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The Dive From Clausen's Pier
Unavailable
The Dive From Clausen's Pier
Unavailable
The Dive From Clausen's Pier
Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

The Dive From Clausen's Pier

Written by Ann Packer

Narrated by Scarlett Johansson

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

A suspenseful, richly layered first novel that asks: How much do we owe the people we love?

THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER will speak to all those who have ever thought about leaving when they knew they should stay, anyone who has ever felt trapped, not only by circumstance, but by the strength of their own love, Carrie Bell has lived in Wisconsin all her life. She's had the same best friend, the same good relationship with her mother, the same boyfriend, for as long as anyone can remember. But when her fiance, Mike is paralyzed by a tragic accident, Carrie has to question everything she thought she knew about herself and about the meaning of home.

Ann Packer has written a morally complex, deeply satisfying novel about the desire to live fully and the conflict between who we want to be to others and who we must be for ourselves. A magnificent debut from a remarkable new talent.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 9, 2002
ISBN9780553755572
Unavailable
The Dive From Clausen's Pier
Author

Ann Packer

Ann Packer is the acclaimed author of two collections of short fiction, Swim Back to Me and Mendocino and Other Stories, and two bestselling novels, Songs Without Words and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, which received the Kate Chopin Literary Award, among many other prizes and honors. Her short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and in the O. Henry Prize Stories anthologies, and her novels have been published around the world. She lives in San Carlos, California.

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Reviews for The Dive From Clausen's Pier

Rating: 3.4475327160493827 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

972 ratings46 reviews

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  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I could not get past my hatred of the main character.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I can see why others reviewed the book as they did, but as someone who was thrust into a 24/7 caregivers role much later in life, I found Carrie's struggle really spoke to me. These are real issues people are forced to face and at such a young age, I can totally believe the angst this would cause. I found all of that very true to life and honest and while not at all the same as my situation, it really spoke to me. Her treatment of the topic of how people struggle to know what to say following a life changing event is spot on, as is the impact on family, friends, and even the wider circle of acquaintances and co-workers in the community. Much of the rest of the story fell into the "good afternoon to curl up and read type of book" which is fine when that is just what you need.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Good book, realistic relationships. Sad.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A story of impossible choices and the surprising way we find our way in life
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Would not recommend this book. I am not even sure that there was a point to it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Good book, realistic relationships. Sad.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I had a hard time deciding whether to give this book 3 stars or four. I really liked it when I read it, and I found the characters very believable - especially a hipster/cynic character who shows up. It didn't resonate as deeply for me as other books have, but in the end I'm giving it four stars because it's still on my bookshelf when other books have been sold to Half-Price Books
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In an interview with Ann Packer that I heard on NPR, she said that she generally started her stories with an image and built the plot around that image. I find myself imagining which image was the catalyst for her novels while I'm reading. I also find myself encouraged by her description of her process, as it seems like it legitimizes my own writing process. Mine is much more like Packer's than it is like the "write up an outline and do your research before you start writing" process. I always feel inferior to writers who outline their plots before they start, which tinges my pleasure in reading their work.

    The plot of this book appealed to me on a couple of levels (beyond feeling a kinship to the author based on her writing process). First, I just like reading about the Midwest. And second, whenever things get difficult in my life, I retreat into fantasies of escape, of just hopping in my car and leaving everything behind. I never take these fantasies beyond that "jumping in the car" point, but that's just what Packer has done in this book. What happens when you get where you're going? What happens if you want to go home again?

    This is also a story of loss, and of how people (two people in particular) choose to deal with loss. Packer explores the relationship between our identities and our geographical location and the question of whether you can ever truly leave home. As someone who's never had one geographical location to call "home" (the question I generally ask is, "Would I know "home" if I saw it?"), I'm intrigued by the idea of someone living the same place all of her life, especially when that character pulls up stakes and leaves that lifelong home. I'm quite familiar with the pulling up stakes, but not so much the staying in one place.

    Packer seems very adept at painting vivid settings. With Songs Without Words, I wondered if I thought this just because I was familiar with the location of her story. But having never been to Madison, Wisconsin, and having spent less than 24 hours in New York City, I think I can safely say that the vivid image, both visual and physical, of these locations is a result of Packer's skill as a writer. I might be totally off in what I'm imagining the look of these cities to be and the feel of the air in different seasons, but the picture Packer painted drew me in and made me lose my sense of where I was (sitting on my sofa in Salt Lake City reading her book and hoping the baby would stay asleep long enough that I could finish just one more chapter). The accuracy of my image seems pretty irrelevant in this case.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "The accident happened to Mike not to me," girlfriend Carrie writes. But she is wrong. It happened to Mike and everyone around him. This is a sensitive and intimate look at the fallout of a life-altering accident -- especially but not exclusively -- on the girlfriend of the victim. Mike breaks his neck in, yes, a dive from Clausen's Pier. Despite diminishing affections, Carrie doesn't feel that she can break up with Mike and struggles in her new role as nurse/supporter. She literally escapes to NYC where she encounters a new world of opportunities (great look into the fashion design industry), new friends, and a new lover. The pull of hearth and home are too strong, however, and Carrie ultimately returns to Madison, WI, where she slowly forges a new life. Beautifully written, intimate, and articulate... this would be great bibliotherapy for anyone dealing with a loved one who has a life-altering illness/injury. It's also a great tale for the young adult trying to find their way in the world -- the perils and rewards of journeying out versus staying home.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Dive From Clausen's Pier is about Carrie Bell, a young woman who doesn't really give a lot of thought to other people's feelings. After her fiance is paralyzed from a diving accident (hence the title of the book) Carrie must decide if she can spend the rest of her life with a quadriplegic she doesn't really love anymore. After the decision has been made the rest of the book is more of the same, Carrie steamrolling over people's emotions while she forges ahead in search of what makes her happy. The Dive From Clausen's Pier is extremely well written. Character development is flawless. Carrie is supposed to make you angry. Her family and friends are appropriately hurt and slow to forgive. You may not agree with the character (I certainly didn't when it came to her second big decision), but you will agree with the words on the pages on which she comes to life.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Following a diving accident that leaves her fiance, Mike, paralyzed, the once happy and in love Carrie sets out for New York City to rediscover herself and start over. While her friends and fiance back home feel betrayed and heartbroken, Carrie meets up with a man named Kilroy who she had been introduced to before. Although Kilroy has a mysterious past and sets up a barrier between himself and Carrie, Carrie begins to fall in love with him. She must grapple with this new love as she is reminded of the fiance she left behind. Carrie starts attending fashion school and starts to redefine her life. However, when one of her friends from back home invites her to his wedding, she must confront the life she left behind."The Dive From Clausen's Pier" is a heartbreaking story. Ann Packer writes in a way that pulls the reader into the story and makes them want to read more.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The girl in this book, I just really wanted to shake her. I can't say much more without giving the story away. The author writes really well, so I stuck with the book til the end, even though I didn't want to know what this chick did. Descriptions of sewing were cool.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A little bit of a slow start, but it really picks up about halfway through the first section. The main character, Carrie, is very well developed and generated a lot of empathy for her terrible dilemma.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Behind the entire subject matter of this novel is Ann Packer's apparent knowledge of sewing---which I found fascinating and THAT was a real hook for me beyond the compelling subject of the novel. How would anyone deal with this issue of sudden paralysis, especially as a questioning fiance in the first place.,,,,what a subject to try and handle and I found the way Packer handled it completely compelling. The detail of Carrie's emotions was painfully wonderful. I read Packer's second novel before this one---I thoroughly enjoy the way she writes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Truly compelling story about loss and it's domino effect on our lives and of those around us. The author, Ann Packer creates a likeable main character with whom you empathize and sympathize with even when her actions are questionable. Ann Packer is a true talent, I look forward to reading more from her.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After her fiance braks his neck, Carrie must come to terms with their relationship, what she sees as her future, and how she is going to relate to her friends and mother now that the accident has changed everything. There are no easy answers when something serious and permanent happens, but this novel follows Carries as she attempts to deal--and in many ways fails to deal--with her guilt, what she thinks are her responsibilities, and with the expectations of those around her. The characters are interesting, even though this bleak time, and while the reader is kept at a bit of a close distance to the narrator, the strength of the scenes tells you almost all you need to know. Everyone is hurting in some way or another, it is just that some people hurt more than others at different times and for different reasons.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    i enjoyed this novel about Carrie Bell and her struggles after her fiance suffers paralysis from a tragic diving accident. Sometimes I got really frustrated with her, though, because some of her actions seemed to self-indulgent and impulsive. Yet that's how human beings behave, so I do think the author portrayed her realistically. The ending left me confused, though. I'm not really sure where Carrie's life was ultimately headed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An excellent and moving story of a young woman figuring out who she is and who she wants to be. A little unsatisfying in the end, but you cannot have everything. Carrie is engaged to her high school sweetheart and is having second thoughts. Her fiance, Mike, jumps in water that is too shallow and ends up a quadraplegic. Does she stay in a relationship that she really wasn't sure she wanted anyway? Does she go and live her own life? The answer is that she really doesn't do either, but the journey is very interesting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This heart-wrenching story is about love, tragedy, regret, and ultimately, learning what is most important in life and making hard choices.Carrie has been in love with Mike practically her whole life, but finds that after their engagement, her love for Mike has begun to ebb and she begins to question if their impending marriage is something she really wants.Just as she decides she must tell him that she is having second thoughts, they join some friends for a picnic at the lake where they have gone many times before to spend time together ~ only this time, Mike takes a dive off the pier, and suddenly, tragically, every one of them is changed forever.Carrie struggles at first to try to do the "right thing", what everyone expects her to do, but finds that she can't handle the situation and on an impulse, drives off to New York to visit a friend. That visit turns into a whole new life for Carrie, all the while ruminating about the life, and the love, she left behind. What Carrie goes through in this story makes the reader consider what they would do in the same situation....what choices they would make....what length they would be willing to go, for the sake of loyalty and just doing that "right thing".I did enjoy this book very much and would recommend it to others.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Worth it. First off, this book made me want to sew so badly, I could smell fabric on the ends of my fingertips. I lvoed Packer's use of the art of sewing and construction to emulate the protagonists struggle to construct a solid, perfect reality, even as her world unraveled. The Dive From Clausen's Pier starts with a tragic accident, and moves along with a rehabilitation. I almost didn't pick it up for this reason, as I feared it would be one of those books/movies (like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) where you live every painful, struggling thought alongside the protagonist. But no, here, it's not the guy who dove who winds up struggling, but his fiancee. And you do feel sorry for her...or you don't AT ALL. (I'm curious as to how other readers reacted to her.)The book made me guiltily relive just how selfish I was when I was 23-years-old, and made me (for once), grateful not to be in my twenties again. The struggle of that age is artfully expressed by Packer's characters, who run the reader through the emotions of guilt, (repeated) panic, rage for no reason, rage for good reason, grudges, longing, and everything else that is as far from settled and secure as you can get. Take a bow, Mrs. Packer. I'd love to read more of your fiction in the future. Oh, and I added a bonus star for the good sex :)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    As Carrie deals with the issues of a newly paralyzed fiance, pressures and expectations from everyone around her, decidedly undecided about who she is and what she wants from life she flees to NY. In NY she seeks out familiarity and adventure ending up in a relationship that seems to be as distant emotionally as she'd been previously with Mike her fiance. The story is interesting, kept my attention and was well written but I found myself frustrated with an ending that seemed to imply that she never really did find herself but instead "settled" into what she thought was expected of her. Often even mimicking the behaviors of others and I wasn't sure if it was for "show" or for "real". I felt this nagging feeling that she in the end still didn't know who she was or where she belonged but what was comfortable would be the "safest" choice. Almost like "you can take the small town girl out of the town but you can't take small town out of the girl" I was disappointed.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In Ann Packer's The Dive From Clausen's Pier, the central character has to quietly endure an upheaval of what was once a pleasant life after a tragic acccident alters the relationship she has with her high school sweetheart. She comes to feel isolated in her feelings that conflict with those of people around her who are ever watchful as to how she should be accommodating a situation she is beginning to sense is hopeless. Written in a staightforward manner, The Dive From Clausen's Pier maintains an attractive tone in its matter-of-fact descriptions of family life in modern-day Wisconsin. Just enough information is given about its characters for the reader to feel comfortable with them, and more would have been welcome. The story switches gears when it moves from Wisconsin to New York City. The storytelling then becomes forced, and small incidences that occur from that point on in the story read like a travel guide by someone who knows very little of what the Big Apple is about. The novel had its roots in suburban Wisconsin life, and it should have stayed there. This all makes the first half of the book compelling and the second half merely filler. This book could be used at the high school level (in snippets, cautiously, as there is strong adult content in its second half) as an English class exercise to study the scenario of alienation and isolation of a main character in a novel setting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great story set in the great Madison, Wisconsin! It is a story of love and loss. Guilt and recovery. This book is a winner!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is beautifully written, but I found it ultimately disappointing. It started off very well, with the descriptions of Carrie's feeling of being trapped in the life that was expected of her, and her budding determination to break her engagement and find her own life. Once her fiance takes that fateful dive on Memorial Day, it all starts to slip away. I think that the description of Mike's injury, treatment, and Carrie's guilt and resistance to others expectations is done well. However, when Carrie runs off to New York, she appears to want to become a completely different person, not just to explore her dreams. The descriptions of her love affair with fabric and fashion design are lovely. The message here seems to be that finding one's own life and purpose should be the goal. Great. Then, the message seems to be that such dreams are futile and that ultimately guilt and obligation will most likely win the day. A very disappointing end. Such a shame.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this book. Loved Ann Packer's writing style.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When her fiance dives from Clausen's pier & breaks his neck, the lives of everyone around them are changed forever. This engrossing story of families in crises is told from the POV of the girl, Carrie, who had expected her life to follow the normal sequence of small-town wife & mother. After the accident, her fiance gallantly offers to break the engagement. She gallantly refuses & continues with her wedding plans. But the accident has changed more than their physical selves. Carrie, forced to look at the reality of the situation discovers aspects of herself that she had not realized. How the 2 lovers & their families face & adjust to a tragedy is a compelling story not easily forgotten.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Carrie's story was hard to read--her life isn't written as a magnificent makeover story where all her dreams come true: she flees tragedy when others would stick it out and she buries herself in denial when she should be facing her problems. So though it's not a pretty story, it's an honest one.Carrie's self-doubt and general lack of direction was comforting; her blatant errors in judgment are hard to witness, but Packer could not have created a more realistic protagonist if she had provided a life-size model. Carrie is flawed, yes; but she is also compelling. We see how much potential she has, that she has held herself back for so many people (maybe even for Madison itself), and we see her baby steps of progression--I couldn't tear myself away from the pages, because I so desperately wanted her to succeed.The ending stayed with me for several days; I couldn't help but wish that Carrie had solved all her problems with a snap of her fingers, but I do like that her future was left open to interpretation: does she devote her life to Madison and the people there, or does she find her future elsewhere? I have my suspicions, but Packer respects her readers enough to let them decide for themselves.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I kinda hated this book, but also couldn't stop reading. The author has a gift for words, but at the same time I wanted to jump through the pages and throttle the protagonist, who acts a lot younger at times than she has any right too. Then central idea of the story, how much do you owe people, is an interesting idea that ultimately the author doesn't really explore enough. In fact I think she does a better job of this when it comes to the abandoned best friend than the abandoned injured boyfriend.It's hard to talk about this one much without spoiling it. The protagonist's attraction to the incredibly twee Kilroy is understandable at first. He has the unbearable sophomoric pretention that young people are prone to mistake for wisdom. Unfortunately, as you learn more about him -- like how old he actually is -- it seems rather amazing that the protagonist (and possibly the author) is blind to what this says about him. The book ends with a bit of a thud, and it's really disappointing that with a promising start you end up with a main character to whom things just happen, instead of one who really makes things happen for herself.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Easy reading. The girl fustrated me with all her possibilities that she doens't explore. Leaves her quad accident boyfriend to go to NY, and finds another guy who is mysterious, older, etc, then she goes back home. Sort of unfinished ending at times.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Really a wonderful read - light but insightful. Packer is a wonderful author - note how she makes a complicated subject ealisy understood and explained. I loved the New York "scene" and her fabric encounters.