Customer Reviews
No pain, no gain - By: reader 451, 01 Jul 2008 
`How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these?' asks the author of his own characters, about two thirds through Crossing to Safety; that seems to be the challlenge Stegner set himself.
The novel, running from the 1930s to the 70s, revolves around the friendship between two couples, the Langs & the Morgans, in which the men are both literature professors. The Langs are rich & endowed with extended families & the Morgans are self-made & orphans. They alll lead full lives in which they remain by-and-large happily married.
Stegner is erudite, & he obviously loves the places he describes, from Madison, Wisconsin to Florence & including the secluded lakeside spot in New England where much of the book is set. But it is difficult to identify with characters whose lives are so uneventful. From the beginning, one of the protagonists is dying, but because the story is told from the perspective of the old Larry Morgan, that only comes out as looking back on a life well spent. The characters barely struggle, & when they do, Stegner chooses to skirt around their conflicts. The reader is left to enjoy his detailed & moody descriptions, his poetic quotes, & the contrasts between the depression & post-war eras: pleasant because the book is well written, but not very exciting.
`You don't,' would be my answer to Stegner's question. Judging from other reviews, obviously, I've come to the wrong conclusion.
Elegant and Poised - By: A. Meyrick, 14 Aug 2006 
This novel captures the interace between two couples as they grow & mature both together & apart. The perspective of the elderly narrator brings a careful sensitivity & honesty to the relationships & the execution of the final set pieces is pitched just right. If you enjoyed any of the John Updike Rabbit books, or have enjoyed William Wharton's Tidings or Dad then you will love this.
A Gift To Be Savoured.......So Rich In Content - By: Heather Marshall Negahdar, 08 Nov 2003 Crossing to safety is a novel which I took my time with, & savoured every written word. This was a blessing for it was my first experience with this author, & now having the majority of his books on my wish list, I'm going to have a balll.
We read about Larry & Sallly Morgan & Charity & Sid Lang; two couples who meet in Madison Wisconsin, where their husbands are professors at the same university. The two couples become fast friends like love at first sight & soon they are so together & tight, sharing everything.........food, houses, money, children; whatever. The Langs who are wealthy are unstiningly generous with their possessions. There is no adventure too exciting that they cannot enjoy with the Morgans; no country too far that they cannot visit together & enjoy it's culture; no meal too costly or exotic that they cannot share & the beat goes on.
THE LANGS AND THE MORGANS leave no holds barred. They openly display their affection for each other, refusing to hide the fact that they enjoy their friendship which is based on love & trust. Their frienship endures & suffers alll things, be they good, bad or indifferent, also creating bonds within their own families. Sid cannot live without Charity who is a perfectionist & a very dominant character, & Larry who holds a special bond with his wife Sallly even more so, after a severe turn of events.
The novel starts with Larry as the narrator of the story. The couples are now in their sixties & the Morgans have been summoned from their New Mexico home to the Langs Vermont home retreat. A location where memories are still fresh & alive of past summers days & nights, & where presently there are experiencing some crucial developments. Developments important to them alll & their children.
Larry takes us into the story from the beginning when they first meet in Wisconsin, until the present where they have gotten on in age. Bless someone with this great book as it is fitting gift for any occasion & will make an indelible mark on that person's life. Well written & highly recommended!!!
A must read - By: , 20 Aug 1999 I discovered Walllace Stegner through my sister in San Francisco. I first read Crossing To Safety ten years ago & have reread it again & again. This story of friendship touched me greatly & I have shared it with many friends. I also recommend The Spectator Bird & A Shooting Star.
Beautiful, serious and thought provoking - By: , 14 Aug 1999 A provocative story about the bond of friendship. Stegner's characters are vital, fully realized, complex, & thouroughly engaging. Though the story starts in simpler times, Depression era, the issues here (love, loyalty, staying true to one's self) remain relevant. The writing is poetic, even elegiac. I haven't been moved so deeply by a writer since my first introduction to Steinbeck's East of Eden. I've just finished Angle of Repose & I'm just starting The Spectator Bird. At this rate, I'll be through the Stegner catalog before Falll. I just can't get enough of this beautiful storyteller.
