Die Seele des Ganzen.
by Anna Quindlen
published
February 1997
by Btb Bei Goldmann
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binding
Paperback
isbn
3442720737
(isbn13: 9783442720736)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1785)
Read in April, 2008
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Read in September, 2007
The plot line is simple: a young woman (Ellen Gulden) starting her career in New York City is called back home, to the small college town in which she grew up, to be a caretaker while her mother (Kate Gulden) is dying of cancer. Ellen had never been close to her mother, but had sought her father's approval and emulated him in some regards; her father pressures her into caretaking her mother. As one would expect, tensions arise as a result of these familial relationships. The plot twist is that w...more
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Read in October, 2005
Kate und Ellen Gulden hatten nie eine besonders enge Beziehung zueinander. Wie viele Töchter war Ellen eher 'Papa's Mädel' und immer darauf bedacht, ihm zu gefallen. Kate hingegen war einfach die liebevolle Hausfrau und Mutter, die immer da war und alles ungefragt erledigte; die aber nie aus ihrem Schatten heraus trat.
Nachdem Ellen ihr College beendet hat und gerade einen guten Job bei einer Zeitschrift gefunden hat, bekommt ihre Mutter eine schreckliche Diagnose: sie hat Krebs im fortges...more
Nachdem Ellen ihr College beendet hat und gerade einen guten Job bei einer Zeitschrift gefunden hat, bekommt ihre Mutter eine schreckliche Diagnose: sie hat Krebs im fortges...more
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Read in September, 2006
"She spoke and I listened to her, because I was afraid if I didn't her voice would gradually fade away, an evanescent wraith of a thing that would narrow to a pinpoint of light and then go out, lost forever, like Tinkerbell if no one clapped for her. I listened to her, because I loved her."
"Afterward I wondered why I hadn't loved that day more, why I hadn't savored every bit of it like soft ice cream on my tongue, whi I hadn't known how good it was to live so normally, so ever...more
"Afterward I wondered why I hadn't loved that day more, why I hadn't savored every bit of it like soft ice cream on my tongue, whi I hadn't known how good it was to live so normally, so ever...more
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Read in August, 2007
This not-quite-fresh story of the complicated nature of the relationship between mothers and daughters left me glad when it ended.
I think I would have liked to have seen the mother-character (see, I even forgot her name!) fleshed out more, especially as she was the most likeable character in the book, not to mention the most complex. Though the author hinted at her imperfections, for her to be more fully realized, she needed a "fatal flaw" (or two...or three) in order to be full...more
I think I would have liked to have seen the mother-character (see, I even forgot her name!) fleshed out more, especially as she was the most likeable character in the book, not to mention the most complex. Though the author hinted at her imperfections, for her to be more fully realized, she needed a "fatal flaw" (or two...or three) in order to be full...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
people who are interested in family dynamics; especially relationships between parents and children
Olga recommended this book (thanks, Olga!) and I really enjoyed it. It was compelling from the beginning, but I did have to adjust to the author's writing style. It's hard to descibe, but it felt like you would take one step forward with the plot and 10 steps backward to get the context or history. Probably very common, but I had'nt experience that for awhile.
The characters were very engaging - the main character was very sympathetic and, to my mind, reaistically portrayed. The layered ...more
The characters were very engaging - the main character was very sympathetic and, to my mind, reaistically portrayed. The layered ...more
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Read in July, 2008
Quindlen is a great writer, giving a vivid glimpse into the mind and heart of the main character, Ellen, as she gives up her adult life to move home and take care of her dying mother. Although every family is uniquely dysfunctional, her insightful conclusions about the relationship between child and parent in the context of this particular family could perhaps be universally applied to all.
This book forced me to ask the question - would I do that for my mom? At first I, like Ellen, was un...more
This book forced me to ask the question - would I do that for my mom? At first I, like Ellen, was un...more
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The three stars is for the writing, not for the subject matter (a family dealing with death) or for the plot. If your mom was dying of cancer and had only a few months to live, would you reply, "I have a life!" when asked to come home and be with her? Ellen is a single 24 yr-old yuppie who leaves her job in New York to be with her mom only to please her dad, not because she cares about her mom. I thought I was going to find out that her mom was horrible, because Ellen's attitude lead...more
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Read in July, 1998
This is the book that changed everything for me ... I used to HATE reading! I was a slow reader and my mind would wander while I read. During one of my last semesters of college, I took an elective course called Death and Dying. Instead of a final exam, we were required to read this book and then write a paper about it. I did not enjoy reading, so I was pleasantly surprised when I couldn't put the book down! This was almost 10 years ago, so I'm not sure if the book was really that remarkable...more
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Read in August, 2007
There are some authors I'm interested in reading, but instead of reading a variety of their books, I end up rereading the same book repeatedly. One True Thing is one of those books for me. I keep thinking I'm going to read Black and Blue or Object Lessons, but read this instead. Maybe I should add a bookshelf called "books I'm tired of re-reading".
To me, the best parts of the book are her descriptions. She paints very vivid word pictures. Once or twice during my most recent re...more
To me, the best parts of the book are her descriptions. She paints very vivid word pictures. Once or twice during my most recent re...more
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Read in February, 2007
This is one of those books that haunts you long after you read it. It is about the relationships between an adult daughter, her dying mother and the father she adores. The daughter puts her career on hold to return home, as her father demands, to care for her mother. I read it a year or so after caring for my own dying mother, and several passages were so perfectly descriptive of the emotionally charged experience that I was moved to tears. Quindlen writes as though from experience, though h...more
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Read in September, 2008
This is one of those books that I opened already knowing the outcome -- I saw the movie. I usually never watch movies that were originally books, but when the movie came out, I had no idea.
So part of me was biased to dislike the father because I despise William Hurt so much, and I couldn't get his face out of my head as I read. However, I found his character pretty dispicable, even without that.
This is a good book, and a tear-jerker, so haul out the handkercheif.
Lori Anderson ...more
So part of me was biased to dislike the father because I despise William Hurt so much, and I couldn't get his face out of my head as I read. However, I found his character pretty dispicable, even without that.
This is a good book, and a tear-jerker, so haul out the handkercheif.
Lori Anderson ...more
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I must have read this book three times since its publication and each time I read it, I have even more of an appreciation for the depth of Quindlen's characters; her descriptive writing and paragraphs that you can ponder for hours. The dynamics of a family are so intricate and impossible to define, especially as a child. For the very best description of this book, read the review by Tim Appelo; he says it all and I couldn't agree more. Normally, I hate when my favorite book becomes a movie bu...more
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I liked this book very much. I think it was an honest look at what dying cancer patients actually go through as well as the effect it has on people close to the patient. This strong, smart, independent young woman who quit her job and returned home to care for her mother was deeply afffected by that experience. From page 288 "....I realized that, while I would never be my mother nor have her life, the lesson she had left me was that it was possible to love and care for a man and still ha...more
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Read in March, 2008
I'm glad I read this (actually listened to it on tape) but it is was crushingly sad. The book is about a self-absorbed, woman in her early 20s who is forced to leave NYC and her developing career and move back to her parents' home to take care of her 46ish year old mother, who is dying of cancer. In the agonizing months she is there she re-evaluates almost everything she has taken for granted about her parents, loses many of her hard edges and finally begins the process of becoming an adult an...more
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Tearjerker! But not in the sad sappy way. More of a heart wrenching, depressing, this could happen to me, oh wait, really, it could have! I heard recently about a girl who's deciding if she should postpone her last semester of college to take care of her mother dying of cervical cancer. As tragic as this story was, it made me want to run to this girl and tell her to go. Newsweek columnist, Quindlen, draws from personal experiences to bring her characters to life. (Sorry, that's so cliche, but it...more
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I read this book shortly after my own Mom died, so it was especially painful. I loved the book and cook club and how the daughter finally was able to establish an adult relationship with a woman she had totally misjudged. The book explores being pulled painfully out of our childhood misconceptions about who our family members are. The daughter gained a mother just to lose her, and lost a father after being forced to see him exposed to the harsh light of reality rather than through childish ad...more
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Good book, although Ellen was very frustrating with her passiveness toward everything. I liked the story. I wish Quindlen could have developed more about Ellen's brothers. I also found it really strange that someone else could request an autopsy (I know for a fact that when someone is ill the family has the right to decline an autopsy - they will not perform one unless there is suspected foul play). It was interesting that her father was never questioned - only Ellen. None of the characters were...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Jenn by:
Ruth Olpin
I love the dynamics of the Mother/Daughter and Father/Daughter relationship, I don't have perfect parents but I feel extremely blessed to have the parents I do have and hope that tihs senario NEVER plays out in my life. Since we all have these relationships it will be an AWESOME discussion, I look forward to it. I don't like the random swear words, it would be just as good without them. Book Group went well with different opinions on the book. Most everyone liked the book and could relate on...more
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