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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780375412813
ISBN number: 0375412816
Label: Knopf
Manufacturer: Knopf
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 352
Printing Date: September 04, 2007
Publishing house: Knopf
Release Date: September 04, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 90556
Studio: Knopf
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Ann Packer’s debut novel, The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, was a nationwide best seller that established her as one of our most gifted chroniclers of the interior lives of women. Now, in her long-awaited second novel, she takes us on a journey into a lifelong friendship pushed to the breaking point. Expertly, with the keen introspection and psychological nuance that are her hallmarks, she explores what happens when there are inequities between friends and when the hard-won balances of a long relationship are disturbed, perhaps irreparably, by a harrowing crisis.
Liz and Sarabeth were childhood neighbors in the suburbs of northern California, brought as close as sisters by the suicide of Sarabeth’s mother when the girls were just sixteen. In the decades that followed—through Liz’s marriage and the birth of her children, through Sarabeth’s attempts to make a happy life for herself despite the shadow cast by her mother’s act—their relationship remained a source of continuity and strength. But when Liz’s adolescent daughter enters dangerous waters that threaten to engulf the family, the fault lines in the women’s friendship are revealed, and both Liz and Sarabeth are forced to reexamine their most deeply held beliefs about their connection. Songs Without Words is about the sometimes confining roles we take on in our closest relationships, about the familial myths that shape us both as children and as parents, and about the limits—and the power—of the friendships we create when we are young.
Once again, Ann Packer has written a novel of singular force and complexity: thoughtful, moving, and absolutely gripping, it more than confirms her prodigious literary gifts.
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Rated by buyers 
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I enjoyed this book and was never bored. I came to care about the characters and wanted to know how their stories turn out. In a time when non-fiction memoirs seem ridiculous, it's nice to read an honest portrayal of life in a work of fiction.
Rated by buyers 
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I loved Clausen's Pier. This one started out intriguing with rich characters but they then went NOWHERE.
Rated by buyers 
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I wish that I had followed the visual directions on the cover of this book and just turned out the light.
The plot points were so transparent and the characterizations were shallow and uninteresting. The characters were totally unlikeable and if I were in a room with all of these people, I wouldn't waste my time getting to know them better -- I'd leave as quickly as possible. There wasn't one that deserved redemption. The author's writing voice also didn't lend much to the story. Unfortunately, this book turned me off from trying any other book written by this author. Boring. Uninspired. Definitely going to the used book store -- if they'll take it.
Rated by buyers -
I wanted to like this book, but in the end, it just didn't do much for me. I loved Ann Packer's other book, "The Dive From Clausen's Pier," so I was looking forward to this one. While the prose is intriguing and clear, the story drags after the very first 100 pages or so and never really picks up again. It's easy to read, so I found myself rushing to finish just so I could move on to another book.
Rated by buyers -
A few years back I read "Dive From Clausen's Pier" and enjoyed it, which is why I picked up this book. However I was very disappointed with this book. First off, Ann Packer needs a better editor! This was so poorly written in areas that I had to read and re-read to try and figure out what she was saying or trying to say. (And I am an avid reader so this does NOT happen often.)
In addition, I didn't care for the story and I really have no idea what she was trying to accomplish or say with this novel! While it was an interesting premise and it intrigued me...I just couldn't relate to the characters at all, well, mainly Sarabeth. But since she was sort of the main focus, it just ruined the story for me. Like I mentioned, I am just sort of left wondering what this author was trying to say here, what was the point? Overall, it left me pretty confused. I won't pick up another novel from this author.
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