Testimony: A Novel

Loved this book. It opens up with an "in your face" scene and then keeps you riveted for the entire piece. Shreve has a great way of understanding human nature and ethical dilemmas.

SPOILER ALERT: this is one of the good ones i've read recently,how one bad mistake can cause damage beyond fixation,did not like how it began but after a first few chapters, fell in love with Silas Quinney and was deeply depressed by his fate. the accounts of J.Dot and Sienna were amusing and a classic example of how some people don't grow up and play the "blame-game" to...more

SPOILER ALERT: this is one of the good ones i've read recently,how one bad mistake can cause damage beyond fixation,did not like how it began but after a first few chapters, fell in love with Silas Quinney and was deeply depressed by his fate. the accounts of J.Dot and Sienna were amusing and a classic example of how some people don't grow up and play the "blame-game" to avoid responsibility.   hide

One of our 2010 books.

This was sad but interesting novel about 3 boys who were caught on videotape committing various activities that were labeled a sex crime because the girl involved was only 14 and the boys were 18 and 19 years old. The scandal and resultant fallout from the event affects the young female victim, the boys, their families and friends, the students, as well as the entire community of Avery where the...more

This was sad but interesting novel about 3 boys who were caught on videotape committing various activities that were labeled a sex crime because the girl involved was only 14 and the boys were 18 and 19 years old. The scandal and resultant fallout from the event affects the young female victim, the boys, their families and friends, the students, as well as the entire community of Avery where the private school is located. The disconcerting thing about the book was that it was told from many different points of view and sometimes was confusing as it went back and forth in time. Those changing voices also reflect the fact that perspective is everything when looking back at an event or situation. The characters in the story all suffer in various ways as the boys face the consequences of their drunken night of debauchery. No matter how you feel about teens, alcohol, and sexual activity – it becomes clear that when those three exist in combination there will be tragedy and innocent victims resulting from those poor choices.   hide

Not too bad.Not as gripping as some of the books I have read recently but kept me coming back to see how it all played out

I feel meh about this book, but then I do about any Anita Shreve book I've read. She's very plotsy (why yes, that is a technical term), meaning that she puts in a lot of events, but her use of language isn't particularly skilled. Her books are sometimes entertaining, but forgettable. I read this one because it takes place in a private school, and I'll read almost anything...more

I feel meh about this book, but then I do about any Anita Shreve book I've read. She's very plotsy (why yes, that is a technical term), meaning that she puts in a lot of events, but her use of language isn't particularly skilled. Her books are sometimes entertaining, but forgettable. I read this one because it takes place in a private school, and I'll read almost anything with that setting. Ultimately, though, it jsut left me with a so-what feeling. I won't even get into the fact that this book focuses on an alleged rape that turned out to be consensual sex, or that there's an icky teenaged girl at the center of this who apparently drives teenaged boys mad with lust and then wreaks havoc by playing the victim. Whatever. :eyeroll:   hide

This is not a feel good book. It's a story about how one bad choice can lead to a domino effect of bad consequences. I enjoyed Shreve's tactic of writing from the POV of many characters. Helped you get inside their heads. It was like watching a train wreck. Mesmerizing.

Not one of Anita Shreve's best books, but I still really enjoyed it. A sex scandal rocks a small private school. Who is to blame or who should shoulder a portion of the blame? She weaves this book together through the vantage points of everyone involved and each perspective reveals something close to the truth.

Wonderful book! Any smart mom should insist her teenage son read this book. Heartbreaking drama.