dr_manuela_reads's review
4.0
Greenie moves from New York to New Mexico - the Capital, Santa Fe! This is a lovely novel following the trials and tribulations of Greenie. She is adorable. She takes her child to Santa Fe after the Governor of NM offers her the job of being his Chef. Even though both are "unfaithful" the novel is full of love and the choices people make because of love.
badassmama's review
I fall for so many books because my community bookstore puts them in front of my face. This was one I picked up not realizing I'd read something by this author before. And even while reading it, I didn't recognize a character I'd encountered before. So how's that for memorable writing? Or maybe it's my fault as a reader. Anyway, both The Whole World Over and Three Junes were engaging enough stories, though I felt deeply moved by neither, despite their rich subject matter (9/11, and death of a family member, respectively).
jessrad505's review against another edition
4.0
Being a native New Mexican now living in New York, this book obviously intrigued me. I am always skeptical of books that have anything to do with New Mexico because, often people do not accurately depict the landscape, atmosphere, people, food, etc, etc. I was especially wary since the writer does not live in New Mexico. But, Julia Glass did a fairly good job with it. There wasn't as much detail about Greenie's surroundings in New Mexico as there could have been, so maybe the author was playing it safe. At first I was bothered that the Governor was depicted as more of a stereotype and also more of a Texan than a New Mexican. But, I told myself he was from the Texas/New Mexico border, from a town like Hobbs or Portales, which would explain his twangy speech. Overall New York was the stronger backdrop throughout the book which was a little disappointing.
I really liked the way Glass was able to intertwine all the story lines. A lot of the reviews mentioned that the characters were boring, but I didn't think so. I had no problem caring about them and what happened to them. I did feel more intrigued by Walter and Saga's stories, however, rather than the main story of Alan and Greenie. I actually liked the part about 9/11. Maybe because I didn't live in New York when that happened, I find it fascinating rather than contrived. I would have liked the Cerro Grande fire in Los Alamos to be more of a presence than it was.
Overall I would recommend this book. I am interested to read some other books by Julia Glass.
I really liked the way Glass was able to intertwine all the story lines. A lot of the reviews mentioned that the characters were boring, but I didn't think so. I had no problem caring about them and what happened to them. I did feel more intrigued by Walter and Saga's stories, however, rather than the main story of Alan and Greenie. I actually liked the part about 9/11. Maybe because I didn't live in New York when that happened, I find it fascinating rather than contrived. I would have liked the Cerro Grande fire in Los Alamos to be more of a presence than it was.
Overall I would recommend this book. I am interested to read some other books by Julia Glass.
lorimichelekelley's review against another edition
2.0
I'm quitting after reading over 100 pages of this 500 page book. The characters, with the exception of Walter, are just so dull and annoying!
megmcardle's review against another edition
4.0
Like her first book Three Junes, Glass' new novel also follows several storylines although all in the same time frame. The characters are all so deftly written (even the many minor characters) and their stories each so interesting, that their intersections only enhance each other. The main story involves Greenie, a pastry chef in New York who gets the opportunity to move to New Mexico to cook for the governor of that state. She takes the job, even though it will mean uprooting her 4-year-old child George, leaving her husband in New York, and completely changing her life. Still, even though you could see her decision as a selfish act, Greenie is a sympathetic character. You want her to be happy, and I followed her marital ups and downs always completely on her side. You also find yourself hungry after reading the descriptions of all the delicious meals she concocts. I love any book where rich food is a character. Another storyline follows her friend Walter, a restauranteur who got her the job. Walter, who is gay, falls for the attractive Gordie even though he knows him as one half of a commited couple. Gordie ends up being persuadable, but you somehow feel like this is not a mark in his favor. Still, Walter is another completely loveable character whose happiness you never stop rooting for. The final major storyline that weaves through the novel is Saga, a young woman who is trying to rebuild her life and identity after a terrible accident. The novel culminates in the events of September 11, but 9/11 is used not as a plot device, but a backdrop for all the human dramas. The book will leave you thinking about issues of family and compromise, and wishing you could spend more time with these vividly drawn characters.
carinengler's review against another edition
2.0
I started this book two or three times over the years. I was determined to get a good start and finish. As a whole, I liked it but when I think of some of the characters I feel like I was a little lost. Scott, Sonya, Walter’s crushes - just too much to remember. The details of cooking, baking, and neighborhoods in the two cities were really good though.
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book based solely on my love for another book by the author, [b: A House Among the Trees|32337896|A House Among the Trees|Julia Glass|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498055278l/32337896._SX50_.jpg|52974828]. I don't think I even read the whole description before deciding, because honestly, once I saw the words "coconut cake," I knew it was the right book for me! That probably explains why I was under the impression that this would be a light romantic novel, when actually it's anything but.
There are four point-of-view characters here: Greenie, Walter, Saga, and Alan. I expected to like the Greenie parts best, since she's the first character we meet and also a baker. I did love her story and all the wonderful descriptions of food and cooking therein (and I also enjoyed Walter's as well), but the character who really captivated me was Saga. This is pretty interesting, since she's only peripherally related to the other three characters. Sometimes it seemed that she'd come over to visit from a different book. I know that Glass sometimes transplants characters from one novel to another (I found out only after I'd read this book that Fenno, the neighborhood bookstore owner here, is the main character of a different Glass novel), and I wonder if there is another Saga book out there somewhere. I must investigate.
Parts of this book are set in New York City and other parts are set in New Mexico. Both settings are very evocative, and I want to move to both places now!
The only part of this book that didn't work for me was the ending. We end up with two couples, and neither of them really work for me. One makes no sense to me at all, since the entirety of the book right up to the last chapter seems to be pointing to a different relationship, while the other seems like a good match but comes out of left field. I'm really perplexed by this. It's as if Glass was writing one novel and suddenly decided she actually wanted to write a different one. Maybe the book didn't sit long enough before being rushed out by the publisher, or maybe she got bad editorial advice. I'm not sure, but I've decided this just has to be one of those cases where I remember a different ending than what the author actually gave me.
This disappointment is enough for me to knock the book down from the five-star rating I was sure it was going to get from me, but I hope it doesn't discourage you from trying this book for yourself. There is much to love here!
There are four point-of-view characters here: Greenie, Walter, Saga, and Alan. I expected to like the Greenie parts best, since she's the first character we meet and also a baker. I did love her story and all the wonderful descriptions of food and cooking therein (and I also enjoyed Walter's as well), but the character who really captivated me was Saga. This is pretty interesting, since she's only peripherally related to the other three characters. Sometimes it seemed that she'd come over to visit from a different book. I know that Glass sometimes transplants characters from one novel to another (I found out only after I'd read this book that Fenno, the neighborhood bookstore owner here, is the main character of a different Glass novel), and I wonder if there is another Saga book out there somewhere. I must investigate.
Parts of this book are set in New York City and other parts are set in New Mexico. Both settings are very evocative, and I want to move to both places now!
The only part of this book that didn't work for me was the ending. We end up with two couples, and neither of them really work for me. One makes no sense to me at all, since the entirety of the book right up to the last chapter seems to be pointing to a different relationship, while the other seems like a good match but comes out of left field. I'm really perplexed by this. It's as if Glass was writing one novel and suddenly decided she actually wanted to write a different one. Maybe the book didn't sit long enough before being rushed out by the publisher, or maybe she got bad editorial advice. I'm not sure, but I've decided this just has to be one of those cases where I remember a different ending than what the author actually gave me.
This disappointment is enough for me to knock the book down from the five-star rating I was sure it was going to get from me, but I hope it doesn't discourage you from trying this book for yourself. There is much to love here!
walruz's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is a good read generally. It is a bit uneven, and I was disappointed by the ending in that it rather petered out and left unfinished several issues which had been so carefully outlined earlier in the book.
karasmichelle's review against another edition
3.0
This novel by the National Award Book winning author of The Three Junes, Julia Glass, tells the story, primarily, of pastry chef Greenie Duquette and her unlikable psychoanalyst husband, Alan. What I especially enjoyed was the story being told through the eyes of four different but connected characters: Greenie, Alan, Walter (Greenie’s gay restaurateur friend) and Saga (a woman trying to carve out a life for herself after a massive brain injury). The stories start in New York City but follow the unhappy couple to Santa Fe for a bit.
I enjoyed discovering and unraveling the mysteries of the interesting and diverse characters in The Whole World Over. However, (spoiler alert) I have to say I felt somewhat cheated and certainly manipulated when, after 500 pages (the book, by the way, has been described as "extravagantly long" at 562 pages) of painstaking character development on not only these four storylines but also those of corollary characters, the book suddenly turns into a story about/is interrupted by 9/11. And I do realize that 9/11 did just rip through the lives of New Yorkers (and everyone) in a split second, it’s just not what I expected of this novel's denouement. An example of the "manipulation" would be when poor, brain-injured Saga gets trapped in Manhattan with an inability to understand why the sky is raining papers and ash, why people are running through the streets and gaping up at where the Twin Towers once stood.
Suddenly, all of the intertwined stories are just prologue to this horrible chapter in our nation’s history.
Still, it was a complex and compelling story. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of whatever talented chef Greenie was cooking: From apricot scones to lamb seared in ancho chili paste on polenta with two chutneys: pear & mint.
You can tell Glass is a foodie.
Also, you can tell I’m writing this before dinner.
I enjoyed discovering and unraveling the mysteries of the interesting and diverse characters in The Whole World Over. However, (spoiler alert) I have to say I felt somewhat cheated and certainly manipulated when, after 500 pages (the book, by the way, has been described as "extravagantly long" at 562 pages) of painstaking character development on not only these four storylines but also those of corollary characters, the book suddenly turns into a story about/is interrupted by 9/11. And I do realize that 9/11 did just rip through the lives of New Yorkers (and everyone) in a split second, it’s just not what I expected of this novel's denouement. An example of the "manipulation" would be when poor, brain-injured Saga gets trapped in Manhattan with an inability to understand why the sky is raining papers and ash, why people are running through the streets and gaping up at where the Twin Towers once stood.
Suddenly, all of the intertwined stories are just prologue to this horrible chapter in our nation’s history.
Still, it was a complex and compelling story. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of whatever talented chef Greenie was cooking: From apricot scones to lamb seared in ancho chili paste on polenta with two chutneys: pear & mint.
You can tell Glass is a foodie.
Also, you can tell I’m writing this before dinner.