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All He Ever Wanted

3.11 of 5 stars 3.11 · rating details · 8,732 ratings · 644 reviews

"A marriage is always two intersecting stories." This realization comes perhaps too late to the husband of Etna Bliss-a man whose obsession with his young wife begins at the moment of their first meeting, as he helps Etna and her companions escape from a fire in a hotel restaurant, and culminates in a marriage doomed by secrets and betrayal. Written with the intelligence a...more

Mass Market Paperback, 372 pages

Published December 1st 2005 by Little Brown and Company (first published 2003)

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Nov 08, 2007 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fiction writers

Shelves: audio

Other reviews have commented on the style of this book in a negative way. It is true that the narrator is pompous, idiotic, and boring. He is also written about in a flat way, and it's difficult to feel any empathy for him. I believe this is intentional, however, and it demonstrates the author's skill. The protagonist moves from being a "bore" to an audacious oaf, to a despicable human being. The book is written in memoir form, and the fact that the entire novel is written from only his point of...more

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Jun 22, 2007 Melinda Chadwick rated it 1 of 5 stars

Yeah, I don't enjoy books about manipulative assholes.

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 04, 2007 Crandall rated it 1 of 5 stars

soooooooo boring. I dare you to finish it.

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Nov 03, 2008 bookyeti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, reviewed

Never judge a book by its...title

Never having the pleasure of reading any of Shreve’s works prior to delving into “All He Ever Wanted”, I admittedly formed an unfair and premature opinion of the novel based on its somewhat flimsy melodramatic title. However, I was soon to discover that it is definitely a fitting and descriptive cover for the thespian narrative that unravels within. I was also taken unaware that this was a period piece, set in New England in the early part of the 20th Century - a...more Never judge a book by its...title

Never having the pleasure of reading any of Shreve’s works prior to delving into “All He Ever Wanted”, I admittedly formed an unfair and premature opinion of the novel based on its somewhat flimsy melodramatic title. However, I was soon to discover that it is definitely a fitting and descriptive cover for the thespian narrative that unravels within. I was also taken unaware that this was a period piece, set in New England in the early part of the 20th Century - a fact I was all too happy to uncover, as I am an aficionado of period works.

“All He Ever Wanted” is a heart-wrenching account of unrequited love, obsession, jealousy and betrayal; exploring the most intense (and at times, darkest) workings of the human heart. Dreary and rather depressing, this candid narrative painstakingly chronicles a marriage of convenience gone sadly awry. It is written in the voice of Nicholas van Tassel, an English literary professor at a small college in New England as he ponders upon the memories of his fateful past…

One harrowing evening after escaping a restaurant fire, van Tassel happens upon the striking Etna Bliss and is instantaneously enraptured. Here commences their somewhat stifled and confusing courtship. Ultimately, their marriage forces each character to make critical compromises that will change their lives forever: Man gives up romantic ideal of marriage (knowing full well his wife does not love him) if only to ‘possess’ her for himself; Woman relinquishes hope of marrying someone she loves and settles instead for a man who offers her freedom and a degree of independence (which is ultimately counterfeit).

Although the story is a little slow and one-dimensional at the outset, as the plot proceeds the reader will be taken in by the rich detail and character definition that quickly develops. The letters between certain characters were also a nice touch, allowing a glimpse into their personal thoughts - a unique perspective for the reader, digressing temporarily from the narrator’s recital.

All in all, I must say I was thoroughly impressed by Shreve’s shrewd portrayal of affections not reciprocated in “All He Ever Wanted”…it is a theme all too familiar in the human game of love.

- review for Time Warner books(less)

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Sep 25, 2008 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this book on tape, and have to say i wasn't into it at all during the first chapters. However, i stuck with it, and was so glad that i did.

This book is a fascinating examination of the general mores and attitudes of the late Victorian era - - - i say this because i feel that the leading character, Nicholas Van Tassel, is very much a product of that time rather than the era in which the narrative actually occurs. When one translates the Victorian Era to a stiff and stilted New Engl...more

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Jul 17, 2008 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

At times pansy-assed, this is a story of refined obsession. As more of Van Tassel's character is revealed, I found myself feeling more and more sorry for him. I boo'ed at Etna's agreement to marry him, but cheered when her secret cottage was revealed (though, to be clear, that whole storyline could have used about 50 more pages of development).

The book is written almost as one of the early 1900s and successfully comes off as a tribute to that time--the language, the affectations, the ideas. Ther...more

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Feb 04, 2008 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As my reviews always include spoilers, I am warning the reader now.

This book was aptly titled. It quite literally is about the things that he wanted and what he did to get them. The book reads like a memoir as Van Tessal narrates to the reader his love affair with Etna Bliss. Interwoven with this story is his own admonitions, opinions, and current status on a train to Florida to attend his sister's funeral. It truly is a heartbreaking story, just tragic, and lonely. Questions abound but are, fo...more As my reviews always include spoilers, I am warning the reader now.

This book was aptly titled. It quite literally is about the things that he wanted and what he did to get them. The book reads like a memoir as Van Tessal narrates to the reader his love affair with Etna Bliss. Interwoven with this story is his own admonitions, opinions, and current status on a train to Florida to attend his sister's funeral. It truly is a heartbreaking story, just tragic, and lonely. Questions abound but are, for the most part, answered by novel's end.

Van Tessal, professor at Thrupp college, assists a Mrs. Bliss and niece, Etna, after a fire ravages the Hotel restaurant they were just dining at. He falls immediately in love, literally consumed by his feelings for her, and pursues this lukewarm companion at all costs. Etna, admittedly cool, marries him but is honest with her husband. She does not love him and makes no promises to do so. She only promises to fulfill her duties as wife. They wed, create a family (a son an daughter), and live companionably. This is of course until a fateful series of events some fifteen years later. Van Tessal grows threatened in his career by an Asher, who will later also threaten his home. He learns that his wife has her own home away from home. She has procured a cottage. Throughout the novel, it is clear that all Etna hopes for in her life is freedom. This home offers her an innocent way to get this but Van Tessal cannot abide by this apparently unconventional and morally questionable act. He hastily asks for a divorce and Etna agrees. Though Van Tessal's obsession prompts him to beg for her return, she refuses and Van Tessal goes to such a length to procur exactly what he wants. Upset that Asher has his coveted job and that he may now be making advances to his separated wife, he sets his daughter to make accusations of molestation against this very innocent man. Van Tessal relays this all in the story, ashamed and guilty but at the same time with this hint of self righteousness, almost as if he excuses his behavior because of his "humanness." In any event, Etna is destroyed by this and returns home. Clara later reveals the truth, Etna is heartbroken (she learns that Philip is fighting overseas in WWI and never had his name cleared), Van Tessal rapes her, and she leaves never to return. Van Tessal laters learns of the growing intimate relationship between his wife and Phillip, learns of the backstory between Etna and Phillip's brother Samuel from years before though he fills in the blanks for the reader as we do not have Etna's voice to lend information, and he loses his daughter who believes he murdered their mother. At the time of writing, he was attending the funeral of the sister who had taken Clara under her wing and hoping to speak to a child that he hadn't spoken to in 18 years!

This is a lengthy synopsis but necessary in order to explain my opinion. Etna obviously made a mistake in marrying but she can hardly be blamed. She was honest from the beginning about her inability to love her husband. She was honest about her interest in education and in her own freedom. Given the time period, marriage was really the only option and, since she knew she could never really love another and could not be with this person, she did what she thought she could to make another happy, to marry that which loved her to an obsession. At the turn of the twentieth century, she could do little else. Her only other option was to be a governess to her neices/nephews. At the very least, she could be the mistress of her own home. Her secret home, though perhaps unconventional, was her only price for this mockery of a marriage. I don't blame her leaving either. She had been betrayed by her husband, her daughter, and unfortunately she would not have retained custody. To be free of her husband, she had to leave.

And, onto Van Tassel, he is a redeemable character through much of the novel. In fact, one feels for this man who is so desperately in love. His anti-semitism, apparently common, was not to be respected but he was a good husband an father. This was until he grew so desperate and malicious. From the day he proposed and wed Etna, his thoughts were only on himself. Love means wanting the other person happy. This was not love but an immature desire, a selfishness. Simply because this is natural does not excuse him whatsoever. It was his actions that have broken up his family and possibly destroyed the life of Phillip, forever tainted by said accusation and whose life we know not what happened. Again I repeat that he might be "forgiven" for those human weaknesses had he seemed more repetent. His guilt was certainly evident but I feel more like he was upset that he didn't succeed, that Etna did not stay, instead of upset wtih his actions. The sheer act of writing eludes to ownership of his activities but his words belie this notion.

Anyway, very bittersweet, heartbreaking, disturbing, and a lesson for many.
(less)

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Jun 25, 2008 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow. she did a great job making the protagonist a real person, someone whose obsessive desire to own HIS wife gave me claustrophobia just to read it.

Also a nice satire on academia, mixed in. I found parts of it so sad...and totally agree with the person who said this book was like watching a caged bird from the perspective of the hungry cat.

the style captured the time period (a century or more ago) and really seemed to have been written by the pompous prig that was the protagonist...let's be al...more

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Dec 04, 2008 Joanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Anita Shreve is has written a lot of books, but only a few of them are worth reading. Resistance, The Weight of Water, Light on Snow and this one. This is a compelling story of a loveless marriage pre-World War 1 and the living with the consequences of one's actions. Written in the voice of the very restrained male.

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Apr 16, 2008 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I started reading this book I thought, “OK, I’m not getting through this one. Obvious chick book”. But I kept on and got hooked and finished in a couple of days. It’s the seemingly simple story of a professor at a small college who falls madly in love with a woman who he courts and marries. All desperately slowly as it is around 1899. She, though, has a somewhat dark and secret past and tells him up front that although she agrees to marry him she does not love him. He is determined that she...more

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Dec 16, 2008 Jackie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This novel was disturbing at times, but enlightening, and it truly captures the depths of obsession.

My favorite quote:
"The sight of your face on that morning so many years ago has remained for me a standard by which I judge my own affection for any woman with whom I am close, and the affection of any woman for me. I count you among the most fortunate of persons to have felt so strongly for another human being, however unhappy the outcome. Is this not the point of our existence?"
p. 229

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Jan 11, 2008 Lisa Greer rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: literary types

This is the only novel by Shreve I've liked. One of my pet peeves is novels titled The X's Wife... insert male specialist where X (pilot, professor, shoe salesman, doctor, whatever) is. I mean, come on, people. We are beyond that at this point I think-- where every woman must be named as her husband's wife. What a tired convention. The whole feminist movement and men's movement for that matter has changed considerably, and I won't even read or buy a novel so named. Rant over.

Anyhow, I liked this...more

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Dec 05, 2008 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jen by: Joy

I have to admit, I didn't expect to like this book. I don't know why-- maybe I thought Anita Shreve was too commercial or something? But, as it turns out it was an excellent read. I was impressed by her dark, obsessive, and flawed main character, Nicholas Van Tassel. Watching his un-admirable qualities pile up all around him until they eventually poisoned his entire life and the lives of others was compelling, disturbing, and also at times highly entertaining. A great read. (Thanks Joy!)

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Jun 12, 2008 Adela rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book has stayed with me. for 2 wks now. but my reaction is what a waste of a life, not one but four. Reminds me how dishonesty and creep into succeeding generations. Writing style is a little stuffy Victorian, but appropriate for the setting. loves and marries a women who tells him she does not love him. I am struck of a how difficult it would be to live in a loveless marriage. How sad it would be not to be able to take one into your confidence. I guess it has struck me how one single bad ch...more

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Jan 12, 2009 Jacki rated it 2 of 5 stars

After I read the first chapter of this book, I almost decided not to keep going. The language just really got on my nerves. Also annoying: at LEAST once per page there is a section in parentheses. For some reason this really got under my skin. Needless to say, I decided to give it a better chance & I got used to both of these things and was able to finish it.

I think that the thing that I didn't like about this story is that the main character is so unlikable that it makes it hard to read. I...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Christina Wilder rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: heartbreaking, would-like-to-reread

The limits that society used to set on women are brought to life in historical fiction novels, which place the characters in the past and illuminate their struggles against the backdrop of a world that had not seen the fruition of the feminist movement. Strong women being subdued by men is not an uncommon theme for novels in general, and in three popular historical fiction books the women in question face overwhelming odds and find their own way to battle for independence, justice, and love.

Nich...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes historical fiction

Recommended to Mary by: Paperback Swap

Shelves: 1990-2009, 96-100, historical-fiction, paperback, paperback-swap, read-but-unowned

Etna Bliss has just moved to the New Hampshire town where her uncle is a college professor. In one single moment, her life is totally transformed: she is dining in a hotel downtown when a fire forces her outside into the snowy streets. Amid the smoke and chaos of that night she is glimpsed, standing under a street lamp, by a man who had been dining in the same room - a man who is so overwhelmed by the sight of her that he immediately rebuilds his life around a single goal: to marry Etna Bliss.

Ni...more

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Jun 26, 2012 LG rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like a few other readers, I admired the credible voice Shreve gave her stuffy-prof narrator, but one question kept bothering me: Who does it remind me of? Then, before writing this review, I reread my other ones and realized … it reminds me of me! Of my writing voice, at least (even down to the parenthetical asides – is that a lit teacher thing?). So, depressingly, I write like an obsessive, overweening wild boar/bore/Boer/boor. (That’s the narrator’s nickname at the prep school where he teaches...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Rachel added it · review of another edition

I wasn't sure I liked this at the beginning; it seemed very stilted but as I got to know the narrator who is male, (which is refreshing for a female author as they are not as common as a female voice) I realised that the stilted style was the whole point. There are touches of humour ('As for me I stayed in my study, where I had sherry for nourishment and brandy for sustenance.' -Though this is also meant to give a reason/excuse for the behaviour which follwed.)

You feel conflicting emotions for...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Empress5150 rated it 2 of 5 stars

I’ve read several of Shreve’s books; this one was just so-so. It begins in turn of the century New England (meaning from 1899 to 1900) and I really did not care one iota for the primary character, Professor Nicholas Van Tassle. He came off like a pompous baboon. I suppose that was what Shreve wanted “us” to feel since the story line was in essence how Van Tassle falls in love with a lovely woman named Etna Bliss (you can imagine the play on words that kept going on with that last name) who reall...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Dorothy rated it 3 of 5 stars

It should surprise no one that Nicholas Van Tassel, professor of English Literature and rhetoric at Thrupp College in Massachusetts, would find it necessary to leave a legacy of his life in the form of a handwritten memoir. While he hadn't had the time to compose it during his busy life as a professor and then dean at Thrupp, he did now that he was retired. That is how he decided to pass the time away as he traveled by train from his little New England town to his sister's funeral which was taki...more It should surprise no one that Nicholas Van Tassel, professor of English Literature and rhetoric at Thrupp College in Massachusetts, would find it necessary to leave a legacy of his life in the form of a handwritten memoir. While he hadn't had the time to compose it during his busy life as a professor and then dean at Thrupp, he did now that he was retired. That is how he decided to pass the time away as he traveled by train from his little New England town to his sister's funeral which was taking place in Florida.
Sitting back in his compartment, he reflected and he wrote. Fifteen years? Where did the time go? Yet, the memory of the fire at the restaurant and the flame in his heart were still alive! Yes, it was love at first sight. No, she was not a raving beauty, but there was something about her that drew him to her. In an effort to win her, he pursued her, bought her gifts, tok her to tea, and on a wonderful sleigh ride. The more time that he spent with her, the more he imagined that she shared his ardor.
Ah! but he was mistaken! Etna, herself, had told him so. "I do not love you, Nicholoas." She had said it more than once. Like a lovesick fool he pursued her anyway. After all, he was a man of prestige and means. How could she refuse him? It was only when he presented himself as her savior, her knight in shing armor that she finally said, "Yes."
If he had asked Shakespeare, he would have heard him say,"What fools these mortals be."
It didn't take Van Tassel longer than his wedding night to discover that his fair damsel was not a virgin. Learning this took the wind out of his sails, but pride forced him to keep up the pretense. There were so many things that confused and taunted him: Who had been her lover? How many had there been? How could she do this to h im" Questions, questions, questions...
Years passed. Children came, and slowly Etna's past is revealed when a young, brilliant professor named Phillip Asher enters the scene. Van Tassel recognizes that he is a strong competitor for the position of dean at the college. More importantly, he senses that he represents the missing link in the mystery of Etna's past.
Any modern day reader would more than likely want to give Professor Nicholas Van Tassel a good kick in the ass that would knock him to his senses. To my way of thinking if he felt that "virginity" was such a high priority in choosing a wife, he should have asked her if she was "pure" before even thinking about a proposal. On the other hand, I would suggest that he should have traveled to the Middle East to marry a Moslem!
I would recommend reading, All He Ever Wanted to anyone who wishes to delve into the psychology of marital realtionships gone awry and the machinations of human nature which result in "doubt," "fear," and "resentment" which result in the breakup of a family. Lastly, what this novel recommends is tnat persons should avoid marrying someone that they do not truly and deeply love.
Good advice. Wouldn't you say?(less)

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Dec 22, 2009 BarkLessWagMore rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, fiction

All He Ever Wanted begins with a hotel fire in the early 1900’s. The narrator of the story is recounting his past while en route to his sister’s funeral. Bachelor Nicholas Van Tassel is a stuffy professor at a snotty boys' school who is inside the hotel when the blaze begins but leaves unscathed. During this tragedy where twenty people perish in a fiery death he meets the woman of his dreams Etna Bliss.

Etna’s “handsome” face, her lovely waist and her other womanly attributes haunt his every thou...more All He Ever Wanted begins with a hotel fire in the early 1900’s. The narrator of the story is recounting his past while en route to his sister’s funeral. Bachelor Nicholas Van Tassel is a stuffy professor at a snotty boys' school who is inside the hotel when the blaze begins but leaves unscathed. During this tragedy where twenty people perish in a fiery death he meets the woman of his dreams Etna Bliss.

Etna’s “handsome” face, her lovely waist and her other womanly attributes haunt his every thought. Even her name, Bliss, brings lusty thoughts to his mind and starts my skin to crawling. His infatuation is all consuming and before long he pursues her with all of the gusto of a starving dog drooling over a choice bit of meat. She eventually agrees to a date where he learns, a bit to his dismay, that she has a brain as well as fine breasts and is surprisingly literate. They read stories together and seem to get along well enough but when he makes a move or turns the conversation towards the personal she immediately gives him the cold shoulder. I should add that Nicholas is described as the most un-athletic man on earth with a slight paunch and a balding pate. The sexual attraction seems entirely one-sided and a bit creepy. At this point I would’ve put the book aside unfinished as I found Nicholas Van Tassel boring beyond belief and far too pompous for his own good. However, since I was listening to this in its unabridged format and I was stuck in traffic I continued to torture myself with Nicholas Van Tassel’s words (expertly read by a narrator who reads in a purposely haughty way).

Despite the fact that Etna does not return his feelings of undying love he insists that they marry and, oddly enough, she agrees. Thus begins their awkward life together. During their years of marriage they parent two children which, thankfully, we are spared the oogey details of their sterile love making. Thank you Mr. Van Tassel for speedily skipping by those bits and saving me a few shudders! They seem to get along decently enough as they plod along through their days. Nicholas gives Etna a nice life and the freedom to do whatever she wishes but sadly the love Nicholas aches for is never returned by Etna. Nicholas, the poor love starved sap, is grateful just to have her as his wife and doesn’t complain about her complete lack of affection towards him. But things begin to change when he discovers that Etna has been hiding things from him. This is where the book finally picked up and actually engaged my full attention.

At this point Nicholas almost becomes a sympathetic character though he is still remains a thoroughly unpleasant fellow. He is riddled with insecurities and although he has been married to a woman he cherished for years he will never be a happy or successful man. His world begins to spiral out of control as he simultaneously discovers Etna’s been keeping secrets and learns the position he’s been longing to have at the University may be forever out of his reach.

Nicholas’s festering jealously and over-reaction to Etna’s secret -- which was odd but not nearly as devastatingly earth-shattering as I’d anticipated -- ruins any smidgen of pity I may have felt for him just a few chapters earlier. Author Shreve successfully paints an unpleasant picture of a thoroughly unpleasant man caught up in a situation of his own making. Reading Nicolas Van Tassel’s vitriolic comments and actions for pages on end was a depressing experience that I won’t be repeating any time soon.(less)

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Jul 27, 2009 Donna Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I normally love Anita SHreve, but this book is hard to read. I tried to read this book several years ago and I never finshed it because the beginning is soooooo boring. This time I was determined to finish reading it and I'm glad I did. Van Tassel has got to be one of the most infuriating and self-absorbed characters I have ever come across.He is full of himself, extermely bigoted, and difficult to sympathize with. He marries Etna despite the fact that she does not care for him at all and yet he...more

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May 03, 2010 Tammy Hamblen rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: to anyone who wants to feel nothing at all

Recommended to Tammy by: no one

I just started reading book yesturday and could not put it down, afraid I would miss a great love sene or a horrific happening. Well to my disappointment there was neither.
For some reason I do feel very sorry for the narrator, but quite the oppposite for his wife. She chose him knowing what he was and almost accepting him for just that. I'm only half way through the book and have yet to feel any real animosity towards him. He is pompous and selfish, but I don't hate him for this (he is from a d...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars

"I set out to win the hand of the woman whose voice and hair and skin seemed to have permeated every membrane of my body and breached every boundary of my soul." - Nicholas Van Tassel, 1899.

This story is delivered as a recollection by Nicholas Van Tassel, now 64 years old, on his way to Florida by train to attend his sister's funeral. Along his journey Nicholas replays the past in his mind, putting his memoirs to paper. He recalls his past and the choices he's made over the years while reflectin...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Cheyenne rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the 3rd book I've read of Shreve's and while not my favorite(Testimony), it was better than Change in Altitude.

It starts out slow and the writing takes some getting used to, but it takes a turn about halfway through. The main character ends up being dark, obsessive, racist, and corrupt; which just goes to show you that monsters come in all shapes and forms. The lengths this guy goes through to get what he wants (with seemingly little remorse) is amazing. He lies, blackmails, uses childre...more

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May 07, 2011 Sarah Whitney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, a-gift, historical-fiction, favorites

My desire for this unknown woman was so immediate and keen and inappropriate that it quite startled me; and I have often wondered if that punishing desire, that sense of fire within the body, that craven need to touch the skin, was not simply the result of the heightened circumstances of the fire itself. Would I have been so ravished had I seen Etna Bliss across the dining room, or turned and noted her standing behind me on a street corner? I answer myself, as I inevitably do, with the knowledge...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Annette Uroskie rated it 1 of 5 stars

First of all, I love Anita Shreve. Some things more than others, but, that said, I find her one of my favorite "easy read" yet meaningful contemporary writers. I just couldn't believe an entire book could have the main character go on and on with absolutely no redeeming qualities - NONE! Yes, I know this is probably the point of the book, but.... I have read more reviews on this book than I should have, trying to make sense of it. Is it well written? Yes. Will I remember it? Yes. Do I hate the c...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Ria Ali rated it 2 of 5 stars

Wow.
After reading the first two pages, i considered thsi book as a typical homely novel set in the late 20th century. But when i entered the second shift, i realized it was an early nineteenth century novel. God.
Everything went tumbling down from then on. I could'nt get myself to read the book at first glance. But as it sat there unattended i relented and started reading once more.
The first reason for a knocked out star is Shreves dialogues.
They are so fictional that you don't expect any body s...more

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Jan 28, 2010 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm not sure how "unbiased" my review is. I took an instant and violent dislike to the narrator. I'm pretty sure the author wanted me to hate the narrator...

The narrator is telling the story of how he fell in love with a woman, pursued her, married her, and became disillusioned on their wedding night. He's a pedantic, arrogant, prejudiced, boring jerk. He makes excuses for his behavior throughout the book, but I believe that the author wants the reader to see how weak his excuses are. He is will...more

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About Anita Shreve

Anita Shreve grew up in Dedham, Massachusetts (just outside Boston), the eldest of three daughters. Early literary influences include having read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton when she was a junior in high school (a short novel she still claims as one of her favorites) and everything Eugene O'Neill ever wrote while she was a senior (to which she attributes a somewhat dark streak in her own work). A...more Anita Shreve grew up in Dedham, Massachusetts (just outside Boston), the eldest of three daughters. Early literary influences include having read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton when she was a junior in high school (a short novel she still claims as one of her favorites) and everything Eugene O'Neill ever wrote while she was a senior (to which she attributes a somewhat dark streak in her own work). After graduating from Tufts University, she taught high school for a number of years in and around Boston. In the middle of her last year, she quit (something that, as a parent, she finds appalling now) to start writing. "I had this panicky sensation that it was now or never."

Joking that she could wallpaper her bathroom with rejections from magazines for her short stories ("I really could have," she says), she published her early work in literary journals. One of these stories, "Past the Island, Drifting," won an O. Henry prize. Despite this accolade, she quickly learned that one couldn't make a living writing short fiction. Switching to journalism, Shreve traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, where she lived for three years, working as a journalist for an African magazine. One of her novels, The Last Time They Met, contains bits and pieces from her time in Africa.

Returning to the United States, Shreve was a writer and editor for a number of magazines in New York. Later, when she began her family, she turned to freelancing, publishing in the New York Times Magazine, New York magazine and dozens of others. In 1989, she published her first novel, Eden Close. Since then she has written 12 other novels, among them The Weight of Water, The Pilot's Wife, The Last Time They Met, A Wedding in December, and Body Surfing.

In 1998, Shreve received the PEN/L. L. Winship Award and the New England Book Award for fiction. In 1999, she received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey, and The Pilot's Wife became the 25th selection of Oprah's Book Club and an international bestseller. In April 2002, CBS aired the film version of The Pilot's Wife, starring Christine Lahti, and in fall 2002, The Weight of Water, starring Elizabeth Hurley and Sean Penn, was released in movie theaters.

Still in love with the novel form, Shreve writes only in that genre. "The best analogy I can give to describe writing for me is daydreaming," she says. "A certain amount of craft is brought to bear, but the experience feels very dreamlike."

Shreve is married to a man she met when she was 13. She has two children and three stepchildren, and in the last eight years has made tuition payments to seven colleges and universities.(less)

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Quotes from All He Ever Wanted

“Sometimes it seems to me that all of life is a struggle to contain the natural impulses of the body and spirit, and that what we call character represents only the degree to which we are successful in this endeavor.” — 6 people liked it

“I wanted to lay down my cloak so that her feet might not be sullied by the dirty snow, but of course I could not - not only for the seeming excess of the gesture, which might have frightened away any sane woman, but also for a D shear impracticality of doing so at continuous intervals.” — 1 person liked it

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