All the Finest Girls

by Alexandra Styron

Now in paperback, the acclaimed first novel that movingly charts the intersection of two lives, two worlds -- the story of a fierce and untameable young girl, growing up "privileged" in a New England household darkened by her parents' epically unhappy marriage, and the Caribbean nanny who has left her own family a thousand miles behind to live among strangers. At the heart of this vibrant and emotionally searing novel is a tale of finding a sense of belonging in an unexpected place.-- Ideal for reading groups -- with a bound-in reading group guide. A novel sure to spark discussion about parent/child relationships.

Genres: Fiction

Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2001

About the author

Alexandra Styron, the youngest child of Rose and William Styron, lives in New York City and Chilmark, Massachusetts. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Columbia University. All the Finest Girls (2001) is her first novel.

Reviews

[Histteach24 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad but I'm not sure I got it...what the heck is the girl's mental disorder and what the heck is the cat? I felt that much went unexplained...

[Kassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very weak and pointless novel. I'm glad I bought it at a yardsale and only wasted $1.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. I did not connect with A. Styron's style of going back and forth between her childhood and the present. The childhood chapters in particular were hard to follow. The relationship between the main character and her mother was not well developed and at the end I felt very confused as to how she felt about her mother. I just did not feel like I really got to know any of the characters, including Lou her nanny and her relatives in St. Clair. It took me too long to finish and I was never drawn into the story. I can't say that I would recommend this one.

At certain points I became intrigued about Lou's real story, but that was disappointing as well.

[Karo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading All the Finest Girls, though I walked away with that slightly clammy feeling I get when reading about people who are treading the fine line of sanity. Addy Abraham is a sick little girl, driven to hallucinations and fits by the neglect and selfishness of her alcoholic father and simpering debutant of a mother. Her grip on sanity is strengthened by the arrival of Lou, her Caribbean nanny. Now that Lou has died, Addy as an adult travels to St. Clair, still unwell, to face the ghosts of her past. Ms. Styron has written the book by alternating chapters of the adult and child Addy, which works well and is easy to follow.

All the Finest Girls is a disheartening book, the story of a sad and lonely little girl whose parents have forgotten the cardinal rule of parenthood -- the parents are no longer the focus of attention. I did not find Addy to be a particularly likeable character, though; she managed to somewhat annoy and bore me at the same time. It was the supporting cast that really shined in the novel, and I look forward to hearing more from Alexandra Styron. Also recommended along these lines is Bee Season by Myla Goldberg -- if you liked this one, you should give it a try.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother got me this book in 2002, for Christmas, and I found it in that box of books from my old room. I didn't remember it clearly and it wasn't super familiar when I reread it, although I definitely had read it. I didn't love it all the time during the reading, but it was very fast to read and engaging. I didn't even like it right after. But as I am thinking about it right now, I do appreciate it. even though the recreation of the voices was sometimes a lot and the racism is really, really terrible in its banality. But I do appreciate it because I think the message is, the narrator was a challenging, relatively selfish person who had a hard childhood because she wasn't the kind of kid that things are easy for (who is that kid hahah) and her nanny was a really important person in her life who she loved more than anyone for a while even if she was terrible to her, too. And the narrator then learned that she wasn't that important, the other way around, and that her nanny had a full, sad, beautiful, challenging life that she showed up for. and it seemed, in the brief actions after that lesson, that it was going to help her be an empathetic grown up in the world who could maybe feel things. or at least start to.

[Billie Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book jacket says the book is a 'portrait of Louise , the woman who comes from the Caribbean to care for an angry little girl......' , the book is more about the angry little girl and the family Louise left behind. And while the chapters are well written in a way that transports you to to the various locations in the book, there lacks an actual story feel to tie the chapters together.

[Khanson919 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been a really good book. The plot was interesting, but the story was not developed properly. I found the character unlikable as both a chid and an adult. So much of what was happening to the character was not explained, especially how she overcame her childhood issues. Very disappointed.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can it be more whitely? Was hoping it was ironic, with the trope of the loving black mammy, but nope. And the hatred toward biological mom was hard to bear. The turning point, her using the N word at the Carribean nanny... really? Oddly it becomes touching at the end. Main character so depressed, so mean. You feel for her, but the cat would scatch back.

[Cobygirl517 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting for a connection to the book to form, but it never did. (Also... is the cat real?? What's up there?)

[Rhonda Gregware · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Finest Girls is a fascinating peek into the mind of a child experiencing anxiety. As far as I could tell, it was also a good depiction of life on a Caribbean island.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very confusing at first, with the alternating POVs and from different time periods. I'm not sure I even followed along the first time I read it. Definitely needs a few reads to really understand, I think.

Characters, plot, conflict (still not really sure what it was), etc. were all okay.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

A flashback tale of Adelaide Abraham, a spoiled, rich, New England girl, who falls under the care of Louise, her Carribean nanny. One part shows young Addy, full mental trouble, with her parents in a dysfunctional marriage. The other takes Addy to Louise's island home for her funeral, forcing her to meet Louise's family and come to terms with her upbringing.

I picked this book up hoping it would be more akin to "Gloria" by Maillard and instead it was more like the bad Whoppi Goldberg movie, "Clara's Heart". Bad character development, bad emphasis on the Caribbean accent and absolutely no resolution to any questions, making the reader question, "why did I keep going when there is no payoff?" The cover is the best part of this book.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I didn't love but I didn't hate either; it was just kind of there for me. The overall story about the lonely misunderstood child of seemingly fabulous but dysfunctional parents was great but in my opinion the author's tone read confused and distant. The use of "Cat" was clear in some scenes but just downright odd in others. I understood the meaning behind the cat but I could see how other readers would be turned off by it. I definitely thought it was a good first novel and am looking forward to reading her most recent book.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Ms. Styron's descriptive style. There were a few sentences/passages that I re-read 3-4 times just to soak in the power of her words. But being the literal person I am, I was left wanting a more ends-tied-up-nicely ending though it is a very visceral, real story and we all know the journeys in life lack that closure most of the time. It worked with the story told. I think I also felt left down because the story was over and I wanted more. More of the characters and their experiences. Ms. Styron creates believeable and human characters.

[Lyndsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I personally didn't enjoy this book. The story told was kind of all over the place. I didn't really understand what I was reading and it wasn't very interesting. The girl in the book is Addy Abraham. She travels to the Caribbean from NYC for a funeral. The funeral is held for basically the "Help" and her name is Lou. Addy didn't really have a mother figure because her mother was some kind of actress. Addy has a mental illness but gets better and thinks over her life.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was on my "books to get in the future" list for a long time. I finally ordered it from another library and I must say, I wasn't that into it. I could tell how the story would end up about 20 pages into it - and I was right. The story was OK, but I like to be kept in suspense a bit. Oh well.

[K M · Rating 2 out of 5]

A woman remembers her emotionally troubled childhood as she travels to a Caribbean island to attend the funeral of her former nanny. Quite poignant at times - especially her memories of Cat, who seemed to be some kind of psychological aspect of herself created during childhood to deal with her complicated emotions.

[Anuradha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here you learn about the reality of the lives of foreign women who work as nannies and au pairs for rich families in the United States. This book makes The Nanny Diaries seem like a Disney fairy tale.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

After learning Louise, her former nanny, died, Addy gets an invite to the Caribbean for the funeral. She stays with Lou's family, the ones she left to be a nanny.
An okay story...had a hard time keeping interested in the story.

[Marian]

Great premise -- terrible execution.

[Jillain Foreman · Rating 2 out of 5]

well...i wouldn't suggest reading this if you are feeling terribly down...except her life was so messed up...i suppose it could make you feel better about your own...

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging tale and emotional story looking back at a woman's priviledged yet needy childhood and the nanny who saved her.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disapointed, it was on my "to read" list since it came out, and then was not what I hoped.

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just didn't get into this book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. It was a good study of character, not a lot of suspenseful plot. I thought the author's style of writing was very good.

[Lisette · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book often skirted the cliche.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darkly disturbing but in a good way - like a lot of Easterners.

[Sheila]

This is very slow going at the moment. It is tough for my brain to keep track of the times and characters at the moment will be surprised if I am able to finish it.

[Cindy Orr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought this book because I assumed the author was related to William Styron. She is his daughter. I think she has potential to be a good writer, but the book had no plot.

[Celt1958 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story - well written