A Change in Altitude: A Novel

by Anita Shreve

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

A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.

A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Romance, Book Club, Audiobook, Relationships, Contemporary

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 1998

About the author

Anita Hale Shreve was an American writer, chiefly known for her novels. One of her first published stories, Past the Island, Drifting (published 1975), was awarded an O. Henry Prize in 1976.

Reviews

[Suzifla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I always look forward to reading the latest Anita Shreve novel, but this one was totally disappointing--I wouldn't even give it one star. So many of these reviews mentioned a "horrible accident," but I didn't find the accident either believable or horrible, and therefore I was puzzled by the various characters' reaction to it. "Horrible" could be most accurately applied to the character whose rudeness, possessiveness, and lack of any human emotion other than anger made her totally unreal and unsympathetic. I was, frankly, delighted to see her disappear over the edge, but other than that, I'd lost interest. Who, for example, would undertake a major mountain climb without knowing what kind of boots to wear? What kind of husband would encourage her to attempt something so difficult and improbable and then leave her trudging forty feet behind the rest of the party? And what 20th century woman would resent a chaste hand-holding after a traumatic noctural event? Maybe Shreve assumes this kind of behavior characterizes her readers . . . It was as though there was a total disconnect between the plot, which might have worked, and the characters, none of whom were at all credible. As Mark Twain said, the reader "wishes they would all dr
own together."

[Nancy Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep saying I'm going to give up on Anita Shreve, but I keep getting suckered back in. I started with The Pilot's Wife and then Sea Glass and a few others that I thought were really good. But the last 3 or 4 I've read I've felt very unsatisfied with. Honestly, she's a great story-teller; concise, engaging and knowledgeable about many different things. But there is usually a great desire to smack her leading women (for me anyway) in the head. And I always say Shreve is about as depression as Edith Wharton.
In this story the female was annoyingly passive. Granted it was supposed to be the mid 70s and women having a "no one is going to push me around" attitude wasn't as common. But this woman allows her husband and her "friends" to blame her for an accident she didn't have anything to do with, while also being bullied like a school girl for being too slow to climb a huge mountain that often kills many who try and which she didn't want to do in the first place. W.T.F?? And afterwards, instead of saying "ya know what? F y'all!" she starts falling for all the gaslighting and thinking "oh, maybe it was all my fault." Then what does she do? Allow herself to be talked into going up that damn mountain again later. How does it end? Sorry for the spoiler, but the story just stops. Don't have any idea what happened with this woman next, or her husband or anyone else in the story. Shreve just ran out of paper or ink to print out any more pages. She's done this before and I find it so unpleasurable. Her limp leading women could be easily resuscitated if she would just allow them to find some form of a "happily ever after" even if it wasn't story-book-neat and pretty.

[Barb H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book intrigued me because of both its unique approach and subject matter. Shreve has written of a young, newlywed couple, Margaret and Patrick, who have embarked on their new life in Africa where he, as a physician, studied tropical medicine. The author has beautifully melded the interior life of her characters with their surroundings.

This is not about today's Africa. Shreve has woven into this tale the vast differences for the impoverished, struggling native peoples and the wealthy, generally unconcerned upper classes that existed then during the British Empire influence.

The tropical climate and the vast beauty of this country are vividly represented along with the sharp contrast of the slums and substandard living areas. The harsh splendor of the mountains is at the crux of this narrative, lending suspense and awe for the reader.

The complexity of Margaret and Patrick's personal relationships is deftly detailed throughout. I would have liked to know and understand him better. There were fewer gaps in comprehending Margaret. One wonders while reading whether their marriage will succumb or survive the real or imagined stresses imposed upon them.

This seemed to be a very different book for Shreve, but she addressed the challenges well.

[Deanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book and I have not read others by this author. I found it very hard to get into. I was still not attached to the characters 100 pages into the book. It was not believable to me. There were not enough details about the climb up Mt. Kenya to make me believe it really happened. I wanted to care about Patrick but he just seemed like a jerk. I wanted to feel with Margaret but she was just defensive and evasive. I kept reading hoping that something would evolve into a thought provoking experience. But nothing is resolved with Rafiq. Nothing is resolved with her editor. Nothing is resolved with Patrick. Climbing the mountain seemed like an opportunity to provide emotional closure for the characters (and the reader) but for me it did nothing. I can see that there is symbolism of climbing the mountain again. (like getting up on the horse again). But Margaret ends up doing it without patrick who is back in bed with AMS. Perhaps the author wants to share the message "You've got to climb the mountain alone." But I'm stretching even to make up meaning in this story. The ending was VERY disappointing. From the time Margaret decides to attempt the summit to the end of the book is less than 2 pages. That's like saying, "She made it. The end." So she gets to the top and says, "How amazing. I can only see white. and Isn't that exhilarating?" I'm sorry. I usually can find meaning in just about anything but this was a disappointment.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm having a very hard time putting into words how I felt about this novel. I was really looking forward to reading it, I had never read anything by Ms. Shreve, but had heard good things about her writing. I'm not sure if my personal reactions to the book are based in a style of writing that doesn't appeal to me or expectations that could never be met. I had a hard time following where the story was going and I'm still not sure if the feeling of confusion was an intended response to the writing or a sign of disjointed storytelling. The book would likely be a literature teachers dream, because it is filled with symbolism, themes, and all of the things literature teachers long for in contemporary works.

[Sheila DeChantal · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

The trip turns out to be a big mistake in more ways than one and a tragic accident where Margaret plays a role, changes the dynamics of life for Patrick and Margaret forever.


I have read and enjoyed Anita Shreve before. Her book Testimony, blew me away. However I have to say this story eked me in so many ways and does not rate more from me than an unfortunate rant, in which I apologize for before I even begin.

First off... I listened to this on audio and it seemed to take forever for the story to get moving. I believe it was disc three before it became interesting and that was actually the highlight of the audio/ book... the actual climbing of Mt. Kenya and the moments before and after the big plot drop. I actually loved that part and thought ok.... now we are going....

but...

shortly after the big happening the story dropped off for me again. While more interesting than the beginning (as now there was the *happening* to deal with), it just overall fell flat.

Margaret was extremely unlikable. And no I do not have to love all my main characters, but they do need to have something behind the unsuitableness and Margaret was just... bland. She had no fire or spunk. Se also had no sense of right and wrong, and no conscience (ok... maybe that's the same thing...). I also felt I really never knew Patrick. Margaret mainly takes the center stage and Patrick pops in and out of the picture. I never felt the urge to cheer him on or yell at him to wake up. he was kind of "ehhh".

With all that said, in the end it felt like the story line just stopped. No big triumphant "ah ha" moment... just kind of end of the journey. Period. The End. Roll Credits. Thank the academy.

It was really a "meh" read. Errr.... listen (audio).

I will certainly venture my way back to Anita Shreve as she touches on some powerful subjects ands gives me the feeling of a stronger personalitied Jodi Piccoult. And of course, check out other opinions on this one. I could certainly be in the minority here. But my two cents are that Shreve has done better and I think if you were new to this author this would not be the one I suggest you start with.







In recap this book was an "ehhh", "meh, "errrrr" read.

[Laura Rittenhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

Then the crisis was reached and part 2 began. This shift initially threw me a bit because the pace is totally different. After the crisis, the protagonist muddles about trying to find her feet (and her marriage). Again, I got sucked in to what felt like a very different book about characters I already knew pretty well.

Then part 3. Another shift, though not so dramatic. The crisis revisited. A pace somewhere between part 1 and part 2 but again, obviously leading to a climax you read on to reach.

This book wasn't predictable. The characters felt very real. Flawed, but still likeable. The relationship and its almost unfathomable difficulties all too believable. The ending was never certain.

I liked every page in this book.

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

In a word - shallow. Shallow plot, shallow character development, shallow writing. It's as though the author traveled to Africa and was required by her publisher to incorporate that experience into a new novel as quickly as possible. I generally enjoy this author's stories, with particular nods to The Weight of Water and The Pilot's Wife, but I can honestly say that this was one of the worst books I have read in the past few years. I don't usually write reviews but, in this instance, I felt others should be forewarned before investing their time.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

The book was well-written, and the flavor of expat life in Africa came through beautifully, but I just found it impossible to connect to the characters. Margaret seemed to be drifting through life, never really making choices about the things that most impact her. Patrick was not sympathetically drawn- I for one could not figure out why Margaret married him and followed him to Kenya, let alone why she was interested in saving her marriage to him. Even at the end, I just didn't care one way or the other about how the story turned out which is never a good sign.

Perhaps this book wouldn't have been so disappointing if I hadn't recently finished the absolutely incredible Testimony where the characters so truly touched me that the story continues to resonate. In contrast, A Change in Altitude left me cold; not one of Shreve's best efforts.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

This also means I've had very different reactions to her books. This one felt a lot like Shreve had done her homework on the setting (Kenya) and the action (mountain-climbing). Beyond that, however, it was hard to see where this meandering novel is going. There is a dramatic crisis fairly early on, but it's hard to say who has learned (or failed to learn) from the accident. Although a neat and tidy ending ("closure") is not ever the mark of a successful novel, this novel feels almost random, in terms of plot action, characters, relationships and context.

The writing is spare and full of import, but there isn't much to care about.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book up until the ending. I was actually livid and almost threw the book down. Very disappointed in Anita for this one. I feel like she just simply ended the book because she didn't know where else to go with it.

[Charlotte Guzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I was very disappointed in this book. I have read just about all of Anita Shreve's books and this was not so good.

First of all, I felt like I was being given a history lesson of Africa. I enjoy history but not to the extent that most of the story was about that.

Second of all the characters were a little stiff and I didn't connect to them and their story. I enjoyed the secondary characters who were the natives of the location of the story more.

The end of the story just ENDED and I get it but, sometimes you want the story to be fleshed out a bit in the end.
The story could have been a good one but I just didn't enjoy it. :(

My favorite books by Anita Shreve were "The Pilot's Wife" and "Fortune's Rock" and they were excellent. That is why I was so disappointed in this one.

[Dem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Maia · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

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

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

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

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HER BOSS LOCKED IN THE HOLE?

This and other questions were never answered. Why were two people introduced, useless to the story on the second climb? Was Patrick right to be so angry at the end and why? Why did Margaret do so many foolhardy things? Was she scatterbrained or possibly an airhead?

Who would climb a mountain just because your husband tells you to and to be ready in one week? Margaret had no experience and very little knowledge or equipment, yet she agrees to the climb. She turns out to be the slowest climber and her husband never stays with her but is always up near the front. This leaves a convenient time for one of the men to flirt with her. He had become very interested in her after a red ant incident when she had to shed all her clothes while he watched. She reminded me of an old time stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee. Now that was a funny scene when climbing a mountain.

Surprisingly, I found the first half of the book extremely interesting and thought it a page turner. I couldn’t wait to see how an unfit, amateur climber could possibly climb Mt. Kenya. That was the most realistic and exciting part of the story. But then Shreve seemed to get lost. She went from one character to another and didn’t really finish with any of them.

And what people in their right mind would have blamed Margaret for the accident?

I understand little about the symbolism of the ending. Maybe Shreve was off her medications when writing this book. We’ll never know, because sadly, she is gone now. I wish I could have asked her but somehow, I don’t think she could have explained it herself.

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this story. It begins and ends with a trek up a mountain in Kenya. At the beginning of the story, the six people trying to climb the mountain have so little experience that it is unbelievable to me that they would even attempt it. Then when things go bad during their climb, the main couples' marriage begins to crumble. They make another attempt a year later and when the wife makes the summit, the story ends. Abruptly. With little closure for the reader. I really couldn't get myself to like the characters, especially the husband who was a very controlling person. Nah, I really didn't like it.

[Bree T · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

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

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

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

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

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

***Spoilers***

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

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

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

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

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

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este é um daqueles livros que só se lê quando está por perto. Não é de forma alguma uma leitura compulsiva.
Achei que o tema principal foi tratado pela rama e deveria ter sido mais desenvolvido. Mesmo as personagens são muito superficiais e reagem aos acontecimentos com uma certa letargia.

[Sharon Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Change in Altitude was one of many Anita Shreve novels I've read and though it wasn't a favourite of mine I still enjoyed it. Anita Shreve was a prolific writer with diverse storylines. Many of her novels focussed on relationships and this one was no exception.

Margaret and Patrick were newly weds when they moved to Kenya to further his career in equatorial medicine. When Arthur and
Diana invite them to join a climb of Mt Kenya with another couple they enthusiastically accept. Terribly under prepared Margaret struggles to keep up with the other members of their party. This combined with other factors and behavioural changes triggered by the change in altitude directly resulted in a tragedy on the final summit of the climb to Mt Kenya. Consequently Margaret finds herself in the situation of inferred guilt and her marriage to Patrick is just one of the remnants of the aftermath of their disastrous expedition. One year on and things are getting worse not better so Margaret & Patrick decide to conquer their own demons by repeating the trip. Though things start well it seems this may not be possible.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick and Margaret have already been together for two years - married for just five months - when Patrick, a physician, receives news of a recently vacated position working in a hospital in Kenya. Despite the fact that the couple will be living in another country, the job description seems perfect for Patrick and he decides to take the position. Having never traveled anywhere beyond her tiny hometown in Massachusetts, Magaret willingly gives up her job as a photographer for a struggling local newspaper, and eagerly joins her husband on what she is certain will be a grand adventure. So the young newlyweds embark on their year-long sojourn to Africa with the highest of hopes that their experience will be memorable.

While Patrick views their move to Africa as a chance to fulfill a longstanding desire to practice in his chosen field, Margaret quickly realizes that she is the person who is most out of place within an otherwise familiar society. She soon understands that there is much that she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home. And while Patrick has quickly grown accustomed to living in Africa, Margaret also discovers that there is still much for her to learn about the husband she thought she knew.

Three months after their arrival, a British couple invites them to take part in an expedition to the summit of Mount Kenya. According to their new friends, Margaret and Patrick will be climbing with themselves and another couple, during a four-day-long excursion. Although they are relative amateurs when it comes to climbing, Margaret and Patrick nevertheless eagerly accept their acquaintances' invitation. After all, the British couple assures them that although the ascent is arduous, the expedition is otherwise entirely safe.

Except it isn't. At some point during the team's harrowing ascent, a terrible accident occurs. In the aftermath of such devastating tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what actually happened on the mountain and how these events have seemingly transformed herself and her marriage, perhaps forever.

Anita Shreve's A Change in Altitude provides a heartfelt portrait of a fledgling marriage. Written with a stunning emotional intensity and strikingly lyrical language, Ms. Shreve transports her readers to the exotic landscape of Africa and into the most intimate of relationships. She delves into the private life of a newly married couple, the irrevocable impact of a tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I found it to be an interesting story with an intriguing plot. I have consistently found Ms. Shreve to be an excellent writer; her characters are remarkably sympathetic and well-developed - just ordinary people faced with every day, realistic dilemmas. In my opinion, this was a well-told story, set in an exotic location and was a leisurely-paced, enjoyable reading experience for me. I give this book a definite A+!

[Paul Grubb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review contains very light spoilers.

I saw this book on my Mom's shelf as I was up in Alaska packing things away to take from the family home there down to her current home in Wyoming. The cover struck me as sort of an unusual one compared to the type of books Mom usually reads, so I cracked the cover and read the synopsis on the dust jacket. It turned out to be something entirely different from what the cover implied (I honestly have no clue why they selected this cover, which makes it the second book I've reviewed on here whose cover has absolutely nothing to do with the story itself - A Matter of Time was the other). The story described on the dust jacket sounded intriguing enough for me to throw the book in my bag for the long trip down to the Lower 48 on the Alaska Ferry.

It turned out to be a quick read, and there was some pretty interesting stuff in there about Africa. I wish I hadn't been completely cut off from the Internet while I was reading it because some of the terms I read were completely unfamiliar to me (panga, askari, ayah, etc.). I looked them up later to be sure, but context clues saved me in most cases. The story itself was reasonably engaging, too. It centers around a climb of Mount Kenya (which is not technically a spoiler since the first sentence of the book is "We're climbing Mount Kenya," so I suppose technically I just spoiled the first four words for you - sorry!). The details of that climb are exhilarating and frightening, and they drive the action in the rest of the book.

I struggled with whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. I blazed really swiftly through it, I was interested in all the characters, and I really gobbled up the last 30-40 pages or so because I was invested in how it all ended. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars, but the interface won't let me. In the end, I settled on three because I was so utterly perplexed by the actions of our narrator. I struggle to call her a "heroine" because I don't feel like I understand or necessarily believe in her choices. I came away from the whole thing feeling a bit let down by her thought processes and, therefore, by the entire fabric of the story. I don't feel like my time was wasted, and there were some very intense scenes in the book that will likely remain in my head long after reading it, but the entire story didn't hang together well enough for me to feel like I can actually recommend the book to others. If you do decide to read it, though, feel free to remove the non sequitur of a book jacket.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

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

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

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

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

[Steve lovell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anita Shreve is, in all senses of the word, an attractive writer.From way back she has been a constant in my reading life, churning out books at approximately one per year. She can always be relied on to produce a good yarn without pretensions to great literary merit.The machinations of human relationships are her constant, set to variations in time and location. Her novels are never less than eminently readable, and on odd occasions somewhat more. This effort though does not fall into the latter category, but nonetheless is ideal summer fodder.
Set in Kenya during the last days of Kenyatta's stewardship, it features the expatriate population, a mountain, an 'innocent' incident leading to shattering ramifications and a central character who attempts to do 'good', but is in above her depth. Margaret never seems to be fully in love with hubby, the saintly Patrick, leaving herself open to the attentions, flirtations and more from other men. The two prominent would-be suitors bring her marriage to the point of collapse. In the novel an engaging and a believable portrait of Africa is produced - in the main. There's the stereotypical privileged elite, black and white, keeping the struggling masses in their place. Some incidents do defy logic - being starkers in a hardly private situation due to those dastardly red ants; being saved from certain death from the world's deadliest snake by the unerring accuracy of a knife-throwing journalistic lover-to be.These though are minor quibbles for this pleasurable and undemanding read.

[Katherine Beaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple falls in love in Africa, and begins a life together. They are renting from a couple, and they all decide to climb a mountain together. The husband from this other couple makes a pass at the wife, continually flirts with her, but she just brushes it off. On the climb, he holds her hand as they sleep (due to her being afraid of the rats...), and HIS wife and HER husband catches them in the act. All parties are upset....etc. On the glacier, the wife of the "cheating" husband unclips herself from the guide rope with the intention of going ahead. She slips and falls to her death....then the rest of the book is about the initial couple moving on in life and trying to heal their marriage.
This book was 4 stars until the end-didn't like the ending at all! I assume the marriage is over, but not sure. Ironic in how the weakest hiker became the strongest at the end. I also didn't understand how or why the story had 3 parts-not a big lapse of time or anything between the parts. Maybe just the parts in her life? It was a good story-interesting with the setting of Africa too.

[Bookmarks Magazine · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a young woman, Shreve spent three years working as a journalist in Nairobi, Kenya, and her vivid descriptions clearly show an affection for the East African nation. Unfortunately, most critics found the setting to be the novel's only redeeming quality. Shreve, known for crafting complex, multilayered protagonists, ultimately fails here. Critics unanimously expressed their disappointment in Margaret's character and described her as dull, unlikable, and frequently obtuse. The critic from the Los Angeles Times also felt that the constant use of "anachronisms in attitude and dialogue" rendered the book unreadable. A Change in Altitude is for die-hard Shreve fans only. This is an excerpt of a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Mary Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anita Shreve deals with some interesting interpersonal relationships and plot lines, but the writing in many of her books, including this one, just can leave me cold. I was interested in the social and political ground she covered in this book set in Kenya, but the relationship between the main characters, a photojournalist and her doctor, was just too dry and colorless to engage me. I also miss there being even a shred of humor anywhere in the book (plot, dialog, anything). The guiding theme and dilemma of the novel, climbing Mount Kenya and the drama created from that venture, seems so ill conceived for two well-educated, sensible characters that it was hard for me to care about the future of their marriage or the storyline. Shreve does do a good job at showing some of the great beauty and very sad poverty of Africa, however.

[☮Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of Africa is one of my favorite movies, so the references to Karen Blixen and Denys Fitch Hatton in the area of Kenya where this book takes place brought back happy memories of the film. The mountain climbs were also extremely interesting. But I thought the main character was too hard on her husband and men in general (getting upset if someone calls her "girl" or says they'll take care of her). The ending left me wanting more. Still overall, it's another very fine book by Anita Shreve.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anita Shreve espelha neste livro fantástico a fragilidade de uma relação quando é abalada por uma tragédia.
Juntos há dois anos, mas casados há apenas cinco meses, Margaret e Philip decidem partir para África em busca da realização profissional de Philip. No entanto, Margaret não se adapta tão bem como gostaria ao Quénia, e passa os dias aborrecida em casa.
Opinião completa em: http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...

[Connie Donnelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newlyweds Margaret and Patrick are starting a year living in Kenya. Patrick is practicing equatorial medicine while Margaret has found a job for a newspaper taking pictures to go with the reporters assignments.
When friends invite them on an expedition to climb Mount Kenya, the couple is excited for the adventure. However, the climb is not a stroll in the park and when tragedy strikes their lives change in ways they could not imagine.
A very thought provoking book, something Anita Shreve never fails to give.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start and a little too real for fiction in parts