Three Women At The Water's Edge (1996) - Plot & Excerpts
Nancy Thayer has an immense ability for capturing and conveying the complexity of women. Wonderful story!From back cover:"From the surf of Maine to lakeshore Milwaukee to Canada's Pacific mists, each of the Wallace women, a mother and her two daughters, is looking across her treasured home waters to the horizons of change.Margaret has gone from a matronly doctor's wife who carried everyone's burdens to a svelte single, her hard-won freedom invaded by a compassion she dare not feel.Her daughter Daisy turns desperately to her mother, pregnant with her third child, her cozy, sloppy, domestic world ripped apart by her husband's elopement with a sexy young journalist.Sophisticated Dale's heady, obsessive passion for a co-teacher is shadowed by her mother's and sister's divorces. Is this the perilous price tag of love and belonging?These three women-warm, funny and courageous-are about to ride a bittersweet merry-go-round of joy and pain, love and illusion, reconciliation and rediscovery, in this classic bestseller that has won the hearts of women everywhere."
This is a terrific book and one that will never disappear from my shelves - I love to re-read it from time to time. It's beautifully written, not as insubstantial and easily forgotten as so much modern women's fiction. The detail of the environment and inner lives of the characters is rich, sensual and very engaging. The three stories are beautifully balanced - first serious love, motherhood and empty nest - we meet these women as they are poised "at the edge" of those major transitions and it's a wonderful journey following the choices they make. I first read this book when I was in my early 20s - and even then it was the mother's character that I most connected with. A character that lived a life filled with beauty, discipline, independance, courage and determination. This book even inspired me to visit Vancouver! My copy is very tatty now, and I look forward to when it becomes an e-book (will publishers make author's back catalgues available? I do hope so!)
What do You think about Three Women At The Water's Edge (1996)?
I first read this novel years ago after it was recommended by an editor friend of mine. I have since re-read it, and found it every bit as wonderful and satisfying as on the first read. I could relate to the characters, especially Margaret and Daisy, who resonated with me. The handling of each woman's storyline is as deft as it is subtle. We come to know them as real people, loveable and deserving of love despite their flaws. Anyone who loves a good novel - notice I use the word "novel" and not women's fiction title - should read THREE WOMEN AT WATER'S EDGE. Once you get your feet wet, you won't look back.
—Eileen Goudge
A mother and 2 daughters struggling at the crossroads of their lives to find their way.It was well and compassionately written, showing the complexities and the ever changing stages of our lives. I sympathised with Margaret and understood how she felt after a life time of putting others first. I have seen my daughter grapple with a similar situation as Daisy's and the difficulties of the single parent with small children. Dale on the other hand has deep felt fears to face and overcome about love and commitment.
—Joan
