The Whole World Over
If you are looking for a great big summer read brimming with interesting characters and sumptuous descriptions of food and landscape, Julia Glass‘ new novel The Whole World Over is the book for you. There’s a huge cast of finely drawn characters, centering around Manhattan pastry chef Greenie Duquette, her psychotherapist husband, Alan, and their four year old son George.
When the charismatic governor of New Mexico offers Greenie a job as his personal chef, she decides to take a break from her stagnating marriage, and move her son to Santa Fe. Back in New York, Alan struggles through his mid-life crisis, looking for answers in a past relationship. The stories of Saga, a brain-damaged young woman who rescues stray animals and Fenno McLeod, a Scottish bookseller from Glass’ first novel Three Junes, become entwined with those of Alan and Walter, and ultimately, Greenie, as all of them search for love and family.
Descriptions of Greenie and Alan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, her summer house in Maine and the arid New Mexico landscape are amazingly vivid, but Glass’ writing is at its lavish best when conjuring up the huge variety of concoctions that Greenie and Walter create and serve family and friends.
Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction
2 Comments Add your own
1. Maureen | June 23rd, 2006 at 7:52 am
Three Junes is one of my favourite books so I’m looking forward to reading The Whole World Over. It sounds like Julia Glass has written another great book!
2. Mary K | June 24th, 2006 at 9:46 am
I just finished this book and really liked it. I think it was even better than the Three Junes. My one complaint is that it was just a little too long. ( And then there was the ending which I felt was a bit of a cop out, but which I won’t discuss because it would spoil the story) But I enjoyed the character development and how all of the characters dealt with various problems. I loved the child and the way the author incorporated childrens books into the story. I read the authors note following the book and she said she used stories that her own children loved to listen to.
This is a great read and a wonderful book to read this summer, on the deck with a nice cold glass of iced tea at your side.
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