Rescue

A Novel

By: Anita Shreve

Narrated by: Dennis Holland

A rookie paramedic pulls a young woman alive from her totaled car, a first rescue that begins a lifelong tangle of love and wreckage.

Peter Webster pulls a young woman out of a car wreck that should have killed her. Sheila Arsenault haunts his thoughts, and despite his misgivings Peter is soon embroiled in an intense love affair -- and in Sheila's troubled world.

Eighteen years later, Sheila is long gone and Peter is raising their daughter, Rowan, alone. But Rowan is veering dangerously off course, and for the first time in their quiet life together Peter fears for her future. He seeks out the only person who may be able to help Rowan, although Sheila's return is sure to unleash all the questions he has carefully been keeping at bay: Why did a mother leave her family? How did the marriage of two people so deeply in love unravel?

A story about trespass and forgiveness, secrets and the seismic force of the truth, Rescue is a masterful portrayal of a family trying to understand its fractured past and begin again.

Liked it, but very predictable

I like the story, but it was so predictable. I know I should expect this from chic lit. 😊 It was a good, light "read". I think fans of Anita Shreve will like this book.

The way the story came full cicle...

I love Anita Shreve and she didn't disappoint. Rescue is a story of a father that makes a hard choice and raises his daughter alone. There are so many struggles as she grows into herself. He's seen so many horrible things but was he going to face it within own daughter when her attitude changes and she starts being a little hateful. When the circle ends, you are very satisfied with the overall maturity of the characters. Great book!

Great story about abuse!

The story started off slow. but once I got into it I was drawn in and began loving it. it really began telling a great story about the relationship between couples and alcohol abuse.
I also really like the way the daughter and mother were brought back together you don't see that very often and I think that's important in a child's life. I only wish the ending would have been carried out just a little bit farther so you knew for sure what was going to happen instead of leaving it up to our imagination.

Real Life Characters, Story Draws You In

No one can write about people like Anita Shreve. These characters and this storyline has stayed with me, enjoyed the experience of listening to this book.

Not the Anita Shreve I remember

I've not read (or listened to) Anita's last 3 books - but have read/listened to all of her other books. I thought I'd listen to Rescue however. The book was not bad BUT it was no where near the depth and emotion of her previous stories. I was disappointed to say the least. I don't want to take away from the fact that this story actually had a story and it was a good one. I am ONLY saying if you love Fortune's Rock, Sea Glass, The Last Time They Met, etc. then this book might as well been written by someone else.

unique

The characters are very unique and not stereotypical at all. That makes for a great book when you cant predict everything they are gonna do.

Great book

As usuall Ann Shreve's books are to the point. I feel like I read a 4 section book in one section. I loved the intrigue, character development, and the story overall. Sorry when it ended.

"Rescue"

This book does not have the complex characters that have populated Anita Shreve's novels in the past. The characters seem rather limited, live within a very narrow world in a rural state. There is something about this book that makes me think it's one of Shreve's earlier novels, re-engineered and re-marketed, even though the publication date says 2010. There is no mention of email, text messaging, internet in general, all the ways the web has become such a significant part of our lives and an integral part of the way we do business.

Are these methods of communication and information-gathering too mundane and pedestrian for writers to work with? The preponderance of fiction that takes place in the 80's and 90's for no other significant plot reason like a flashback, makes me think writers want to avoid the entire realm of digital communication in general.

However, this "listen" is interesting for its discussions of EMT procedures and insight into the life of an emergency medical tech. The story is good enough and kept my attention, though this is by no means a compelling read. I would give it a "3" if it weren't for the narrator who gave a very exaggerated New England accent to a primary female character and made her seem provincial, coarse and masculine. Adding this to the character's confrontational personality throughout much of the novel made her difficult to connect with.

ehhh

I have read and listened to a lot of Anita Shreve but this one just fell flat. It lacked the gravity it thought it conveyed. It completely lacked emotion and was just blah. None of it resonates and while the narrator is very good there is just no depth here. Its simply trite. Skip it.

Just so so

Boy, I've read almost every book she's written and was ready for another good read. Sorry to say it is pretty weak . . . .