Crossing to Safety
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- Create Date：2021-05-26 11:56:42
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Wallace Stegner
- ISBN：0141394951
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Summary
Called a "magnificently crafted story 。 。 。 brimming with wisdom" by Howard Frank Mosher in "The Washington Post Book World，" "Crossing to Safety" has， since its publication in 1987， established itself as one of the greatest and most cherished American novels of the twentieth century。 Tracing the lives， loves， and aspirations of two couples who move between Vermont and Wisconsin， it is a work of quiet majesty， deep compassion， and powerful insight into the alchemy of friendship and marriage。
Reviews
Linda Churchill
，
My first Stegner novel。 It won’t be my last。 It’s an ode to friendship and family 。 A delightful read。
Regina
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You come to me and say， “I’m going away to a cabin in the woods by myself for a few days， to escape the noise of 21st century life。 I need to recenter my priorities and remember what it can be like to disconnect with electronics and reconnect with humanity。 I want to take something to read， similar to the incomparable Stoner by John Williams， that will remind me why I fell in love with literature。 A quiet book where I can derive pleasure from the beauty of the words on the page and the images th You come to me and say， “I’m going away to a cabin in the woods by myself for a few days， to escape the noise of 21st century life。 I need to recenter my priorities and remember what it can be like to disconnect with electronics and reconnect with humanity。 I want to take something to read， similar to the incomparable Stoner by John Williams， that will remind me why I fell in love with literature。 A quiet book where I can derive pleasure from the beauty of the words on the page and the images they conjure。 It’s alright if it breaks my heart a little。”I get up， take Crossing to Safety off the bookshelf， and press it into your hands。 “This is the book，” I say。“Really？” you ask。 “A book written in the ‘80s about a decades-long friendship between two married couples？ Hmm。 I think I’ve heard of it。”“Yes，” I respond。 “You probably have。 It’s a favorite of many astute readers。 Had it not been for the inclusion of some plot points I try to avoid， it might have been one of mine。”“Huh， okay。 Then this is the book，” you confirm as you slide it into your bag。“Yes it is，” I smile before adding while you walk out the door， “Just don’t forget you said you were alright with a broken heart。”Blog: https://www。confettibookshelf。com/IG: @confettibookshelf 。。。more
Megan
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I know that Wallace Stegner is not for everyone， but geez Louise he is for me。 He is a masterful storyteller， an impeccable character builder， and an incredibly insightful observer of human relationships。
Eric Paradis
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A story about friendship， but as it moves on it becomes a story about marriage。 From an acclaimed 20th-century American author， the structure of prose that dresses up the scaffolding of the plot is very engaging。 A nice discovery。
Brandi Morpurgo
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A slow burn of a dying campfire， a waltz at sunset， a leisurely walk by the pond - this is how Wallace Stegner’s book made me feel。 The tale of a 40 year friendship between 2 couples that spans careers and creative pursuits， emotional ups and downs， relationship endurance amidst challenges and the intimacy between grown-ups in the most idealistic way。 Sid & Charity， Larry & Sally - these 4 embodied what I always aspired to in true friendship， the honest awareness of each other and familial love A slow burn of a dying campfire， a waltz at sunset， a leisurely walk by the pond - this is how Wallace Stegner’s book made me feel。 The tale of a 40 year friendship between 2 couples that spans careers and creative pursuits， emotional ups and downs， relationship endurance amidst challenges and the intimacy between grown-ups in the most idealistic way。 Sid & Charity， Larry & Sally - these 4 embodied what I always aspired to in true friendship， the honest awareness of each other and familial love & support that even death can’t shake。 A beautifully written story that may have taken literary tangents every now and then， but always returned to the heart of the story。 。。。more
Geoffrey Huys
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I found this book while on a walk last week here in Ballard。 It was on the sidewalk with some others that a person here in Ballard was giving away。 When I saw it was a Wallace Stagler novel I picked it up immediately and started reading the next day。I’ve only read one other of his books， Angle of Repose， but I knew I would be likely in for a treat and I was not disappointed。 This is a story that literally pulled me in from the very first page and I gobbled it down in six days which is fast for m I found this book while on a walk last week here in Ballard。 It was on the sidewalk with some others that a person here in Ballard was giving away。 When I saw it was a Wallace Stagler novel I picked it up immediately and started reading the next day。I’ve only read one other of his books， Angle of Repose， but I knew I would be likely in for a treat and I was not disappointed。 This is a story that literally pulled me in from the very first page and I gobbled it down in six days which is fast for me because I read slowly to savor every word when I really like a book。I’m not going to try to do justice to a review but just to say that this book explores people and their relationships， love and friendship and what it means to have a lasting bond with others。 That’s enough！ If you haven’t read it I’d recommend it。 。。。more
Bryan Fg
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Great story; I love how it was given。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top
Nancy Hinsey
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After reading Stegner's Pulitzer winner， "Angle of Repose，" I knew I wanted to read more of his words。 This book is also crafted superbly， so finely dissecting and exposing the guts of a friendship， I wondered how it could have so many pages。 I've given myself three days to let the dust settle， and find that what rises to the surface now is the story of a friendship that was born fully recognized， and lasted throughout the lifetimes of the four people who comprised it。 The author has insights an After reading Stegner's Pulitzer winner， "Angle of Repose，" I knew I wanted to read more of his words。 This book is also crafted superbly， so finely dissecting and exposing the guts of a friendship， I wondered how it could have so many pages。 I've given myself three days to let the dust settle， and find that what rises to the surface now is the story of a friendship that was born fully recognized， and lasted throughout the lifetimes of the four people who comprised it。 The author has insights and revelations about such relationships that show a profound understanding， perhaps his own intimate knowledge of how such a mingling of personalities， goals， obsessions and peculiarities can be sustained for a lifetime。 Well worth pondering many of sentences in this masterpiece。 。。。more
Diane Winer
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Brilliant I first read and enjoyed this book shortly after its publication in 1987。 Now， nearly a quarter of a century later， older and I hope wiser but certainly more experienced in life experiences， I have relished each moment of this brilliant novel。 I will long remember the moving saga of precious friendships told amidst so many brilliantly described backdrops。 Stegner’s mastery of the English language was a gift that we are so fortunate he shared。
Paul Michael
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A novel by an academic about an academic novelist in which one will find a lot of academia and little novelty。 To quote the novel itself， "How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these？" Indeed。 Which is a shame since Stegner's prose itself is polished， often stating things expertly。Book Club selection A novel by an academic about an academic novelist in which one will find a lot of academia and little novelty。 To quote the novel itself， "How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these？" Indeed。 Which is a shame since Stegner's prose itself is polished， often stating things expertly。Book Club selection 。。。more
Patti
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I wasn't sure， 3+ or 4， but the writing is good， just not sure my cup of tea。 But I confess that I am still thinking about the characters so that says a lot。 I wasn't sure， 3+ or 4， but the writing is good， just not sure my cup of tea。 But I confess that I am still thinking about the characters so that says a lot。 。。。more
Russel Henderson
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The first Stegner I’ve read， and I enjoyed it immensely。 I’ve lived for almost two decades with a physically disabled spouse and his account of the ways that can become normal and get cannot be is so perceptive。 His account of summers on a New England pond took me back to my childhood vacations on Lake Winnepesaukee， in a cove peopled by cousins real or imagined。 His relationships are complex， fluid， and in turns fought against and accepted。 As a meditation on death it shines mostly because it i The first Stegner I’ve read， and I enjoyed it immensely。 I’ve lived for almost two decades with a physically disabled spouse and his account of the ways that can become normal and get cannot be is so perceptive。 His account of summers on a New England pond took me back to my childhood vacations on Lake Winnepesaukee， in a cove peopled by cousins real or imagined。 His relationships are complex， fluid， and in turns fought against and accepted。 As a meditation on death it shines mostly because it is not conclusory or judgmental; God lurks but there is no simple answer of religious comfort， just as even the best religious eulogy cannot salve grief。 It’s not a plot-driven book; rather， it is character or more specifically relationship-driven， looking at marriage and same and inter-sex friendships。 Stegner speaks to the reader at times， taking one in as a coconspirator of sorts。 A rather singular work of fiction， at least compared to what I’ve previously read。 I will probably tackle another （Angle of Repose， perhaps） 。。。more
Christy
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This book is about two couples， the husbands of which are in academia， who develop a strong friendship when just starting out as faculty at the university in Madison， WI in the 1930s。 It took me nearly two months to finish reading this lovely book and not because of its length; it is just so very mundane， and I withstood only short bouts of reading it！ The positive side of drawing out the read is that I grew closer to the characters--Larry & Sally， Sid & Charity， and I enjoyed the themes of acad This book is about two couples， the husbands of which are in academia， who develop a strong friendship when just starting out as faculty at the university in Madison， WI in the 1930s。 It took me nearly two months to finish reading this lovely book and not because of its length; it is just so very mundane， and I withstood only short bouts of reading it！ The positive side of drawing out the read is that I grew closer to the characters--Larry & Sally， Sid & Charity， and I enjoyed the themes of academia， writing， marriage， friendship， disability， and life seasons。 I think this book is supposed to be based， at least partly， on Stegner's life， and its mundanity is its essence--an actual richness that I appreciate。 。。。more
Katie
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It’s obvious from the get go that Stegner is a masterful writer and storyteller。 I could hardly put it down。 Yet， toward the end especially， there was a void that could not be filled except by acknowledgement of a loving， benevolent Creator， and Stegner would not go there。 Anyway， this guy breathes metaphors。 I was jealous。
Char
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Moving story about friendship and marriage。 Nothing much "happens" in the book， bu we see 4 people's relationships change and deepen over time。 Wonderful writing。 Moving story about friendship and marriage。 Nothing much "happens" in the book， bu we see 4 people's relationships change and deepen over time。 Wonderful writing。 。。。more
Katie Condie
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Stegner has an incredible capacity for character development。
Cb Sellen
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I loved the characters and felt that I got to know them through their years， much better than I have known other characters。 I appreciated the background of the settings and times。 And it was good to see couples who remained married through less than perfect times together。 I was looking for a robust conclusion， and I do not think I found it， but maybe that was not the point of this book。
Clint
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Wonderful writing and rich characters。
Bec
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I loved this one！！ Reminded me of The Dearly Beloved。
Natalie
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Beautiful
Jim Puskas
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An extended love-in between two couples and their extended families; white， middle class academics。 Set first in Madison WI， surely the epitome of middle-America， beginning in the late 1930s， a time when the USA was beginning to emerge from the great Depression。 Not an inspiring start， leaning perilously close to vanilla-flavored WASP nostalgia for a world that （viewed in a mirror of today’s fractured America） might as well never have existed。 But let’s pretend that it somehow did， and keep read An extended love-in between two couples and their extended families; white， middle class academics。 Set first in Madison WI， surely the epitome of middle-America， beginning in the late 1930s， a time when the USA was beginning to emerge from the great Depression。 Not an inspiring start， leaning perilously close to vanilla-flavored WASP nostalgia for a world that （viewed in a mirror of today’s fractured America） might as well never have existed。 But let’s pretend that it somehow did， and keep reading — if only for the sake of Stegner’s remarkably well drawn characters， especially the beautiful， driven， generous Charity， matriarch-in-training。Perhaps I’m being grossly unfair in my initial judgment of the book。 It would in fact be a welcome respite， a soothing nocturne， keyed to a summer’s night; if only it didn’t seem so …。。 unreal。 There are times when I began to feel that the length of the book outgrew its subject matter， which is less than momentous。But it really redeemed itself at the beginning of Part III。 The reunion scene in Vermont is suddenly stunning， the families gathered around the dying Charity。 Incredible as it may seem， everything that comes before that scene is just preamble。 The real drama finally begins there， grabs the reader by the collar and spins along to its inevitable conclusion。 Certainly one of the most unusual story arcs I’ve ever encountered in a novel。I find it uncomfortably tempting to trash this novel; it’s replete with insider-isms — the academic’s pathetic pursuit of tenure; the need to ‘publish or perish’; the well-documented challenges of living as a writer; a somewhat overdone listing of the well-known attractions of Florence and the rest of Tuscany: the self-indulgence of those blessed with wealth。 But Stegner undertakes to explore the true nature of friendship， a difficult nut to crack。 Few writers would endeavor to base an entire novel on such uneven ground。 In the end， it’s Charity who saves the novel。 She has spent her entire life smothering those around her with her overabundance of love and her compulsion to organize the lives of everyone she loves。 She is magnificent， compelling and infuriating all at the same time。 In her final days Time has not dimmed her， sickness has only increased her wattage。 She lights up like a photoflood。 There was so much animation in her that I wondered why she had held off this meeting through the whole empty morning， when she was apparently as eager to see us as we were to see her。 Letting us rest， I supposed， whether we wanted to or not。 Lie down， you’re tired。 。。。more
Kathryn Duffy
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Another re-read。 Still my favorite book of all time！
Edward Mowry
，
Beautiful WritingWallace Stegner writes so eloquently about relationships established during the late 1930’s into 1972。 He explores the lives of academicians and their struggles to attain tenure in a post-depression midwest university， the powerful and complicated bonds of friendship found， and the inability to bypass what fate has to offer。 His characters loom large in their strengths and weaknesses， pathos never far removed from their shared joy in each other。 His descriptions of the intellect Beautiful WritingWallace Stegner writes so eloquently about relationships established during the late 1930’s into 1972。 He explores the lives of academicians and their struggles to attain tenure in a post-depression midwest university， the powerful and complicated bonds of friendship found， and the inability to bypass what fate has to offer。 His characters loom large in their strengths and weaknesses， pathos never far removed from their shared joy in each other。 His descriptions of the intellectual elite of Boston and Cambridge ring true。 Wallace’s language and metaphors set him apart as an author whom you wish you could be in another lifetime。 Five stars deserved。 。。。more
Alina
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The style of Stegner's writing is beautiful; he infuses descriptions with metaphors at a perfect frequency， and his metaphors are often illuminating and sometimes novel。 His paragraphs always have punchy first and last lines -- many paragraphs could be isolated and beheld as little stories。 Moreover， some of the characters are compelling and mysterious， getting the reader wanting to understand and follow them further。 But after reading through half the book， I got tired of Stegner's technique。 O The style of Stegner's writing is beautiful; he infuses descriptions with metaphors at a perfect frequency， and his metaphors are often illuminating and sometimes novel。 His paragraphs always have punchy first and last lines -- many paragraphs could be isolated and beheld as little stories。 Moreover， some of the characters are compelling and mysterious， getting the reader wanting to understand and follow them further。 But after reading through half the book， I got tired of Stegner's technique。 Or I came to see it as technique; his writing is so consistent in the stylistic features he employs that it feels stifling or mechanical。 Moreover， after having understood the characters， they became so utterly predictable and boring。 I lost my will to read on about halfway through but forced myself to finish the book nonetheless。 I wish I didn't force myself; it felt like a waste of time。An initial pull for me into reading the book is the premise that the narrator is a budding professor/academic， and many of the characters are tied into that sphere。 I wanted a glimpse into the daily life within the ivory tower， even if it was based in a historical period and fictional。 Whatever I 'learned' from the book on this regard are things I already know well: there can be sometimes ugly politics internal to humanities departments; there is a lot of competition and pressure if one wants to make it there; etc。 I was disappointed by this。There's also a strange vindication of extreme wealth and wealth disparities， implicit in this book。 Absurdly wealthy characters are portrayed as having genuinely generous and noble ethical backgrounds， as if they came from marginalized communities and were trying to better their communities。 But clearly their lifestyles， environments， and actual behaviors contradict this。 As a reader， I got disgusted at how narrow and blind these characters are to actual social or political dilemmas of their larger communities， while Stegner stuck to solely descriptions that glorified them as the most ethical of characters。 This discrepancy was distracting and bothersome throughout the book。I think the only aspect of the book that I appreciated was its pretty writing。 One could learn technique from that， and also learn to avoid apply technique mechanically in the way Stegner does。 。。。more
Michael FX
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As the back of the book description suggests， this novel is about the enduring friendship between two couples across almost forty years。 It's also about the creation of literature itself; the detrimental effects of the Great Depression， World War II and the polio epidemic; the timelessness of rural Vermont amidst a modernizing world; the struggle between earnest intellectual pursuits and politics in the world of academia among other things。 While the four main characters are complicated and memo As the back of the book description suggests， this novel is about the enduring friendship between two couples across almost forty years。 It's also about the creation of literature itself; the detrimental effects of the Great Depression， World War II and the polio epidemic; the timelessness of rural Vermont amidst a modernizing world; the struggle between earnest intellectual pursuits and politics in the world of academia among other things。 While the four main characters are complicated and memorable， I recommend this book most of all for the for the beauty of the prose。 Stegner， clearly on top of his game at the end of his career， bounces between introspective reflection， vivid imagery， realistic dialogue and insightful character descriptions。 At the risk of sounding trite， I contend that this novel helped cross my soul to safety--even if briefly--during a tumultuous year。 。。。more
kathleen
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After reading a series of truly disappointing recent prize-winners， I reached back and picked up this contemporary classic。 With sturdy and flowing writing， universal themes of loyalty， love， life and loss， perspectives of depth and wisdom， this novel did not disappoint。
Colette Thompson
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This book spoke to me about long lasting friendship and more。
Elizabeth Hesselbach
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I just didn’t particularly enjoy this book。 It was well written， with very strong characters， but I struggled with caring about the characters。 I had a hard time rooting for anyone in this book - and it’s not the kind of book that you’re supposed to feel that way about。
Becky
，
4。5 Stars A modern-day classic， published in 1987 to literary acclaim， by the prized author referred to as “The Dean of Western Writers，” Wallace Stegner。 This is my first by Stegner and the latest of my classics reads。 Oh， how perplexing this one ended up being and what a test of time…do books like this hold up？ Or are they too dated for us to truly enjoy？I say perplexing because I just don’t know how to answer those questions。 I did enjoy this book。 It’s the story of two married couples， Larry 4。5 Stars A modern-day classic， published in 1987 to literary acclaim， by the prized author referred to as “The Dean of Western Writers，” Wallace Stegner。 This is my first by Stegner and the latest of my classics reads。 Oh， how perplexing this one ended up being and what a test of time…do books like this hold up？ Or are they too dated for us to truly enjoy？I say perplexing because I just don’t know how to answer those questions。 I did enjoy this book。 It’s the story of two married couples， Larry & Sally and Sid & Charity， very much immersed in the academic world， who forge lifelong friendships。 They meet in the 1930s and the book jumps around a bit during the decades， as Larry， the narrator， looks back on their lives。 Right off the bat I thought， it’s like Dearly Beloved （one of my favorite books in recent years， by Cara Wall） …the two couples， but in a college setting versus church。 If it’s done well， I love a reflective story that is so simple and just about life， about family， friendship， marriage…that’s what this is and very much like Dearly Beloved in that way minus the faith。 But yes， it is dated。 There were a few things in the story that I found uncomfortable。 The portrayal of the wives， especially Charity， and some inappropriate culturally based dialogue that made me cringe。 I was able to center the quality of the writing and read through the lens of 1987 （somehow？？）…rolling my eyes a bit but for the most part， loving the story。 And even though I despised Charity’s overbearing and controlling nature。。。there are definitely people like that and even relationships （from the outside anyway） I could compare it to a bit！Now if this would’ve ended with a flip in narration…maybe give the women a chance to tell their part of the story？ My mind might have been blown a bit。 I kept hoping that would happen but knew it wouldn’t。 After all， this is a semi-autobiographical novel and Stegner was a man。。。I pictured him as very academic and privileged but in the afterword of my copy some notes about his life changed my thoughts a bit too。。。his upbringing， the relationship with his mother， etc。。。there is a lot to unpack actually。 This was a complicated read。。。not because it was hard to read， the writing was wonderful and fluid， it was just so thought provoking。 My rambling does not do it justice。 I think this is a great example of modern day literature worthy of discussion and I look forward to tackling Stegner’s Angle of Repose someday！ 。。。more
Joyce
，
Ik was er jaren geleden al eens in begonnen en kwam toen niet door de eerste hoofdstukken heen。 Dat dreigde nu weer te gebeuren， maar ik besloot toch door te zetten， en gelukkig ook maar， want er ontvouwde zich een prachtig verhaal over een vriendschap tussen twee echtparen die zich uitspreidt over verschillende decennia， vanaf hun eerste banen aan de universiteit tot aan hun dood。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Crossing to Safety
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Crossing to Safety&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Crossing to Safety&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0