The Whole World Over (Abridged) Audiobook

" Loved the way the story and characters came together. Didn't care for the husband character all too much. Was that the author's intention? Anyway, a good story and worthwhile read. "

" it started about as a really strong compelling story about a modern family and their challenges. then it started to meander and lost its way - and it became incredibly verbose and long and painful to finish. This would have been a great series of well-written, concise novellas...but as a single 500+ page book, it was just too much and it became hard to identify the crux of the story. "

" An interesting collection of people whose lives intersect in New York City. It's a slowly developing story and at times seemed to drag in too much detail, but a pleasant read all the same. "

" This is the kind of story that will haunt me for a good while and I will return to it in a few months. Only the ending is keeping me from giving it a full 5 stars, but the characters are generally vivid, flawed, and realistic. I use the term historical fiction much more loosely than others, but by the end, others will understand why I selected that as an additional shelf label. "

" It is rare that I don't finish a book (although I'm less picky about not finishing than I used to be). Still, after about 100 pages I had to give up! I really loved Three Junes, but this was just abismal. A lot of people have commented about Glass' writing--here it's just atrocious! She goes on and on and on about things that don't matter and that just made me hold less and less interest the more I read. The characters are hard to get into (and hard to like; I found them all to be whiny and just drivel). The storyline moves way too slow. Ug. Such a disappointment. "

" I think I would have liked this better if I had read the book instead of listening to the audiobook. Whoever read the audiobook was kind of bad at it. "

" NOTE TO SELF READ FIRST "

" loved this book...the characters are well developed and very realistic. for the most part, a believable novel, though i did struggle a little bit with a few issues that the characters go through. a really lovely book. "

" Absolutely riveting! The book unfolds like an onion, with so many complex, interwoven layers. The author is skilled at making us like even the characters we don't want to like. Wonderful, entertaining read! "

" It took me quite a while to care about these characters, but once that kicked in, I was sold. I liked how it ended. "

" Great character novel proving the world is small even in a city as big as New York. Slow part near the middle and then I couldn't put it down. "

" Julia Glass stands out to me because she does not keep the book moving so much through the plot, but because she dives so much into the minds of her characters that you feel personally invested in their well-being. "

" This was a really enjoyable read, but not a runaway, can't-put-it-down kind of thing. I'd like to read her first book though. "

" A little slow, but a good book about relationships. Bittersweet ending. Also a book for foodies - the main character owns her own bakery/becomes a personal chef. "

" Not without its own enjoyable moments, but utterly predictable with lots of cliches thrown in. Either it just wasn't as good as The Three Junes or I'm at such a different point in my life (with respect to reading and otherwise) that I noticed its mediocrity more. "

" This was a very long book that seemed to be quite slow-moving. I thought that the ending was very odd and slightly disappointing. It was an okay summer read, but not overly recommended. "

" i'm actually rereading this book. it has an amazing range of very interesting characters. "

" Just as good as "Three Junes". Great read. "

" I wish I could give this book 10 stars. It was fabulous "

" 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. "

" This may be my favorite book of all time. Perfect. "

" I really like the way Julia Glass weaves together different characters and their storylines. Her writing style is easy to read and enjoyable. But I suspect that as with her earlier novel, Three Junes, the book won't make a lasting impression on me. It was also a little long. "

" Not as good as Three Junes, but definitely worth reading. "

" I found it fascinating how the main character described objects,feelings and words in terms of what color they reminded her of. I found myself imaging and feeling the same way. "

" Julia Glass is officially one of my favorite authors. This book didn't disappoint, although if I could give it 3.5 stars I would because it was not as engaging as some of her others that I've read, but I can still rely on her. "

" I really love her writing--felt like I was in New Mexico the whole book! "

" This book was okay. I enjoyed the non-major characters most. Some scenes were a little far-fetched for my liking. "

" Lots of stories within the story; but i became majorly invested in every characters life. Very interesting read. "

" I read this book less than a month ago and I can hardly remember it "

" There are many reasons to keep a marriage together. Also some excellent menu suggestions. "

" A lot of characters and relationships. I really liked it -again reading and listening. "

" Overall, a really good book. That said, the pre-9/11 portion is an order of magnitude better than the post-9/11 portion, so that was disappointing. "

" I disliked this book. I did finish it but with great irritation all the way with the predictable plot, stereotypical/cutesy characters, etc. I break out in a rash when I think about it. "

" An enjoyable read. I wasn't compelled to start it, but once I did, it was hard to put it down. Told from multiple viewpoints, each is interesting. I especially liked the handling of 9/11 and how the characters were affected, in life-changing ways. "

" This book was okay. I enjoyed the non-major characters most. Some scenes were a little far-fetched for my liking. "

" This book took me a long time to read...I ended up liking it at the end as everything came together but I almost abandoned it a few times. "

" not as good as her others, but still worth the time! "

" This was a really enjoyable read, but not a runaway, can't-put-it-down kind of thing. I'd like to read her first book though. "

" Slow-moving, but a lovely depiction of relationships: husband/wife, male/female, male/male and parents/son, single woman/older man. "

" This book was terrible. Pointless. There were a few decent stories and characters, but it really wast more of a collection of ramblings than a well crafted story. "