Nina Browning leads a charmed life and she knows it. She didn't grow up rich, in fact, she comes from a very modest background. When her husband sold his tech company for more money than either of them could imagine they were very quickly moved into the upper echelon of Nashville society. Their son just got into Princeton and leads a very privileged life, going to one of the most elite private school in Nashville. One night Finch does something stupid. Something racist and offensive. Nina has a variety of emotions over the situation ranging from anger to embarrassment, but most of all she is shocked that her husband doesn't share her reactions.
Tom Volpe is a working-class guy who has worked hard to give his daughter an education at one of the most elite schools in Nashville. He is a carpenter by day and drives an Uber at night, whatever it takes. He is working one night when his daughter's friend calls to tell him that Lyla is passed out drunk and she is scared. Tom pokes around her phone while waiting for Lyla to come out of it and discovers that somebody took a compromising picture of Lyla while she was passed out. One bad decision could risk everything he has worked so hard for - Lyla's future.
All We Ever Wanted takes on the topic of teen "affluenza." Nina Browning is the kind of mother that all mothers should strive to be like. It would be very easy for her to take the path of least resistance and let her husband buy off Lyla, instead, she recognizes how her husband has become one of "those" men and it makes her sick. I loved the way she did the one thing that no other adult did in this book - show concern for Lyla. The story played out in a pretty predictable manner, but it was the way that I had hoped real-life stories with similar circumstances would play out but never do. There was one part of the conclusion that I was surprised by, but it seemed to be necessary to get the author's point across. -- CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS
Bottom Line - All We Ever Wanted was probably one of my favorite Emily Giffin books. She has the tough conversation that no other author seems to be talking about. It is a topic that could generate a lot of great chatter at your next book club!
Details:
- All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
- On Instagram
- Pages: 352
- Publisher: Random House Publishing
- Publication Date: 6/26/2018
- Buy it Here!
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