Rating: 
Summary: A Despicable & Pathetic Pair of Main Characters
Review: It was suggested I read this book since it was written in first person, and I found it interesting enough to finish. However, since I didn't care much for "Seaglass," I began it with trepidation. Ms. Shreve writes a decent novel, but I find it extremely hard to warm up to her characters. They're particularly pathetic, perhaps too much like real life people for my literary appetite. Both Etna and Nicholas have no redeeming character traits, and I found myself feeling sorry for their kids' personality inheritance. I think this book might appropriately be retitled "Late Victorian Academics Behaving Badly."I don't think I'll be picking up another Anita Shreve book anytime soon and am considering adding my copy to Amazon's growing resale pile since I don't plan to read "All He Ever Wanted" again.
Rating: 
Summary: Disturbing and thoughtful
Review: I picked this book reluctantly since I really don't care for much of this author's works, but I found it to be very insightful and thoughtful. The main character is a completely pompous, unlikeable man but the questions the author asks concerning exactly what is freedom in a marriage, is it better to have one-sided love than no love at all, and the issues of duty, loyalty and passion are very thought provoking.
Rating:
Summary: Never judge a book by it's...title
Review: Man sees woman.
Man falls madly in love at first sight.
Woman is cordial but uninterested.
Man persists and pursues woman vigorously.
Woman does not love man and says so.
Man disregards this and plunges headlong into obsession with making her his wife.
Woman pities man.
Man perseveres and asks woman to be his wife.
Woman yearns to be free from her somewhat confining family.
Woman finally agrees to marry man for an imagined degree of "independence"
....but not for love. [Enter complication.]
*Tragedy and heartbreak ensue* Never having the pleasure of reading any of Shreve's works prior to delving into "All He Ever Wanted", I admittedly formed an unfair and premature opinion of the novel based on its somewhat flimsy melodramatic title. However, I was soon to discover that it is definitely a fitting and descriptive cover for the thespian narrative that unravels within. I was also taken unaware that this was a period piece, set in New England in the early part of the 20th Century - a fact I was all too happy to uncover, as I am an aficionado of period works. "All He Ever Wanted" is a heart-wrenching account of unrequited love, obsession, jealousy and betrayal; exploring the most intense (and at times, darkest) workings of the human heart. Dreary and rather depressing, this candid narrative painstakingly chronicles a marriage of convenience gone sadly awry. It is written in the voice of Nicholas van Tassel, an English literary professor at a small college in New England as he ponders upon the memories of his fateful past... One harrowing evening after escaping a restaurant fire, van Tassel happens upon the striking Etna Bliss and is instantaneously enraptured. Here commences their somewhat stifled and confusing courtship. Ultimately, their marriage forces each character to make critical compromises that will change their lives forever: - Man gives up romantic ideal of marriage (knowing full well his wife does not love him) if only to 'possess' her for himself;
- Woman relinquishes hope of marrying someone she loves and settles instead for a man who offers her freedom and a degree of independence (which is ultimately counterfeit). Although the story is a little slow and one-dimensional at the outset, as the plot proceeds the reader will be taken in by the rich detail and character definition that quickly develops. The letters between certain characters were also a nice touch, allowing a glimpse into their personal thoughts - a unique perspective for the reader, digressing temporarily from the narrator's recital. All in all, I must say I was thoroughly absorbed by Shreve's shrewd portrayal of affections that are not reciprocated...a theme all too familiar in the human game of love.
Rating: 
Summary: Listen to this book
Review: Dennis Boutsikaris' reading of this book is wonderful. Ms. Shreve's use of the language of the day (which may appear stilted in book form) and the portrayal of society at that time are both brought alive by Mr. Boutsikaris' acting skills. He portrays Professor Van Tassel as a believable character of his environment notwithstanding his stuffiness. The lengths to which the Professor goes to keep his wife are shocking no matter what era is depicted.
Rating:
Summary: Well written !
Review: Unlike some other reviewers that have blasted this written piece, I found nothing but praise for Anita Shreve's book. Many a man today can learn a thing or two from Prof. Nicholas Van Tassel. His persistence & perseverance in getting something "that he wanted" in a bad way should be admired and complimented. Shreve does a great job in presenting the early 20th Century dating mannerisms that gentlemen were expected to undertake when interested in any particular lady. Many of these qualities I still adhered to myself personally as a somewhat romantic, old-fashioned gentleman.
Rating:
Summary: Some what disappointing
Review: I bought the book based on some recommendations here. This was my first Anita Shreve book to read. I think we all begin a book with some kind of expectation. For me, I was looking to read more a prose type of story; so please understand that after reading my review. I found the writing very similar to a Sherlock Holmes story. I had hoped there would be more emphasis on Etna's point of view, so the letters she had written were a welcomed relief. If Nicholas had "truly" loved Etna, would he not let her go? But in (my)reality he did not love her. I suppose the book would've been better if Nicholas's character would have come to that conclusion. Nicholas's character was certainly boring. The incident with Nicholas's daughter was ridiculous. Suddenly, I'm reading something out of the 1990's and was a complete turn off. Anita certainly seems to be a good writer. Based on other's comments, I'm sure some of her other books are better.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a great book- don't bother
Review: First, let me say that I usually enjoy period pieces and try to keep in mind what customs and traditions were like at the time. After all, one reads to be entertained and/or educated, right? With that being said.... The only reason I finished this book was to see if the story could redeem itself in some way. I found the main character, Nicholas, to be very self-centered (I guess that is were the title of the book comes from). I felt some sympathy for his wife, Etna, since it seemed she tried to be a feminist during a period of time when women were not considered equals. (Example: it was ok for him to have lovers before they were married, even prostitutes, but NOT ok for her to have a lover(s) before him.) This was the first book I have read from Anita Shreve....I hope her other books are not like this one. I might (and that is a big might) try one of her other books just to see. Can someone recommend one or should I just give up on Anita Shreve?
Rating:
Summary: shreve's least successful,novel
Review: This was a trite novel of no substance with a flimsy plot and dreary writing. There was nothing of interest in the first 3/4 of the book, and a mildly interesting fourth 1/4. If Anita Shreve had not written this novel, no intelligent reviewer would have praised it. I found it a waste of time and obviously a waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: What he needed was a heart!
Review: ALL HE EVER WANTED was to fulfill the passion which came upon him during the extremis of surviving a fire -- what Nichlaas Van Tassel got instead were lessons in seduction, expectations & morality. Instead of his wedding night being a venue for marital bliss, it became a pit of his own making into which he fell in a self-righteous fit of jealousy...& lies. What he got was a life, with a wife he didn't want to know, or understand. If you like your stories couched in old-fashioned, classical language, you will like ALL HE EVER WANTED -- it is enlightening & sad. It made me so mad & glad we've come a long way from those times, although I know there are whole cultures who keep these thoughts & morals alive. Anita Shreve has superbly recreated how a professor educated before WWI, & filled with righteous fervor, would think about sex & sin, & what women really were for.
Rating:
Summary: And What Happens When He Gets It
Review: This is my first introduction to the works of Anita Shreve. I was drawn to the book because of the time period, turn of the century America. In addition, the plot of the novel seemed reminiscent of Edith Wharton's most famous works. After finishing the book, the characters stayed with me throughout the evening and this is always the sign of a good book! Nicholas Van Tassel is a professor at a small college in New England. One evening while escaping a fire, he happens to see Edna Bliss and is immediately captivated by her. Later they meet and Nicholas falls in love with the young woman. However, from the very start Edna is honest with Nicholas and tells him that while she will marry him, she will never love him. To me this is the crux of the novel. Edna never lies about her feelings. Nicholas of course assumes that this will change and this sets the tone for the remainder of the novel. On a feminist level, one could argue that the woman is simply not being heard. But whether the character is a man or woman, I don't think really matters. The book is about one person trying desperately to create another person whom they can love. Not accepting this person, with their flaws and human frailties, but demanding that they conform to the expectations, desires and wishes of another. Other reviewers have commented on the coldness of Edna's character. I found Nicholas, the narrator, to be much colder. He is a man willing to do anything to have his way in this world, regardless of who will suffer. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in the workings of the human heart.
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