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Stella Bain Anita Shreve 9780316098861 Books

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Stella Bain Anita Shreve 9780316098861 Books

I will admit that I'm not a big reader. Yet I joined a book club with some girlfriends, more for the social engagement than the book reading. This was our latest selection. Sorry, but I did not enjoy it at all. The pacing was slow and the dialog did little to move the story along. It was stilted and boring. The characters were uninteresting and not very well developed. I think you could distill it down to a paragraph and not lose a thing. Don't know what the other ladies think because we haven't met yet, but I will be surprised if they liked it. There were a fair number of positive reviews of the book and because I'm not really an avid reader, I may well be missing the boat. But if you're looking for a page-turner, you might look elsewhere.


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Stella Bain Anita Shreve 9780316098861 Books Reviews

I am a big fan of Anita Shreve and have read all of the novels she has written. I purchased Stella Bain as soon as it appeared on . Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed when I read it. Shreve's novels are usually page turners for me, but this one was very dry and events were drawn out. The story line itself should have been interesting since it dealt with a young woman who had been injured during World War II also suffering memory loss. As the story progresses she is living with a family who takes her in and that part to me was fairly unbelievable in itself. Her quest to discover her true identity is lengthy and boring. I would not recommend this book for these reasons.
I've loved Anita Shreve's books but this was a bit disappointing. The title sort of set me off since about 70 pages into the book you learn that Stella Bain is not her real name. Yes, she had amnesia, but I'm curious why the author titled the book by the character's wrong name. I kept thinking (knowing Shreve's usual careful tying together of details) that there would be an explanation by the end of the book...was Stella Bain someone she knew? Someone she met in the war?

There are some holes in the plot which I can't really talk about without spoiling the books for readers. So, I'll just leave it that this book left me empty.

If you're looking for a good read, try some of her other books.
A woman working in France during WW1 as a nurse-aide/ambulance driver finds herself in a terrible dilemma. She wakes from unconsciousness to realise she does not know who is is. She thinks her name is Stella Bain. She sets out to try to retrace her life to bring back the memory. Small triggers bring vague suggestions to her and she has the feeling that she must get to London to the Admiralty. She arrives in London in a state of near collapse and is rescued by August Bridge who happens to be a cranial surgeon and very interested in Freud's theories of psychoanalysis. He and his wife take her in and look after her and assist in her search. Gradually Stella's life is revealed and several struggles ensue. Narrative is written largely in the present tense; several sections are revealed through an exchange of letters. The latter part of the book in set in a courtroom in New Hampshire, USA. There is much discussion about psychological illnesses that are brought about by the horrors of the war experience. Some quite horrific scenes but somehow Anita Shrive keeps the narrative gentle and low-key.
Anita Shreveport can always be counted upon to deliver a well-written and researched novel. In that respect Stella Bain does not disappoint. However while some aspects of the story are finely drawn others are sketchy. Not wishing to spoil it for would-be readers I'll refrain from pointing out specifics that might support my view but would also divulge too much of the plot. I would like to have known more about the years between 1919 and 1930. In fact, why take the story to 1930 at all especially since nothing of note happens and the book ends so abruptly that I returned to the penultimate page to make sure that I hadn't skipped a page or missed something.
The last one-third of the book was disappointing.
I have more Anita Shreve books on my shelf than any other author, except Thomas Hardy, so you could say I'm a fan. However, this was not one of my favorites. It's an intriguing premise but I found it dragged. The final tie-up seems to miss so much, as though the author were in a hurry to finish and get on with something more interesting. I'm ready for something more interesting, too.
I began “The Lives of Stella Bain” confident of enjoying Anita Shreve’s usual excellent handling of plot and character, with a great sense of time and place (usually north eastern United States). The opening is suitably mysterious, with the principal character (Stella) having lost her memory. Over the first few pages we learn alongside her about who she actually is. But once she has identified herself, the reader is somehow left behind as the plot develops. It is almost like watching part two of a miniseries without realising that we missed part one. Certainly many of the interesting things in her life happened before the novel begins, and we are mostly following her attempts to put her life back together. At times she appears to behave irrationally, which makes it hard for the reader to identify strongly with her. I also wonder if the author might be playing games with some of the characters’ names – can we really believe a character called “Meritable Root”? The conclusion of the novel is predictable and frankly a bit corny. Overall, I could not help the feeling that there might be some allegory or personal meaning behind the novel, but this is no use to a frustrated reader.
I described the characters as 'complex', I guess memory loss can be complex for the person with it and for those around them. Set against a backdrop of WW1 in northern France, the lead character escapes a bad marriage in the States by offering her services to the medical corp. Then comes the memory loss by way of shell shock. That's not the order this book is written, but certainly a teaser. All will be revealed as you read on.
I've read most all of Anita Shreve's books over the last few years, and can say that she has been hitting her stride for most of them and hasn't disappointed in any of them. The story lines and characters forever change from book to book, and it's a treat every time I read one.
I will admit that I'm not a big reader. Yet I joined a book club with some girlfriends, more for the social engagement than the book reading. This was our latest selection. Sorry, but I did not enjoy it at all. The pacing was slow and the dialog did little to move the story along. It was stilted and boring. The characters were uninteresting and not very well developed. I think you could distill it down to a paragraph and not lose a thing. Don't know what the other ladies think because we haven't met yet, but I will be surprised if they liked it. There were a fair number of positive reviews of the book and because I'm not really an avid reader, I may well be missing the boat. But if you're looking for a page-turner, you might look elsewhere.