In this breathtaking and beautiful novel, the #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen creates an unforgettable portrait of a moth...
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Oct 02, 2011
Jeanette
rated it: 
Raw. Powerful. Real. Not for cynics or sissies.
If you have experienced a devastating event that has permanently divided your life into a "Before" and an "After," this book will really speak to your heart. I know it spoke to mine. If you're fortunate enough not to have been through the fire, there's much to be gained here in understanding another person's pain and knowing how best to help them.
For maximum impact, it's best to know as little as possible p More...
If you have experienced a devastating event that has permanently divided your life into a "Before" and an "After," this book will really speak to your heart. I know it spoke to mine. If you're fortunate enough not to have been through the fire, there's much to be gained here in understanding another person's pain and knowing how best to help them.
For maximum impact, it's best to know as little as possible p More...
8 comments
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(17 people liked it)
Apr 23, 2010
Lisa
rated it: 
I recommend reading this book knowing very little about it. I always read the cover and inside covers first and what I learn usually whets my appetite and rarely am I disappointed to have the information. However, the inside front cover of this book revealed more than I wanted to know. Perhaps that’s just me; I don’t know.
Quindlen is a fine writer and a skillful story teller; I learned so much about these family members and those they knew incredibly rapidly.
The story is More...
Quindlen is a fine writer and a skillful story teller; I learned so much about these family members and those they knew incredibly rapidly.
The story is More...
13 comments
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(20 people liked it)
Feb 12, 2012
Laurel
rated it: 
This was my first Quindlen book. I became curious about her after reading her high praise of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones (another book I didn't particularly enjoy). It's sort of funny because I felt these two books were quite similar in tone and even (partly) in subject matter.
Every Last One is hard to describe without giving too much away, but it deals quite intensely with issues of death, tragedy, depression and grief. In that sense, it's not what I would call an enjoyable More...
Every Last One is hard to describe without giving too much away, but it deals quite intensely with issues of death, tragedy, depression and grief. In that sense, it's not what I would call an enjoyable More...
7 comments
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(7 people liked it)
Aug 02, 2010
Alecia
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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(14 people liked it)
Jul 25, 2011
Kathy
rated it:
Compelling story! I use this phrase sparingly, as the story has to be one that completely ensconces me into its plot line and characters. Every Last One accomplishes that to perfection. Quindlen has an amazing talent for developing characters in which the reader becomes emotionally invested. I don't want to sound trite, but the characters really do come alive for the reader. Quindlen also has quite the knack for writing about an important issue that exposes it but doesn't preach or judge, a
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10 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Aug 31, 2011
Judie
rated it: 
This is one of my first e-books (read on my ipad with Kindle for Mac) and it was an amazing experience. Almost more interesting than the book itself was the whole e-book experience. I realised about a third of the way through that I didn't know anything about the book: I'd not given the cover more than a glance, I'd not read any blurb (back cover or inside cover), no biography of the author, no list of her other books. I read the book - just the book. And it was WEIRD.
I was readin More...
I was readin More...
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 08, 2011
Roxanne
rated it:
I recommend you do not read the book's jacket, or, any book reviews. Just read this book! Be patient, the first half of the book builds to the climax of the novel.
I did not pick a very good time to personally read this book. Our family has recently been rocked by a "before" and "after" event and it was very emotional to actually read this. Some reviewers describe Anna Quindlen's novels "dark." They are anything but, they are honest and real. Mayb More...
I did not pick a very good time to personally read this book. Our family has recently been rocked by a "before" and "after" event and it was very emotional to actually read this. Some reviewers describe Anna Quindlen's novels "dark." They are anything but, they are honest and real. Mayb More...
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Feb 18, 2012
G
rated it:
Books that depict family life in US suburbia really aren’t my cup of tea. I find most of them boring or predictable, or worse, both. Anna Quindlen writes books about family life in US suburbia. That’s her specialty. So, why did I read her latest, Every Last One? Several reasons, the primary one being the fact that Anna Quindlen is no ordinary writer. She’s a very gifted, excellent writer, and after a hiatus of several years, I thought it was time I read one of her books again.
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(1 person liked it)
Aug 25, 2010
Marcia
rated it:
The first half of Every Last One by Anna Quindlen is best described with the adjective quotidian. Mary Beth Latham and her family (husband, Glen; daughter, Ruby; twin sons, Alex and Max) go through the daily routine so familiar to anyone who has had kids in middle school and high school and who remembers (fondly or not) the soccer games and practices, the having to be at opposite ends of the town at the exact same time, the crises of young love, etc. And so, the first half of Every Last One lu
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(7 people liked it)
Jan 02, 2011
Kristina
rated it:
If you intend to read this book, don't go fishing around on the internet unless you want to know what happens. I liked not knowing. This is the second book I've read by her and thought the first was okay, but this was totally different and kind of blew me away. The author is obviously a mother and wife herself to garner the dead-on insights into her main character. Even though my children are still small, I could appreciate her descriptions of mothering teenagers. It reminded me how being the
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(2 people liked it)
Jul 27, 2010
Gwendolyn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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3 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Dec 21, 2010
Kris
rated it:
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0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 03, 2012
Lois
rated it:
I gave this book 3 stars which indicates "I liked it." If I was telling the literal truth, I would have given it 2 stars, because I didn't "like" it, meaning I didn't enjoy it.
If the judgment was based on how well written it was, I would have given it 4 stars. Without doubt, Anna Quindlen is a fine writer, though her books tend to be slow-moving, and I like to be swept up in a story. I'd become so bored with the account of trivia about the everyday life of an aver More...
If the judgment was based on how well written it was, I would have given it 4 stars. Without doubt, Anna Quindlen is a fine writer, though her books tend to be slow-moving, and I like to be swept up in a story. I'd become so bored with the account of trivia about the everyday life of an aver More...
Jan 25, 2012
Vanessa
rated it:
This book is not for those who are just looking for a fun-loving story. This isn't what I'd call, "entertaining". It was a very strong message, and it deals with depression, death, sadness, loss, and in the end some hope.
What I loved about this book was how realistic it painted this story. It didn't try to make everything work out in the end, it didn't make the characters all have happy endings. It shows you how these specific characters dealt with tragic situations, in t More...
What I loved about this book was how realistic it painted this story. It didn't try to make everything work out in the end, it didn't make the characters all have happy endings. It shows you how these specific characters dealt with tragic situations, in t More...
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 23, 2011
Quindlen's novel is about hope and healing, about the power of love and determination, and about facing the worst thing we can imagine, and finding a way not just to survive but to thrive.
Mary Beth Latham is a wonderful mother. She juggles the demands of her landscaping business with the demands of her family - three teenagers and her ophthalmologist husband - with apparent ease. She remains available to her friends and in tune with her children's growing independence. When one of her More...
Mary Beth Latham is a wonderful mother. She juggles the demands of her landscaping business with the demands of her family - three teenagers and her ophthalmologist husband - with apparent ease. She remains available to her friends and in tune with her children's growing independence. When one of her More...
Nov 26, 2011
Book Concierge
rated it:
3.5***
Mary Beth Latham is a wonderful mother. She juggles the demands of her landscaping business with the demands of her family – three teenagers and her ophthalmologist husband – with apparent ease. She remains available to her friends and in tune with her children’s growing independence. When one of her sons shows signs of depression, she focuses on him, but this blinds her to what else is happening in their circle of acquaintances. One horrible unforeseen event will change everythi More...
Mary Beth Latham is a wonderful mother. She juggles the demands of her landscaping business with the demands of her family – three teenagers and her ophthalmologist husband – with apparent ease. She remains available to her friends and in tune with her children’s growing independence. When one of her sons shows signs of depression, she focuses on him, but this blinds her to what else is happening in their circle of acquaintances. One horrible unforeseen event will change everythi More...
Oct 28, 2011
Mary Lou
rated it:
Every Last One is another example of Anna Quindlen’s mastery of the contemporary novel that shows insights into human experiences and interactions. Like others, it involves coincidences and connections that are too convenient, but the characters are more authentic than not, the issues are worth thinking about, and the prose is more than competent:
“I have a half-dozen clients now who hire me to decorate their trees; I have one who has three trees, one in the two-story living room one More...
“I have a half-dozen clients now who hire me to decorate their trees; I have one who has three trees, one in the two-story living room one More...
Sep 05, 2011
Nina
rated it:
Ordinarily I would not like Mary Beth Lethem one bit. Nor would I read the details of her mundane yet hectic life. She knows how unconcerned she is with most of the world outside her small orbit. She rejects Deborah, puts aside Declan, abandons Kiernan, ignores Olivia, stuffs Kevin away, and is mildly worried about her illegal Mexican workers. She‘s living on emotional credit and knows that her accounts are shockingly overdrawn.
At the same time she is enmeshed in her children’s inchoate li More...
At the same time she is enmeshed in her children’s inchoate li More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jul 31, 2011
bookczuk
rated it:
Just before one of my favorite indie bookstores closed its doors for good, I went on a book-buying spree. This was one of the books I got, picked without even reading the back cover, simply because I've liked much of Quindlen's works. Once I started reading, I almost put it down; I could see horrific disaster looming. I just wasn't sure how I'd handle that type of personal tragedy, even though it's been almost 2 years since my family's fatal night. But I, too, have a survivor in my life, and
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(5 people liked it)
Jul 28, 2011
Wendy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 26, 2011
Daniel
rated it:
Even before the sudden, breathtaking twist half-way thorough, Every Last One is a compulsive, engrossing read filled with recognisable, layered characters. Mary Beth's personal life is of the kind I'm not normally interested - a hard-working mom of three (fraternal teen-aged twin sons, a daughter about to go to college) with an equally hard-working dad, living in white picket fenced suburbia with vague 'issues', mostly involving lack of hours in the day and kids vaguely acting out. But then one
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Jul 22, 2011
Maggie
rated it:
I don't often cry when I'm reading a book, but this one made me, especially in the second half. Essentially, this is a book of two halves - before the 'event' and after it. Mary Beth is your typical New England 'Mom' with three kids, a husband and a dog. The first half of her book charts her every day existence in all its banality and routine. This is a challenge somethimes, but stick with it, and immerse yourself in this family, because the 'event' will shock you. The second part of the bo
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 21, 2011
Teresa
rated it:
The Lathams are a fairly ordinary American family with their usual share of ups and downs. Our narrator, Mary Beth Latham, reflects on her life, her husband and three children. Mary Beth has her own landscape gardening business but her life is firmly focussed on her family, so much so that she is oblivious to the impending disaster which will shake this picture of tranquillity to the very core.
This was my first experience of Anna Quindlen's fiction and I will certainly be coming b More...
This was my first experience of Anna Quindlen's fiction and I will certainly be coming b More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jun 04, 2011
Cecilia
rated it: 
Finding a good book to read is normally a challenge that is enjoyed by readers. Sometimes the best books are on the new release shelf and sometimes on a general shelf, but usually on a shelf. A well-seasoned reader knows to stay away from the bland Bargain Books dumped in boxes begging for love at the front of the store. Every once in a while, a good one will crop up there, but it is not an often occurrence. The book Every Last One by Anna Quindlen is definitely one of the blandest books to rece
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2 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Jun 02, 2011
Debbie
rated it:
I like Quindlen's writing style, altho I have only ever read one other book by her, "Black and Blue". Both books have a melancholy feel to them ... but not in a bad way, if that makes sense.
In the back of the book, in the Reader's Guide, Random House asks, " What made you want to write about tragedy striking an ordinary family?"
Quindlen goes on to answer that, but I had to ask myself, what made me want to read about tragedy striking an ordinary family.
I More...
In the back of the book, in the Reader's Guide, Random House asks, " What made you want to write about tragedy striking an ordinary family?"
Quindlen goes on to answer that, but I had to ask myself, what made me want to read about tragedy striking an ordinary family.
I More...
May 09, 2011
Louise
rated it:
Mary Beth Latham lives with her Opthamologist husband, Glen, and their three children: twin boys Alex and Max, 14 and Ruby, 17. Mary Beth has prided herself on building her life around that of her family’s. She owns a landscaping company and can be around whenever the kids need her.
At the beginning of the story, Ruby is dating Kiernan and busy trying to find a dress to wear to the high school prom but it’s proving to be a much more difficult task than her mother ever thought it wou More...
At the beginning of the story, Ruby is dating Kiernan and busy trying to find a dress to wear to the high school prom but it’s proving to be a much more difficult task than her mother ever thought it wou More...
Apr 28, 2011
Diane
rated it:
This novel focuses on Mary Beth Latham, a married mother of three. To the outside world, her life is perfect. She is basically happy but there are things amiss as well. Her daughter, Ruby, is a bright teenager getting ready for college and someone who has struggled in overcoming an eating disorder. She has a boyfriend that she is outgrowing and we see here the perils of early love. She has twin boys, Alex and Max. Alex is outgoing and into sports whereas Max is the "dark" one, sufferin
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Apr 14, 2011
Helen
rated it:
Anything by Anna Quindlen or Anne Tyler I could read all day long, every day. I read this one in two afternoons. Only because I forced myself to put it down on the first day so I could save something for the next.
Anna Quindlen writes a very powerful story that is not told for sentimentality, emotion or the shock value. The first four words of the book are "This is my life". Reading on I felt like I was reading about my life. That is how familiar the story of this mothe More...
Anna Quindlen writes a very powerful story that is not told for sentimentality, emotion or the shock value. The first four words of the book are "This is my life". Reading on I felt like I was reading about my life. That is how familiar the story of this mothe More...
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(3 people liked it)
Apr 13, 2011
Mandy
rated it:
Every Last One is arguably your darkest novel since Black and Blue in 1998. What made you want to write about tragedy striking an ordinary family? Or was it a theme that first intrigued you?
And so begins an interview with author Anna Quindlen about her latest book, Every Last One, on Amazon. I routinely list Black and Blue as one of my favorite novels and to hear both it and this novel I so recently finished described as dark is a little intriguing. Why do I like the depressing? What More...
And so begins an interview with author Anna Quindlen about her latest book, Every Last One, on Amazon. I routinely list Black and Blue as one of my favorite novels and to hear both it and this novel I so recently finished described as dark is a little intriguing. Why do I like the depressing? What More...
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(3 people liked it)
Mar 02, 2011
pdxmaven
rated it:
It was OK but not quite up to some of her other ones, I thought. It was as though she got a couple of concepts (to do: describe life in a normal family and then have something terrible happen; to do: think of what the most terrible thing could be that could happen to a 'normal' family, etc.) The first part was the description of the 'normal' family, foreshadowed by the knowledge that something (though you knew not what) terrible was going to happen. Then it happens. And then (and I found this
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