To Be Sung Underwater: A Novel

My oversized paperback edition of the novel has five pages of reviews. I read them all, from Library Journal to those by other authors. But nothing prepared me for part three of this unusual love story. Judith and Willy fell in love when Judith was almost 18 and Willy was 24. Willy had been quite the chick magnet, but when he first saw Judith, he knew she would be the love of his life. And she was, as this novel so beautifully portrays. The first two parts of the novel alternate between Judith's growing up in Nebraska, where she lived with her father; and Judith's adult life in Los Angeles, where she seems to be falling apart within the structure of her seemingly perfect life. The pace of the novel is not rapid, as are most of the bestsellers of today. Instead we experience life at a slower, more poignant speed. But McNeal literally slams us with the intensity of the relationship between Judith and Willy, and how after 27 years, they reunite for a most unusual, even extraordinary, time together. I look forward to reading McNeal's other novels. Most superlatives in review sound trite, but this is a story that portrays the very meaning of the word LOVE.

I had this book on my " wish list" for quite a while and was looking forward to reading it after all the good reviews. My biggest complaint with the book was how unlikeable the main character was. She was very self centered. I found it impossible to relate to her and impossible to root for her. I did not like her at all.I didn't really feel like any of the characters were well developed, hence it was hard to care about them and this novel. There are so many great books to read and so little time,I wish I had skipped this one.

This thoughtful and poignant novel sneaks quietly into your affections until, at the end, you feel awed by the artistic merit of the author, and by his portrayal of endless love and longing coupled with boundless betrayal and grief.

I was just knocked out by this book, although it was one in which I didn't like many of the protagonists (usually enough to sour my interest in a story). Even with the perspective afforded by going back and forth in time, Judith Toomey is unlikable both as a sneering, self-absorbed teenager and a still self-absorbed and cynical adult - until the last section that is, when the revival of her love for what is real transforms her into someone who finally learns how to give, in time to see the shocking sorrow that results from a broken heart.

Judith, at age 44, is living the life she thought she wanted, working on movies in L.A. and married to a banker, Malcolm Whitman, she met at Stanford. Judith and Malcolm both work late, and their only daughter Camilla is dour and rebellious. Moreover, Malcolm is probably having an affair with his assistant. Judith is so disconnected from her family though, that she doesn't really seem to care, and retreats into memories of her youth in Nebraska when she was swept away by her first love, a wonderful character named Willy Blunt.

Willy is really the only likeable character in the book, but oh, how likeable he is! With his soft gaze and tender consideration, he truly seems to understand how to love. And how to live: when Judith first encounters him and his seeming unflagging good cheer, the author writes: "What Judith thought was that the roofer was probably a prime example of somebody who hadn't given his life enough thought to know how unhappily he ought to view it. `Maybe he's a simpleton,' she said."

The concept of marriage takes a huge hit in this book, which is unexpected, since the enduring gift that love provides does not.

It begins with Judith's mother, whose own marriage disintegrated and Judith's father moved away to Nebraska. Judith's mother says to her: "`You know what marriage is like?' `It's like picking the place you're going to live for the next fifty years by using a wall map, a blindfold, and what you really, truly, deeply believe is your lucky dart.' Sullenly Judith said, `I don't believe I have a lucky dart,' and her mother cast an unhappy smile her way and said, `You will, though.'"

And at one point Willy tells Judith about a broken down mare he had: "Couldn't ride it, except maybe to walk it around the corral. You could feed it and brush it and water it was all. Sometimes I've thought that's what most marriages get to. A horse you still care a little bit about but cannot any longer ride."

Couldn't you just cry over that? Likewise when Willy says to Judith: "There really isn't anything of importance except maybe who gets handed your heart and what they do with it."

Willy reflects: "We're just small, Judy. All of us, even though we do stuff every day of the week to distract ourselves from the fact, it's still true. We're just little and small and maybe if we have some backbone we do a few things worth doing and then we're gone."

Willy always had the backbone. And finally, finally, Judith knows what to do with the heart she has been given.

The stunning ending includes an unforgettable scene that manages to recapitulate and encapsulate the entire story into one transcendent moment.

Evaluation: I stayed up all night to finish this book. The beautifully meditative descriptions of nature's immediacy and grandeur in Nebraska infuse the book with an almost spiritual quality. And the juxtaposition of a sterile and incomplete existence with one that is fulfilling will challenge your notions about a well-settled life. But it is the depiction of love that will sweep you off your feet, as the author illuminates the glimmering facets of tenderness that can last a lifetime. Highly recommended!

You don't often come upon romances this beautifully and clearly written. The prose is like water: clean, crisp, inviting. I highly recommend this compelling tale where, because the author cares so deeply for his characters, so do you.

This book glorifies the sin of adultery. Immoral people make such garbage to try to twist, dull, and manipulate the conscience of the populace -- trying to make their favorite sins more socially acceptable. A beautifully crafted cyanide pill is still poison. Have some self-respect. Do not consume it.

I found the first part of this book a bit heavy...never sure where the author was going. The second part captured me and by the final third I understood and could relate to the whole book. Our first loves hold such a prominent part in our lives. From inception in its reality to our memory no one can touch these special feelings or memories. I finished this book wishing its whole was as riveting as its last third

There are a number of possible "spoilers" here so be forewarned.

For the first half of the book I was delighted. The author writes very well and expertly juggled parallel stories of the main character, Judith, in the present and as a teenager. (He was a decade or more off on his timing, though, as all the "past" cultural references are in the early '70s, which is supposed to be 27 years before the present.) I was very much looking forward to the rest of the book to learn how Judith resolved her love/educational goals quandary in the past and her familial relationships in the present.

Then, literally everything falls apart. Judith in the past gets involved in a jarring violent incident totally at odds with the previous tenor of the book, while Judith in the present increasingly decompensates both in her work and personal life. And then the book winds up in a looooo...ng attempt to recapture the past which eventually serves to "kill off" everything that had gone before--people, relationships, jobs, etc. Rather than experiencing the struggles a person goes through trying to resolve dissonance, the author and his main character both just come to a screeching halt. So much promise gone to waste.

The author is gifted and his story is so beautifully written, I am amazed and grateful at his skill. There is a scene near the end of the book, with Judith and her mother that I have never forgotten. It is so breathtakingly beautiful, a mother's love, and so UNEXPECTED, and so quiet and wise, I was left speechless. I often use the same phrase as Judith's mother from this scene "God Bless us all!" How true.

This story is one of the best I have read in a long, long time. Some else compared it to "Price of Tides" in it's beauty and I agree. It is heavy and light at the same time. Tragic and uplifting at the same time. I highly recommend it.

I started this book when I received it, but quit. Finally I restarted the book and within 18 hours finished. The tears streamed down my face for the last ten pages. I cannot believe that a man wrote this book! His descriptions of the emotions, situations and feelings were how a woman would feel/think. I was reminded of the love of my life when the relationship was starting - flirtation, falling in love and broken hearted. The book shows the many different layers and types of love. Life has a way of interfering with love and making changes, some for the best and some out of necessity. Many people will identify with this story and perhaps gain insight into why and when. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is feeling "out of sorts" with love or wondering what happened to that "real" love.

Wonderful story with well-developed characters, eloquently written, completely engaging.