Reviews

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin

bhalstead04's review against another edition

5.0

This book about a mother and daughter trying to learn about the past actually made me cry in several different parts. If a book can do that, it deserves 5 stars! Loved it~

tacylynn's review against another edition

inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

mercyandgrace04's review against another edition

5.0

This book is written in a style of another book I have read by Austin. The modern day character, Kathleen, and her daughter have to take a journey of healing by look at the mistakes of their past and the generations of women that came before them. These lessons are learned by taking the time to understand a family history that Kathleen had run from years before. Lynn Austin dedicates sections (multiple chapters) of the book to individual generations and reveal the secrets and sadness they endured. After every glimpse into the past, you are transported back to modern day to see how the revelations affect Kathleen and Joelle.

The greatest take away from this book is that our decisions can shape our future and future generations. One decision can form the ideals, personal morals, and set the course for generations to follow. However, it only takes one person to show forgiveness, or have compassion, or dedicate themselves to a new way of life. That one person can change the trajectory of an entire family.

debs4jc's review against another edition

4.0

Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts[return]Kathleen doesn't like to talk about her past. But a confrontation with her daughter and an invitation from her estranged sister force her to open up about her background. As she and her daughter travel to the New York town where she grew up, she tells her about what it was like to grow up in extreme poverty, with a dad who was a thief and a mother who was chronically depressed and ill. Kathleen never wanted to visit the places and people that caused her so much pain again. But returning to her hometown gives her a chance to learn the truth about Eleanor, her once vibrant mother, and Fiona, the grandmother she barely knew. [return][return][return]Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.[return]Shifts from Kathleen's point of view to those of her mother's best friend, her grandmother, her uncle, and her mother. The story unfolds slowy, with pieces gradually falling into place. Sometimes the way the characters talk is too much like the author's own detailed way of describing the story--the switchining points of view while a character is supposed to be telling their story leaves you wondering if they really told it the way the author told it or more like the way people talk. So the dialogue seems unrealistic at times. But the characters and the lessons they learn are meaningful and the places and situations so well described that it is easy to get caught up in the story. [return][return][return][return]How Good is it?[return]A strong tale exloring the consequences of the decisions made by 3 generations of women.

aprillikesbooks's review against another edition

4.0

"Let what we suffer teach us to be merciful; let our sins teach us to forgive."

bethgiven's review against another edition

5.0

Ah, another Austin book to devour! This one is labeled “contemporary fiction” rather than historical — the main storyline is set in the present-day. But the problems of the present have been wrapped up in legacies of the past … ooh, there’s that historical fiction aspect I love! ;-)

It’s really quite an example of the hearts of the children turning to the fathers — or, in this case, the mothers. A lack of communication between mother and daughter had been the legacy in the family — causing each subsequent generation to feel alienated from their heritage, each young woman seeking a completely different lifestyle than the one she’d been raised in. When these long-hidden stories come pouring out through a series of flashbacks, mysteries are solved, motives are understood, and hearts are healed.

It’s been awhile since I read Eve’s Daughters (also by Lynn Austin), but I was still reminded of that story — how the choices of one generation effects another, how mysteries of the past are pieced together to make an understandable whole.

An enjoyable read that I absolutely sped through … I couldn’t help it. :-)

danicapage's review against another edition

4.0

I love Lynn Austin, and she didn't fail to reach my expectations. It was a very thought-provoking book and had me thinking about my own relationship with my mother.

It was a great book.

thereadingknitter's review against another edition

3.0

If I could give this 3 and a half stars I would. But on here you either give a book 3 or 4 stars. I really just had this book on my TBR list and decided to finally get it. It was well worth the read. The only part that kind of lost it's touch for me was Fiona's part. But it was a wondeful book that I couldn't put down. It really makes you think about family and how important family is.

tcupp's review against another edition

2.0

ALL SHE EVER WANTED begins with conflict between Kathleen and her daughter, who is caught shop lifting. Predictably, the story continues with Kathleen struggling to come to grips with how she could be this estranged from her child. Daughter Joelle enters therapy and Kathleen is encouraged by the therapist to attend a session. Kathleen is bitter with the therapist who wants to delve into her past. She resists and it looks as if family tensions are not going to be resolved. Mother and daughter soon find themselves on a long road trip, and begin to fill the idle road time with conversation. (Again, so very predictable.) As old family secrets start to come to light, the duo begins to empathize with one another and bond.

The author divides the book into sections and explores the lives of Kathleen's mother, grandmother, and great grandmother as she traces various drama filled, family traumas that shaped each generation.

The book has received a number of reviews from individuals who gave it a very high rating, so I must be the odd one out. I just could not connect with the author on this one. I tried to like this book but I just couldn't. I found it predictable in many ways and unbelievable in others.

I was only able to give the book two stars. For me, it was just "Ok".

cleanbooksforjess's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25