Sea Glass

well-written historical fiction

In 1929, Honora and Sexton Beecher move into their New Hampshire home. Honora loves her new place though it needs plenty of work. She adores her traveling salesman-husband until she learns why he is so successful at selling typewriters as he plays games with the truth. Soon Honora realizes that he stretches veracity with her too.

When the economy tanks, Sexton loses his job and accepts employment at the mill where conditions are atrocious and pay and hours are despicable. Sexton joins a group of union organizers protesting the inhuman factory conditions. Through her husband, Honora meets union activist McDermott and preadolescent worker Francis. As Honora increasingly loses respect for Sexton, she turns to the seemingly more honest McDermott and an upper class friend Vivian for probity. With a strike looming, Honora joins the oppressed against the wishes of her spouse.

SEA GLASS is a well-written historical fiction novel that provides the audience with a window to the impact of the Great Depression on various social classes. The tale is deep as readers observe the dangerous factory conditions a half century after Dickens as it impacts the blue-collar worker. The efforts to maintain moral standards by the middle class are cleverly described. Finally the influence with the stock market collapse on the upper crust makes for a rounded novel. Ms. Shreve is at her best with this triumphant look back to New Englanders on the verge of ruin.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A lovely read

I really enjoyed Ms. Shreve's style of writing. Almost like Hemmingway, she's able to pull me into the mood of the characters. If you want "tears welled in his eyes as he watched her walk out of is life forever," or "his lips ignited the fires of desire within her," you'll have to look elsewhere. If you want believable characters with believable dialogue, this is the book for you. It's a love story, but not like one would expect, and I'm cheering for Honora the whole way. This is a cerebral read for grown ups. Enjoy.

Wonderful

I love how you got to know each character seperately, and then how they all ended up together. The flow of this book is smooth and the emotions it evokes in you are real. I read some reviews about the language being horrible in this book and i was surprised. I dont even remember any bad language, so it must have fit the story line so perfectly not to stand out, or I can just recognize that the characters in this book were not sitting in some bible belt town looking down their noses at folks and judging them..... They were suffering, striking, trying to survive. This book was perfectly written.

Amazing !!!!!!!!

I loved the storyline and the characters this was an amazing book. Im so glad that my friend gae me the book

I am stuck between a two and three star on this one

I ended up adding a third star because I liked the history behind this book, but I just could not get into it. I tried reading it over the fourth and found myself easily distracted by almost anything that came my way. I liked the characters well enough, but their was eventually so many of them, it was hard to remember who was who. Many of the characters personalities change as the book goes on and that also makes it hard to keep track. I think the fact that I kept putting this book down for days at a time also did not help.
Also- the end is very depressing. So, I would not describe this as a feel good book.

Beautifully written.

The character development is so well done, that I could imagine knowing and relating to each member. The multiple voice narration kept my interest and allowed the reader to get a diverse view of each circumstance.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a reader who enjoys reading a believable story.

great era book...

loved the old mill town/east coast/beach setting. Great characters a cadence of words that grabbed your attention and made you a part of it all.

My Favorite Shreve

I have loved Anita Shreve ever since finding a first edition of Eden Close on a remainder table at Barnes & Noble years ago. I couldn't imagine why it was there, or why I hadn't heard of the book. All of her books have fascinating characters - my first requirement in a novel - and Sea Glass is my favorite of them all.

all i was looking for...

i had to read this book for an advanced placement history class at my high school and didnt think i would like it that much but once i started reading i just couldnt put it down i suggest that any young woman looking for a good read try this book it inspired me.

Great book, great author

I love Anita Shreve, I havent read a book of hers that I didnt like and I have read them all. This is one of her quick and easy reads, but still a fantastic book. Read it on a cold wintry day or over a weekend!! Enjoy

GOOD READ, COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT THE FOUL LANGUAGE

The story was heartwarming and will take you back into time. I just finished reading Light on Snow and the vulgar language was non-existent, this book however had its fair share of language and made up for what was not in the prior book. Anita, you are a talented talented writer and you don't need to incorporate vulgar language (my daughter calls it dropping the 'f' bomb, and you could have blown up my home with the occurences of this word) to get your story communicated. I wanted to share this with my mother and grandmother who both love to read but will not because of the language. I also would have given a much greater rating (would have received 5 stars instead of 3) but reduced due to this element.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Good,Bad and Ugly

The book was enjoyable and GOOD except for the BAD language,the UGLY result? 2 stars which would have been 4 had she cleaned up her vulgarity.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun and Fast

I was looking for an easy and fast read that could hold my attention. Anita Shreve's Sea Glass was just the ticket. Her characters were likeable and interesting, as was the setting and storyline. This book is written in a style that compels the reader along, page after page, at a nice tempo. More time with Vivian and Dickie would have been enjoyable and it was a shame to see Dickie written out so early. There were many options for an ending to this book and perhaps it could have been a bit more satisfying if Shreve's Honora would have controlled her fate rather than have her husband lead the way. That aside, only a beachside chair and some sunscreen could have improved my experience.

A BEAUTIFULLY POLISHED TALE

Once again, Anita Shreve weaves a tale of love and loss around the New England seaside. In Sea Glass, we are given alternating viewpoints of 6 characters chapter by chapter. The story takes place just as the stock market crash of 1929 is about to hit and then how its tragic aftermath affects each character and seals their fate. The main character, Honora Beecher, is swept off her feet by a swift-talking typewriter salesman, Sexton Beecher and they soon marry. At first, the marriage seems to be all Honora had hoped for. But after the stock market crash, her husband¿s true nature begins to reveal itself. We soon meet young Alphonse, McDermott and Vivian, whose disparate lives all intersect as the world they once knew crashes down upon them. And, although we never actually meet Honora¿s mother, Alice Willard, we get to know her nature and dreams for her daughter through her letters. After the stock market crash, the only job Sexton can find is in the local mills. Shreve depicts the deplorable conditions the workers had to work under and live in with her usual attention to detail, making that world real and painful for the reader. Meanwhile Honora meets Vivian and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Vivian seems to be the only one who still has any money left after the stock market crash, but she is generous and willing to help those less fortunate. Alphonse is a young boy who has never had much in life and he and McDermott strike up a friendship as well. When the mill workers decide to strike in hopes of obtaining a livable wage, Sexton offers up his home as a meeting place where the leaders of the movement can write up their flyers and plan their strategies. This leads to a strong attraction between Honora and McDermott. As the events progress to their inevitable tragic conclusion, we are thankful that it is Shreve, with her wondrous ability to weave a heartbreaking but beautiful story, who has taken us along for the journey. Honora collects sea glass - colorful pieces of glass which have been smoothed and shaped by the sea. In one devastating and climactic scene, Sexton arrives home, drunk, on Christmas Eve, announcing that he has lost his job and that he has no interest in the wonderful Christmas dinner that Honora has worked so hard to prepare. Vivian had given Honora a beautiful collection of sea glass earlier in the day and, in a fury, Sexton grabs the platter of sea glass and tosses it angrily into the air, before storming out of the house. After Honora collects all of the pieces of sea glass that she can find, she thinks: It¿s a miracle. Sea glass doesn¿t break. And this is the ultimate message of Shreve¿s book - no matter what life throws at Honora, she will not break. And it is the message of hope, amid all of the despair and sorrow, that the reader takes away upon finishing this achingly beautiful book.

Loved it!!!!

This is the first Anita Shreve book I read and I really enjoyed it! I had a difficult time putting it down, and was very sad that the story ended! I would have loved to read more about these characters! I cannot wait to read other books written by this author.

One of the best books I've ever read

Anita Shreve does it again. This book was so entralling. I loved the way the characters were introduced individually and then we see throughout the story how their lives become intertwined. I was hooked from the first page. Shreve gives you such a deep feeling for and understanding of the characters. Awesome book! I didn't want it to end and when it did, I continued to brood over the story. Don't miss this one.

Good quick read if you can get past the language

I enjoyed this book but feel that the use of foul language was unnecessary. Even so, I would recommend this book for a good rainy day read.

The house on the Beach

This is one of Anita Shreve's best novels by far. The setting is so real we can see ourselves there. The intricate plot always keeps our interest and the characters are genuine.

Great book, but sad!

I enjoyed this book. I would best describe it as 'bitter sweet'. Not the best book that I have read, however, it did hold me attention for the two days that it took me to read it. I would recommend it to others. Although my next read will be more upbeat!

Great characters

Sea glass was a very interesting book. I learned a lot about issues that effected many people in the 1920's. The Characters were great you really felt for each one and the hardships they faced. I enjoyed this book I read it in 2 days. Pick it up you won't be sorry