*ARC copy obtained in 2010* So, when I sat down to FINALLY read this the other day, I had just finished reading a family crime drama and, for some reason, was expecting the same from this. Turns out, "Every Last One" is NOT a crime drama but instead an exploration of a mother's love for her family and how it is displayed in many ways. I would like to say this is a book about how to move forward after a tragedy, except the tragedy doesn't happen until page 150-ish and the book is just shy of 300 pages. The first half of the book is all about the main character (mom) and her day-to-day life. How she interacts with her children, how much she loves them, how she cares for them, her simplistic interactions with her husband, her moments with her kids' friends, her own landscaping business, etc. Honestly, I was shocked by the LACK OF anything substantial happening. When tragedy finally strikes, it lasts only about 2-3 pages, and then Quindlen moves on. The focus becomes how the main character must try to move forward, what her thought process consists of as she wades through her grief, and how she carries on for the family she still has. I wish I could give this a better rating as it is very well-written grammatically speaking, however I was left very confused about what the actual point of the book was. I cared about the characters, but I think the plot would have been much more interesting and would have had much more potential if certain characters had lived and others died, and if more time was spent on the reason behind why the tragedy occurred. Overall, it seemed like just a simplistic exploration of the main character's viewpoint as a wife, mother, and friend. This was my first book by this author so I was not sure what to expect. I can tell you I was not expecting the book to be about what it was about. I thought it was going to be about a teenage boy and his depression and how the mom handled it. That was true to a point but it was more about the mom and the twist and major life event that happened that you don't see coming. Even though that was a huge twist, it still didn't help make the book any more exjoyable. The author is a great writer; however, I personally do not like her style of writing. It's just not enjoyable to read to me at all. Once I finished the book, it left me feeling blah like nothing really happened. This book you can pass on.
What do You think about Every Last One (2010)?
Quindlen built the story in one direction and then completely yanked the rug from under the reader.
—tommy
I put this book down after 60 pages of boring reading. It never grabbed my attention.
—varsha
