All He Ever Wanted

by Anita Shreve | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0316782262 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingAramenawing of Noble, Oklahoma USA on 1/22/2004
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10 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingAramenawing from Noble, Oklahoma USA on Thursday, January 22, 2004
I joined the QPB book club (from a link in the upper right corner!) and got six books for a dollar each, plus S&H of course.

From Amazon review:

Anita Shreve's All He Ever Wanted reads like Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own told from the perspective of the husband. The wife gains a measure of freedom, but how does the repressive, abandoned husband feel about that freedom? Set in the early 1900s in the fictional New England college town of Thrupp, and narrated by the pompous Nicholas Van Tassel, All He Ever Wanted is at once an academic satire, a period novel, and a tale of suspense. Shreve's ability to nimbly hop through genres brings a liveliness to this story of love gone depressingly wrong. Van Tassel is an undistinguished professor of rhetoric at Thrupp College and a confirmed bachelor when he meets--in no less flamy a scenario than a hotel fire--the arresting Miss Etna Bliss. Immediately smitten, he woos and wins her. At least, he persuades her to become his wife. But Van Tassel hasn't really won her. Etna keeps her secrets and her feelings to herself. The extent of her withholding only becomes clear after a couple of kids and a decade or so of marriage. Then we find out that she's been creating a secret haven for herself all along. Van Tassel is in turn revealed--through his own priggish, puffed-up sentences--as something of a monster. The book is cleverly done; watching Etna through Van Tassel's eyes is like looking at a beautiful bird from a hungry cat's point of view. But Van Tassel's voice might be too well written; he's pedantic and dull and snarky all at once, and by the end we find that we, like Etna, can't bear his company a minute longer. --Claire Dederer

Journal Entry 2 by wingAramenawing from Noble, Oklahoma USA on Thursday, April 1, 2004
Since my TBR pile is so huge, I’ve decided to take some of the books that are languishing there and offer them as book rings so that others may enjoy them before they come back to me!

All He Ever Wanted has shipped to the first participant on April 2! There are 11 participants. I will leave the ring open, but anybody who wants to join later will be added to the end, and therefore may have to ship internationally. Here is the order:

1. Tuff517 (US)
2. Doggerham (US)
3. Lpree (US)
4. Vicki9170 (US)
5. Leighspeak (U.K.)
6. Itsmejudy (Australia) Skipped -- no response to PMs
7. Brujula (France) book is here!
8. Hannahsc5 (Canada) Skipping -- PM feature turned off and has been inactive
9. Bluenoser (Canada)
10. Cheli-garza (US)
11. vzfamily

I have picked up another copy of this book, so this is now a ray instead of a ring!

When you are ready to send the book on, PM the next person on the list to get their address. If they don’t respond within a week or so, let me know, and we can move their name down the list and go to the next person.

Enjoy everyone!

Journal Entry 3 by wingAramenawing from Noble, Oklahoma USA on Friday, April 2, 2004
Mailed to Tuff517 today!

Journal Entry 4 by tuff517 from Elk Grove Village, Illinois USA on Monday, April 12, 2004
Received it the other day and I've already started it!

Journal Entry 5 by tuff517 from Elk Grove Village, Illinois USA on Wednesday, April 21, 2004
This was a little hard to get started on, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. It was deliciously tragic and while Nicholas did something horrible I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. Waiting for the next person's address and it'll be on its way.

Journal Entry 6 by tuff517 from Elk Grove Village, Illinois USA on Thursday, April 22, 2004
On the way to doggerham!

Journal Entry 7 by doggerham from Houston, Texas USA on Monday, April 26, 2004
Arrived as part of a book ring -- will be next up in the TBR stack! Thanks Dixie!

Journal Entry 8 by doggerham from Houston, Texas USA on Monday, May 17, 2004
The Victorian/Edwardian era attitudes toward women are annoying, and the protagonist behaves reprehensibly. If his emotions were true, his actions were so restricted by society and fear of taking risks, that you almost, but don't feel sorry for Van Tassel. I don't feel verry sorry for Etna either; she is just as trapped by society, but only pretends to be any kind of a risk taker -- else why would she have married him in the first place?

I agree that it does move slowly at the beginning, but once you get into the rhythm of the language, it is very enjoyable. Awaiting the address, and it will be sent on to the next reader.

Journal Entry 9 by Lpree from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Wednesday, May 19, 2004
This just arrived in the mail today and will be next in the TBR line. I expect to finish my current read in the next few days.

Journal Entry 10 by Lpree from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Saturday, May 22, 2004
I finished this book on my day off yesterday. This is the second book I've read by Anita Shreve (the other one was "Sea Glass") and I think now I don't really like her style of writing so much. I enjoyed the story but did have trouble getting into it. I was torn between feeling sorry for Nicholas and horror at his being so desparate that he would marry a woman who does not love him (in addition to the other really shocking things he does).

I hope to mail this back out Monday or Tuesday.

Journal Entry 11 by Lpree at on Monday, May 24, 2004
Released on Monday, May 24, 2004 at BookRing in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

Sent media mail today to vicki9170.

Journal Entry 12 by vicki9170 from St. Petersburg, Florida USA on Saturday, May 29, 2004
received today

Journal Entry 13 by vicki9170 from St. Petersburg, Florida USA on Saturday, January 15, 2005
started today will be mailing out on monday to leighspeak (already have her addy).

Journal Entry 14 by vicki9170 from St. Petersburg, Florida USA on Wednesday, January 19, 2005
this took a little longer than i expected to finish. will be mailing out tomorrow :)

Journal Entry 15 by HoledEnglish from Bromley, Kent United Kingdom on Friday, April 1, 2005
Received today, thanks for passing it along. Will get to it ASAP!

Journal Entry 16 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Thursday, February 16, 2006
The book arrived safely in Belfort yesterday.
Thank you for sending it!

Journal Entry 17 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Friday, March 17, 2006
I had a hard time reading this book, for several reasons... First of all I've been a little busy since I started it. But mostly, the main character and narrator was so irritating that I couldn't read more than a few pages at a time before I felt like screaming at him!
So I guess the author has really achieved to make this character look real!
Anyway, it was almost a relief to turn the last page...

Thank you Aramena for making me discover this author!

Journal Entry 18 by bluenoser from Eymet, Aquitaine France on Friday, March 31, 2006
This arrived safely in my Eymet mailbox today.
I already read this a while back, so will pass it along soon. I'm heading back to Canada in 10 days, so will take it with me to mail on from there. It will be quicker than sending it from France via surface mail.

Journal Entry 19 by cheli-garza from Dallas, Texas USA on Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Received safe & sound in today's mail. I just started a new book yesterday, so I'll be able to start reading this one in about a week. Thanks so much for including me, Aramena!

Journal Entry 20 by cheli-garza from Dallas, Texas USA on Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Be careful- spoilers following! I couldn't get into this story at all. It took me forever and a day to read. I would keep slogging along, waiting for it to get interesting (for me, that is). It never really did. Poor Nicky. Maybe he was a tad full of himself, but then again, he never did anything wrong. Until he had his daughter tell a tale, that is. His wife is the one that was just bonzo. What? Etna wanted a place of her own? That's why ladies used to have parlours! A parlour would be a special place where the lady of the house reigned. If she did it the right way, the man of the house wouldn't feel welcome or comfortable there and would leave it all to her! Perhaps Etna didn't love old Nick, but she struck a deal with him. She was just a sore loser. I'd hate to beat her at cards! Will mail out in the next few days.

Journal Entry 21 by vzfamily from Willard, Ohio USA on Monday, June 26, 2006
Received this in today's mail - THANKS so much for still including me in this ray. As soon as I get to it - I will RABCK it on!!

Journal Entry 22 by vzfamily from Willard, Ohio USA on Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Unfortunatley, this is one of those books that by page 50, I could still not get into. I believe that Aramena told me to release this however I wanted (if I'm wrong, please let me know Aramena!) As soon as our financial situation improves a bit, I will be sending this on to others!!

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