This book traces the lives and families of two extremely different men who become friends as undergraduates. One is born into wealth and establishment - but wants to save third world countries. The other is born poor and Jewish - and wants to make a fortune. The author does an outstanding job of portraying, with great clarity, all aspects and intricacies of these two lives. The observations regarding all aspects of life and human interaction made by the two main characters and their family members seemed not only very accurate, but reflected a deep understanding of two very different lives and places and circumstances in which they found themselves. The two main characters are quite flawed people, but it is those flaws that made them extremely real for me. I felt that generally the first part of the book (which dealt with the parental generation) was better done than the second part (which deal more with the daughters of each of the main characters. However, some of the insights on the part of the daughters were excellent.
I would recommend this book. It is well written, although easy to read, and an excellent study of many aspects of two different lives lived (mostly) in our country over the past fifty years.

Christina Schwarz is an outstanding storyteller. The Edge of the Earth is a beautifully crafted story set primarily in a desolated, remote, lonely lighthouse site. Of course, there is more going on among the characters than the simple story line might suggest! The descriptions of nature, the ruggedness of the spot and the beauty of the aquatic natural world are outstanding. The characters are well drawn. I particularly enjoyed the protagonist's view of Oskar, her husband, who presented her with some extremely human conflicts. I thoroughly enjoyed The Edge of the Earth.