Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
34th out of 75 books
—
16 voters
Three Stages of Amazement
A sweeping, richly compassionate novel about marriage, ambition, and the reclaiming of love—by the bestselling novelist and cofounder of Narrative magazine.Many love stories end in marriage; rare is the love story that begins with one—already promised, already worn. Set in San Francisco during the first year of Obama’s presidency, Three Stages of Amazement deftly charts th...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
March 8th 2011
by Scribner
(first published February 25th 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,320)
Wow - what a strange book this was. It's a story about a troubled marriage in Silicon Valley during the beginning of the Great Recession, framed by the husband's struggling startup company specializing in surgery robots. The startup's newest investor is an estranged family member who has a surprise for the wife. Conflicts ensue.
I picked this up because I am engrossed by stories of relationship struggles, and also because this book is set right where I used to live. I found the story interesting...more
I picked this up because I am engrossed by stories of relationship struggles, and also because this book is set right where I used to live. I found the story interesting...more
I read Three Stages of Amazement in hardcover when it first came out in 2011. From the very first paragraph it was the sort of book I can’t put down: beautifully written, but also a charging story from start to finish.
I read the book in big gulps, reading far into the night and not sleeping until it was, sadly, done. Often when I read a book this way, I quickly lose the thread of it, not remembering the characters or setting or plot so well. I’ve gulped my food and can’t remember the taste. But...more
I read the book in big gulps, reading far into the night and not sleeping until it was, sadly, done. Often when I read a book this way, I quickly lose the thread of it, not remembering the characters or setting or plot so well. I’ve gulped my food and can’t remember the taste. But...more
This book left me gasping at least every three pages. It is a story in which not much out of the ordinary happens, and in fact at least some of the various elements (dysfunctional older generation, younger generation struggling to stay in love while helicopter parenting, bad economy, infidelity, turmoil and hope) have been in four of every five novels I've read over the past year - The Corrections, The Uncoupling, and The Winters in Bloom to name just an excellent few.
But Carol Edgarian blew me...more
But Carol Edgarian blew me...more
Jun 21, 2012
aPriL MEOWS often with scratching
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literary
What a bittersweet 'little gem' of a book. While putting us on the inside of two marriages, a rich uncle and his socialite wife in their 70's, and a middle-aged couple struggling with starting a new business and a sick baby, newly born, as well as a heathy 5 year old boy, we learn how these marriages function, rich with nuances and in-depth understanding. Charlie Pepper is a physician who comes up with an idea for long-distance surgery, so with a partner begins the process of starting up a new c...more
Novel. Author tries to write the story of two mature marriages: 1) 40-somethings Charlie and Lena, who have moved to Northern Calif. so that Cal, a surgeon, can create a start-up selling a surgical robot which can do surgeries remotely, while Lena stays home w/ the 4-year-old and the 1-year-old with severe medical needs; and 2) Cal and Ivy (Lena’s aunt and uncle) who are uber-wealthy and have the venture capital to invest in Charlie’s new company, but Lena doesn’t want Charlie to accept it b/c o...more
A fascinating book about the intricate economies of the American marriage. It's a love story that begins after many years of marriage, something beautiful to behold. A bit too melodramatic for my taste, not realistic in its description of post-Lehman America. Still, a fascinating read while we all muddle through this Great Recession.
An imperfect book but my favorite read throughout my summer vacation. Three quotes stuck with me:
"There must be something heroic about getting through the day with...more
An imperfect book but my favorite read throughout my summer vacation. Three quotes stuck with me:
"There must be something heroic about getting through the day with...more
This book takes place mostly in San Francisco right after Obama was elected and all his supporters in this story thought he was going to transform the world into a utopian society. The story is about a 40ish woman married to a middle-40ish man who is trying to start a new surgical robot business. One of his business cohorts is an ex boyfriend of his wife, and the person they hope to get financial backing from is her mother's lover. I probably would have put this book down for good if I'd had any...more
Three Stages of Amazement is a novel about a marriage, but it's also a reflection on what happens when life gets tough and a reminder of the craziness and personal tragedies that were the Great Recession.
The story begins just before Obama's inauguration. Juxtaposing the hope and euphoria of the recent election is a personal tragedy for Charlie and Lena-the premature birth of their twins, one of whom survives and another who dies very shortly after birth.
For them, it's only the beginning of a se...more
The story begins just before Obama's inauguration. Juxtaposing the hope and euphoria of the recent election is a personal tragedy for Charlie and Lena-the premature birth of their twins, one of whom survives and another who dies very shortly after birth.
For them, it's only the beginning of a se...more
Despite some shrewd observations and compelling scenes, this book is terribly overwritten and morose. It's also overcrowded; if the story could have focused solely on Lena and Charlie, a struggling married couple with financial problems and a sick baby, perhaps Edgarian could have created an emotional center to ground the rest of the characters. Instead, we get saddled with Lena's obscenely rich aunt, uncle, and extended family; her former lover; myriad business associates; a family wedding; a f...more
I liked this book much more than I thought I would at the outset (I would have given this 3.5 stars). The author paints a ravishing look at San Francisco Bay Area through the election and first governing years of President Obama. The main characters, though adults, are all painfully trying to do adult things while they themselves are flawed and still searching for meaning and a sense of who they are. It is also a glimpse into the world of venture capital and it's uber-rich recipients who were th...more
I love books that try to make sense of life, and for that I give this book due respect. Somehow it managed to capture the essence of "middle marriage" without being trite or predictable (though it skated right on the edge). It brought home some universal themes with great details and a few memorable characters; unfortunately the main character was not one. While I related to the heroine, Lena, I never fully bought her character. I felt that I had to take the narrator's word for it that Lena was...more
I probably would not have been so disappointed with this book if I hadn't been expecting so much more. I never really felt the struggle of any of the characters, they all seemed to live charmed lives. If the point was that even people with upper middle class lives suffer, I just didn't get it. Although money was supposed to be tight, nannies were still given raises and cross country trips not to mention weekend vacations were still taken. I could not feel anything at all for the main character....more
This book was amazing--all the way through.
Dr. Charlie Pepper and his wife Lena Rusch are struggling to keep their marriage together. They have an ailing infant child, Willa, a precocious son, Theo, and a robotic surgery device, Nimbus, that Charlie is trying to develop in the recessed economy. Cal Rusch, Lena's estranged uncle, offers to fund Charlie's company and the three stages of amazement--Silence, Disbelief, and Talk--unfold around that possibility.
Edgarian's characters seem to really liv...more
Dr. Charlie Pepper and his wife Lena Rusch are struggling to keep their marriage together. They have an ailing infant child, Willa, a precocious son, Theo, and a robotic surgery device, Nimbus, that Charlie is trying to develop in the recessed economy. Cal Rusch, Lena's estranged uncle, offers to fund Charlie's company and the three stages of amazement--Silence, Disbelief, and Talk--unfold around that possibility.
Edgarian's characters seem to really liv...more
Despite some shrewd observations and compelling scenes, this book is terribly overwritten and morose. It's also overcrowded; if the story could have focused solely on Lena and Charlie, a struggling married couple with financial problems and a sick baby, perhaps Edgarian could have created an emotional center to ground the rest of the characters. Instead, we get saddled with Lena's obscenely rich aunt, uncle, and extended family; her former lover; myriad business associates; a family wedding; a f...more
I was intrigued by this book because I noticed that people tended to rate it either a 5 or a 1... They either loved it or hated it! I wondered why. Well, I've read it, and I didn't have such strong feelings either way. It was a mostly enjoyable read for me. I liked the setting--the economic downturn of 2 years ago in Silicon Valley. I would criticize the author for some of the dialogue, which I thought was overly contrived. Sometimes I got distracted from the story because I kept thinking, no on...more
I didn't want to like this novel -- it initially seemed too contrived, too self-aware, too "Hi-I'm-an-open-ended-experimental-post-modern-narrative-contending-for-a-prestigious-book-award," and I ended up obsessively thinking about it for many weeks after I finished. It's not perfect -- there are many loose ends and contrived sentences -- but it constructs a gloriously complicated and utterly believable world in which imperfect, wounded, striving people collide and wound each other and come toge...more
I finished this book, and as I was reading it I looked forward to reading it again, but I'm not entirely sure what the book was about. The lead woman was the most annoying person I have read about in a while, and her husband was weak, prissy and avoidant. I almost feel like this book could have been two different books - one about the lead woman (with her difficult life, which we are reminded about CONTINUOUSLY throughout the book), and a book about the wife of the millionnaire, who I guess is a...more
This book began slowly for me. There were too many characters introduced at the beginning of the book, and I had trouble keeping them straight. Ultimately, though, I was drawn in by the imperfections in their lives. Each main character was quite flawed, but each was also doing all they could to just get through their life and its hardships as best they could. Their struggle to rise above choices made by past generations and others close to them was central to the story. At the same time, they we...more
http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....
Three Stages of Amazement is a very well written look at America in that transition period between Presidencies. The thing is, I think it was written for a very specific audience, and it is not a Conservative, Middle-Class Woman from the most Conservative state in the nation. I think the author is really trying to get across the point that people of all status have problems, and how they deal with those problems, but it mostly came across as being, well, s...more
Three Stages of Amazement is a very well written look at America in that transition period between Presidencies. The thing is, I think it was written for a very specific audience, and it is not a Conservative, Middle-Class Woman from the most Conservative state in the nation. I think the author is really trying to get across the point that people of all status have problems, and how they deal with those problems, but it mostly came across as being, well, s...more
This book rec'd very good reviews. I got through about 100 pages before losing interest in the characters and the story. It was not horrible, but reading it seemed a little more like a chore. I really liked some of the scenes and observations but overall, it just didn't sustain my interest enough to keep reading it, although I admit to scanning the last 25 pages to see how it turned out. The story focuses on a married couple who is struggling with health issues with a newborn, but the story main...more
3 likes · like · see review
In Three Stages of Amazement, Carol Edgarian has given us one of those rare stories that's impossible to put down. The world inside is both stunning and complicated--the highs of great success and greater love; the struggles of modern marriage and demanding career--and you soon find yourself deep inside the pages, deliciously dissecting the layers. The players inside are the people you know and want to know, flaws and all, and their battles and victories become your own--it is a work of our time...more
Three Stages of Amazement by Carol Edgarian is the story of a marriage. The novel takes place in the not far distant past, when Obama has recently been elected president and the markets have plummeted. Lena and Charlie have started their lives anew. Charlie was the head of surgery at Mass General Hospital. He has left this behind to move to San Francisco to start up a new company that specializes in medical robotics although this is not the best time to look for venture capitalists to fund his r...more
I am not sure why I selected this book for reading. I did find it eery to be reading another book with someone having cancer as part of narrative. I could not help but think of the plight of Steve Jobs and his fight with Pancreatic Cancer and the character Cal who always wanted silence and to be left alone, and having found silence in an unlikely way--cancer. He spent his days alone--not able to speak for the pain in his jaw bone; having had cranial surgery.
The similarity is having to sell his c...more
The similarity is having to sell his c...more
I was very disappointed in this book. I read it because it was reviewed in the New Yorker, and I was trying to get some fiction into my life. I couldn't believe a female author could create such a boring and one dimensional heroine whose most distinctive feature is her green eyes. When you have to literally tell your readers about the strength of a character's personality rather than demonstrate it, you know you're in trouble. And Carol Edgarian really did not do her research in the areas that I...more
This was a book I just picked up off the shelf in the New section at the library. The story takes place in Silicon Valley and makes tons of references to city names etc (not sure why because it didn't seem to add to the story at all). The first part of the book was just ok and although the story was good, I just didn't care about the main character. Then a bit into the book, the author introduces other characters. In my opinion, Cal and Ivy were the best part of the book by far. These characters...more
This is a dazzling novel telling the story of Lena and Charlie; both brilliant at their jobs, madly in love, ready for anything the world can throw at them. And then it does…just as Charlie is set to unveil a scientific medical breakthrough, Lena gives birth to twins prematurely…and their whole world changes. Skillfully told, we watch the marriage begin to breakdown while Charlie’s and Lena’s needs change as the day to day grind of getting through takes precedence. This is a book with much heart...more
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I think Carol Edgarian is a prima donna and did not buy the book, but when a friend passed it on to me, I picked it up and raced through it in 2 days. A fast-paced, contemporary, and utterly believable plot that is still resurfacing with me a week after I finished the book. Lena and Charlie are victims of a permanent state of turbulance that hit as they struggle to build the American Dream in the midst of an economy that is fast going south. F...more
An interesting book -- not my usual read. The prose veers between original and poetic (strong hints of Virginia Woolf) and somewhat pedestrian and unoriginal.
Overall, a very good read with a decent, if somewhat unoriginal plot. The book has an ambitious scope, describing the struggles of an educated, middle class couple dealing with the rude awakening most of us faced the post 2008 financial meltdown of the American dream/myth.
More than plot, the book is carried forward by the character's inter...more
Overall, a very good read with a decent, if somewhat unoriginal plot. The book has an ambitious scope, describing the struggles of an educated, middle class couple dealing with the rude awakening most of us faced the post 2008 financial meltdown of the American dream/myth.
More than plot, the book is carried forward by the character's inter...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Pretty dry. Even after I read the last page I closed the book and still could not determine what the point of that book was. Not a fan.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Carol Edgarian is an author, editor, and publisher. Her novels include Three Stages of Amazement (Scribner, March 2011) and the best-selling Rise the Euphrates, hailed by the Washington Post as "a book whose generosity of spirit, intelligence, humanity, and finally ambition are what literature ought to be and rarely is today." Her articles and essays have appeared in many national magazines, and s...more
More about Carol Edgarian...
Share This Book
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Forgetting means remembering at an inconvenient time.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
Apr 26, 2013 06:05pm
Apr 30, 2013 12:51pm