Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Body Surfing  By  cover art

Body Surfing

By: Anita Shreve
Narrated by: Lolita Davidovich
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.49

Buy for $19.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

At the age of 29, Sydney has already been once divorced and once widowed. Trying to regain her footing once again, she has answered an ad to tutor the teenage daughter of a well-to-do couple as they spend a sultry summer in their oceanfront New Hampshire cottage. But when the Edwards' two grown sons, Ben and Jeff, arrive at the beach house, Sydney finds herself caught up in a destructive web of old tensions and bitter divisions. As the brothers vie for her affections, the fragile existence Sydney has rebuilt for herself is threatened.

With the subtle wit, lyrical language, and brilliant insight into the human heart that has led her to be called "an author at one with her métier" (Miami Herald), Shreve weaves a novel about marriage, family, and the supreme courage that it takes to love.

©2007 Anita Shreve (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"[Shreve's] control is masterful, particularly in the sure-handed and compassionate aftermath." (Publishers Weekly)
"In simple yet eloquent style, Shreve portrays the arc of a complicated romantic relationship, from infatuation to betrayal. What's more, she builds in a palpable sense of suspense as well as a deep empathy for human frailty. The ever-skillful Shreve delivers yet another gripping read that will satisfy her many fans and earn her some new ones." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Body Surfing

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    39
  • 4 Stars
    50
  • 3 Stars
    37
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    7
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Boring? Not!

Another stellar performance from Anita Shreve, who never dissappoints, with her incsiive insights into family relationships and rich, evocative sense of place.

At first I found the music a little intrusive and ominous but then I gradually warmed to the concept as it mirrored the various heartbreaking dysfunctions throughout the story.

A very sad tale of pain and loss but redemptive at the end. As I said it was heartbreaking but I stayed up nearly all night to finish.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Better off reading it

Anita Shreve writes wonderful books and I am sure that this is no exception. Listening to this narration however is torture. The narrator has a slight lisp that is terribly distracting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

OK

not as gripping and complex as earlier Anita Shreve titles. She is usually one of my favorite authors. Quite predictable. I felt like she threw this together almost as an after thought. She even mentioned someone running the Boston Marathon "on a whim", obviously not researching it properly and finding that to enter Boston you must run a qualifying time in the previous 12 months....If you haven't read any of her previous work, download those before this one, they are all much better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A very good listen

Rather predictable but enjoyable. Interesting characters and the prose is very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Narrator was too distracting

I'm not sure if I really actually hated this story, but I definitely couldn't stand the narrator. She kept switching voices/accents for different characters, but it was done at random and wasn't for any character in particular. She also over-emphasized words and mispronounced some words. On top of that, sometimes she would try to sound really young and sometimes she sounded really old, but it never really made sense for the character. She was just too distracting! I feel bad only giving the story 2 stars because it might have been better than that, but I really couldn't tell because I kept fast-forwarding to see if there was any point I'd be able to handle the narrator (I couldn't, she just kept getting worse).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

easy listen

This was a nice, easy, mellow listen. The narrator was good, storyline kept me interested.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

body surfing

great book. anita shreve is very descriptive in her writing style and the story keeps getting better as it progresses. I would definately recommend this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

body surfing

This book is one of the very worst, most boring I have ever read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Exceptional as Usual

The modern day Edith Wharton does it again! The magical way she entwines the lives at the mansion on the New Hampshire shore makes her one of my very favorite authors. Fortunes Rocks is still my favorite, but I look forward to each of her new books with great anticipation and am never disappointed. Davidovitch does an excellent job as reader!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Kill the music

The “light music” playing in the background killed this audible. No more Anita Shreve audibles for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!