For years I read Anna Quindlen’s columns in The New York Times and Newsweek magazine. The best pieces ever written about the joy, pain and simple pleasures of being a parent are hers. As a journalist, she is skilled at capturing the fine detail of everyday life. As a novelist, she is a keen storyteller with the ability to pack an emotional wallop like few others.

From the opening sentence of her latest novel Every Last One, the stage is set for disturbance. Mary Beth Latham wakes to the sounds of national public radio, telling her “there’s been a coup in Chad, a tornado in Texas.” But as quickly as she rolls out of bed to start her day, the slight hint of worldly trouble is replaced by an engaging description of the Latham family--the three children she adores, the husband-doctor who is the “only one who emerges the least bit cheerful” to start his day, and the successful landscape business she has built.

I was so engrossed in this family story that when the bottom dropped out in that Quindlen-esque way, I had to set the book down to catch my breath. But it isn’t just the reader whose breath has been taken away. Mary Beth believes in the sanctity of her home—its safety and security as assured as her love for her children. She’s been completely blinded to the possibility of destruction, which has lurked right outside the family circle.

From here Mary Beth must confront her past, and a future that she alone must piece together. This is a story of personal strength, courage, and the kind of love that transcends all boundaries. ~Wendee