Every Last One

by Anna Quindlen

I've been a fan of Anna Quindlen since I read Black & Blue when it was an Oprah Book Club selection in 1998. I think about that book a lot. So good. So scary. So real. And while Rise & Shine wasn't my favorite, I was definitely looking forward to this latest one.

Quindlen writes tragedy really well. Some people may find the subject matter a little too much for casual reading, but I kind of love it. She is able to capture raw emotion and keep the plot completely believable all at the same time. Every Last One begins as a pretty typical family story; proms, learning disabilities and soccer practice; and quickly turns on a dime. Mary Beth Latham, devoted wife and mother of three, in an instant finds herself with nothing. The rest of the book is simply about survival when even the strongest person would give up. Line after line, my heart wanted to break. That makes for some genius writing.

"Sometimes I feel as though the entire point of a woman's life is to fall in love with people who will leave her."

I read this one on my Kindle. I love my Kindle. I actually think I might read faster on it than holding a "real" book. I'm still not ready to give up the real thing though. I hope I never am.

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