Crossing to Safety

I enjoyed Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, a classic American novel first published in 1987 and recently republished.  It involves the strong lifelong friendship between two couples Larry (the narrator) and Sally Morgan (a struggling couple) and Sid and Charity Lang (a wealthy couple).  The story begins in 1971 when Larry and Sally are invited to visit the Langs as Charity has terminal cancer.  Larry then tells the story of their friendship which began in 1938 in flashback chapters.  We meet the characters who are strongly drawn so we learn the sort of people they are, how the couples interact within each marriage and between each other as friends.  Sid and Larry are ambitious academics and over the years their successes and failures are played out.  Charity is the strongest character (bit of a "control freak") and when a tragedy strikes early in their friendship, she takes charge to help pull them through the initial crisis and the ongoing management of it. Charity has organised the details of her own death and ensures that her friends and family do not thwart that process.  Beautiful writing. The "First Tuesday Book Club" did a good review of this book.  See video.  4/5