent. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed "Prep" or "Admissions." A simple story of ruin. Not really one of deception and secrets, but plain, simple ruin.
An ordinary family living among extraordinary wealth in The Heights. But it's not just about the poor amongst the wealthy. It's about an ordinary family making it, not making it, whatever, in New York.
It's pretty much a set up for a movie--I'm surprised it hasn't been optioned yet!
An ordinary family living among extraordinary wealth in The Heights. But it's not just about the poor amongst the wealthy. It's about an ordinary family making it, not making it, whatever, in New York.
It's pretty much a set up for a movie--I'm surprised it hasn't been optioned yet!
1 like · like · see review
The writing has a easy to read sort of zeal to it, which I liked. Basically it's a story of a struggling couple living in posh Brooklyn Heights. When the wife, Kate, gets a great job, the husband, Tim, abandons his job at a private school to stay home for a year, take care of their boys, and write his dissertation. But when the new and glamorous Anna Brody-Ashworth moves in, she sweeps them up in her admiration, and thusly changes their relationship.
Okay, it was fun at first, I like the neighbor...more
Okay, it was fun at first, I like the neighbor...more
I had a feeling I would like this one, just because the author wrote the screenplay for two delightful movies that I love, About a Boy and Dan in Real Life. He has a talent for creating characters that are flawed, complex but loveable. In other words Real! I really enjoyed this novel and did not want to put it down. It is a deftly told tale of the dangers of keeping secrets in a marriage. The storyline was compelling and the characters interesting, almost like you know people just like them. The...more
The Heights by Peter Hedges is the story of Kate and Tim Welch, and their life in the Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Tim's a history teacher at Montague Academy, an elite private school and Katie is a stay-at-home mom; together they live in cramped apartment with two young sons. It's not easy existing on a teacher's salary for the couple. In fact it appears this couple is the only middle class couple still living in The Heights. Despite this their life seems relatively content.
All t...more
All t...more
Aug 12, 2012
Courtney
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
regretted-reading-it,
recommended-to-me
One of the worst books I have ever read, and I can't put into words how much I hated it. The main characters were entirely unlikable in every way imaginable, and the only characters I had any sympathy for at all were the children in both marriages and Bruno, the boss. The only redeeming quality is that the writing was decent..... the content, however, was atrocious. When you find yourself rooting against both people in a marriage because they are both horrible, selfish, petulant, child-brained m...more
So much fun, this novel about parenting and love and desire and self-esteem and class and trying to be an adult and do the right thing for yourself and the ones you love most. Set in Brooklyn Heights (and, memorably, Disneyworld, and, equally memorably, in an obnoxious high-end hotel in the West Village), The Heights tells the story of a middle-class family (Tim's a teacher, Kate stays home with their two pre-school-age kids) whose life is about to take a whole bunch of severe twists and turns....more
This somewhat unusual book tells the story of a middle class couple with two small children living in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of New York. The chapters alternate between the husband and the wife speaking, with some other characters mixed in. The main action of the plot centers around a glamorous new neighbor who is earnestly seeking to develop a friendship with the main characters.
I found the book disappointing for several reasons. First, none of the characters were likable. The main...more
I found the book disappointing for several reasons. First, none of the characters were likable. The main...more
Mildly entertaining book about an insular group of people living in a mostly well-to-do neighborhood in Brooklyn. In the first half of the book, I was drawn into the story of the main characters in the book - a high school history teacher and his stay-at-home/foundation employee wife. I felt the characters became more annoying and more of a caricature as the book went on. I didn't feel I had a real sense of the reasons behind why they did what they did. I especially didn't feel I really understo...more
Nov 13, 2011
Bookreaderljh
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2011
Another book with the different chapters being in the voice of two main characters. That was OK though I'm getting a little tired of that device actually. The best chapters were the ones when a minor character got a chapter. As far as the story - it was an interesting view of a marriage in flux. I liked how obviously the husband wholly loves his wife - even when tempted - and is willing to give up almost everything for her. The surprise ending of who cheats on whom was an eye opener. Otherwise -...more
The Heights is the story of Kate and Time Welch, a young married couple living in Brooklyn whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a new neighbor, the alluring and enigmatic Anna Brody. On the whole, I liked this book well enough, but expected more from it. Written in short chapters that alternate in viewpoint between Kate and Tim (with a few other characters sometimes thrown into the mix), the pace of the narrative is quick and propels the reader forward. At the same time, however,...more
It's pretty funny, I guess, and it was perfectly timed for the drive to Portland and back and certainly a much better choice than whatever new or old music CDs I might've dug up. The voice performances were great, not least by Peter Hedges himself, which you can't always assume from the author of the work.
But as content, it's just a throwaway comedy full of characters who provoke in me only the hope (nearly always disappointed) that they won't really be as stupid as they seem to want to be. I id...more
But as content, it's just a throwaway comedy full of characters who provoke in me only the hope (nearly always disappointed) that they won't really be as stupid as they seem to want to be. I id...more
Halfway through this book: It was burning a hole in my pocket, and I rushed through my previous book just so I could move on to this one. I'm loving it so far and can't wait to find time to read more. I'm identifying somewhat with the parenting aspects of the book, but I'm distancing myself since I suspect some bad choices are on the horizon.
Enjoyed the book overall. Parts of the final conflict seemed a little farfetched, but I'm willing to overlook that. The husband and wife characters were wel...more
Enjoyed the book overall. Parts of the final conflict seemed a little farfetched, but I'm willing to overlook that. The husband and wife characters were wel...more
I listened to this on CD during my work commute and would not have finished it if I were actually reading it in traditional book form. For an audiobook I would have to give it two stars as it mildly held my interest, but all in all I found it really annoying. The husband and wife at the center of the novel were irritating (particularly the husband) and a number of things didn't ring true. Also, I find upper middle class/upper class yuppie whining particularly grating. It's one thing when it's wr...more
I need more than one novel a decade from Hedges (An Ocean in Iowa -- one of my faves -- and What's Eating Gilbert Grape). Tim and Kate are barely scraping by but they're reasonably happy, until Anna Brody moves into their Brooklyn neighborhood and manages to knock each off balance. There's much to like in this book: Tim and Kate's relationship, the way they are with their two young sons, their humor and wit, the way Tim longs to be extraordinary to keep Kate, the way Kate longs to be ordinary, a...more
The Heights is about a couple, Kate and Tim, and the impact the arrival of a new neighbor has on their life. Tim is a teacher and Kate a stay-at-home mother when they meet Anna, a woman who seems to have it all. When Kate is offered to go back to work, Tim decides it's high time he works on his dissertation and it's his turn to stay home with their two sons. Anna is about to teach them what is important in life...
The novel is written in short chapters, alternating between Kate and Tim as narrato...more
The novel is written in short chapters, alternating between Kate and Tim as narrato...more
Truthfully, this is probably a 2 1/2 star book. I have always enjoyed Peter Hedges since working my way through his plays in college. His films at their best show real insight and dimension, and at their worst are just a bit too saccharine. Such is the case with "The Heights," which reads like an enjoyable but somewhat forgettable romantic-comedy. The characters are familiar but well-defined, the writing is smooth, funny and engaging, but the whole affair is of limited depth.
This was a good cho...more
This was a good cho...more
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Peter Hedges is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. His novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie of the same title, which launched his film career.
In 2002 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to...more
More about Peter Hedges...
In 2002 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to...more
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