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Tuesday, July 17, 2018

All We Ever Wanted - Emily Giffin

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

First Paragraph(s):

It started out as a typical Saturday night.  And by typical, I don't mean normal in any mainstream American way.  There was no grilling out with the neighbors or going to the movies or doing any of the things I did as a kid.  It was simply typical for what we'd become since Kirk sold his software company, and we went from comfortable to wealthy.  Very wealthy.
     Obscene was the description my childhood best friend Julie once used--not about us, but about Melanie, another friend--after Melanie bought herself a diamond Rolex for Mother's Day and then offhandedly remarked at one of our dinner parties that homemade pottery from her kids 'wasn't going to cut it.'
     'She could feed a Syrian refugee camp for an entire year with that watch,' Julie had groused in my kitchen after the other guests had departed.  'It's obscene.'

My Thoughts:

All We Ever Wanted is the first book I've read by Emily Giffin.  It seems like a bit of change-up for her - a story that contains perhaps deeper themes and elements for the reader to ponder.  It's certainly a tale that is relevant today (and always has been) and one that many women can probably relate to in some ways.  Told from the viewpoints of three of the characters - Nina, the teenage boy's mother, Tom, the teenage girl's father, and Lyla, the teenage girl, we see each of them deal with a very emotional time.  Who's to blame and what actually happened - yes, these things are important, but more important are the underlying attitudes and assumptions made by many of the characters, both young and old. 

I liked this book, though it was difficult to know who to trust and who to believe.  Nina's husband was pretty much a caricature of a privileged, racist jerk.  And her son is quite the manipulator.  Did Lyla, the teen girl, always make good decisions?  No, of course not.  What teen does?  However, as more of the story is revealed, the reader does understand that Nina and Tom both earnestly want to be good parents and set good examples for their kids.  And Lyla has a chance to definitely shine.  I was pleased that all the characters changed and grew by the end.  The climax was a little quick and things tied up maybe a bit too neatly.  However, I would try this author again.  A solid 'better than good' from me. 

Blurb:

Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton.

Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenaged girl, happy and thriving.

Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.

At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.

15 comments:

  1. I liked this one, too. I handed it off to my teenage daughter (although if I recommend something she doesn't necessarily think I know what I'm talking about) because I think the story is one that most teens could relate to. The idea of putting something personal online and the repercussions of this seem to be difficult for teenagers to understand. I like Giffin's books (at least most of them) and appreciate that they are easy to read and enjoyable.

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    1. I agree that for a lot of younger people, the privacy things about online and social media seem difficult to grasp. It makes me glad I don't have teenager now. Ha!

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  2. I've been curious about this book, so I appreciate your thoughts about it.

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    1. I thought it was good. I'd pick up another of this author's books in the future I think.

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  3. I'm interested in this one. A new-to-me author!

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    1. I think she has written books that have emotional themes, but would probably get categorized as 'women's fiction' - though I really don't like labels too much.

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  4. Hm, this does sound very different than the Giffin book I've read - like it has more substance.

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  5. I've seen a fair amount of buzz for this one. Glad to hear it's better than average.

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    1. I thought there were thought-provoking themes here. Things that mothers of teens could probably relate to.

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  6. This does sound very good, I do like books with deeper themes and so it is going on the good old wishlist

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    1. As I said above, many of the situations would be ones that parents of young people these days deal with or I suspect they do.

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  7. Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors, so I'm glad you enjoyed this one! It is a departure for her; she tends to write about relationships, but I liked this one. Nina's son was a real piece of work!

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    1. I agree that the son was something else!

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  8. Another author I have not heard of. This one sounds interesting because of getting the story from three different viewpoints. And set in Tennessee. I don't think I have read anything set there.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!