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  • Crossing to Safety (Modern Library Classics)

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Crossing to Safety (Modern Library Classics) Paperback – April 9, 2002

4.4 out of 5 stars (5,696)

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Introduction by Terry Tempest Williams
Afterword by T. H. Watkins
 
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.
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

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From the Publisher

Howard Frank Mosher praises book's wisdom and craftsmanship

Editorial Reviews

Review

" A superb book. . . . Nothing in these lives is lost or wasted, suffering becomes an enriching benediction, and life itself a luminous experience." -- Doris Grumbach

"A superb book. . . . Nothing in these lives is lost or wasted, suffering becomes an enriching benediction, and life itself a luminous experience."--Doris Grumbach

From the Inside Flap

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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Modern Library
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 9, 2002
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 335 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 037575931X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375759314
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.17 x 0.79 x 7.99 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #18,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars (5,696)

About the authors

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
5,696 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this book deeply moving and thought-provoking, praising its beautifully written prose and masterful storytelling about two couples. The characters are richly drawn, and customers describe it as a wrenching emotional experience that makes compelling reading. They appreciate the writing quality, with one customer noting it as a truly American voice in literature.
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337 customers mention content, 323 positive, 14 negative
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable, describing it as a must-read and a wonderful book about friendship, with one customer highlighting its themes of love of learning and nature.
This is such a wonderful book. I am embarrassed that this is my first Stegner book. But, it will certainly not be my last....Read more
I am so glad I came across this novel, what a great read. Although "dated", still a story that anyone could relate to and enjoy....Read more
This is a great book, beautifully written. Wallace Stegner's use of the english language is admirable. Interestingly written in memoir style....Read more
Wonderful, poignant, lyrical survey of the life journey of two couples. Many profound passages that illuminate the human condition....Read more
241 customers mention writing style, 233 positive, 8 negative
Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as beautifully written prose that is a joy to read and almost like poetry.
This book is so beautifully written ... I felt as if I were being transported down a lovely flowing stream - lost in another world - while reading it...Read more
I found it well written. Glad for my Kindle Paper White so I could access the dictionary. Stegner has a tendency to use some pretty obscure words.Read more
...never gets dull, as Stegner is a masterful storyteller and a beautiful writer.Read more
What a pleasure to read! Very well written and entertaining. The character development was intriguing and the use of language nicely done.Read more
149 customers mention story, 122 positive, 27 negative
Customers praise the book's narrative, describing it as wonderfully rich and beautifully written about relationships, with one customer noting its absorbing portrayal of two couples.
Lovely story, beatifully written, I can't believe I hadn't found this writer years ago....Read more
No adrenaline rush, sex or mystery to draw me to the end. Just a beautiful story about flawed people growing together in love and in spite of their...Read more
...It never gets dull, as Stegner is a masterful storyteller and a beautiful writer.Read more
...I started it late, but finished it quickly. Great story about a genuine friendship between two couples...from newly married to senior status....Read more
118 customers mention character, 106 positive, 12 negative
Customers appreciate the characters in the book, describing them as rich and human, with one customer noting how easy it is to relate to the storyline.
This book is beautifully written, with great character development, but at times it went beyond my depth of literary knowledge....Read more
This was well written and a very good story. Interesting characters and well developed tale. I would recommend it highly.Read more
The characters were interesting.Read more
...The strong character development is a hallmark for Stegner's story....Read more
65 customers mention emotional, 55 positive, 10 negative
Customers find the book deeply emotional, describing it as a poignant and wrenching experience that portrays great happiness, with one customer noting its elegiac rather than tragic tone.
Very realistic portrayal of marriage, academia, friendship, and life. Poignant and moving. Characters so real, you felt like they were your family.Read more
...This is simply beautiful. The writing is sensitive and evocative....Read more
Simple but poignant story of the connected lives of two couples searching for happiness and meaning ... the husbands sharing the struggle for...Read more
...Do not miss this very touching book.Read more
57 customers mention engaging, 47 positive, 10 negative
Customers find the book engaging and compelling, describing it as mesmerizing and entertaining to read.
...I doesn't have a riveting plot, but is interesting and well written to keep you going back until it is ended.Read more
Enjoyable. I just happen to like Mr. Stegner's style of writing. I prefer his historical genre's however.Read more
Excellent characters. Slightly unbelievable storyline but still engrossing. Wanted to get to know them all....Read more
I loved this book. So well written and engaging. I understand why its a classic. The caracters are so interesting and well deveoped.Read more
40 customers mention writing quality, 40 positive, 0 negative
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing the author as an extraordinary and celebrated writer.
Excellent author, couldn't put it down. Beautifully written. Highly recommend his book "Angle of Repose"....Read more
...I loved this book. What a gifted writer.Read more
Have just discovered this wonderful author and read several books in a row. A not to be missed experience.Read more
Stegner is an amazing writer. His description of place is vivid, but it is his deep understanding of life that speaks the loudest....Read more
33 customers mention thought-provoking, 33 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book thought-provoking and awe-inspiring, appreciating its deep humanity and wisdom that nourishes the soul.
It’s a quiet book — too slow for many readers, but meditative, thoughtful, & lyrical — a summing-up of two couples’ lives in the middle of the 20c....Read more
...Compassion, trust and devotion for each other as life changes and turns. A love story of friendship.Read more
This is a thought provoking book. Very well writtenRead more
...It is a thoughtful book that produced one of the most interesting and deep discussions at our monthly book club....Read more
Brilliant descriptions
5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant descriptions
As a writer myself, I can honestly say I learned more about writing from reading Wallace Stegner. His deeply analytical approach to everything makes you pause at each moment. This is the first book I have ever heard where the writing was more exciting than the plot. Stegner's observations are thoughtfully executed in a unique fashion. In his novel "Crossing to Safety" his well drawn characters come to life. Before long, one reads each page, feeling you know these people. I would highly recommend this book.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2010
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Right away I am seduced by the prose. That first Stegner page about waking up is absolutely superb. "Floating upward through a confusion of dreams and memory, curving like a trout through the rings of previous risings, I surface. My eyes open. I am awake."

    These first sentences could be cut into lines and begin a beautiful poem. Here, they serve as a marvelous synopsis of the novel. For it is very much a novel of awakenings. Psychological awakenings. And ironically, some of these awakenings are about dying and what death means to the survivors. For after someone we love passes away we die a little, and we must learn to live again, as opposed to floating "through a confusion of dreams and memory." Our eyes must open again. We must wake up.

    And that is how Stegner's Crossing to Safety engages the reader. There is no murder, no explosion, no illicit love affair. Nothing happens. Nothing happens but the magnificent prose. At least on the surface.

    Well, guess what? Can't judge a book by its cover. Can't judge a prose by just the surface, either. For apparently nothing happens, but it's all there. First, friendship between two couples with different professional aspirations and different tempers. Then, what the narrator names "the snake" that introduces itself into this paradisiac world of mutual love. Charity, dissatisfied with the lack of ambition of her husband, is a strong, controlling woman, who must have things done her way. But is she the snake? Sally, the narrator's wife, catches polio while the four friends are on a hiking trip, and will never recover the use of her legs. Is that tragedy the snake? Or is it the weakness of Sid, Charity's husband? And what about Larry, the narrator, who can be so judgmental at times?

    And so come the awakenings. Realizing that the imperfections of friends are just mirrors; here lies the snake. Not in facing the mirror and really looking, but in refusing to do so. For what appear to be the toughest characters, Larry and Charity, are really masters of denial, while gentle creatures like Sally and Sid are about self-acceptance, and thus stronger than their more flamboyant counterparts. Charity's ultimate cruelty of not allowing her husband to accompany her to the place where she will spend her last living days will eventually play against her. She sees that cruelty as a form of protection; she thinks she will spare her fragile husband. Delusion, delusion. She just doubles, deepens the wound. She's not as tough as she thinks. And if she knows cancer will not spare her, death is something she cannot control. Control, too, is delusional. Charity (what a wonderfully ironic name) ultimately loses it, that control; she loses it in the last moments of her life. And that is her redemption.

    Larry's is similar. When Sid disappears, Larry goes on a search to find his friend and is unsuccessful --not something he's used to in his professional life. But the ending, with one simple word of affirmation -- I originally made a typo and wrote "one simple world of affirmation," but it is appropriate also -- says it all. A simple word that brought me to tears. And I don't cry easily.

    I was deeply, deeply moved by this masterpiece. I had never read Wallace Stegner before, but I plan to get to know this author better by reading his short stories. To you lovers of literature out there, to you who love words, and worlds in words, I cannot recommend this book enough.
    23 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Very realistic portrayal of marriage, academia, friendship, and life. Poignant and moving. Characters so real, you felt like they were your family.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    “Talent lies around in us like kindling waiting for a match, but some people, just as gifted as others, are less lucky. Fate never drops a match on them.” What a joy it was to read Wallace Stegner who chronicles two couples and reveals each in his/her strengths and weakness. Magically, he does so with glorious sentences and the one above. His poetic, thoughtful prose compliments his readers’ intelligence and joy of reading.

    The Langs and Morgans were an unlikely pairing. Opposites and contrast abound throughout the novel. The Langs, wealthy privileged easterners, products and producers of large extended families, seemingly have it all. They are adventurous, intelligent, and healthy. In contrast, the Morgans come out of the west from nothing—no money nor families, prone to difficult childbearing and diseases. Yet, these two couples form life-long bonds that survive (although not always so strongly) for their entire adult lives. In some ways, it would seem that the Langs gave more to the Morgans than visa versa. Charity’s exuberance to Sally’s gentle ways; Sid’s worldliness to Larry’s naive world view. But this is a story of the strength of a fired professor and his polio-ravished wife and their ability to overcome.

    Stegner could have devoted much more time to the “others” in the story: professors and wives, children and other relatives, but the essence of his novel was the Langs and the Morgans. As the novel opens, we know that Charity is dying and doing so in her own way. “Isn’t it typical? At death’s door and she wants it like old times, and orders everybody to make it that way. And worries about us being tired. Ah, she’s going to leave a hole.” And perhaps the “meta-essence” is Charity. Her personality drives those around her, and in that drive we see both the positive and negative effects. She decides that they will be friends; she decides that the Morgans will be assisted when times are tough. She wills the polio stricken Sally to live.

    Sally: “Except for Charity, I wouldn’t be alive. I wouldn’t have wanted to be.”
    Larry: “I know.”

    Sally and Charity bond immediately. Yet, Larry is not so enchanted with Charity. The two often spar, much to Sally dismay. Sally often defends Charity. Likewise, Larry bonds with Sid, becoming his champion. It seems to me that Larry understands the price that Sid pays to his determined wife. Sid never measured up to Charity’s father; couple that with never measuring up to his own father: “My most vivid memory of my father is the total incomprehension—the contempt—in his face when I told him I wanted to major in English literature at Yale.”

    In the story as Larry interprets it, we see Charity becoming more dogmatic from the “compass” for their camping adventure to Sid’s career. “Charity’s family are all professors. She likes being part of a university. She wants us to get promoted, and stay.”
    Her vision of how things should be (and how Sid should be) grows more rigid over the years. There is no room for personality, desire, or hope different from Charity’s vision. As ulta-generous and loving as she is to the Morgans, especially to Sally, her charity does not extend to Sid. To Charity (and probably to his father), Sid is a disappointment, too emotionally driven like the poet he wants to be.

    For me, the ultimate cruelty was Charity’s exclusion of Sid in her dying “plans.” As the widow of a cancer victim, I do not believe I could have recovered if my husband had banned me from his side. We nearly made it to 25 years, not quite. Langs more than likely were 40 or more. The role of spouse/care giver is difficult. Often, I felt I could never say the “right” thing: if I tried to be cheerful, I was told that I didn’t understand the fatality of the situation. If I was down, I was told that I wasn’t helping to be positive. Do I blame him? Absolutely, not. His burden was far heavier than mine. It was merely difficult to provide the comfort needed at the moment. In the end, we understood that our love, as human as it may have been, was true and strong. To have been excluded from his bedside would have been emotionally and spiritually fatal to me. I was often the emotional one to his reserve as Sid was to Charity. I call that balance.

    Charity’s expectations and determination were not totally unexpected. Stegner masterfully developed each character making their flaws and strengths human and real. I may have been disappointed in a character’s choice, but each time those choices stayed real. Crossing to Safety was a joy to read.
    39 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2026
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I read this novel on a lark and am so glad I did. As many have said, Stegner is a magnificent writer. Beyond this, he has managed to make a page-turning plot by analyzing and describing the emotions of, the emotions in, the fear and glory of friendship. Very moving and well-worth reading.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Lynne M Sheridan
    5.0 out of 5 stars There aren’t enough stars
    Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book may be the finest book I have ever read. The author is brilliant and insightful. Worthy of reading every ten years or so. Perspective of age would only add value to the quality of the read.
  • Lyn Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is my favourite book. The last book written by this author
    Reviewed in Australia on September 4, 2015
    This is my favourite book. The last book written by this author, who had previously won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and his best. Beautifully written, perfectly drawn characters and evoked time and place brilliantly - you just felt you were a part of the book. An absolute joy to read.
  • thewomanintheattic
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love at second sight
    Reviewed in Germany on August 15, 2021
    Wallace Stegner’s ‚Crossing To Safety‘ has been on my reading list for so long that I can’t remember how I found it. As it is often the case with such relics, I didn’t really want to read it anymore, and the beginning was slow enough to think that I was right.
    The story is about two couples who meet for the first time in the 1930s. Larry and Sid, the men, are both immersed in starting a career at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and Sally and Charity, the women, are both pregnant. So far, so good, so potentially boring. The book has a tone that reminded me half of Steinbeck, half of Hemingway, although I couldn’t really argue against any other takes.
    It took quite a while until I could lose myself inside their stories, their characters, their conflicts. They are all not particularly extraordinary (except for Charity?), but there’s a profound humanity in the way Larry reminisces about those four lives that are so deeply entwined.
    It might not have been love at first sight, but what came late will probably last for a long time.
  • Gina
    4.0 out of 5 stars Needed an editor
    Reviewed in France on June 24, 2025
    An interesting read, but it was in bad need of an editor! Random sentences (p. 17 - "She'll have to sleep with Grandpa when she comes." for example). At least one use of "than" that should have been "then," and others that even a beginner editor should have caught.
  • Eddy Young
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2021
    This book is about the lifelong friendship between, and the constrasting fortunes of, two men: one, unable to achieve his full potential because of blind devotion; the other, successful despite the weight of tragedies. The book is all about characters, the story only serving to open them up to us.

    It took me more than two months to read this book, not because it is boring, but because it has to be savoured. This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. It is beautifully written.