All He Ever Wanted
seemed very different from all the other Anita Shreve
books that I have read. Firstly nearly the whole story as told second hand. The character Nicholas Van Tassel recounts the story of him and his wife Etna Bliss and the ups and downs of their married life. The fact that Nicholas is recounting the story doesn't actually add anything to the book though and I was left wondering what the point was. The story that he was telling was easily strong enough to stand up on its own and yet it is instead interrupted every so often by current day Van Tassel saying where he is on a lengthy train journey. Very strange.
seemed very different from all the other Anita Shreve books that I have read. Firstly nearly the whole story as told second hand. The character Nicholas Van Tassel recounts the story of him and his wife Etna Bliss and the ups and downs of their married life. The fact that Nicholas is recounting the story doesn't actually add anything to the book though and I was left wondering what the point was. The story that he was telling was easily strong enough to stand up on its own and yet it is instead interrupted every so often by current day Van Tassel saying where he is on a lengthy train journey. Very strange.The true story that the book is telling is of a man madly in love with his wife, yet in a position where that love is not reciprocated. Instead Etna Bliss married for very different reasons. We learn about how Etna deals with the marriage and the place that she creates to be able to escape to, with escape being a very appropriate word for what she feels the need to do.
Shreve's writing certainly brings out the feeling of pain that comes from unrequited love and anyone who has ever been in that situation would have to be pretty damn cold hearted not to feel that pain again.
Very different to some of Shreve's other books, but I thoroughly enjoyed the different style of read.
Thanks for the review. I’ve read, and enjoyed, most of Anita Shreve’s other books so must get a copy.