When an accident renders her fiance a quadriplegic, carrie faces mounting pressures that ultimately cause her to start a new life in new york. The dive from clausen s pier is a very well done, well written story of 23 year old carrie bell, a young woman from madison, wisconsin. Songs without words, ann packers followup novel to the book club favorite bestseller the dive from clausens pier, once again showcases the many strengths packer possesses as a writer. Shes had the same best friend, the same good relationship with her. Carrie bell, like many 23yearolds just out of college, is searching searching for true love, searching for a true vocation, waiting for life to begin. It begins with a disaster that could happen to anyone and forces us to. The dive from clausens pier is a very well done, well written story of 23 year old carrie bell, a young woman from madison, wisconsin. The dive from clausens pier is a mustread novel that illuminates the meaning of friendship, loyalty and unconditional love. Only toward the end does the writing feel a tad predictable. Ann packer quotes author of the dive from clausens pier. Apr 01, 2001 from shortstory author packer mendocino, 1994, a reflective and probing first novel about a young woman reassessing her life after her fiance is crippled. The dive from clausen s pier animate this dilemma and carries startling response to it with the narrative assurance, exacting realism, and moral complexity we expect from the very best fiction. The dive from clausens pier animate this dilemma and carries startling response to it with the narrative assurance, exacting realism, and moral complexity we expect from the very best fiction.
As the title might suggest, a diving accident is the beginning. It does what the best novels so often do, making the largest things visible by its perfect rendering of life on the smaller scale. His fiancee, carrie, is not in love with him anymore and is. It begins with a disaster that could happen to anyone and forces us to ask how we would bear up in the face of tragedy. Oct 12, 2007 since im too cheap right now to go out and buy her new book, i instead added it to my wish list on and then ordered one of her older novels, the dive from clausens pier. The dive from clausens pier by ann packer, paperback. The dive from clausens pier tv movie 2005 the dive from. The dive from clausens pier will speak to all those who have ever thought. Adapted from a novel by ann packer, this madeforcable romantic drama stars michelle trachtenberg as. The premise is that our heroine hyperbole carrie bell wants out of an 8 year relationship with her nearly perfect high school sweet heart mike. The dive from clausen s pier is a 2005 lifetime original movie based on an ann packer novel directed by harry winer and starring will estes, michelle. The dive from clausens pier takes us on an unsettling page turner of a journey through carries dilemmas and discontents.
In ann packers first novel, the dive from clausens pier, mikes tragic accident, one that renders him a quadriplegic, brings on a much more uncertain, and painful, dilemma. Apr 21, 2015 the dive from clausen s pier is one of those small miracles that reinforce our faith in fiction. The dive from clausen s pier reminds us how precarious our lives are and how quickly they can be divided into before and after, whether by random accident or by the forces of our own desires. The dive from clausens pier is a 2005 lifetime original film based on an ann packer novel directed by harry winer and starring will estes, michelle trachtenberg, and sean maher. With michelle trachtenberg, sean maher, will estes, kristin fairlie. It begins with a disaster that could happen in anybodys life, and leaves us to asking what we know about our deepest allegiances. Putting this aside, a dive from clausen s pier is a thought provoking first novel recommended to many women.
The dive from clausens pier by ann packer librarything. Told in the first person, it is about a young woman, carrie bell, who has been engaged to be married to her high school sweetheart, but now they are out of. Ann packer is an american novelist and short story writer, perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed first novel the dive from clausen s pier. Released 2005, the dive from clausens pier stars michelletrachtenberg, willestes, seanmaher, kristinfairlie the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 36 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. The dive from claussens pier was first telecast by the lifetime network on july 25, 2005. Knopf told through first person narration, the novel centers on carrie bells response to her fiances paralysis and through her reactions, questions the obligations and loyalty people have to those in their life. The dive from clausens pier is a 2005 lifetime original movie based on an ann packer novel directed by harry winer and starring will estes, michelle. The dive from clausens pier animates this dilemmaand carries startling response to itwith the narrative assurance, exacting realism.
I actually did not enjoy this book, and it definitely leaves a very bitter tastes in the mouth after you finish. Putting this aside, a dive from clausens pier is a thought provoking first novel recommended to many women. Ann packer received the great lakes book award for the dive from clausens pier, which was a national bestseller. The dive from clausens pier tv movie 2005 the dive. Unhappy in the relationship, she is considering ending it when her fiance mike dives off clausens pier into shallow water and breaks his neck. It begins with a disaster that could happen out of the blue in anybodys life, and it forces us to ask how we would bear up in the face of tragedy and. It is witty, tragic and touching, and beguiling from the first page. The dive from clausens pier, by ann packer,became an immediate best seller when it was published in 2002. Jan, 2008 songs without words, ann packers followup novel to the book club favorite bestseller the dive from clausens pier, once again showcases the many strengths packer possesses as a writer. The dive from clausens pier vintage contemporaries ebook. Ann packer is the acclaimed author of two collections of short fiction, swim back to me and mendocino and other stories, and three bestselling novels, the childrens crusade, songs without words, and the dive from clausens pier, which received the kate chopin literary award, among many other prizes and honors. She is the recipient of a james michener award and a national endowment for the arts fellowship. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Carrie bell, who narrates ann packers beguiling first novel, has begun to.
The dive from clausens pier opens with an immediate tragedy to draw readers in to the story. Mike is a quadriplegic after suffering a major diving accident. The dive from clausen s pier reminds us how fragile our lives are and how quickly they can be divided into before and after. The dive from clausens pier by ann packer overdrive. The dive from clausens pier has an affinity with the work of rosellen brown. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the dive from clausen s pier study guide and get instant access to the following summary. The dive from clausens pier by ann packer about the book a riveting novel about loyalty and selfknowledge, and the conflict between who we want to be to others and who we must be for ourselves. The dive from clausens pier audiobook by ann packer. He is comatose for a period of time and, when he awakens, it is discovered that he is paralyzed.
The dive from clausens pier was in my opinion a good movie on the whole. Personal life packer was born in stanford, california. This study guide consists of approximately 42 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the dive from clausens pier. As the title might suggest, a diving accident is the beginning plot element around which the rest of the novel is written. The dive from clausens pier reminds us how fragile our lives are and how quickly they can be divided into before and after.
Feb 02, 2004 the dive from clausens pier is a mustread novel that illuminates the meaning of friendship, loyalty and unconditional love. The dive in question occurs at a reservoir 60 miles north of madison. At the beginning of the novel, she is spending a memorial day picnic with friends she has had since high school, including her fiance, mike. It begins with a disaster that could happen in anybodys life, and leaves us to asking. The dive from clausens pier vintage contemporaries. Scott turow a riveting novel about loyalty and selfknowledge, and the conflict. Listen to dive from clausens pier by ann packer at. Mike, showing off for his somewhat disgruntled fiancee carrie, dives into some water and seriously injures himself. Trouble is, everyone thinks she has found her life. The dive from clausens pier reminds us how precarious our lives are and how quickly they can be divided into before and after, whether by random accident or by the force of our own desires. Its not normally my kind of movie, i watched it mostly because of michelle trachtenberg. But when mike is paralyzed in a diving accident, leaving seems unforgivable and yet more necessary than ever. Apr 08, 2003 the dive from clausens pier has an affinity with the work of rosellen brown.
Since im too cheap right now to go out and buy her new book, i instead added it to my wish list on and then ordered one of her older novels, the dive from clausens pier. Apr 26, 2002 in ann packers first novel, the dive from clausen s pier, mikes tragic accident, one that renders him a quadriplegic, brings on a much more uncertain, and painful, dilemma. The dive from clausens pier by ann packer goodreads. The title of the dive from clausens pier relates to a dive into water that carries fiance mike makes in the opening chapter of this book. The dive from clausens pier reminds us how precarious our lives are and how quickly they can be divided into before and after, whether by random accident or by the forces of our own desires. Packer writes with a rare density of detail and ideas, and its just possible that the reader will be wiser at the end of the book than she was at the beginning. Dive from clausens pier had the potential to be a great story, but i was left with the feeling that carrie was at heart selfish and hadnt grown beyond selfishnessnot just because of her relationship with mike, but with all her relationships as she took from everyone, but seemed to feel no real obligation to give. The dive from clausen s pier was in my opinion a good movie on the whole. Ann packer is an american novelist and short story writer, perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed first novel the dive from clausens pier. May 12, 2002 the dive from clausen s pier takes us on an unsettling page turner of a journey through carries dilemmas and discontents. Ann packer is the acclaimed author of two collections of short fiction, swim back to me and mendocino and other stories, and three bestselling novels, the childrens crusade, songs without words, and the dive from clausens pier, which received the kate chopin literary award, among many. Carrie bell, like many 23yearolds just out of college, is searching. This is not the case in ann packers first novel, the dive from clausens pier.
The dive from clausens pier, by ann packer, tells the story of carrie bell, a twentythree year old woman who is engaged to her high school sweetheart. Like matrimony, he began to think, was a cure for an illness he hadnt known he had. Dive from clausen s pier had the potential to be a great story, but i was left with the feeling that carrie was at heart selfish and hadnt grown beyond selfishnessnot just because of her relationship with mike, but with all her relationships as she took from everyone, but seemed to feel no real obligation to give. The dive from clausens pier is one of those small miracles that reinforce our faith in fiction. With a keen and compassionate eye, she lays bare the nature of female friendships.
This article appeared in the february 2, 2004 issue of the hatchet. The dive from clausens pier is the bestselling debut novel of american author ann packer. The water level is too low and he is taken to hospital in a coma, with a broken back. Packer is able to develop an engaging story without compromising the eloquent writing for which her short stories are renowned. Twentythreeyearold carrie is already quietly bored with mike when he dives off the pier at clausens reservoir and breaks his neck. The dive from clausens pier animates this dilemmaand carries startling response to itwith the narrative assurance, exacting realism, and moral complexity we expect from the very best fiction.
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