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Rescue: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 6,905 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A rookie paramedic pulls a young woman alive from her totaled car, a first rescue that begins a lifelong tangle of love and wreckage.
Peter Webster pulls a young woman out of a car wreck that should have killed her. Sheila Arsenault haunts his thoughts, and despite his misgivings Peter is soon embroiled in an intense love affair -- and in Sheila's troubled world.
Eighteen years later, Sheila is long gone and Peter is raising their daughter, Rowan, alone. But Rowan is veering dangerously off course, and for the first time in their quiet life together Peter fears for her future. He seeks out the only person who may be able to help Rowan, although Sheila's return is sure to unleash all the questions he has carefully been keeping at bay: Why did a mother leave her family? How did the marriage of two people so deeply in love unravel?
A story about trespass and forgiveness, secrets and the seismic force of the truth, Rescue is a masterful portrayal of a family trying to understand its fractured past and begin again.
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"I really liked this book, I don't really know why. It was something different, a different kind of story. It was an enjoyable book to read because you always wanted to know what was going to happen next. I read it in one day and I, obviously, think it's a pretty quick read. It's about a man and he's raising his 17 year old daughter alone due to his wife having to leave when their daughter was younger. The book starts off with the girl being 17 and then goes back 18 years and you see the father & mother's life leading up to when the daughter is 17. I thought it was really cute, happy, and sad. I really liked it, i'm kind of sad it's over :("
— Allison (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“From its opening car crash, Rescue is worth the ride…No one can create the beginning of a complex relationship like Shreve…Shreve gets deep inside these characters, and her insights draw us into their lives…A story of hope and fear, of promises made and broken…Shreve creates a little world, peoples it with believable characters, and puts them through agonizing and joyful moments without a false note or a dissonant figure of speech.”
— Washington Post -
“A paramedic and the troubled young beauty he saves propel Shreve’s engrossing latest...With the insistent thrum of life-and-death EMT calls as background, Shreve’s vividly told tale captures the deep-seated fears of mortality and loneliness that can drive us to test the bounds of family and forgiveness.”
— People -
“Compelling…Fans of Anita Shreve will likely devour this new novel.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Holland vocalizes the simplest scenarios with compassion as he deftly captures Peter’s gentle soul and Sheila’s destructive compulsions.”
— AudioFile -
“A thoroughly absorbing, perfectly paced domestic drama. Alternating between life-and-death scenarios Pete encounters on the job and the fraught family tension between father and daughter, Shreve pulls readers right into her story.”
— Booklist
Awards
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Selected for the December 2010 Indie Next List
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
Rescue Listener Reviews
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" Ok, despite the fact that this is an easy read, is predictable, and is a Lifetime special waiting to happen, I actually liked this book. I do think it had something to do with the fact that my brain is fried with other things going on in my life and I just wanted a no brainer. So, yes, this book is your no brainer, folks. If you are looking for a beach read, go for it. If you are looking for intelligent banter, narrative, and prose, pick something else. Let me give it to you in a nutshell: boy meets alcoholic girl, girl get pregnant, boy marries girl, girl has baby, baby and girl in car accident due to alcohol, boy sends girl away, boy raises baby, baby grows and gets in bad accident, baby is in coma, boy calls girl, girl comes and sits with 18 year old baby, baby comes out of coma, boy, girl and 18 year old baby talk, boy, girl and 18 year old baby live happily ever after. Seriously. Just add in some descriptions of his job, the landscape, their house and various other fluff and you got it. See? I just saved you a ton of time. "
— Melissa, 2/8/2014 -
" I enjoyed this. I was a "quiet" book. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing made me cry or think too heavily (which is NICE sometimes!). It was a story about flawed people making mistakes and others doing the best they can. I'm glad the ending wasn't wrapped up nice and tidy, all forgiveness and light. I'm glad there were consequences for the bad choices made. And I want to set Webster up with some nice single gals I know, LOL. PS: I really enjoyed the medic scenes! "
— Journeyfan, 1/28/2014 -
" This book was on the monotone side. Content was good but seemed to drag along. "
— Donna, 1/26/2014 -
" Instead of The Big Tragedy in the middle of the book, as is common with Shreve's novels, this one comes at the end. I thought she did a good job of capturing the emotions of the father, who soldiers on despite his ex-wife's many failings. Every daughter deserves such a caring father. "
— W., 1/20/2014 -
" Wonderful book. Truly enjoyed it and can't wait to read another book by this author. I highly recommend this book! "
— Mary, 1/8/2014 -
" Very disappointed by this book as I usually really enjoy Shreve's books. "
— Paula, 12/21/2013 -
" I've read most of what Anita Shreve has written and appreciated that her books combine literature with almost soap opera relationship/family stories. This one didn't have the "literature" element and it felt like I was reading any ole cheesy romance novel.... "
— Elke, 12/2/2013 -
" I have always enjoyed books by Anita Shreve. This was a nice contmporary story. "
— Judy, 11/30/2013 -
" Single father raising daughter. All is well until she reaches 17 years old ... and then ... boom ... who is that girl? Really enjoyed this novel and will place the author's previous novels on my "on hold" list. Thanks, Susan, for the nudge to read this book! "
— Brenda, 10/31/2013 -
" Kept me on my toes and story of emotion and coming of age "
— Pearson, 9/21/2013 -
" Easy reading, pleasant and undemanding. "
— Lindsay, 5/10/2013 -
" Very good. Interesting information about EMT professionals and a poignant father daughter story. "
— Jill, 4/23/2013 -
" Had this been first Shreve for me, it would have been my last. Boring dialogue, limited characters. Disappointing. "
— Jo, 4/5/2013 -
" Nothing spectacular about this book. Same old, same old. I would not recommend it. "
— Jocelyn, 3/23/2013 -
" Not my favorite of this authors works. "
— Sheila, 2/24/2013 -
" Always enjoy Anita Shreve, but have not yet found one that beats 'The Last Time They Met.' This one had great character development, but would have liked to have more on the father/daughter dynamic - I rarely say this, but the book could have been longer with more detail. "
— Gail, 12/15/2012 -
" I consider Anita Shreve one of my favorite authors...read all her books. This one just wasn't as good. I was disappointed. "
— Christee, 12/5/2012 -
" This one was a little 'lighter' than other Anita Shreve books. Good enough story but not so much depth. "
— Paulette, 8/1/2012 -
" Not bad but not great. Interesting characters but the story was not that interesting. "
— Patricia, 6/6/2012 -
" I tried this book because the plot sounded interesting. It was, but I thought all the characters were flat and stereotypical, and their motivations were not very clear in the story. "
— Jessie, 5/24/2012 -
" I love Anita Shreve. This is one of her best! "
— Maureen, 4/23/2012 -
" Shreve did a great job describing the details of the life of an EMT and had obviously done her research. However, the story line and characters were not that engaging, and her use of Vermont as a setting was less than effective. "
— Jsarno49, 4/22/2012 -
" Easy to read, but full of cliches about the good solid man trying to rescue the nutty women (first wife, then daughter) in his life. Nobody's as perfect as this guy! A much better book with similar themes was "Good to a Fault" by Marina Endicott. "
— Nette, 3/9/2012 -
" Fairly predictable. I thought some of the descriptions of what it is like to live with an alcoholic as very real. Some of the scenes of the EMT who is the central character were also quite realistic. "
— Becky, 12/10/2011 -
" Another hard-to-put-down story by the talented Anita Shreve! "
— Kate, 10/12/2011 -
" LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! "
— Jordyn, 7/30/2011 -
" I thought it was ridiculous. Maybe I don't understand alcoholism, but I was so annoyed reading about giving more chances to an alcoholic. I couldn't wait for the book to end. "
— Karla, 6/30/2011 -
" A fast read, but nothing special. "
— Carolyn, 6/28/2011 -
" Why did I ever pick up this book? And why did I ignore many inner messages, once I started it, telling me that the writing was horrible and I did not believe or care about the characters at all? I am nothing if not persistent; I finished it. Badly written crap. "
— Lyn, 6/27/2011 -
" I give this 2.5 stars. It is a completely acceptable book to read at the pool to pass the time. Frankly, I expected more. The characters are not really likable, their behavior did not always make sense in the context of what was going on and it was kind of boring. "
— Allison, 6/21/2011 -
" Anita Shreve weaves an excellent story of an EMT who rescues others and lives a life surrounded by loved ones who are in need of rescue. This is a fairly fast, enjoyable read. "
— Julie, 6/15/2011 -
" This book was quite compelling - finished in two days. Anita Shreve never disappoints. "
— Sarah, 6/12/2011 -
" I really think that her earlier works were much better than her recent books. A not very realistic portrayal of the work of an EMT contributes to the lower quality of this piece. The story has the potential to be better than it is. "
— Pat, 6/11/2011 -
" Quick read. I enjoyed the story, especially now that I understand the emotions and great sense of responsibility that comes with being a parent. "
— Caroline, 6/9/2011 -
" My first of her books. Really enjoyable! She might be a new favorite!! "
— Charlotte, 6/6/2011 -
" This book was intriguing the whole way through...I love a good mystery novel. :) "
— Michelle, 6/1/2011
About Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels, including Rescue; A Change in Altitude; Testimony; The Pilot’s Wife, which was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club; and The Weight of Water, which was a finalist for England’s Orange Prize.
About Dennis Holland
Dennis Holland is a voice actor with an extensive background from commercials for Lucky Charms, Sam Adams, Panasonic, American Express, and others, to audiobooks by authors such as Anita Shreve, William Gibson, and Douglas Brinkley. He previously worked as a talent representative for television sports and news personalities.