duckoffimreading's review against another edition
3.0
First off, Stegner's writing is top notch to be sure. Crossing to Safety is a very character driven story, which I tend to get bored of. He writes of two families that meet early in life and grow through all the big milestones that marriage tend to bring: careers, children, graduations, grandchildren, disease and ultimately death. I listened to the audiobook and will admit that MANY times I found my mind wandering away from the story...maybe I wasn't in the right mindset to read (listen) to this but found it ho-hum. Sorry Mom!
suzy_qz_2z's review against another edition
5.0
"The painful honesty of this book in portraying life’s happiness, joy, pathos and sorrow is what touched me the most and makes it a book to remember and treasure."
towe's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
genevieve_c_s_b's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful story, beautifully written. I wanted to read it because of the discussion of the book in The End of Your Life Bookclub, which made it sound really phenomenal. It's the sort of book I'll want to read again and again, and I think I'll get something new from it each time. But it's also just a really readable and real story about marriage and friendship.
jill's review against another edition
4.0
So lovely. This simple tale of a lifelong friendship between two couples gently catches you up in its embrace from the first few pages. Rich character development and beautiful, elegant writing made this book a winner. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars if such a thing were possible on Goodreads.
bookrec's review against another edition
2.0
We read this for our bookclub. This is a very wordy book. It is written in the first person by a college professor. He use BIG words and foreign words; I suppose to try to impress me. well it didn't; it annoyed me. He also started at the time of writing and went back in time so you pretty much knew how things worked out between couples. some people swear by him; I tended to swear at him.
neaful's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lauraa06's review against another edition
5.0
So beautiful. An examination of two couple's marriages and their friendship, examining the role of fate as much as character and inner strength in life decisions. To me, it spoke to the fact that no matter how well we may anticipate our lives, the ability to handle times when life goes off track is our real legacy.
polyhy_14's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the complexity of the relationships between the two couples in this books, and the way in which the characters were skilfully developed over several decades. The author was particularly adept at making the reader feel included in the story, both within the relationships and also in the environment.