Rating: 
Summary: One True Thing-reviewed
Review: After reading Object Lessons I knew that Anna Quindlen had a gift in telling a young girl's "coming-of age" story. In One True Thing we read the story of a young woman whose mother is diagnosed with cancer very early on in the book. As the book progresses we begin to care very much about Ellen and her family. The book does not drown us in medical jargon nor are we spoken down to yet we understand fully the exact nature of Ellen's mother's illness. Every facet of Ellen's life changes during the course of the book. She is an aspiring journalist, has moved out on her own and must move back home to care for her mother. Ellen's relationship with her professor father is fascinating, as a daughter learns that her father isn't the perfect man she thought he was. While I expected a predictable outcome I was surprised because the book did not go in the directions we would assume. Very well written and gut-wrenching as it is, I was left with a strong opinion of Ms. Quindlen's abilities as a writer.
Rating: 
Summary: An eloquent description of a painful subject
Review: "One True Thing" is the story of a driven woman who returns to her small town to care for the terminally ill mother she never really knew. It is well worth reading, if only for Anna Quindlen's exquisite prose. I found myself crying throughout Part One of the novel because it reminded me of so many things. I saw my grandmother's shriveled tongue the week that she died of thirst in a nursing home, aided by her medical directives. I sat with a box of Kleenex and cried for my father, 4000 miles away from me and currently undergoing treatment for cancer, and for my mother, who sends me cheerful updates and carries on. But mostly, as I read the book over my bowl of cereal at breakfast and on the bus on the way to my doctor's appointment and on the couch in the wee hours of the morning, I cried for myself, because I could have been a model for the protagonist. I, too, grew up as the daughter of an English teacher, an honors student, a journalist, and a high achiever. I remember, like the main character, how proud I was of being a city girl with a career ahead of her. I empathized with Ellen Gulden as she was reduced to a life of cooking and cleaning and shopping. And I understood why she was flip in painful situations: it was because she had never quite learned to let down her guard emotionally. I found Part Two of the novel less believable. Like the life of the main character, it seemed to lack focus. It had fewer poignant descriptions of everyday life and seemed to concentrate more on isolated incidents seemingly created for their effect. It made me wonder whether Quindlen had written Part One from personal experience and Part Two based on newspaper clippings. Although it was interesting, it didn't quite ring true. On the whole, however, "One True Thing" is a novel overflowing with truths about life, emotions, and relationships. I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to take a chance and feel.
Rating:
Summary: ITS ABOUT LONELINESS
Review: This book is about loneliness, and the experiences of the characters who cope with it. These experiences range between the tragic (Ellen's father, Chris, Jonathan), the heroic (Ellen's mother, Theresa, Mrs. Forsberg), and the "doing the best they can" (Ellen, Jeff, Brian, Jules).I say loneliness, because human life is lonely. Virtually all of what we are lies beneath the surface. But effective communication is limited to our ability to toss words and feelings into the voids between us. To make it worse, do we transmit and receive with honesty? To make it worse, whose needs am I really meeting? Mine or yours? I could write about this book for hours, but Amazon says 1,000 words max. Here are a few things that come to mind: Ellen is a beautiful character. Quindlen uses the first person to share Ellen's honesty and contradictions. Claiming to take after her father, Ellen is steeped in her mother's graceful humanity. Young and naive, she is also ambitious and angry. Yet she lovingly devotes herself to the care of her mother. This book fails to succumb to the melancholy of the subject. Most of the characters make great strides toward fulfilling and loving relationships, most notably, of course, Ellen and her Mom. I like Quindlen's writing, which is at times is both blunt and delicate, honest and opinionated, but always thoughtful and revealing. The book could have ended successfully at any one of the last several hundred sentences. I pictured Quindlen (smile), pounding away at the keyboard, trying to touch on the many important insights pouring from her brilliant mind, before bringing the story to a close. It's a truly marvelous thing to spend a few bucks on a used book, read it, and experience such a strong emotional connection with a talented, emotional author and her characters.
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Summary: My First Anna Quindlen Book
Review: I bought this book a few years ago at a charity garage sale, not really paying too much attention to what the book was about. (Besides, the entire back cover and several inside pages are just devoted to reviews, leaving no room for a synopsis.) Even though it's been a long time since I've read this book, I still love it. Anna Quindlen is an absolute master (or is it mistress?) at writing. She creates such a touching and unforgettable story about a 24-year-old New Yorker (Ellen Gulden) who returns home to unknowingly take care of her 46-year-old mother who is dying of cancer. The relationships Ellen has with her family are quite captivating (particularly the one she has with her mother) and, at times, even mysterious, which is the case with her father, a man Ellen is always trying to impress. Categorically, "One True Thing" is mainstream literature, but there's an undercurrent of mystery and suspense regarding the events of her mother's sudden death, leading the reader to believe someone in the family was involved in euthanasia--or possibly murder. The ending will certainly surprise you. I highly recommend this book. The 1998 movie that was made, however, is not nearly as good as the book, even though it had some great actresses and actors (Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger, William Hurt, and Tom Everett Scott). In my opinion, the movie didn't capture Quindlen's storytelling, nor did it do the book any justice. So, in summary: definitely read the book, but rent the movie afterwards only if you're a fan of one of the actors or actresses.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly sad and perceptive; couldn't put it down
Review: I could compare One True Thing to some other recent fiction (say, The Pilot's Wife or I Know This Much to be True.) The comparison would be that if you liked those books, you'd like One True Thing. They have in common a search for truth out of tragic events in the main character's life. Other than that, Anna Quindlen's writing is a bit like Shreve's (Pilot's Wife) in that she uses words with razor-sharpness. Each word is carved into place with exquisite skill. She also has the ability to shock with tiny revelations. I love that. The story itself is about a woman who leaves her self-absorbed career as a Manhattan journalist to take care of her dying mother. Her mother is the perfect June Cleaver. Her dad, a cool, cerebral academic, dishes out faint praise and keeps the entire family at an arm's length from his internal ivory tower. Ellen gets a nasty shock after her mother's death; she is indicted and betrayed. For what and by whom I would let you find out for yourself. The truth in this book is in the reflection of Ellen in other people's eyes. They have their own opinions of her, independent of the facts. This sad truth makes the book so worthwhile to read. Ellen seeks truth, about herself, and her path to finding that truth is honest and interesting. Ellen learns and grows tremendously in this book. That's a wonderful thing. I give this book a high rating for good, contemporary fiction.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: this is a book that should be read by a mother and a daughter at the same time. this book was absolutely wonderful. i reccomend it to any reader over the age of 16!!!
Rating:
Summary: good and sad
Review: This book was beautifully written, engrossing, and I truly couldn't put it down until I finished. However, it was so utterly depressing. It wasn't the kind of sad that was a tear-jerker, I actually didn't cry. Rather, after finishing it I just felt depressed, and felt as though it left me hanging.
Rating:
Summary: One Good Book
Review: This is a touching and well-written book that portrays mother-daughter and family relationships in all their complexity. It's realistic, yet filled with tender and even humorous moments. As a mother and author myself, of NEW PSALMS FOR NEW MOMS: A KEEPSAKE JOURNAL, I value all of our mothers who do so much for their children. Isn't it ironic that so much of what her mother created in their home was taken for granted by the heroine, Ellen, until she is faced with her mother's untimely death?
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Summary: One of the few books that made me cry!
Review: Believe it or not, it was used in my English class.... and we had many discussions over the book and we didn't just simply talk about the plot but rather the deep human nature beyond the plot. I don't remember much of it right now as we read it quite a while ago. As I was nearing to the end of Part 1, I realized that I just couldn't put the book down, the mother's on the deathbed, Ellen's still in shock that her mother would not be around soon and there were no trace of George in the household. The clock was ticking and the suspension was reaching to the climax... I just had to keep going.... I read the book from the end of my classes... all the way through dinner and after that.... I thought that plot, the characterization, the brewing conflicts... all beautifully written. She is definitely a master in leading the reader to the wrong conclusion and I have re-read sections over again, trying to figure out how she did it! It was my first Anna Quidlen book and perhaps I will try Black and Blue in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Anna Quindlen is one of my favorites!!
Review: I read Black and Blue a few years ago and really liked it, but this book surpassed that. I just grabbed this book because of Anna without reading the synopsis on the jacket. If I realized the subject matter, I might not have read it. I lost my Mom 1 1/2 years ago to cancer and this was so difficult to read, yet I couldn't put it down. I read for about two hours this morning, crying the whole time. I finished the book tonight and it was an exceptional book.
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