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| A Day at the Beach: A Novel | 
| Author: Helen Schulman
Publisher: Mariner Books
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $6.94
You Save: $6.01 (46%)
New (25) from $6.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 114332
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0547053606
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780547053608
ASIN: 0547053606
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW: NEVER READ...!!!!.(may have faint shelf wear from bookstore)..ALL ORDERS SHIP SAME OR NEXT BUSINESS DAY, FREE POSTAL DELIVERY CONFIRMATION FOR U.S. ORDERS, TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE !!!!
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Product Description
The marriage of Gerhard and Suzannah Falktopf is already in trouble when tragedy strikes on the morning of September 11, 2001. Though they escape harm when the planes crash into the towers, husband and wife are suddenly cast into an unpredictable psychological space that allows their repressed selves, and their sharp differences, to rise to the surface. With their young son and nanny in tow, they head for the safety of the Hamptons. But despite their soft landing in this cocoon of privilege, the unleashed demons will push them to their psychic limits -- so much so that by the next morning they will hardly recognize each other.
Taking place over a manic twenty-four hours, A Day at the Beach is a fast-paced, razor-sharp story whose personal tragedy contains sparks of dark humor about American life pre- and post-9/11. Helen Schulman has crafted a powerful portrait of a marriage in crisis, framed by one of the darkest events in our country's history.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Couldn't put it down. August 25, 2008
While 9/11 is used as a jumping-off point and as a backdrop to this novel, it's about so much more. The poignancy of coping with an autistic child is detailed beautifully, as is a mother's (sometimes obsessional) love for her child, while the father stands (willingly)on the sidelines. The characters are richly detailed and the dialogue propels the story forward. I wanted the book to continue, so I could follow these people and see what happened next! But I think the reader is left with a pretty good idea, based on this unbelievably significant and traumtic day in their lives.
 Ho hum February 12, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Other reviewers rated this so highly, and it is so short that I decided to invest the time. Alas, a waste. This is essentially a short story padded out to be a novella. The padding is the two main characters internal boring dialogue about their lives and shaky marrage. Very little happens. Though it is a 911 story, the plot has little to do with the events of that day. I would say though that the pages depicting the chaos and terror of that day are quite compelling-the best part of the book. The husband is arrogant and self-absorbed. the wife is equally self-aborbed and narcistic. Even tho it's short, I wouldn't recommend spending 200+ pages with these annoying characters.
 9/11 -- always with us December 28, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
We will all remember where we were on 9/11 -- I have friends in NYC who watched it happen and I cannot conceive of how I would have reacted. This novel is well told, well written -- and definitely worth the time.
Couldn't put it down December 20, 2007
I savored this book as I read it, and knew even before I reached the end that I'd start over as soon as I finished. Which is what I did. Beautifully written and engaging.
A Very Personal Take on a Monumental Tragedy September 29, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Schulman's novel portrays the relationship between a choreographer and his wife and how September 11 impacts on their lives and the life of their child. Living near the World Trade Center, our main protagonits are forced to flee the city after the planes fly into the buildings. It is a brilliantly written novel and in its short length manages to convey a whole world of grief and horror in writing that is muscular, compelling and compassionate. One of the main strengths of this book is the different perspectives of these horrific events through the main characters' eyes, Gerhard and Suzannah. As readers we vacillate between them, sometimes identifying with Gerhard and frustrated with his ex-dancer wife Suzannah. Then there are other times when we are furious with Gerhard's teutonic arrogance, understanding full well Suzannah's impatience with him. Another strength of Schulman's writing is the way she holds back divulging why certain characters behave the way they do till much later. In doing this, Schulman forces us to reassess our judgements of these people and we as readers are all the better for this. It is a superb book. I urge you to read it.
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