Zeiten der Ernüchterung

by Carol Edgarian

Lena und Charlie waren sich sicher, zusammen alle Aufgaben des Lebens meistern zu können. Natürlich würden sie tollen Sex haben, die große Liebe leben, eine glückliche Ehe führen, wundervolle Kinder kriegen und eine steile Karriere hinlegen. Sie würden keine Kompromisse eingehen.
Doch das Leben hält ein paar unvorhersehbare Wendungen für sie bereit: die Finanzkrise, ein skrupelloser Gegner in Charlies Geschäftsleben, ein verführerischer Liebhaber aus Lenas Vergangenheit, ein totgeborenes Kind. Lena und Charlie versuchen trotz aller Widrigkeiten die Hoffnung nicht zu verlieren, aber während Charlie rund um die Uhr arbeitet, um sein Unternehmen zu retten und
Lena sich aufopfernd um die fragile Tochter und den eigenwilligen Sohn kümmert, geht langsam ihre Ehe in die Brüche.
Erst als sich die beiden von ihren großen Träumen verabschieden, entdecken sie, dass die wahre Herausforderung des Lebens darin besteht, sich von der Wirklichkeit überraschen zu lassen.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Family, Literary Fiction, Relationships, Contemporary, Chick Lit

469 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2011

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Carol Edgarian's novels include VERA, THREE STAGES OF AMAZEMENT and the international bestseller RISE THE EUPHRATES, winner of the ANC Freedom Prize.

Her articles and essays have appeared in many national magazines, and she co-edited the popular collection drawn from writers' diaries, The Writer's Life: Intimate Thoughts on Work, Love, Inspiration, and Fame.

Carol is co-founder of the non-profit Narrative (www.NarrativeMagazine.com), a leading digital publisher of fiction, poetry, ideas, and art, and she is founder of Narrative in the Schools, programs that provide free libraries and resources to teachers and students around the world.

Join Carol's mailing list for updates and more info at www.caroledgarian.com or, for all you fellow word-nerds, follow her popular Instagram show A Word, Please every week @cedgarian.

Carol lives with her family in Northern California.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 enough to finish the book, but the writing was a huge problem for me. This author had such a strange way of phrasing things--it's like she was pulling from a book of cliches that I'd somehow never heard before. Some examples:

"Then she turned back to her guests and with a whim of steel, smiled." (with a whim of steel? Huh?)

"It was a whole lot of spaghetti, she knew, him coming to the house." (is this a saying I've never heard of?)

It was like reading a book written by an alien. Either that or I am the alien. She kept using metaphors and similes that made no sense, so they did not serve to communicate a concept to the reader like they are supposed to.

And the dialogue... don't get me started. Nobody in this book talks like real people talk. I started to especially dread the conversations between the married couple. Everything they said just made no sense and I ended up really confused. And yet it was somewhat fascinating because of how bad it was.

Maybe it's me! But I thought the writing was some of the oddest and most confusing I've ever read.

[Nette · Rating 1 out of 5]

A show-offy, overwritten, badly structured book, with the worst dialogue I've read since the Da Vinci Code. I tossed it in my recycling bin instead of donating it to the library; I narrowly escaped falling into a persistent vegetative state after a few chapters, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone else.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know that feeling when you're in the MOMA, staring at a dot on the wall, thinking - what IS that? Is it me or does this REALLY not belong in a museum?
Yeah. That's this book.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a bittersweet 'little gem' of a book! I loved ‘Three Stages of Amazement’ by Carol Edgarian. 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 with a sick baby newly born, and a healthy 5-year-old boy -we learn how these marriages function. The book is 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 company. He moves his family from Boston to California, despite his wife's, Lena Rusch, concerns. She hates her uncle and now she lives almost next door to him, AND now also near an old lover from her past.

It's 2008 and the financial crash of Wall Street is months away. Unaware of the future and the drying up of venture capital to come, the couple is extremely stressed. Charlie is flying back and forth between the coasts trying to bring in investors and working for income to live on. His wife struggles with keeping her job while also keeping her sick preemie alive as the baby struggles to breathe wih immature lungs. Meanwhile, her uncle is fighting to keep his Fund going under his control as his partners meet to strategize how to retire him.

It is Good Read. These characters are breathing with life and reality. I cared about them.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 mainly turns on the husband's need to get funding for a surgical robot--he turns to a partnership made up of the wife's uncle and her ex-boyfriend without her knowledge. Of course, she finds out. The book was kind of cagey about why the wife's uncle is a hated family member, although it wasn't too hard to figure out.

[Jolene · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 live in this post-2007 world. She examines Lena and Charlie (and Cal and Ivy) with a scalpel, cutting away at their marriage(s) and exposing their weaknesses. At times, it's deeply disappointing to see "her people" fail and fall. Perhaps this is what makes the fiction seem so real.

This book provides a lot of fodder for discussion. If I had a book club, it would be my pick for March 2011.

Worth buying and re-reading.

[Loyola University Chicago Libraries · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 failed business venture involving a surgical robot; and endless references to the financial crisis of 2008-2009. Even worse is the dialogue, which tries too hard to be literary and instead sounds stilted and overwrought. I have to admit falling in love with Lena and Charlie's young son, Theo, and the scenes that revolve around their family were the only reason I finished this. So much potential, but ultimately disappointing.

[Hava Liberman · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 know, so I suspect the whole thing is full of holes. Melanoma is not a sebaceous carcinoma. All of her medical descriptions sounded like babble. A few google searches would have been enough for her to get closer to accurate. Thumbs down.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS story 'starts' around the time of Obama's Inauguration... "HOPE & CHANGE"!!
American's are CRAZY! Money lost to Bernie Madoff, etc.

Carol Edgarian's story takes place 'mostly' in San Francisco & Silicon Valley. Fun reading for me, because I live her also! I also think the author was 'spot-on' with much of what she wrote. (not sure its tons to be proud of --but life is complex-messy-and frickin depressing at times).


Lena & Charlie, (married, in their 40's), are STRESSED ---They are BOTH BRIGHT.
Charlie is a Physician. At the beginning of the story, he is flying from Boston to S.F. often --(almost never home) --looking for investors for his new Start-up idea: A surgical Robot he names "Nimbus".
Charlie later finds his investor: (a problem in itself), then is working in Palo Alto as much as he was in Boston.

A typical modern marriage: Bright-educated couple thinks their love can be enough to hold them together while they work, work, work, and never really have time for each other.


Lena is trying to hold onto her job ---while taking care of their sick preemie named Willa, ( AND deal with the grief of having lost their other preemie at birth), plus raise their other 5 year old, bright, curious, creative, son Theo.
Lena misses her husband. He is always WORKING. She is also quietly depressed. (she has no time for lunch dates with girlfriends, volunteer work at school events, etc.)

Life is going on --The GREAT RECESSION is real...
CRAZY TIMES
Cal Rusch (Lena's Uncle), and Ivy are in their 80's. They throw "The Party of the Year" for their daughter's engagement. A Million Dollar Party during the recession! Cal tried to encourage his wife Ivy to 'cut-down' on a little spending. (didn't look like she did very much).
Cal Rusch, (the hated uncle of Lena, investor of Charlies Surgical Robot), is also fighting to keep funding going. (even the wealthy are struggling a little).

Alessandro was Lena's first love. The wealthy Italian -HOT SEXY -MALE LOVER...(Oh yes, of course he comes back for a visit while Lena is STRESSED caring for children --missing a HOT SEXY life with HER husband --missing feeling sexy herself---missing authentic feelings of love and intimacy). Of COURSE we need to have a HOT temptation of *Alessandro* in "The Three Stages of Amazement".


There was a line in the book: "There Must be something heroic about getting through the day with a bit of grace".... ya think? lol


Oh....
I MUST share a page of this book...(a cliche about woman which I'm not sure I'm proud about) ---yet---I think the author got it RIGHT. Judge for yourself.

On page 83: "If society was divided into women who talked of cocks and those who didn't, Ivy's friends talked. They smoked and told dirty jokes and hardly ate and had their faces lifted and their tummies tucked and otherwise it was on their skinny no-nonsense backs that the soft belly of society rested: not just running of the opera or the arts, but the public library, the humane society, the free clinics, and the abused women's shelters. The woman discussed Bill Clinton's penis until they were bored, then with a wave of their jeweled hands, they turned their attention to the plans for Sally's new guesthouse in St. Helena.


I'm sure many people can find things to 'pick-on' about this story ---(I could also)... as the author 'assumed' a few 'cliches'....(but was she wrong???) ---I'm not sure! A few of her 'cliches' made me STOP and PAUSE...
"I am a Man"??? hm??? (not sure who talks like that today) ---but maybe....

Yet--I enjoyed this story! It was engaging: Domestic life with limitations-(as it always is), set during the end of the dot-com craze. A book worth reading!

I'd love to see what book this author might write next? Where ARE 'we' going next???

I think this author intuitively understands real people -real lives - and real problems. I'd like to read what she comes up with!

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 research.

Lena gave up a high-power job as a producer for national public television to move to San Francisco. She and Charlie have a precocious son, Theo, and Lena recently gave birth to twins, one of whom was stillborn. The surviving twin, Willa, is very, very fragile and suffers from seizures and multiple pneumonias. She is not yet one year old and taking care of her is a full-time job, one in which Lena is lucky enough to have help from a nanny.

Once in San Francisco, Lena has told Charlie that she understands that for the next three years he will not have much time for her. However, she is not prepared for the distance that occurs between them. They used to have time to volunteer in Mbarra, take vacations together, and spend intimate time with one another. Now Charlie is rarely home. He travels around the world trying to get funding, giving demonstrations and working on research. They feel emotionally estranged from one another.

Lena made Charlie make one promise before they moved to San Francisco - that no matter what, he was not to accept any funding from her uncle Cal. Lena feels that Cal is responsible for her father's death. Cal is one of the richest venture capitalists in Silicon Valley and shortly after they move there, he offers to fund Charlie's company. Charlie is certainly in a predicament. With the market and real estate tanked, he has some serious ethical and pragmatic decisions to make. Finding funding now is like planting a delicate vineyard in a drought.

Cal and his wife Ivy are at the top of the food chain. They are so rich that Edgarian takes a page to describe the delicacies and chefs they employ to cater a party in celebration of their daughter's engagement. Despite their wealth, they are not immune to tragedy. Shortly after they offer Charlie the money to fund his project, both Cal and Ivy are diagnosed with devastating diseases, ones in which they have to face their mortality.

Lena finds out that one of her previous beaus works for Cal. They are drawn together during the time that Charlie is away. Now Lena is faced with having to decide the fate of her marriage. She is exhausted and used up, awaiting that time when grace will befall her marriage. So far, she has just waited. Meanwhile, she has a seductive lover who is present and giving her all that Charlie is not.

This is an engaging novel, one in which the characters feel real and are accessible to the reader. The writing is intelligent and articulate. The novel reeled me in and I looked forward to reading this book. I recommend it to anyone who likes character-driven novels that reflect the reality that all people face in marriage - the ups, the downs and the in-betweens. Edgarian really gets it and she is able to communicate it very well.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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. I prefer characters with typical human flaws, but I could not find very much redeeming in her at all. I keep looking for a novel about "real" middle class life, with marriage and financial difficulties, minus the easy solutions. Having said that, the writing style and flow of the book kept me reading to the end. But, maybe that is because I kept waiting for her to get what she deserved.

[Beth Broussalian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book written with a very contemporary backdrop. This is the first book I have ever read that captures the daily lives, emotions, needs, dreams, successes and sorrows of family life in the 21st century.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much plot. Market crisis, stillborn infant, adultery, lives of the filthy rich, paternity surprises. Wearying! Pity, because she gets all the emotions right, especially the maternal variety.

[Anne B · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me seethe. Here's why:

1) How the men in the story talk to each other (they do so only in complimentary terms) about women: "Jesus ... They can't all be mind readers, can they?"
2) How the men THINK about women (see above): "Losing her, he now realized, had been a colossal mistake ..."
3) The name-dropping. The first time Edgarian name-checks Chez Panisse, I thought: She's setting a tone. Second, I thought: Really? Third time: I threw the book across the room.
4) The cloying writing. "Her heart had many rooms." Gaaahhhh!
5) The dialogue, which is just bad: "You pick at the words and miss the comfort. Lean, you're so close to Willa, you can't see her." Who said that? Man or woman? HARD TO TELL, ISN'T IT.
6) A love interest appears for the attractive female main character! Will he be Italian or Latino? Is there a difference??
7) I know that Edgarian is trying to say something about hard times befalling everyone. But it is really hard to locate what that is, beneath her lavish approval of her characters' way of life.

Here's the thing about Carol Edgarian, SF Lady Writer. I live in her town; it has a seams-out, relatable joy she'd see pretty fast, if she wasn't all up in her own white-lady business all the time. I could talk all day about this book, how it relegates people *not of her class* to service roles, etc., etc., -- when the real business of her city, state, and world has passed her by, years ago.

But that's not even the worst thing about this novel. The worst thing? She writes about Grief, yet totally does not get it.

Page 33: "Grief was a stalker. ... It was big, hairy, inarticulate, possessing just one word, 'why'." Really? In that whole paragraph of wasted crap, she gives the specter of grief one word (and that's the one)? The "one word" is usually something more like "mine", "failed", or "now"; also, it's different for everyone.

Stupid book by a stupid girl. Skip it.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

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, smug. I had a great disconnect with all of the characters and I really wanted to put the book down after reading the characters were just SO SURE that President Obama was going to solve ALL of their problems and make their lives better. I stuck with the book, though, and was not shocked to read of their disappointment when he didn't.

I am sure that there are many people, critics, etc that will give this book rave reviews, so I am sure my "dislike" won't hurt book sales, but it really wasn't a book that I would recommend to anyone I know, because of the way it made me feel. You may have a different opinion though and I would love to hear what you think about the book if you have a chance to read it.

[Steve Horowitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 there in the formative days only to find the rules changing. This all takes place as the economy contracts in 2007. The characters are well-formed; each has their vulnerable side and noone escapes imperfection regardless of their economic position. It is this element that makes the book fascinating. I also like the authors characterization of San Francisco. I live here and she absolutely captured the city in all its elements from the weather to politics, social elite and gritty side. I have read a few book reviews comparing Carole Edgarian to Jonathan Franzen. I must agree that some of her prose does a beautiful job of creating captivating characters that march through time but I'd have to stop there (Franzen being one of my favorite authors).
This is definitely worth the read.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't usually continue reading books that will end up with one- or two-star ratings, but I found myself morbidly fascinated by this one. The first chapter did hook me, with its somewhat quirky style and a taste of a young mother in a rocky marriage dealing with her sick child. But it rapidly deteriorated into a disorganized, rambling narrative riddled with errors--both factual and grammatical--that a good copy editor should have caught. (So morbidly fascinated was I that I kept a list.) And that doesn't even address the dialogue. For the most part, the character talk at or past each other, in not-very-realistic sentences punctuated by vague dialogue tags such as "Swanny stumbled and then charged ahead." (Yes, that was used in place of "He said.")

The sad thing is that, with some good developmental and copy editing, this might have been a gripping book portraying a marriage straining under the pressures of the recent economic downturn. As it is, I can only recommend it to writing students or others who are looking for examples of what to avoid if you are trying to build tension, develop character, and make your readers care.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 told better and smarter and more beautifully than what we've seen in a long while. Edgarian's novel has the lyricism of Munro, the lovers of Austen, the rich turmoil of Wharton, the glitz of Fitzgerald, and a heart that's all its own. Read this one, truly. I'm already eagerly awaiting the next!

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 95% was so good! Beautiful writing, beautiful characterization. All these complex people, all doing horrible things, all of them totally understandable and even forgivable? Well done! And the color from the place where I live is nice too. But then the last 5%: the old "he saw an out-of-context moment and won't let you explain"? An emotional fight turns into tearful forgiveness on the steps of Grace Cathedral? Sorry, it's just too much. The author does an amazing job depicting a marriage falling apart, but can't manage to realistically pick up the pieces. Maybe we all would've been better off without the happy ending.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author must know the same types of people I have met ~ she captures the arrogance of business hot shots, the snarkiness of elementary school moms, and the kindness of people who have known hardship. I wish the dialogue was more believable and some of the characters are a cliche... and I also fail to see why the main character was ever in demand by her husband or the Italian playboy. She seems kind of hard and cold. I enjoyed the overall story, Edgarian's wonderful descriptions, and the fast pace (I finished it in 2 days). Thanks to my friend, Beth, for loaning it to me!

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strange book about a family in San Fran in the midst of the recession/Obama's election. At times the writing was poetic and achieved the poignant little moments I thought she was going for, but at other times things felt forced and/or outlandish. The most cloying thing was the dialogue, which at some points made no sense whatsoever--it seemed she was more concerned with a clever turn of phrase even if it had no meaning. I kept turning the pages, so there was definitely something about these characters that intrigued me and felt real to me, but ultimately the book left me empty.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite a positive review from the NYT, I was not at all wowed by this book. Some parts, for example, the pressures of caring for a baby with medical problems while parenting a preschooler, were written convincingly. Most of the book was overwritten in that there were many forcedly fanciful metaphors and a ram-it-down-the-reader’s-throat depiction of the characters. The author often sidetracked to irrelevant detailed stories about minor characters. Total predictable Big! Reveal! and outcome.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid literary novel about how the upper and upper-middle class copes with the Great Recession. There were some minor characters from the lower-classes who were servants in the book. My only hope is they do not end up teaching this novel in the schools as part of the course on the Great Recession. For a better book, Janelle Brown's THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE is a must read. It shows how the Great Recession affected most people in the working classes.

[Dbain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this book only because it is set in a milieu with which I am familiar -- affluent San Francisco; medical device start-ups; etc. But even though some of the characters rang true, I never really cared about them. I found little to like in Lena, the main character, and found the plot like with the old Italian boyfriend irritating. Having read an earlier book by this author that I really liked, I was disappointed by Three Stages of Amazement.

[Lillian Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book hard to follow. The dialogue is cryptic. The main characters all talk at each other and it doesn't work. Through all these mini-incoherent exchanges, the reader is supposed to grasp earth shattering nuances that effect the situation, but it fails on all levels . Also, the author constantly changes point of view - even in the middle of a paragraph. Can't recommend it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this book was very choppy. I had to read several passages over and over again to decipher the meaning. I felt like that was a bad beginning, but then the plot and rich characters carried the way through the rest of the book. I finished it, and like it in the middle. It wasn't until the end that I began to identify with the characters.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very emotional read. I didn't always understand the characters' motives, but I could relate to their sorrow and misguided attempts at finding happiness. The San Francisco setting was a nice backdrop to the story, since I live here. The interwoven current events made the familial stresses that much more real.

[G Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won't look for more books by this author, but I don't regret using my time to read this book. (Not a glowing review but honest.)
---
I'm glad I kept reading. Three quarters through and I'm definitely more interested.
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So far I find the characters annoying when they aren't intended to be so. Not good. I'll give it one more chapter.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

THREE STAGES OF AMAZEMENT is brilliant, disturbing and ultimately uplifting. Carol Edgarian has a unique voice that is completely absorbing and compelling.

[Lee Seiden]

Disappointing! The writing is overwrought, the characters are the kind of stereotypes you'd find in a Jacqueline Susann novel, and the story is a soap opera - without any of the fun of a good soap!