Lynne Sharon Schwartz's critically beloved novel about family, tragedy, and philosophy The field is all around us. It's our needs and our wants. This is what George tells Lydia. A disturbance, however, is something that keeps us from grasping and attaining the things we need. Usually, we can adapt to these disturbances and move forward. But, what happens if a disturbance becomes too great to move past? In this entrancing tale of loss and understanding, acclaimed author Lynne Sharon Schwartz plots the course of a woman's life, through the cycles of love, loss, and acceptance. Lydia's early life is marked by calm constants: a house in Cape Cod, a philosophy group in college. These remain her touchstones as she becomes a busy wife, mother, and music teacher. But when her family's world is suddenly shattered, she struggles to regain her equilibrium. Will she be able to find her way in such a radically altered field?
"Disturbances in the Field seems a more-than-welcome return to a classic idea of the novel... A wonder to read... I can think of no other contemporary writer who writes so well, with such rich sensuality."
Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Wonderful... It goes beyond literature and philosophy to a tough, battered truth."
The New York Times
"A quiet masterwork of late 20th-century American realism."
