What do readers think of Testimony by Anita Shreve? Write your own review.

I read a number of Anita Shrive books years ago, but hadn't read anything of hers recently. A friend lent me this book and now I want to read more of Shreve's work.

I thought this book was brilliant. The story takes place at a private school in New England and begins with the school master being given a videotape of some boys having sex with an underage girl. Alcohol was involved on the part of everyone involved.

After that the story is told by a chorus of characters, each of whom was affected by the event. It is an absolutely gripping read. As the story unfolds we learn more about how the event occurred and how lapses in judgment, on the part of the adults and the teenagers creates a ripple effect of tragedy and unforeseen results. What was especially thought-provoking for me was thinking about what was the actual cause of the events that took place.

I know some readers find the multiple characters' stories a bit confusing but I didn't find it that hard to follow.

Highly recommend!

I am immediately turned off by a novel that has each chapter dealing with an individual in the story and refuse to read such a book. However, since Anita Shreve is one of my favorite authors, I decided to make an exception. Big mistake! This novel was boring beyond belief, not only because of the story line but because of the way Anita Shreve chose to present it.

My daughter understood that I was not enjoying it and reminded me that there is no law that would compel me to finish the book. However, I plunged on and on and on until I could no longer stand it. I had about twenty pages left to go when I finally slammed the book shut. YAWN!