This is a story of true love from the past, zinging its way into present lives. The characters are sympathetic and the author makes the reader feel the tension and emotions of all involved. Hated the ending!

Anita Shreve, I have a question for you. Are you any kin to Nicolas Sparks? You have to be the female version of him as this book, Where Or When, shows the same draw them in, make them fall in love with the characters, get them to pulling for them, only to do the EXACT opposite at the end! OH, COME ON! This is the second book of her's I have read and while I have enjoyed both, I have also hated both. The characters are so believable, so full of life. And in this instance, the subject hit so close to home. Not sure where she gets her inspirations from but I hope her true-to-life experiences are not being mirrored in her books.

Basically, the book is about two people, and two families. Charles and Sian met when they were 14 years old and at camp for a week. In this brief period of time, they developed a love that would last for a lifetime. And yes, I believe in love for a lifetime. Fast forward 31 years to the present. Charles is married with children and so is Siam....just not to each other. In a freak chance, Charles sees a photo and review of Sian's book in the newspaper and remembers the past and the emotions he still has even after all the years that have passed. Making a decision that will possibly change the lives of two families, he contacts her, only to find that she still feels the same emotions. From there, I leave it for you to imagine.......until you read the book. A great book in the same spirit of many of Nicolas Spark's books, this one will leave you emotionally drained at the end with all the ups, and downs. I read this one in a day!

The lyrics of the song from whence the title of the book came......

Where Or When

Music by Richard Rodgers
Words by Lorenz Hart



When you're awake
The things you think come from the dreams you dream.
Thought has wings,
And lots of things are seldom what they seem.
Sometimes you think you've lived before
All that you live today.
Things you do come back to you,
As though they knew the way.
Oh, the tricks your mind can play

It seems we stood and
Talked like this before
We looked at each other
In the same way then but
I can't remember where or when

The clothes you're wearing
Are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling
You were smiling then but
I can't remember where or when

Some things that
Happen for the first time
Seems to be happening again

And so it seems that
We have met before
And laughed before
And loved before but
Who knows where or when

I am a fan of Anita Shreve and have read other books by her but this one I didn't like. It's about a boy and a girl that first met when they were 14 years old at Summer Camp. They fell in love and had a sexual encounter. Thirty one years later when they are both married with children adults (not to each other) they meet again when the man sees a photo of the woman on the back of a book of poetry that she wrote. He writes a letter to her and eventually they meet and have an affair. The book flashes back and forth between when they were teenagers and now being adults, comparisons are made. It wasn't a believable story to me, it's complete fantasy.

If you liked any of her other books, you'll probably like this one too. It has a surprise end that made it worth the read for me.

Who hasn't dreamed about reuniting with one's first love? This is a seductive read. What would you do if, out of the blue, you received a leter from your first love? Sian Richards sees no reason why she can't write back to Charles Callahan. After all, it's been thirty years and they are both married with families. But when they decide to meet again, an innocent correspondence becomes a dangerous intimacy. Swept up in the past and consumed by an obsessive love, Charles and Sian risk everything to be together.

Read All Book Reviews of "Where or When"

I loved this book. It kept my attention throughout and was beautifully written. I highly recommend this book!

WOW WOW and more WOW!

A very interesting novel

What would you do if you receive a letter from your first love --- out of the blue, years later?

Good romance novel

First love and the dangers of it after you both have married someone else. It has been thirty years since they were first loves, what will it hurt to see each other and catch up on the years?Lots of suspense as well as reminicent love.

An affair and a sad ending, don't know why I read it.

A lovely story of a revisited past love - this book is difficult to put down.

I love Shreve's writing. I enjoyed Fortune's Rocks more but this was still a great read.

This was a very quick, and good, read! The story revolves around first loves who get to reunite with one another later in life. It's romantic and has some twists in the story. If you like Anita Shreve's other titles, you've got to read "Where or When". It also got rave reviews from The New York Times Book Review and The Wall Street Journal.

"Who hasn't dreamed about reuniting with one's first love? Where or When indulges the fantasy, then sets it afire...This is a seductive read." -Vogue

Read All Book Reviews of "Where or When"