40 pages • 1 hour read
Crossing to Safety
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Brief
335
Novel • Fiction
Wisconsin • 1930s
1987
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner is a semi-autobiographical novel revolving around two academic couples, Larry and Sally Morgan and Sidney and Charity Lang, as they navigate their intertwined lives from the Great Depression to the late 20th century, exploring themes of youth, idealism, and compromise. The novel uses flashbacks through Larry’s perspective to depict academic struggles, social dynamics, and personal challenges such as illness.
Contemplative
Heartwarming
Nostalgic
Bittersweet
Melancholic
Reviews & Readership
52,485 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety is lauded for its profound exploration of friendship, rich character development, and eloquent prose, making it a standout in American literature. Some critique its slow pacing and lack of dramatic plot, but overall, it is celebrated for its introspective and heartfelt narrative.
Who Should Read Crossing to Safety?
A reader who appreciates Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner is likely drawn to literary fiction exploring deep human relationships and life's complexities. They might enjoy the introspective nature found in works like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith or the nuanced friendships in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
52,485 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Sally Morgan
Sally Morgan
Larry's wife, trained in Classics, who is supportive and loyal, facing significant challenges with dignity and strength, while influencing the narrative with her perspective.
Charity Lang
Charity Lang
An energetic and attractive New Englander who exerts a strong influence over her husband, Sid, while maintaining an upright and imposing presence throughout the narrative.
Sidney Lang
Sidney Lang
An English professor and Larry's close friend, who harbors ambitions of writing poetry but struggles with self-doubt and asserting himself in his relationship with his wife, Charity.
335
Novel • Fiction
Wisconsin • 1930s
1987
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.