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  <title><![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0316734837]]></isbn>
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  <description><![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Anita Shreve]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[those looking for light reads that still contain impact.]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 01:51:06 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I like to read Anita Shreve when I am tired out on &quot;literary&quot; novels but am not quite at the point where something by, say, Sophie Kinesella sounds appealing. Shreve's novels are usually romances of two kinds; ones that build to a tragic emotional climax, or ones that are centered around l...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3474678">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3474678]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>1350634</id>
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    <id>89384</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Tonya]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Ok friends, I know Shreve's books can be a little questionable which is why I've only read one other, but this one is the winner.  She got it together this time.<br/>I love this book...a reluctant admittance.  The story of forbidden love is wrong, right, sad, joyful, and just utterly romantic even ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1350634">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1350634]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>22818138</id>
    <user>
    <id>1182369</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Claire]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Los Angeles, CA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>5</votes>
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  <date_added>Fri May 23 10:31:40 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri May 23 10:34:47 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I have read and re-read this book literally dozens of times.  Every time I take away from it something new.  It's a coming-of-age story in the loosest sense of the word, because it's so much more than that.  <br/>Shreve's writing just sings in this book.  The opening scene, in which the 15-year-old...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22818138">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22818138]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22818138]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>29347696</id>
    <user>
    <id>309119</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ronni]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/309119-ronni]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Aug 05 15:19:55 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 05 15:29:47 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Anita Shreve is one of my favorite authors, and this is an older book of hers that I've just now gotten around to reading.  I usually like her books because they are very romantic, but also very literate.  FORTUNE'S ROCKS may be my absolute favorite. I LOVED it.  I read it in less than two days.  Of...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29347696">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29347696]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29347696]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>6113751</id>
    <user>
    <id>371653</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Christina]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/371653-christina-kirby]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <date_added>Wed Sep 12 15:29:12 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 10:17:37 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It's been a while since I read this book, but I recall carrying it around constantly hoping for the chance to read a page or two. The characters are so well developed that you feel you are living their experiences, and the scandalous drama that occurs throughout the book makes it even harder to put ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6113751">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6113751]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6113751]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Christine]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Lake Ariel, PA]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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  <read_at>Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Aug 18 20:38:10 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 05:51:18 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An unbelievable tale of love and lose. I couldn't put this book down!  I was up until 3am reading.  My husband thought I was nuts.  It is a tear jerker for any mother.  ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4752976]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4752976]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32705788</id>
    <user>
    <id>1295798</id>
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  <id type="integer">89399</id>
  <isbn>0316734837</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780316734837</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">332</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171159570m/89399.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89399.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Fri Sep 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Sep 12 11:50:20 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Sep 19 18:04:27 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm not sure how to review this book. First of all, I didn't like it being written from the third person view. The author missed an amazing opportunity to delve into the intense feelings that must have been going on inside or Olympia. Maybe she couldn't write about them because she's never experienc...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32705788">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32705788]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>27099638</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[KiwiKathleen]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171159570m/89399.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89399.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jul 13 02:41:27 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 13 02:43:57 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is the second novel I’ve read by Anita Shreve, but right now I can’t remember what the first one I read was about. It was Strange Fits of Passion, which I read just 6 months ago, and I must have enjoyed it otherwise I wouldn’t have borrowed this one.<br/><br/>Fortune’s Rock is the nam...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27099638">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27099638]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>18647247</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Amanda]]></name>
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  <id type="integer">984580</id>
  <isbn>0316781010</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780316781015</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">6</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180009652m/984580.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/984580.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.52</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>61</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Mar 25 20:51:55 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 06 23:18:53 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I can't really say that I liked this book, but I was interested enough in what happens to Olympia to finish.  The story seemed to spend to much time on one period in Olympias life and felt jumpy when it skipped to the next.  The setting and storyline was intriging enough right off the bat but it soo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18647247">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18647247]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>36960625</id>
    <user>
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    <name><![CDATA[Misfit]]></name>
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  <id type="integer">89399</id>
  <isbn>0316734837</isbn>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">332</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171159570m/89399.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89399.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[get it from the library if you must]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Nov 05 09:50:08 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 05 09:50:41 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I think I'm one of the ones in the minority here. I had a difficult time getting into the book at first -- perhaps if Olympia had been a couple of years older at least. A 40+ year old man and a 15 year old girl. Ew. That said, I just didn't see any real chemistry between the two, outside of the sexu...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36960625">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36960625]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36960625]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>7521073</id>
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    <id>37796</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Janet]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Schenectady, NY]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">817444</id>
  <isbn>0316678104</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780316678100</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">22</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>251</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of Fortune's Rocks is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship:&quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot;In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on Wuthering Heights, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, Fortune's Rocks is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.--Ted Leventhal]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Oct 10 05:16:50 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Oct 10 05:36:18 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I loved this book - definitely my favorite Shreve book to date.  I loved the setting and the characters.  It is a wonderful love story - maybe a bit over the edge romance novelish in the details but the story saved it.  In today's world Olympia wouldn't be so believable but for a turn-of-the-century...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7521073">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7521073]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Sep 30 03:18:54 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 19 06:52:36 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is one of Anita Shreve's best books.  I loved the setting (NH coastline), the time period (turn of the 20th century) and the characters.  Shreve gave Olympia strength and courage not typically showcased in women during that time.  Her struggles are real and you can feel her thoughts and desires...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34183710">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34183710]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>47486098</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Leisha]]></name>
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  <isbn>0316734837</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780316734837</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">332</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171159570m/89399.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Feb 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Feb 25 08:47:56 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Feb 25 08:57:09 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[At first I would have said I'd recommend this book to pedophiles, since it's about a 15-year-old girl who has an affair with a middle-aged man, but I couldn't stop reading despite my disgust. I thought for sure the bad guy was going to blackmail the girl, but the story didn't unfold the way I expect...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47486098">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>80181169</id>
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    <id>1392564</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Fredsky]]></name>
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  <id type="integer">89399</id>
  <isbn>0316734837</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171159570m/89399.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89399.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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    <rating>1</rating>
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  <read_at>Thu Dec 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Dec 07 10:46:39 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Dec 07 11:08:20 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I got a lot of sleep reading this novel.  It is written in the historic present and takes place during the time that carriages were becoming horseless.  The heroine, Olympia, is described as a beautiful, original and powerful girl of 15 through girl of about 20 years old.  She has an affair and vari...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80181169">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80181169]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>74733109</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Stephanie]]></name>
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  <id type="integer">89399</id>
  <isbn>0316734837</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171159570m/89399.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89399.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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  <date_added>Fri Oct 16 10:07:41 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Oct 16 10:18:28 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Words can barely describe how much I despise this book.  It's grown from a mild annoyance to an admittedly irrational hatred.  I know there's nothing so horrible within this book to make me feel this way, but at least if it were a truly hideous book in all manners, I could appreciate its consistency...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74733109">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>62454221</id>
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    <id>1604099</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Susan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Oregon, WI]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">89399</id>
  <isbn>0316734837</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780316734837</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">332</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171159570m/89399.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89399.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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  <date_added>Tue Jul 07 06:07:00 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jul 07 06:07:12 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of Fortune's Rocks is entranced with ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62454221">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62454221]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62454221]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>39906849</id>
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    <location><![CDATA[Cincinnati, OH]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.50</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Dec 13 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Dec 11 17:30:30 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Dec 13 11:55:32 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Wow! I just finished this book this morning and I adored it. First of all, I applaud Anita Shreve for taking on such a different, unusual, and of course, unaccepted topic. Does anyone know why she chose to write on this subject?<br/><br/>Many of the reviews on goodreads have been saying that this ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39906849">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks]]>
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  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of Fortune's Rocks is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on Wuthering Heights, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, Fortune's Rocks is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings. --Ted Leventhal</blockquote>]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Aug 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Aug 20 09:36:36 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 22 11:59:16 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I found the first half of this book to be slow reading, perhaps because so much of it happens in Olympia's head.  And I never really suspended my disbelief in a 15-year-old girl being as mature in her thoughts and her social abilities as Olympia was, although I wonder if a girl raised for a life in ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68193326">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>62753221</id>
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  <isbn>0752867725</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2410115.Fortune_s_Rocks</link>
  <average_rating>4.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>2</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an over-plump, 16-year-old girl whose judgement can no longer be trusted&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <p>&quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject&quot;, he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that?<p>Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; <p>In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and  station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings. --<em>Ted Leventhal</em></p></p></p>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Tue Jul 21 07:07:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[While I was waiting for another audio title to make its way to the library, I grabbed this one simply because it was short in length (5 CDs) and because it was the only short one whose author I had heard of.  I had always heard good things about The Pilot's Wife. I was very pleasantly surprised beca...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62753221">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62753221]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <id type="integer">89399</id>
  <isbn>0316734837</isbn>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">332</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Fortune's Rocks: A Novel]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89399.Fortune_s_Rocks_A_Novel</link>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4263</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Hester Prynne never had it so good! The year is 1899, and Olympia Biddeford, the headstrong daughter of a Boston Brahmin family, has decided to test the limits of her cloistered world. Spending the summer at her father's New Hampshire estate, the teenage heroine of <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is entranced with the visiting salon of artists, writers, and lawyers. She's especially captivated, however, by John Haskell, a charismatic physician who ministers to the blue-collar community in the nearby mill towns. This middle-aged Good Samaritan hires Olympia to assist him as a nurse, and their collaboration soon evolves into a fiery love affair. Alas, it's only a matter of weeks before this passionate exercise in managed care is exposed--with disastrous consequences for the young, impregnated heroine. Even her adoring father now considers her &quot;an overplump sixteen-year-old girl whose judgment can no longer be trusted,&quot; and insists that she break off her relationship: <blockquote> &quot;There is nothing more to be said on this subject,&quot; he says. She bites her lip to keep from crying out further. She holds the arms of her chair so tightly she later will have cramps in her fingers. She will refuse to obey him, she thinks. She will accept his implied challenge and set off on her own. But in the next moment, she asks herself: How will she be able to do that? Without her father's support, she cannot hope to survive. And if she herself does not survive, then a child cannot live.&quot; </blockquote> In the end, Anita Shreve's seventh novel is a polished, supremely entertaining variation on <em>Wuthering Heights</em>, with Olympia and Haskell sitting in for Catherine and Heathcliff. The author did some meticulous research for her New England background, which gives this study of one particular wayward woman some extra historical heft. Some readers may find the plot twists a bit pat. And despite Olympia's efforts to be an independent woman, she overcomes her trials largely as a result of her family's wealth and station, which takes the edge off Shreve's feminist message. Still, <em>Fortune's Rocks</em> is a romance in the classic sense of the word, and should be enjoyed as such, unless the reader is absolutely allergic to happy endings.  <em>--Ted Leventhal</em>]]>
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  <read_at>Fri Sep 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Sep 02 12:25:20 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Sep 04 05:27:37 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[15-year-old Olympia, at the cusp of womanhood, has an affair with a 41-year-old married man (who by the way already has 4 children) in the name of love. <br/><br/>This was the first Anita Shreve book I've read since &quot;The Last Time They Met&quot; from about 6 years ago which was gorgeously wri...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69829120">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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