Thanks to Barb's Fabric Blog, I have a whole pile of sewing related reading stacked on the coffee table. I started with The Dive From Clausen's Pier, by Ann Packer.
This was an easy, though not shallow, read. It took me 3 nights, and at the end I stayed up far too late to finish.
Carrie, 23, has become restless with her longtime relationship with her boyfriend Mike when he has a tragic accident that leaves him paralyzed. After the accident she struggles between her commitment to him and her growing need to experience life beyond her familiar, small town in Wisconsin.
Though I found her dilemma compelling, I couldn't help finding Carrie herself cold, selfish, and immature. Not so much because she escapes to New York City, but in her refusal to allow those left behind to escape her. She is at times so concerned with her own guilt, consumed with her own situation, that she completely misses the suffering of those that love her, except as they relate to her own. She is only 23. But I wondered, at the end of the book, if she'd matured, or if she was still vacillating, floundering, and had yet managed to fool herself. Maybe I just can't remember what it's like to be 23!
Carrie, in fact, I found the least interesting of the characters in the book. Although I could empathize with her confusion and even her remoteness, I didn't find her a terribly interesting person. Perhaps her commonness was her appeal. That and her sewing. I enjoyed the detailed and accurate references to sewing. (Though, for the life of me I could not imagine the "Adolpho" styled tee-shirt she made as looking anything but horrible - perhaps that is a failure of imagination on my part.)
Most interesting was her lover in the city. I enjoyed his paradoxical take on life. He was both passionate and imperturbable, dark and self-possessed. His refusal to waver was refreshing against Carrie's constant indecision.
This is a book that sucks you in and keeps you guessing to the end. There are meaningful insights throughout, it is not a shallow beach read. I can easily imagine the lively discussion it might engender at an Oprah-type book group. I have to say I didn't like the ending, but it was, to me, unexpected.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Dive from Clausen's Pier
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
So,I read this book years ago. But, I can't remember the details, jut the title and main plot points. I should get it again, I like your analysis.
I read this book for my book club and had a very interesting discussion. I don't think anybody liked Carrie, most thought she was selfish and too dependent on men for her happiness. Have you seen the tv movie, not great but wanted to see how they interpreted the book.
TV movie??? No, but I'd love to. I don't pay much attention to TV except for a couple favorite reality shows.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who really disliked Carrie. I wondered if I was being too judgmental.
Finished this yesterday, and wow, that girl is hard to like! I could relate to her sewing, and her daring and her joy when she pushed her limits, but what a thoughtless little snot with the rest of her life.
It was a thought provoking book though-does the fact that she only had a family bond with a rather aloof mother make her so lacking in empathy? Or is she just young, and I was just as awful at that age, but can't remember?
I tend to think that being young she'd be almost *too* considerate of friends and family, too hesitant to do what she needed to do for herself. So maybe she's just a plain and simple dolt and youth has nothing to do with it.
Post a Comment