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The Dive From Clausen's Pier | 
| Author: Ann Packer
Creator: Scarlett Johansson
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $10.00
You Save: $15.00 (60%)
New (2) Used (9) from $2.32
Rating:  408 reviews
Sales Rank: 1517078
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0553714988
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780553714982
ASIN: 0553714988
Publication Date: April 9, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Carrie Bell is the worst person in the world. Or so she would have you think. In the gripping, carefully paced debut novel of personal epiphany, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, by O. Henry Award winner Ann Packer, Carrie's very survival is dependent upon her leaving her fiance, even after he dives into shallow water at a Memorial Day picnic and becomes paralyzed. Things hadn't been going so well for the Madison, Wisconsin, high school and college sweethearts. Carrie knew, deep down, that she wasn't going to become Mrs. Michael Mayer. But expectations and pressure from all sides--his family, her mother, her best friend Jamie, Mike's best friend Rooster--force Carrie to shut herself up in her room and sew outfits of her own design as if in a trance. Then one night she slips out of the only universe she's ever known. Many hours later she finds herself on the doorstep of a high school classmate living in Manhattan. Carrie's adventures in the city--quirky roommates and a new romance with an older, emotionally impenetrable man--confuse her in her quest both to forgive herself and to embark on a career in fashion design. Packer writes in a convincing voice and packs a lot into this novel; she infuses Carrie with enough humanity and smarts to choose her own version of "happily ever after." --Emily Russin
Product Description
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3 cassettes, 5 hrs. 15 min.
A suspenseful, richly layered first novel that asks: How much do we owe the people we love?
THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER will speak to all those who have ever thought about leaving when they knew they should stay, anyone who has ever felt trapped, not only by circumstance, but by the strength of their own love, Carrie Bell has lived in Wisconsin all her life. She's had the same best friend, the same good relationship with her mother, the same boyfriend, for as long as anyone can remember. But when her fiance, Mike is paralyzed by a tragic accident, Carrie has to question everything she thought she knew about herself and about the meaning of home.
Ann Packer has written a morally complex, deeply satisfying novel about the desire to live fully and the conflict between who we want to be to others and who we must be for ourselves. A magnificent debut from a remarkable new talent.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 403 more reviews...
 Well-Written ... June 4, 2009
Busy Mom (Ohio)
I almost didn't pick this book up because of its subject matter, but once I did, I really couldn't put it down. From the first sentence to the last ... Packer had me enthralled with her story that I really couldn't put it down. (Yes, I am repeating myself here.) It is a story that I would not have imagined to be as richly detailed as it was, nor did I imagine the depth of emotions Packer brings to the reader. It is a year in the life of Carrie Bell, a young 23-year-old woman who has always had the same best friend and always with Mike, her fiance, who broke his neck in a diving accident. It is a painful coming of age story.
Carrie and Mike seemed to be the ideal couple, cute, friendly and easy-going. But even before the accident, Carrie was starting to drift away from Mike and though they were together when the accident happened, Carrie feels overwhelmed with everything. It finally reached a breaking point where she runs away to New York City, and falls in love with another man.
There are some stereotypical characters, such as the best friend (Rooster, who is Mike's best friend) who was bitterly angry with Carrie for what he thought was her lack of support; then there's Carrie's best friend, who tried to be supportive but only managed to drive Carrie away; Mike's mother who loves Carrie but is angry with her also; Carrie's mother who just tries to be sympathetic and more. There is also a bit of unreasonable expectations on some of these characters' part as well ... but that is what makes the book so unqiue. No one can predict what or how they will behave if they were part of an accident scene. And living in NYC for free? That is a bit over-reaching in the imagination on the author's part, but hey, it would be nice, wouldn't it?
This is a good read. I was surprised that I did enjoy the book since the reviews were mixed on this book. The writing style is superb and it carried me right along for a year in Carrie's life as she struggles with what has been and what will be and finding her own voice in the midst of the storm. It leaves the reader with the question, just what would you do?
6/4/09
Really Enjoyed May 25, 2009
R. Parlakian
Yes, it has its flaws but I found this book to be really engaging and read it almost straight through over the holiday weekend. Couldn't put it down. I felt like the author really understood the 20-something mind--and yes, Carrie was mixed-up, illogical, self-centered at times. That's how it is at that age for many. I do wish the author gave us more with the character of Kilroy and that the ending offered Carrie a wider horizon, but those are minor complaints. Great story.
 Boring..... April 7, 2009
Joanne Sellner (Savage, MN United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a boring book. For the first time in my life, while reading a book, I skipped to the end to see what in the world was going to happen in this boring book. Therefore, half of the book went unread. One has to keep in mind, the book originally came out in 1959 if I read the front pages correctly. So when you read about the clothing - dresses, etc., remember the year.
 A Young Woman Ponders Her Life and Whether She Should Marry her Quadraplegic Fiance' February 28, 2009
B. Brody (Fairbanks, Alaska)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is okay. It starts off good but loses momentum. I found it most interesting for its inner dialogue.
It is about a young woman whose fiance' becomes a quadraplegic after a diving accident. Prior to the accident, the relationship was troubled. After the accident, the young woman decides to leave her home town in order to work through her issues of whether to marry her fiance' or not. She wonders whether she feels obligated to marry him now that he is disabled. Would she have married him if he had not been in this accident?
This book is very well-written but lacks a certain cohesiveness.
The Dive From Clausen's Pier February 14, 2009
N. Welsh (Oregon, USA)
Enjoyable from beginning to end even tho the subject matter was sad. More true to life than most fantasy. Would recommend.
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