Sea Glass: Summary and book reviews of Sea Glass by Anita Shreve, plus links to an excerpt from Sea Glass and a biography of Anita Shreve.

It is a house on the beach. Honora doesn't mind renting--despite its age and all its flaws, the old house is the perfect place for a new marriage. She and Sexton throw themselves into fixing it up, just as they throw themselves into their new life together. Each morning, Honora collects sea glass washed up on the shore, each piece carrying a different story in its muted hues. Sexton finds a way to buy the house, but his timing is perfectly wrong. The economy takes a sickening crash, and as financial pressures mount, Honora begins to see how little she knows this man she has married--and to realize just how threatening the world outside her front door can be. Like those translucent shards that Honora finds on the beach, Sea Glass is layered with the textures, colors, and voices of another time. There is Vivian, an irreverent Boston socialite who becomes Honora's closest friend even as she rejects every form of convention. McDermott, a man who works in a nearby mill, presses Honora's deepest notions of trust--even as he embroils her in a dangerous dispute. And there's Francis, a boy whose openness becomes the bond that holds these people together as their world is flying apart. Reviewers and readers everywhere have admired Anita Shreve's ability to create a "literary novel of the caliber and craft of Edith Wharton or Henry James" (Baltimore Sun). Sea Glass is an unforgettable story of trust and betrayal, marriage and attraction, from one of the most persuasive, farseeing, and deeply engaging writers of our time.

Media Reviews

Library Journal Vibrant characters, coupled with a graceful writing style, make Shreve's novel perfect for readers who appreciate multilayered stories with a social conscience.   Publishers Weekly This is one of Shreve's best, likely to win her a wider audience.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by liezle
A Shreve Fan
This is the third book of Anita's that I've read and she does not disappoint! Immediately, my favorite character was McDermott. I so clearly imagine that guy who plays the doctor from Beyond Borders, Clive Owen playing McDermott. The deaf thing...   Read More

Rated of 5 by chris
Very shallow. utterly forgettable characters.

Rated of 5 by Laura
A wonderfully told story of relationships between husband and wife, between friends, and among family. The novel gives a well-balanced human insight into life during the depression.

Rated of 5 by shelly
I thought it was completely wonderful. It was moving and profound in parts, and yet the simplist statement of life. She has a way of stating the little things that you don't notice from day to day. I would recommend this to anyone.

Rated of 5 by Hilary
An excellent read - particularly if on holiday at the beach. The characters are beautifully drawn and you have interesting historical details entwined with a yearning love story and an adolescent boy flourishing under the care of a mixed bag of...   Read More

Rated of 5 by poohbear
Anita Shreve has once again written a multi-layered book. While focusing on the marraige between Honora and Sexton, we get a glimpse into the new england textile mills, the last days before th e stock market crash and a look at early union...   Read More

...5 More Reader Reviews

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