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All He Ever Wanted (Paperback)

by Anita Shreve (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
RRP: £5.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 348 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus (4 Dec 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349115583
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349115580
  • ASIN: 0349116296
  • Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 217,665 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #22 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > S > Shreve, Anita

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Anita Shrieve's bitter novel All He Ever Wanted is a fascinating demonstration of the theory that old stories give new stories the bones from which they derive their power. There is a sense in which this is a reverse Bluebeard narrative--the quietly monstrous narrator Van Tassel is obsessed with taking possession of all the secret rooms in the heart of the woman he loves and cannot understand why secrets might be a good thing. Van Tassel is one of the best characters Shrieve has created--a fussy, pedantic man with a real capacity for passion and some genuine grievances with life, but lacking in some crucial ingredients of his moral compass. His love for his wife, Etna, and with the petty politics of the college where he is teaching, turn him steadily rancid, and it is only within the framing narrative that an older Van Tassel seems to be approaching a capacity for redemption. Part of the strength of the book is that Shrieve has understood the beginnings of the 20th century, not merely in terms of the surface details, but in the permissions the ideas of the time give those with small amounts of domestic power to behave badly. In the end, though, Van Tassel loses almost everything--if there is a weakness here, it is that Shrieve is so optimistic that, out of his reach and knowledge, Etna finds a contentment that Van Tassel's narrative cannot show us. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review
'A painful tale of obsession . . . impeccably done' SUNDAY TIMES 'Shreve is prolific, polished, unputdownable. Above all, she delivers serious topics with a readable touch' GUARDIAN 'Fluent and purposeful in its portrayal of the despair and claustrophobia seething beneath an ordered surface' SUNDAY TIMES 'Etna is a woman operating under rigorous and agonising self-discipline. Volcanic passions exist beneath her submissive facade' JOANNE HARRIS

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A different type of novel from Shreve, 24 Jul 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: All He Ever Wanted (Paperback)
This book marks a change of tone for Shreve, but if anything shows her as a more mature writer. Having read and enjoyed all her previous novels (with the exception of 'The Pilot's Wife') I approached this one with the same sense of expectation - I was not disappointed. Though quieter, many of the usual themes are there, but handled almost at a distance: we see almost everything through the skewed vision of the narrator. The moment I finished this novel I knew it was one I will read again at some stage, to savour slowly. This is a beautiful novel and will mark Shreve's transition to a new stage in her writing - to put it bluntly, this one could find its way on to a literature syllabus. If you have yet to read it, I envy you.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars All you could want, 14 Mar 2006
By A Customer
I always enjoy Anita Shreves writing. Her style is a beautiful elegant prose which is descriptive without being wordy. This is my favorite of her books and I have passed it to all my reading friends (to universal praise). Ms Shreve is often described as a romance writer altough there is really nothing romantioc about this book. Nicholas Van Tassel recounts the story of his relationship with Etna Bliss, it is curiously one sided as Etnas actions are described from Nicholas' view and her voice is only heard once through a series of brief letters. What emerges is a study of Nicholas' character. An educated man in a Victorian world his flaws are dissected with a clarity which still allows you to retain some sympathy for him despite his behaviour. Etna remains for us as she does for him an unknown quanitity despite his passion for her. As their relationship is descibed by an older Nicholas through its almost inevitable unraveling it builds to a disturbing climax which leaves you reflecting on how much anyone knows about the people they love
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars I struggled to finish it, 30 Jan 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: All He Ever Wanted (Paperback)
I have read 5 of her books - and this is ranks fifth in my opinion. There are two major protagonists - neither of which I was drawn too - and in fact found distasteful most of the time. I expect this is how we are meant to feel - since the book reflects the many lives that are lived without passion or love. I had to force myself to keep reading throughout the book, and whilst it was satisfying to finally know the reason for such chilliness within the protagonists hearts I did not find the book worth the effort. It's written in a dry tone to reflect the dryness of the marriage. I found myself wishing I knew the other people's stories - not that of Nicholas. Unsatisfying, and vaguely depressing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fate of Unrequited Love
This is the story not of an evil man, rather of a 'sad' man - an unexceptional man, who nevertheless wants success. Read more
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4.0 out of 5 stars An anti-hero's passion
This is a fascinating book, based around the obsessive love of a man for a woman. This love is built on fantasy; it is fuelled by the restrictions of the society in which the two... Read more
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3.0 out of 5 stars not a Shreve classic
I tend to enjoy Anita Shreve books, I love how they are written and all the subtle undertones in the stories she tells. Read more
Published on 13 April 2007 by Barbbro2000

2.0 out of 5 stars What has happened to the Anita Shreve we know and love?
I am a massive fan of Anita Shreve but it seems I am now only a fan of her earlier books. Long awaited I found this book a let down - after reading Fortunes Rocks, Last Time They... Read more
Published on 14 May 2006 by Ms. Z. J. Lavender

5.0 out of 5 stars All He Ever Wanted
Another masterpiece by Anita Shreve. One's heart goes out to the man who falls in love with this lady and gives her his all, only to be bitterly disappointed in her... Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2006 by Frances

4.0 out of 5 stars Cleverly written view of a marriage
The world is full of romances with happy endings, often poorly written. Some of the above reviewers were hoping for yet another.

This is my first Shreve and I was delighted. Read more

Published on 27 Jun 2005 by Ms. K. E. Glaisher

3.0 out of 5 stars It Was Too Much
Nicholas Van Tassel in his indemonstrable way won his love and lost his love in the same manner. He would do anything to keep this love and that, my friend was his undoing. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2005 by prisrob

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and evocative.
Not by any means a happy read, but one which no doubt reflects the experience of many. Shreves writing captures the hope of a man desperately in love and constantly hoping to... Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars The Author's Poorest Book
I regret to say that this is a dreadful story. It is dull, pedantic, uninspiring and uninteresting. Nothing happens for 223 pages. Read more
Published on 18 Jul 2004 by Foursquare

2.0 out of 5 stars Who cares what he wanted
This is the least impressive Anita Shreve novel I have ever read. I only bought it because I was on holiday in Paris and wanted a book for the plane but it didn't even hold my... Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2004 by donnamford

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