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GIVEAWAY ENDEDTHE HEIGHTS
BY PETER HEDGES
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin.
Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she's also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn't quite understand, even as all the Range Rover- driving moms jockey for invitations into Anna's circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world.
Like Tom Perrotta, Peter Hedges has a keen eye for the surprising truths of daily life. The Heights is at once light of touch and packed with emotion and depth of character.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PETER HEDGES is a novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. He wrote both the novel and the screenplay What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and is the writer-director of Pieces of April starring Katie Holmes and Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carrell. His screenplay for About a Boy was nominated for an Academy Award. Hedges lives with his wife and children in Brooklyn, New York. REVIEW:
Peter Hedges, the accomplished author who is known for writing WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, PIECES OF APRIL, along with other well-loved stories, has now written THE HEIGHTS, a humorous, thought-provoking, and entertaining book about men and women’s relationships and family dynamics. It’s the story of Tim Welch, a well-liked but underpaid private school history teacher and his wife of 9 years, Kate Oliver. Kate is a stay at home mom caring for their two young sons in their home in Brooklyn Heights, New York City. They feel that although living in this area is costly and also has such financial pressure, it is worth it as THE HEIGHTS is a good place to raise their children--full of upper, middle class families with activities for the children and parents alike to interact with.
The other major characters are Anna Brody who moves into the neighborhood and is immediately THE person to know with her wealth and connections; Bruno Schwine who runs a charitable foundation and happens to be Kate’s former boss; Jeff, a famous, wealthy actor who was Kate’s former boyfriend; and Bea, a student of Tim’s who has a crush on him but also seems to appear in the story and strange events invariably follow. Hedges writes the story from a first person point of view from each of these characters. They each tell a part of the story and so make it very interesting to experience as readers will see what is going on through the eyes of the character. I think it is very cleverly done and an enjoyable way to experience a book.
When Bruno offers Kate a huge salary to come back to work for him, Tim becomes the Mr. Mom, taking time off from teaching to also finally finish his doctoral paper. It is at this time that Tim gets to know Anna better and the plot thickens as they say. With the taste of fame and fortune as a strong aphrodesiac, the couple becomes involved in situations that can not be chalked up as being positive ones. Can Anna really make that much of a difference in such a short time in this couple‘s life? Does the role reversal of jobs effect Kate and Tim and cause problems that can’t be solved? Will the excitement of an old flame, now famous and ruthless, be too much temptation for Kate? With all this, can Tim and Kate’s marriage survive? What answers you find will undoubtedly take place in THE HEIGHTS. Do not miss Peter Hedges’ THE HEIGHTS as I had a rare-sit-down-and-read-in-one-sitting experience with this highly enjoyable book!
Submitted originally to Ijustfinished.com
Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin.
Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she's also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn't quite understand, even as all the Range Rover- driving moms jockey for invitations into Anna's circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world.
Like Tom Perrotta, Peter Hedges has a keen eye for the surprising truths of daily life. The Heights is at once light of touch and packed with emotion and depth of character.
PETER HEDGES is a novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. He wrote both the novel and the screenplay What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and is the writer-director of Pieces of April starring Katie Holmes and Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carrell. His screenplay for About a Boy was nominated for an Academy Award. Hedges lives with his wife and children in Brooklyn, New York. Peter Hedges, the accomplished author who is known for writing WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, PIECES OF APRIL, along with other well-loved stories, has now written THE HEIGHTS, a humorous, thought-provoking, and entertaining book about men and women’s relationships and family dynamics. It’s the story of Tim Welch, a well-liked but underpaid private school history teacher and his wife of 9 years, Kate Oliver. Kate is a stay at home mom caring for their two young sons in their home in Brooklyn Heights, New York City. They feel that although living in this area is costly and also has such financial pressure, it is worth it as THE HEIGHTS is a good place to raise their children--full of upper, middle class families with activities for the children and parents alike to interact with.
The other major characters are Anna Brody who moves into the neighborhood and is immediately THE person to know with her wealth and connections; Bruno Schwine who runs a charitable foundation and happens to be Kate’s former boss; Jeff, a famous, wealthy actor who was Kate’s former boyfriend; and Bea, a student of Tim’s who has a crush on him but also seems to appear in the story and strange events invariably follow. Hedges writes the story from a first person point of view from each of these characters. They each tell a part of the story and so make it very interesting to experience as readers will see what is going on through the eyes of the character. I think it is very cleverly done and an enjoyable way to experience a book.
When Bruno offers Kate a huge salary to come back to work for him, Tim becomes the Mr. Mom, taking time off from teaching to also finally finish his doctoral paper. It is at this time that Tim gets to know Anna better and the plot thickens as they say. With the taste of fame and fortune as a strong aphrodesiac, the couple becomes involved in situations that can not be chalked up as being positive ones. Can Anna really make that much of a difference in such a short time in this couple‘s life? Does the role reversal of jobs effect Kate and Tim and cause problems that can’t be solved? Will the excitement of an old flame, now famous and ruthless, be too much temptation for Kate? With all this, can Tim and Kate’s marriage survive? What answers you find will undoubtedly take place in THE HEIGHTS. Do not miss Peter Hedges’ THE HEIGHTS as I had a rare-sit-down-and-read-in-one-sitting experience with this highly enjoyable book!
Submitted originally to Ijustfinished.com
"Quick 'N Easy"
GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO RENEE AND MY GOOD FRIENDS
AT Ijustfinished.com, I WAS ABLE TO GET
A COPY OF THE HEIGHTS TO REVIEW.
I AM GIVING AWAY MY GENTLY READ
ADVANCED COPY SO SOMEONE ELSE
CAN ENJOY THIS ENJOYABLE READ!
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ONLY ONE COMMENT/ENTRY PER PERSON
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 ENTRY: DUE TO COMPUTER DIFFICULTIES, I HAD TO REMOVE THE ORIGINAL ENTRY QUESTION AS SOME PEOPLE WEREN'T ABLE TO ENTER. NOW, PLEASE JUST COMMENT ON THE REVIEW ABOVE TO ENTER. I AM ALSO EXTENDING THE DEADLINE. STILL ONLY ONE ENTRY SO IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ENTERED SUCCESSFULLY, PLEASE DON'T ENTER AGAIN. THANK YOU. I APOLOGIZE AND AM TRYING TO GET TO THE PROBLEM.
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, MARCH 12!
GOOD LUCK!
6 PM, EST, MARCH 12!
GOOD LUCK!
THE HEDGES
21 comments:
I am currently reading A Land Beyond Ravens
thank you
kaiminani at gmail dot com
On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
seknobloch(at)gmail(dot)com
Ghost at Work sounds interesting
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I have had On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on my TBR list for what seems like forever!
fourkidsrgreat(at)gmail.com
I read many of them but First Family by David Baldacci caught my eye
anjamie4 AT gmail DOT com
Ive read Rion... and one of the books that I thought sounded interesting to read was the "seduction of simone." It has everything i like: romance, ghost and a little bit of mystery thrown in.
Marimasiel@aim.com
I'd love to read A Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor.
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com
Posting for Cheryl who is having trouble entering this one so emailed me....She said to put
"I have read Crazy For The Storm: A Memoir Of Survival by Norman Ollestad. I would highly recommend this book. His writing makes the images come alive in a way that one feels like they are experiencing it with him."
Cheryl W.
I would like to read A Dangerous Affair . Thanks for the giveaway.
fmd518(at)gmail(dot)com
I've read The Heretic Queen.
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
I have The Little Giant of Aberdeen County checked out from the library and will be starting it real soon. Thanks!
kristinemarie7 at gmail.com
I like that Hedges writes the story from a first person point of view from each of these characters. They each tell a part of the story-that does sound interesting
tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com
I am reading Healing Hearts. Thanks for this giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
This book sounds so interesting! I know if you said it's a sit-down-and-read-in-one-sitting book then it must be a good one.
Thanks for the giveaway!
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
I think it is awesome that he wrote Gilbert Grapes.
ashleymaymott(at)aol(dot)com
I'm intrigued that that this author also wrote What's Eating Gilbert Grape. This book sounds like it has an interesting cast of characters; I'd like to read it.
saemmerson at yahoo dot com
Sarah E
I would love to enter!
dcf_beth at verizon dot net
I remember reading about this book and feeling excited about it! Thank you for reminding me about it! It sounds like a captivating read filled with situations fraught with anxiety and liable to cause at least awkwardness and at most....well, nothing good! I would also love to read this book because I worked in the Brooklyn Heights area and don't live far from it now!
Thank you!
Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com
Great review! I'd love to read the book - please count me in.
Thanks ~ megalon22 at yahoo dot com
i think the setting sounds really cool.
amanda
catss99@yahoo.com
Great job on the review! I really want to read this book now! Thanks for telling us about the book without any spoilers.
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
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