Customer Reviews

All She Ever Wanted

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ms. Austin has again penned another emotional and heart gripping read with her latest effort "All She Ever Wanted." This is a story that just about everyone can relate to at some point in their lives, and it aptly demonstates how family truly influences future relationships.

This story opens with the strained relationship between Kathleen and her daughter Joelle. Mother and daughter are on the way to see family that Kathleen has not seen in over thirty-five years. Along the way Kathleen begins to relive her troubled past in hopes that she will be able to reach her daughter. From there we travel back in time to see how three generations of women who have left their troubles behind truly effect the future generations that had yet come.

This was an awe inspiring read, one that will truly amaze the reader as they set off on an emotional journey of highs and lows. Joelle, Kathleen, Elenore, and Fiona are all dynamic characters and the reader will feel as if they have been drawn into the drama that created these women for better or worse. The use of faith in this story is subtle yet strong for the small role it plays again, in forming these ladies. This is one read that I highly recommend.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs

All she ever wanted was a loving husband, a close family, and a beautiful house in the suburbs. And Kathleen is living out her dream, or so she believes, when her daughter Joelle is arrested for shoplifting. As a part of her reconciliation with Joelle, Kathleen finds she must let go of her current dream life and face the reality of her past. Even as a Christian, she finds this too painful to bear.

Kathleen receives a homecoming invitation from her sister, and encouraged by her husband and daughter, she agrees to revisit her hometown. Kathleen and Joelle take the trip together, and together they begin to understand the mysteries of the past--not only Kathleen's but also her mother Eleanor and her grandmother Fiona. In this light, Kathleen is able to truly forgive and live anew.

All She Ever Wanted is the first book that I have read by Lynn Austin, but I will go back and read her previous releases. I found her style to be an easy read--her story is compelling and draws me into her characters. Her message about understanding and forgiveness makes me to consider my own life.

"Let what we suffer teach us to be merciful--let our sins teach us to forgive."

Armchair Interviews says: Lynn Austin provides a thought-provoking yet entertaining read for everyone.

All She Ever Wanted is one of those books you can't put down. The characters are engaging, the settings well-described and the stories believable and insightful. This author is immensely talented at bringing others' realities to light in ways that help us understand human existence and experiences with God.

I could hardly tear myself away from this book. The author brought the situations and feelings of the characters to life so well, I felt like I was there. Also emphasizes the significance of planting seeds of faith in a young person's life even when we don't see immediate results.

Once an English writing major at a liberal college, this reviewer was informed by one of my professors that Christian writers have no depth of substance for their books and little creative freedom. Boy, was she wrong! Lynn Austin's All She Ever Wanted is one of the most fascinating and addictive reads I have ever had the pleasure of discovering.

As other reviewers here have already delved into the storyline, I will cut to the chase and say that the old Biblical prophecy echoes like a ripple in a pond here. Kathleen's family doesn't just keep repeating its unfortunate history, but the men that her female predecessors get tangled up with are no help either, and the result is a fascinating battle of wills, guilt, and terrible tragedy. Through all of it, however is the amazing story of Kathleen's conversion to Christianity as a small child at the hands of a neighbor who was once her mother's best friend.

For 30 years Kathleen has been so angry with her family that she has refused to see them until her own daughter Joelle's misbehavior leads her to finally open up and let her into a very painful past. But the amazing surprise is yet to come when mother and daughter arrive in her hometown for a family reunion, and Kathleen is about to discover things she never knew before.

This book is beautiful and moving, deep and involving in ways you can only experience to understand how great it is. I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone, no matter what your background might be. After all, there is a little of every one of us in it.

I really loved this book. I don't usually read historical fiction, but I believe this book is a great starting off place for anyone who (like me) doesn't really think they'll like it much. The "old" stories are stitched seamlessly onto a modern-day background, blending the best of both worlds into one book. As for me, I will definetely be checking out more historical fiction after reading this. Lynn Austin's writing style was witty, clever and funny. The only problem I had with this book was that the ending seemed a little rushed and thrown together. I don't think it would have seemed thrown together if it had just gone on a little longer. In other words, I liked the ending a lot but all the loose ends were just tied up a little too fast for my taste. Definitely check it out though. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

This book covers 4 generations of a family that immigrates to the United States. It reflects how the lives of our ancestors can affect us today. It starts with a family today and goes backwards to each generation and tells the story of their lives. This book was very captivating.

I really did enjoy this book even though the events did not end happily ever after. There is sadness in this book. I have felt for the heroine. She was crushed after her husband was no longer with her. The events were believable but sad. The book was keeping me at night to finish it. It is not a book for you if you are looking for a light read. It is for you if you want to read about things that are not what they seem and do not end the way we want them to end like in life.

You will not want to put the book down. The author takes you into the
main characters life, her mother and her grandmother's. Well written and
you feel as though you know the characters personally. I have not read a
book I did not like by this author.

I enjoyed this book so very much. It was the kind of story I didn't want to put down. This is one that I will pass on to my friends. It was interesting to see how each woman was so affected without realizing it by the lives of the women in their family who came before them.