Product Description

When Charles Callahan chances on a newspaper photograph of Sian Richards, a woman he loved when they were both only thirteen, he is hardly in a position to do anything about it. He has been faithfully married for years and his Rhode Island real estate business has been hit hard by the recession. He is scrambling to stave off bankruptcy and save his house. But Charles cannot resist the hand of fate. He writes to Sian, now a poet living with a family of her own on a farm in upstate New York. Three decades after they last saw each other, the two lovers meet. Powerfully drawn together once again, Charles and Sian are forced to come to terms with the nature of erotic love and betrayal, moral quandaries in an age of shifting values, and the elusive nature of time. Struggling to reclaim what once they lost, they set in motion a passionate and tumultuous series of events that moves to a shocking conclusion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69428 in Books
• Published on: 1994-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 242 pages

Review
'Anita Shreve has a knack for wry observation and for capturing the agony of emotion' DAILY TELEGRAPH; 'Shreve handles her characters with a great deal of compassion, and the ending is genuinely moving' SUNDAY TIMES; 'Offers the reader all the eroticism of a D. H. Lawrence novel. WHERE OR WHEN is more than just an exquisitely written novel. It is also a gripping yarn' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

About the Author
Formerly a journalist (Newsweek, US magazine) and non-fiction writer, Anita Shreve's first novel EDEN CLOSE, published in 1990, introduced a distinctively individual voice to literary fiction. She is the author of ten other bestselling novels, all available from Little, Brown and Abacus.

Customer Reviews

Okay but not brilliant
Having read and loved "The Pilot's Wife", I was expecting great things from this book, but unfortunately I didn't get them. While the idea of erotic obsession is a good one, it's not well realised as here the situations are highly unlikely, sometimes even laughable, and I disliked thoroughly the two main characters. The only people I warmed to were the cheated husband and the abandoned wife - at least they had some depth and I particularly wanted to know what would happen to Harriet.

I think this author is excellent at relationships, but should steer clear of the darkness of sexual obsession.

Well written view of a personal dilemma
I thoroughly enjoy Anita Shreve's style of writing and this book is no exception. I did however have problems getting any empathy going for the characters as I found them both shallow and unlikable. The story is an interesting one that I believe many people find themselves thinking of at some point in their adult life; "What if I met so-and-so again?". While most people would manage to resist the temptation Anita Shreve lets her two protagonists do the unthinkable and it ruins their lives and the lives of those around them. I'm happy that she avoided the sugar sweet ending that might be a temptation in a story such as this as it would have made the story unbearable.

A bit too close to home!
I have enjoyed many of Anita Shreve's books and I think we can all find something in our lives that identify with what we read. This book is one that I will treasure, simply because it is something I am experiencing at the moment, without the affair, I may add. Believe me, it can happen and is - 15 years on, feelings can still be strong for that first love - on both sides. Anita writes with such eligance in all her books and I think she has written this one particularly well, considering the delicate nature of the subject. There is no set rule as to how we will react in a similar situation, even if it is going to end in tears. Another beautiful book. Thank you.