The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is the quintessential novel of the Roaring Twenties.  It is a story about the promise of wealth and privilege turning to ashes, about the American Dream gone awry.

James Gatz is a penniless Midwestern youth who comes back from the Great War determined to become somebody important.  His dream is fueled by his devotion to Daisy, a breezy socialite who is secure in her inherited wealth, whose enchanting voice is “full of money.”  Through various shady business deals in New York City, he succeeds in transforming himself into Jay Gatsby, who buys a lavish mansion across Long Island Sound from the equally imposing mansion of Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan.

Another penniless young man from the Midwest, Nick Carraway, lives in a small bungalow next door to Gatsby’s estate.  Nick commutes into New York each day to work his somewhat aimless job in the “bonds business” and to gaze wistfully at the lives of the rich and famous.  He is a distant cousin of Daisy, who likes to invite him over for tea so she can have a handsome young man to flirt with in front of her husband (who is rumored to “have a woman” in the city) and so she can confide in him all her romantic sorrows.

When Gatsby discovers Nick’s connection with Daisy, he seizes this chance to display to her all the splendor of his new identity and lure her away from Tom.  With Nick as a go-between, he arranges to meet Daisy and to rekindle the love they shared before the attractively wealthy Tom came on the scene.

These bare details make the characters sound coldly calculating, but what makes this novel so compelling is all the romantic illusions they have about themselves and each other.  At times Nick, who is the narrator, is completely charmed and taken up into the dream, and at other times he has a razor-sharp insight into the meagerness behind the façade.

The reader’s experience is similar.  Fitzgerald’s prose is so beautiful and Gatsby’s almost boyish hopefulness is so absolute that we really want to believe it will all work out for him.  He flashes his smile and for a moment we see him as Daisy did when she first met him—a handsome, charming young man in a soldier’s uniform who pays her the irresistible compliment of placing her at the center of his world.

When reality comes crashing down, we can no longer deny that Gatsby’s romantic longing is prettified adultery, that wrenching apart people’s lives to satisfy your hopes and dreams has a rebound effect.  Gatsby and Tom’s mistress Myrtle pay the price, and it seems that Daisy and Tom come away unscathed, protected by their money and their unabashed devotion to selfishness.  The one last hope we are left with is that Nick, who is in many ways like James Gatz once was, has learned the cost of at least one version of the American Dream.

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Best ‘New to Us’ Books in 2012: Helen Y.’s Picks

I just started contributing to the Book-a-Day Blog this year.  I work in Children’s Services, so my reading history is heavy on children’s lit.  But I do love to curl up with great adult historical fiction, books with international settings, and non-fiction.  Here is a sampling of some I discovered this year — five oldies but goodies. – Helen Y.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Marion and his twin brother Shiva are born in an Ethiopian mission hospital, the sons of an Indian nun who dies in childbirth and a troubled doctor who abandons them.   Left to be raised by the caring hospital staff, Marion is constantly haunted by the mystery surrounding his birth and his missing biological father.  As the Ethiopian revolution ramps up, Marion must leave his country and the girl he loves to finish his medical education in America.  There he must continue his search for self and cope with the heartbreak of betrayal.  The character development in this book is expertly handled, and I loved the details of Ethiopian culture.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
It is the Great Depression, and Jacob Jankowski’s parents die, leaving him penniless.  In his grief, he runs away from veterinary school and joins the Benzini Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  There he meets the freaks, grifters, and misfits of the circus — and the beautiful  Marlena, star of the show.  When Marlena’s cruel and unpredictable husband forces Jacob into service to train a seemingly untrainable elephant, he unwittingly sets off a series of events that bind Jacob and Marlena together and set the circus on the road to disaster.  This is a well-researched peek into a fascinating piece of history — a great setting for a love story.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Set in 19th century China, this novel follows Lily and Snow Flower , two young girls pledged to each other as friends for life. From different villages, the girls share their hopes and dreams through notes written on a fan in a secret language.  They grow closer as they share the trials and joys particular to Chinese women of their era—foot binding, arranged marriage, childbirth, and the hardships of civil unrest.   Then Lily learns that Snow Flower has been keeping a secret that threatens to break the bonds of their friendship.  The descriptive cultural details and surroundings of Lily’s life and times make this book a feast for the imagination!

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell  
Through thorough research, Gladwell examines the (often uncontrollable) factors that lead to personal success, focusing on intriguing questions like:  Why are most professional hockey players born in January, February, and March?  Why are many of the most successful New York law firms run by Jewish men?  Why did the richest men in history all live during the same time period?  Gladwell discusses how luck and timing can be powerful determinants of success, but also considers how cultural legacies affect human behavior and influence our drive to achieve.  I read through this book in a couple of days, and read many sections aloud to my husband—it is a great conversation starter.

A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House
This is one of my favorite books of all time!  A Cherokee woman named Vine leaves her family to marry a gentle, reserved white man named Saul.   It is 1917 in the Kentucky mountains, and Vine feels the isolation of racial prejudice.  Eager to be accepted by Saul’s family, she welcomes the friendship of his younger brother Aaron, who is clearly infatuated with Vine.  When Saul leaves to work at a mill, Aaron grows bolder in his attentions, and Vine realizes she is in danger.   This a beautifully written book by a NC author, full of character, mystery,  and interconnected stories of Vine and the other families living on the mountain.

Best ‘New to Us’ Books in 2012: Emil S.’s Picks

Classics play a major part in my reading life, but in 2012 I mainly re-read classics (or read classics that I obtained through Inter-Library Loan). Thus, my “New to Us” books are all fairly new, no older than 16 years old, and therefore many years away from even being considered for the shelf of classics. In the meantime, they can perhaps be classified as noteworthy contemporary reads! — Emil S.

Red Gold by Alan Furst
France is occupied by German forces, but things have changed since “Case Barbarossa” – the German led attack on Soviet Union. French communists who take their orders from Moscow have been activated and now participate in a war effort that reaches from France to the heart of Soviet Union. Jean Casson, a former film producer, lets himself be pulled into the French Resistance, and he is good at getting things done. But the different sides of the anti-German movement are suspicious of each other, and while the occupying forces are being attacked, the French are preparing for the next battle – the conflict after the war.

Arguably by Christopher Hitchens
British born, American writer Christopher Hitchens was arguably one of the great public intellectuals of our time. He was fantastically prolific and (as Ian Parker once put it) wrote faster than some people read. In 2011, Hitchens passed away, and the fearless opponent of (almost) any kind of oppression was dearly missed by many. Arguably, published about two months before his death, contains 107 of Hitchens’ texts – his range is enormous and it’s a great book to carry around as it embraces so much of this strange and wondrous world.

Chango’s Beads and Two-Tone Shoes by William Kennedy
William Kennedy was born in 1928 and he writes with the confidence and authority of a veteran. Chango’s Beads and Two-Tone Shoes is a sprawling novel that mainly takes place in Cuba during the revolution of the late 1950s, and in an Albany, New York, that is about to explode after the killing of Robert Kennedy in 1968. When reading the novel, it is near impossible to predict where it is going, and the plot is (perhaps) hard to define. Instead, this novel is about strong, wonderful characters and about awesome dialogue – that’s the heart and soul of Chango’s Beads and Two-Tone Shoes.

The Sorrow Gondola by Tomas Tranströmer
When Tomas Tranströmer’s Sorgegondolen – The Sorrow Gondola – was published in 1996, it was his first collection of poetry since the stroke that hit him in 1990. In Tranströmer’s native land, Sweden, the book instantly became a bestseller, and it’s easy to understand why, for the poet’s writing was as powerful as ever. He writes, “The sun is low now./ Our shadows are giants./ Soon, everything will be overshadowed.” But in another poem he writes, “A blue light/ radiates from my clothes./ Midwinter./ Clattering tambourines of ice./ I close my eyes./ There is a silent world/ there is a crack/ where the dead/ are smuggled across the border.”

The Submission by Amy Waldman
A jury gathers in New York, New York, to select a memorial for the victims of the massacre of September eleventh, 2001. The winner turns out to be an American Muslim, Muhammad Khan, and when media finds out, a heated debate and even acts of violence spread across the nation. The Submission is a novel about America and Islam, and about the open wounds of 9/11, but it is also a story about media and how media shape the debates in this nation (and elsewhere). And the reader has good reasons to ask, is media interested in the truth or merely in the news?

Best ‘New to Us’ Books in 2012: Amy W.’s Picks

Look, I have the world’s longest “to read” list and lately it has become very unwieldy. Every time I finally get around to reading one of these older titles I kick myself — what took me so long?! There is something for everyone read by me this year! There is history, inspiration and excitement all at your finger tips. These books don’t really have any of my favorite literary elements but they did knock my socks off! Here are my 5 favorite “new to me” books for 2012. — Amy W.

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
I have always been interested in the Great Depression including the Dust Bowl. Egan, winner the National Book award for this book in 2006, and Pulitzer Prize  winning journalist for the New York Times, elegantly crafts a narrative of the Dust Bowl using the words of those who lived through it. Hard economic times, plowing up the sod and a nation-wide drought created a perfect storm of dust as perseverance gave way to despair.

My Life in France by Julia Child
I listened to this as an audio book and it was delightful! I cannot think of many people who are as beloved – or as full of passion and life – as Julia Child. It was wonderful to hear in her own words about her life as a bored housewife, who moved with her husband to a foreign country where she didn’t know the language,  seized by the art of French cooking to find her true calling.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
John Irving is an excellent storyteller. His characters are colorful without being garish. His tangents are whimsical and insightful. The title character, Owen, an unusual boy to begin with, hits a baseball during little league that strikes his best friend’s mother dead. This one event greatly impacts the lives of both boys, and incredibly brings them closer together. A Prayer for Owen Meany is destined to be a heartwarming modern classic.

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
This is the memoir that spawned the BBC series of the same name (shown on PBS earlier in the year). More than a memoir, Call the Midwife, documents the poverty and challenges of 1950’s East End London and the changes in women’s health through the years. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, this book is an unforgettable story of compassion.

Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski
This book takes place in La La Land, the land of perpetual summer: Los Angeles. If you like Tarantino, unstoppable assassins or seedy underground networks, this book is for you. It is excitement ripped from the pages of your favorite tabloid or comic book as told by this talented author.

Best ‘New to Us’ Books in 2012: Pam W.’s Picks

I like to read from just about every section of the library, although I am especially partial to mysteries. I also tend to re-read books that I have enjoyed a lot. This list covers a little of everything and includes books I discovered for the first time this year as well as a few favorites I read for the second (or third) time. — Pam W.

The Last Child by John Hart
Johnny Merrimon was only 13 when his twin sister went missing. He has never given up the belief that she was alive somewhere but no one seems to be looking for her anymore, so Johnny decides to find her himself. What Johnny doesn’t know is that the officer in charge of the investigation has also never given up on Alyssa. He is keeping an eye on Johnny as well to make sure nothing happens to him. When another child disappears, Johnny and Detective Clyde Hunt find themselves mixed up with the worst elements of their town. This was an absolutely riveting book and the best one by Hart so far.

Magic Time by Doug Marlette
Marlette tells two stories in this book, one set in the racially charged days of 1964, and one set in the present day. Carter Ransom has gone back to his hometown in Mississippi after suffering a break down, only to find an event from his past has come back to haunt him. In 1964 several civil rights workers were killed in when a church was burned down. Carter’s girlfriend at the time was one of those killed. To complicate matters, Carter’s father was the presiding judge in the trial of the man accused of this crime. The trial took place in the 1980’s and the man was not convicted, but the trial is now being reexamined. Bringing up the past is painful, and possible dangerous, for everyone who was involved.

When I Married My Mother: A Daughter’s Search for What Really Matters-and How She Found It Caring for Mama Jo by Jo Maeder
Jo Maeder had lived in New York City for years when she found out that her mother was ill. The two had not been in contact for a number of years and Maeder was appalled when she found out the horrible living conditions her mother had been reduced to. Her mother was suffering from dementia and had been hoarding so much stuff you could barely walk in her house. Maeder did not know how they would get along living together, she only knew that she had to take care of her, so she left her job and moved in with her mother down south in the Bible belt. Her “marriage” to her mother truly changed her life. Maeder’s story is not new, but her story is told with humor and true compassion. I found it very compelling and not depressing at all.

Faithful Place by Tana French
French’s series about the Dublin murder squad is different than many mystery series’. Instead of following one detective through a number of different investigations, French switches focus in each book. Faithful Place, the third book in the series, is my favorite. It follows Detective Frank Mackey as he investigates a body found in an old building in the neighborhood he grew up in. When he was a young man, his girlfriend disappeared on the night they were going to run away together and Frank always thought she left without him. Now, he finds out she was murdered, and he is determined to find out who did it. This is fascinating look at family dynamics and loyalties.

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
Fans of All Creatures Great and Small or Maeve Binchy’s books will love this book set in Northern Ireland in the 1960’s. Barry Laverty has just finished medical school and has taken a job in the small town of Ballybucklebo, which is so small it barely shows up on the maps. He is not sure what to make of his new boss, who seems very gruff and old fashioned. He also finds the locals eccentric and difficult to understand. Gradually, Barry starts to fit in and learn how closely everyone in the town cares for one another. This is a heartwarming story told with lots of humor.

Best New Books of 2012: Heidi B.’s Picks

I read lots of best sellers, suspense/thrillers, biographies, and women’s fiction. My picks for 5 of the best new books this year kept me turning their pages, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.  — Heidi B.

Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
Ray is a gentle paranoid schizophrenic obsessed with conspiracies and maps, obsessed with the computer program Whirl360 (think: Google Earth) that allows him to traverse the cities of the world. But what is that image in the window of a New York apartment building that he sees? It sure looks like a woman being smothered by a plastic bag over her head… Ray and his caretaker brother Thomas are thrown head-first in to a web of crimes and murders that leave the reader on the edge of the seat.

The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain
Travis Brown is single parent struggling in a bad economy to make end’s meet and care for his daughter baby daughter, Bella. He is offered what sounds like a great job in Raleigh, only to discover that the job actually is the offer to commit a crime, with the offer of a lot of money.  How far will Travis go to keep his daughter? Chamberlain is a master storyteller  who combines the elements of family issues and suspense in this highly readable, tug-at-the-heartstrings novel set in North Carolina.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Five years of marriage is turned upside down when Nick’s wife Amy vanishes from home. This dark, character-driven novel is told from the point of view of Nick and Amy, a young couple who are both untrustworthy and full of their own secrets. Did Nick kill Amy? The police think so, as the damning evidence mounts against him in this roller-coaster ride of a story. This is a dark, rich thriller, with a complicated plot full of twists and turns. Anyone who enjoys a story full of head games will enjoy this one.

Defending Jacob by William Landay
How far will you go to protect your child? Andy Barber is an assistant district attorney with twenty years on the job in a rural Massachusetts county.  Then the unthinkable happens; his teen son Jacob is accused of murdering a classmate and charged with the crime. Landay’s plot line and twists and turns harken back to the early writings of John Grisham. I tell everyone to whom I recommend this book, “I’ll give you $10 if you can guess the ending.” So far, no one has collected.

Elizabeth the Queen: the Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
One of the best biographies I have read – ever – of anyone. This exhaustively researched biography reads like a novel and is based on hundreds of interviews to tell the story of the woman who has ruled Britannica for 60 years. Bedell Smith has chronicled other royals as well as the Kennedys and has a knack for retelling stories that really give reader insight into the personality of the Queen. A must for any Anglophile! Grab a cup of tea and a scone and dig into this lengthy book.

Best New Books of 2012: Janet L.’s Picks

What do a clerk in a 24-hour bookstore, a snake-handling faith healer, a man walking 500 miles to visit a sick friend, a hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail and Richard Burton have in common? (And it doesn’t involve marrying Elizabeth Taylor.) Rather, they all figure somehow in my five favorite books of 2012. My reading tastes are eclectic, but I read more literary fiction and mysteries than anything else. Language, atmosphere, setting, and believable characters are all important to me.  – Janet L.

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
Marshall, North Carolina, has a new church, the River Road Church of Christ in Signs Following. It’s led by a charismatic preacher, Carson Chambliss, a man with a talent for snake handling. Stump Hall, a young autistic boy, witnesses something at the church that leads to tragedy. Sheriff Clem Barefield is determined to find out what happened, no matter what the consequences. This is Cash’s debut novel and it’s a beauty; gorgeous writing, believable characters and gothic overtones. Recommended for readers of Ron Rash, John Hart and Tom Franklin.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Harold Fry is surprised to receive a letter from Queenie Hennessey, who is seriously ill and has written to say goodbye. They were friends once, but parted in strained circumstances. Mild mannered Harold is so shocked by this news he behaves spontaneously and begins a 500 mile journey by foot to say goodbye to Queenie, convinced she will not die as long as he is walking. Recommended for readers of Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg and Anna Quindlen.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
I adored this book. It has a likeable narrator, Clay Jannon, who clerks in a mysterious bookshop run by the fascinating Mr. Penumbra. The theme of Old Knowledge (books) vs. Internet knowledge allows the author to slip in scenes at Google, a museum dedicated to knitting overrun by children, arcane information about fonts, and a computer whiz who made a fortune creating realistic 3-D versions of breasts. This book is fun. It’s the kind of book that made a reader of me, the kind of book that keeps me reading, the kind of book I can’t wait to tell people about. Recommended for readers of Jasper Fforde and Terry Pratchett.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Hunched under a too heavy backpack quickly nicknamed Monster, Cheryl Strayed begins a real life journey along the Pacific Crest Trail that is spiritual as well as physical. Her plans for her hike are soon revealed as inadequate (who knew water weighed so much?) and she must improvise as she goes along—much as we all have to adjust in life when our best laid plans go awry. I found Strayed’s account of her hike riveting, profound, hilarious and suspenseful. Recommended for readers of Jeannette Walls, Jon Krakauer and Dave Eggers.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
It’s 1962 and Pasquale Tursi, owner of the Hotel Adequate View in Porto Vergogna, Italy, is immediately smitten by Dee Moray, an American starlet who arrives at his hotel fresh from the set of the movie Cleopatra. Their story (with a supporting appearance from Richard Burton) connects to present day Hollywood and the career of Claire, assistant to legendary producer Michael Deane. Walter creates a truly romantic story that underscores his theme of how life and art intersect.

Best New Books of 2012: Sarah K.’s Picks

I am an eclectic reader, reading across genres, with a focus on literary craft and vivid characters. I read to be transported. Below are five of my favorites from 2012. All of them were compelling and were either hard to put down, played with new forms of fiction, or left a lasting impression. Enjoy!  – Sarah K.

The Diviners by Libba Bray
It’s 1926, and Evie O’Neill is thrilled when her parents send her to New York City after she sparks scandal in her small town using her hidden gift of reading objects. However, her plans for a free-wheeling flapper lifestyle are dampened by her living situation at her Uncle Will’s museum of the occult, and the discovery that a supernatural serial killer, Naughty John is on the loose. As the killer gains power, Evie realizes that her secret gift may be the key in stopping Naughty John from striking again.

NW by Zadie Smith
Using altering perspective and shifts in tone and style, NW follows the intertwining lives of four former classmates who once lived in a housing project in northwest London. Leah, Felix, Natalie (née Keisha), and Nathan represent the intersections of class and culture and the transformations one makes through life. Smith is also concerned with the movements of time and place, the role of memory and the constraints of identity, and uses experimental prose forms to explore the nature of her characters in new and exciting ways.

The Yard by Alex Grecian
Reeling from the failure to solve the Jack the Ripper murders, Scotland Yard’s newly formed “Murder Squad” suffers another setback when they find one of their own detectives stuffed into a trunk. Newly hired constable Walter Day must overcome his own self-doubt and the derision of greater London to find the killer. With the help of forensic specialist, Dr. Bernard Kingsley, Day explores the darker corners of Victorian England to solve the crime.

This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
When it comes to women, Yunior is a feckless connoisseur, constantly sinking relationships though his cheating despite his best intentions. These nine interlocking stories follow Junior though his romantic travails and his turbulent relationships with his mother and older brother, who is even more of a Don Juan than Yunior. Diaz’s lively prose, fabulous descriptions and clear love for his characters despite their flaws make this book a must-read.

When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson
Marilynne Robinson is probably best known for her novels Housekeeping, Gilead, and Home, she is also an adept essay writer. Though not a light read, When I Was a Child… is a satisfying exploration of the intersections between solitude and community, faith and politics beyond simple polemic. Robinson’s essays are wide-ranging in topic from the nature of austerity to the power of older hymns, and present provocative ideas such as, “community…consists very largely of imaginative love for people we do not know….”

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Henry James’ Gothic classic The Turn of the Screw is a thoroughly unsettling tale, and it is unsettling, and downright scary, partly because the reader cannot be sure of what is happening.

The novella was first published in October 1898, and it is a far cry from the contemporary shock esthetics of Hollywood. The story crawls along slowly, the plot is elusive, and the tale is difficult to interpret. The narrator – or narrators, rather – may or may not be unreliable, the text is unstable, and while the ending may seem distinct, it also contains an abundance of loose ends; it is, in fact, drastically unclosed.

A young governess – why does James not give her a name? – is sent to a country house, Bly, to take care of two orphans, Miles and Flora. Shortly after her arrival, Miles is expelled from boarding school. Although charmed by the young boy, the governess secretly fears that there are horrid reasons behind his expulsion.

With Miles back at home, the governess starts noticing eerie figures roaming the estate’s grounds. Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper, claims that the two are the former governess Miss Jessel and her lover, the valet Peter Quint. But how can this be? The two are dead. Desperate to learn more about these sinister apparitions she discovers that the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of her predecessor, Miss Jessel, hold grim implications for herself.

As the young governess becomes increasingly fearful that malevolent forces are stalking the children, she is determined to save them – but save them from what, exactly? From Miss Jessel and Mr. Quint, or, in other words, save them from the dead? And what is the relationship between the children and the deceased couple anyway?

Henry James once said that he preferred to write ghost stories in which the strange and sinister was “embroidered on the very type of the normal and easy.” In this sense, he is a predecessor of, for example, Shirley Jackson and Stephen King – and just like them, he can keep his readers up, all night long.

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Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

The cover of this novel should come with a warning for potential readers – don’t read anything that will give away the plot of this book. Every Last One, by Anna Quindlen, opens into the life of the Latham family, as told through the voice of Mary Beth, mother of three teenage children, wife, and landscape designer. What appears for the first 100 pages to be domestic fiction – a narration of the complex, but typical lives of an American family, is in reality building to a dramatic, devastating event.

Preoccupied with her teenage son Max, and his ongoing depression, Mary Beth struggles to balance her efforts to help him with attention to her other children. Alex, his twin brother, is outgoing and athletic – the opposite of sensitive, shy Max, but dealing with his brother’s struggles while establishing his own social circle. Ruby, Mary Beth’s teenage daughter, is in her last year of high school, and a brilliantly talented writer who is troubled by the unraveling of her long, complex relationship with a boy who has been a part of their family dynamic for years. New Year’s Eve comes, and the family is scattered – one son on a skiing trip, the other at home with his favorite Christmas present, and Mary Beth, her husband and daughter at a party. What happens that night divides Mary Beth’s life permanently into “before” and “after”. The captivating way in which Quindlen develops her characters make the tragedy hit the reader harder than in most fiction. The Latham family feels like one which could be our own, making their experiences all the more real.

This is a novel about facing the things we fear most, and finding ways to travel roads we never intended to travel. The second half of this novel explores what it’s like to live a life we never dreamed we’d have to live and have no choice but to be brave enough to try. Rarely do I read a book which evokes a physical reaction, other than laughter or tears. Every Last One left me feeling like I’d gotten the wind knocked out of me. This isn’t a book for anyone who prefers light-hearted fiction – there are raw, dark parts of this novel that are hard to read. But Quindlen is a masterful storyteller, and in this novel she’s crafted a story which is nothing short of memorable. Full disclosure – I read everything Pulitzer-prize winning author Anna Quindlen writes. I can always count on her novels to be ones which I become so engrossed in I neglect everything else around me. Every Last Thing may just be my favorite of her novels.

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