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There are currently 23 member reviews
for Flat Water Tuesday
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Kristen H. (Hagerstown, MD)
Flat
This book was so so, had a different impression when I selected this book. I did not like how it jumped back and forth. It took me a while to read it and get into it. I would have to say this last 10 chapters was better and it moved along quickly. Not a book I would recommend and I do have knowledge of crewing.
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Kimberly H. (Stamford, CT)
extensive rowing..........
Even though the writing is overly descriptive regarding the rowing, I thoroughly enjoyed this well written saga of prep school boys, their cantankerous coach and the event that changed all of their lives. The writer obviously knows his subject matter. Well done and highly recommended.
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Christina C. (Powells Point, NC)
A little slow going, but worth it
I really found this book interesting because it focused on things I don't know about - rowing, and National Geographic film making. Both were fascinating to learn about. At times I really felt like I was in the sweaty exercise room, one of the team. Or I felt like I was in the studio apartment with cabin fever from hours of editing.
I did find parts kind of slow going. We didn't need to hear about every.single.stroke of an exercise, or we didn't need to know excessive details (like about the shed, for example) that weren't pertinent to the storyline. The middle of the book had the feeling of a movie that ran about 30 minutes longer than it should have, in my opinion.
I thought the beginning was brilliant. You were hooked immediately and you knew the story was going to culminate and explain this big secret that rowing team shared with a dramatic climax.
I loved learning about the team members and I loved that the storyline kept switching to keep your attention and leave you wondering. We were looking at Rob's present with Carolyn, the past with Carolyn, his past at the school, his past with his family, and eventually the present at school, with the team, and with Carolyn at once.
As tiring as parts of the middle were, I'm glad I stuck it out. It was a great book I'm glad to have finished. I finished a few days ago and find myself missing the characters and the team's practice and progress.
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Diana J. (Highland Falls, NY)
Slow moving, but worth it
This book was a surprise...it started out slow (the letter at the beginning piques your interest) but the details about crew were slowish. But toward the middle it picks up, and you get swept into the lives of the main characters. It's written from two viewpoints-the past and the present, interwoven into several members of the rowing crew and their experiences at an upper crust prep school. Rob and John, both members of the crew, meet, are on the same team, and become involved in a tragedy which affects both their lives. It's not just a book about sports, so don't let that stop you from reading it. It is a book about how the sport cements relationships, and teaches lessons for the future. As I said, it started out slow, but it picks up in the middle and the ending is definitely worth it. I recommend it.
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Darlene C. (Woodstock, IL)
Great story, disappointing ending
I thoroughly enjoyed this book but found the ending disappointing. The author did a great job of developing the characters of the rowing team. The descriptive quality of the rowing itself was superb. The story was interesting. Unfortunately, the ending left me thinking, "what the heck does that mean?" After the great job in the rest of the book, the ending felt as if the author didn't know how to bring closure. Two weeks after finishing I still find myself thinking about the main character and wondering what his decision was. Some books do this purposefully, but that did not feel like the case this time. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise very good book.
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Sharalynne P. (Munster, IN)
Loves Learning About Something New
I didn't think I would like this book when I first started reading it..I didn't know anything about rowing and it really wasn't a subject I was interested in learning about. But this book was really more than that and I did like it. I would definitely recommend this book for a book club. There are many topics in here that would make for a good discussion. Plus, you might, like me learn something that you knew nothing about!
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Dell T. (Las Vegas, NV)
Better Than Expected
Something about the preview description had made this book sound more like a version of "A Separate Peace" - that high school classic assignment. Private school boys, a rowing team, a reunion, etc. However, I liked this first person narrator and the story in general a lot more. Plus there's a female character, and Carolyn seemed very believable to me. I also enjoyed his position with National Geographic.
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