GIVEAWAY ENDEDTHE HEIGHTS
BY PETER HEDGES
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin.
Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she's also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn't quite understand, even as all the Range Rover- driving moms jockey for invitations into Anna's circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world.
Like Tom Perrotta, Peter Hedges has a keen eye for the surprising truths of daily life. The Heights is at once light of touch and packed with emotion and depth of character.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PETER HEDGES is a novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. He wrote both the novel and the screenplay What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and is the writer-director of Pieces of April starring Katie Holmes and Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carrell. His screenplay for About a Boy was nominated for an Academy Award. Hedges lives with his wife and children in Brooklyn, New York. REVIEW:
Peter Hedges, the accomplished author who is known for writing WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, PIECES OF APRIL, along with other well-loved stories, has now written THE HEIGHTS, a humorous, thought-provoking, and entertaining book about men and women’s relationships and family dynamics. It’s the story of Tim Welch, a well-liked but underpaid private school history teacher and his wife of 9 years, Kate Oliver. Kate is a stay at home mom caring for their two young sons in their home in Brooklyn Heights, New York City. They feel that although living in this area is costly and also has such financial pressure, it is worth it as THE HEIGHTS is a good place to raise their children--full of upper, middle class families with activities for the children and parents alike to interact with.
The other major characters are Anna Brody who moves into the neighborhood and is immediately THE person to know with her wealth and connections; Bruno Schwine who runs a charitable foundation and happens to be Kate’s former boss; Jeff, a famous, wealthy actor who was Kate’s former boyfriend; and Bea, a student of Tim’s who has a crush on him but also seems to appear in the story and strange events invariably follow. Hedges writes the story from a first person point of view from each of these characters. They each tell a part of the story and so make it very interesting to experience as readers will see what is going on through the eyes of the character. I think it is very cleverly done and an enjoyable way to experience a book.
When Bruno offers Kate a huge salary to come back to work for him, Tim becomes the Mr. Mom, taking time off from teaching to also finally finish his doctoral paper. It is at this time that Tim gets to know Anna better and the plot thickens as they say. With the taste of fame and fortune as a strong aphrodesiac, the couple becomes involved in situations that can not be chalked up as being positive ones. Can Anna really make that much of a difference in such a short time in this couple‘s life? Does the role reversal of jobs effect Kate and Tim and cause problems that can’t be solved? Will the excitement of an old flame, now famous and ruthless, be too much temptation for Kate? With all this, can Tim and Kate’s marriage survive? What answers you find will undoubtedly take place in THE HEIGHTS. Do not miss Peter Hedges’ THE HEIGHTS as I had a rare-sit-down-and-read-in-one-sitting experience with this highly enjoyable book!
Submitted originally to Ijustfinished.com
Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin.
Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she's also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn't quite understand, even as all the Range Rover- driving moms jockey for invitations into Anna's circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world.
Like Tom Perrotta, Peter Hedges has a keen eye for the surprising truths of daily life. The Heights is at once light of touch and packed with emotion and depth of character.
PETER HEDGES is a novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. He wrote both the novel and the screenplay What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and is the writer-director of Pieces of April starring Katie Holmes and Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carrell. His screenplay for About a Boy was nominated for an Academy Award. Hedges lives with his wife and children in Brooklyn, New York. Peter Hedges, the accomplished author who is known for writing WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, PIECES OF APRIL, along with other well-loved stories, has now written THE HEIGHTS, a humorous, thought-provoking, and entertaining book about men and women’s relationships and family dynamics. It’s the story of Tim Welch, a well-liked but underpaid private school history teacher and his wife of 9 years, Kate Oliver. Kate is a stay at home mom caring for their two young sons in their home in Brooklyn Heights, New York City. They feel that although living in this area is costly and also has such financial pressure, it is worth it as THE HEIGHTS is a good place to raise their children--full of upper, middle class families with activities for the children and parents alike to interact with.
The other major characters are Anna Brody who moves into the neighborhood and is immediately THE person to know with her wealth and connections; Bruno Schwine who runs a charitable foundation and happens to be Kate’s former boss; Jeff, a famous, wealthy actor who was Kate’s former boyfriend; and Bea, a student of Tim’s who has a crush on him but also seems to appear in the story and strange events invariably follow. Hedges writes the story from a first person point of view from each of these characters. They each tell a part of the story and so make it very interesting to experience as readers will see what is going on through the eyes of the character. I think it is very cleverly done and an enjoyable way to experience a book.
When Bruno offers Kate a huge salary to come back to work for him, Tim becomes the Mr. Mom, taking time off from teaching to also finally finish his doctoral paper. It is at this time that Tim gets to know Anna better and the plot thickens as they say. With the taste of fame and fortune as a strong aphrodesiac, the couple becomes involved in situations that can not be chalked up as being positive ones. Can Anna really make that much of a difference in such a short time in this couple‘s life? Does the role reversal of jobs effect Kate and Tim and cause problems that can’t be solved? Will the excitement of an old flame, now famous and ruthless, be too much temptation for Kate? With all this, can Tim and Kate’s marriage survive? What answers you find will undoubtedly take place in THE HEIGHTS. Do not miss Peter Hedges’ THE HEIGHTS as I had a rare-sit-down-and-read-in-one-sitting experience with this highly enjoyable book!
Submitted originally to Ijustfinished.com
"Quick 'N Easy"
GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO RENEE AND MY GOOD FRIENDS
AT Ijustfinished.com, I WAS ABLE TO GET
A COPY OF THE HEIGHTS TO REVIEW.
I AM GIVING AWAY MY GENTLY READ
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THE HEDGES
