Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(48 customer reviews) 30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful, soul-searching novel,
July 23, 2002 R. Pride "rpride9485" (Cleveland, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Distant Shores (Hardcover)
Jack and Elizabeth "Birdie" Shore are at a crossroads. After 24 years of marriage, they have raised two beautiful girls and withered the storm of Jack's rise and fall as a football star and his addiction to pain killers. Now Jack's career as a sportscaster is rising, and on the outside, everything looks perfect. But Elizabeth feels she is losing herself. She has raised her children, lifted Jack when he stumbled, and forgiven him for the times he strayed earlier in their marriage. She gave up her dream of becoming a painter because she thought that was what she was supposed to do. But when he beloved father dies suddenly, she realizes how empty her life truly is. And when Jack takes a job that will take him to New York, Elizabeth, for the first time, doesn't follow him and remains in Oregon, hoping to find what will give her her own identity.Distant Shores is a wonderful, soul searching novel about two people who have lost their way. They're not bad people, and they...Read more
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Story of a Stale Marriage,
December 26, 2002 Mamalinde "mamalinde" (Dallas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Distant Shores (Hardcover)
Yes, it happens, and this author gets just a whole lot of it EXACTLY right. I do wish I could have LIKED Elizabeth (Birdie) Shore a little better, "poor little misunderstood rich girl" comes to mind here, though. The Jackson Shore character really didn't have much depth to him beyond himself and his beloved sports. Did he ever really "get it"? Some of the women characters were richly sketched, and the daughters were artfully portrayed as a study in contrasts. The setting on the Oregon coast was well detailed and occasionally breathtaking but does it match the rather tropical looking cover of the book? Just a lot of bits and pieces that did not work for me - the single handed destruction of the dining room wall being one of them. Some of the rough language seems to come from no where and seems unnecessary and a bit trite. Not a favorite book, but Ms. Hannah does have an interesting spin on the staleness of a marriage, what makes a family, and finding yourself...Read more
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
This book is exactly what I needed.,
August 22, 2002 By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Distant Shores (Hardcover)
I'm feeling a lot of the same things that Elizabeth (our heroin) went through. I am on the back burner. I'm still raising my children (13 yrs. & 2 yrs) and I have been married for 14 1/2 years. We were married at 19.My children come first (that will always remain), then my husband, and finally me.
Like Elizabeth, I was feeling like I didn't matter very much. I don't work out of my home, so I felt that my needs are not as important.After reading this book, I realized that I am a person of my own. I became my own mother and I was feeling unhappy. I DO matter and I have dreams worth following and fighting for.
I see that it's too easy to loose yourself. I'm only 33 and already I couldn't see myself in the mirror.
Thank you Ms. Hannah, I'm learning to find my voice again, and the spunky girl my husband fell in love with.I love this book.
