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| Crossroads | 
 enlarge | Author: Belva Plain
Publisher: Random House Large Print
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $14.93
You Save: $11.07 (43%)
New (34) Used (8) from $14.93
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 491473
Format: Large Print
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0375433031
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780375433030
ASIN: 0375433031
Publication Date: November 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20090107232017T
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Product Description
No one explores the rich tapestry of the human heart as Belva Plain does. Her more than twenty New York Times bestsellers have captivated readers and garnered legions of devoted fans. Now Plain dazzles us once again with a new novel of rare eloquence and raw emotion…a powerful tale about the consequences of greed—and the acts of love and forgiveness that can heal the heart.
Cassie Wright never saw it coming. As owner of Wright Glassworks, the foremost company in a thriving New England town, Cassie’s life was quiet, focused on her work and home…until a tragic accident turns her carefully ordered world upside down. For there is a surviving child to think about—and Cassie must take in one-year-old Gwen, who has no one else to care for her. As the years pass, Cassie will raise Gwen as her own, and a little girl who lost everything will flourish in a world of privilege and opportunity.
Enter Jewel Fairbanks. Beautiful and conniving, Jewel will touch the lives of both Cassie and Gwen in powerful ways. From the moment they meet, Jewel envies Gwen, who seems to have everything Jewel wants. The two couldn’t be more different, but their lives will soon become inextricably intertwined. Both will marry—but to profoundly different men. For Gwen, it is honest, hardworking Stan who steals her heart; Jewel will set her sights on Jeff, a shrewd businessman who owns the company where Stan works.
But when Stan makes a shocking discovery on the job, relationships begin to shift and change...and soon a tangled drama of greed, jealousy, and betrayal will encircle both couples, as a chain reaction of unexpected events changes four lives forever—in ways they never could have foreseen….
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| Customer Reviews:
 A boring and predictable plot... December 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I see there is some controversy as to whether Belva Plain actually wrote this book but I think it's a moot point. It reads like it was written by a rank amateur- really poor. From the silly phrases like, "...more's the pity"- I mean who says or even thinks that today???- to the trite descriptions- oh, boy. Yes, if you have absolutely nothing else to do, you might want to read this book. Be sure, though, to borrow it from the library! Also, the "femme fatale" character is named Jewel FairCHILD in the text while on the book jacket she is Jewel FairBANKS. Come on- is anybody on the job? It kind of shows disdain for the reader, in my humble opinion.
 WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDE December 21, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I disagree with the other reviewers. This novel may not have the depth of character as Evergreen but Belva Plain draws the distinction between greed and happiness - so appropriate for today's society.
Gwen is shy, wealthy and marries an electrician. They enjoy each other's company but Gwen's mother is against the marriage. Gwen is a lover of nature, Her marriage introduces her to apartment life and her soul starves for the trees, small animals near her mother's home. But Gwen is not a quitter. She perseveres. She keeps the standards that she knows and in the end they serve her well.
Jewel on the other hand thinks that being rich will make her happy and cure her loneliness. She finds that marrying a wealthy man only makes her more unhappy and more lonely. She envy's Gwen even though she is richer than Gwen.
I loved the ending. Gwen and Jewel do find happiness in characteristically Belva Plain fashion. I disagree that Belva Plain could not write a book at age 90. My father is 87 - just sold his sawmill as he thought maybe he was getting a little - just a little - too old to saw wood. Many of our writers and thinkers do some of their greatest work in their latest years as they finally have perspective.
If you like Belva Plain, I heartily recommend Evergreen, Whispers, Carousel and I enjoyed Homecoming.
 Easy fun read December 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although there is nothing deep or meaningful about this book, that's what makes it a great Sunday afternoon read. If you want to relax with a book that has nothing to do with your own life, I would recommend this as something fun to read.
Since Belva Plain is 90 years old, I doubt that she really wrote this book. That may be why the characters are one dimensional and not as richly drawn as in her other books.
 Charming and Predictable December 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Gwen Wright is raised after a tragic accident takes her parents by Cassie Wright. Gwen flourished in her new life of privilege and wealth. She may have all sorts of wealth, but this plain young woman falls in love with a rather lower income man and marries him. Gwen's mother CEO of Wrights Glassworks provides her adopted daughter with all that she could want, protecting her in a strange manner.
Jewel Fairbanks is conniving with a capital "C" and will do what she must in order to marry wealthy. She works as a receptionist at the Glassworks and her paths occasionally cross with Gwen's and with each meeting she becomes more and more envious of plain little Gwen. Eventually, Jewel succeeds in marrying wealthy and soon these two couples lives become ensnared with secrets and lies. Life in a small town becomes smaller and the drama and betrayal these two couples have to deal with just might bring the end to one of the relationships.
Where to start. Both female leads fall short. Gwen is too perfect which makes her almost obnoxious, and Jewel is so conniving and evil she's predictable. And in the end this reader really didn't care what was going to happen to either character. I won't go to say they're both too stupid to live, but there was just no connection to either of them for me. I would have liked to have seen a little growth in their development as this story spans a good deal of time. In the end this story is mildly entertaining although a tad predictable...I know there is that word again but it is apt in this case.
fun contemporary comparative character study November 27, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
In Wrightstown, New England, twice widowed Mrs. Cassandra Wright (Ms. Is too trendy though using her maiden name is not) is the CEO of Wright Glassworks. A family tragedy forces Cassie to take in her relative, one years old Gwen. She raises Gwen as if she is her own daughter and the child thrives in the affluence of her surroundings.
Jewel Fairchild works as a receptionist at the Glassworks with ambition to marry wealth. Whereas the adult Gwen is at best plain looking; Jewel is vivaciously beautiful. Envious of Gwen, Jewel achieves her goal by marrying affluent businessman Jeff while Gwen settles on steady middle class worker Stan while coveting Jeff. When Stan uncovers questionable practices at his place of work owned by Jeff, they and their wives will be forced to confront their inner demons.
This contemporary comparative character study is fun to follow as readers will contrast Jewel with Gwen, and Stan with Jeff. Although Jewel is more of a caricature of the scheming gold-digger, Gwen a bit too introverted to carry the story line and the husbands two and half dimensional, the dynamic CROSSROADS relationships between the lead quartet make for an interesting drama for fans of Belva Plain.
Harriet Klausner
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