All She Ever Wanted: (A Contemporary Women's Fiction Family Drama)

Great book. 👍👍

Lynn Austin shares this wonderful story, All She Ever Wanted, with us all and what a story it is! A story of immigration, struggling to survive, shame and wanting better for our own children. There were shocking eye openers in reading the lives of these generations and sorrow in how they lived. This book grabbed me from the beginning and held me through the end. I look forward to reading more of Lynn Austin’s work…and so will you!

This was another WONDERFUL book by one of my favorite authors, Lynn Austin. Her writing keeps you enthralled from the first page to the last, often bringing tears to my eyes. If you are looking for a great Christian author, I can recommend all her books - they are truly gifts from God.

Once an English writing major at a liberal college, this reviewer was informed by one of my professors that Christian writers have no depth of substance for their books and little creative freedom. Boy, was she wrong! Lynn Austin's All She Ever Wanted is one of the most fascinating and addictive reads I have ever had the pleasure of discovering. As other reviewers here have already delved into the storyline, I will cut to the chase and say that the old Biblical prophecy echoes like a ripple in a pond here. Kathleen's family doesn't just keep repeating its unfortunate history, but the men that her female predecessors get tangled up with are no help either, and the result is a fascinating battle of wills, guilt, and terrible tragedy. Through all of it, however is the amazing story of Kathleen's conversion to Christianity as a small child at the hands of a neighbor who was once her mother's best friend. For 30 years Kathleen has been so angry with her family that she has refused to see them until her own daughter Joelle's misbehavior leads her to finally open up and let her into a very painful past. But the amazing surprise is yet to come when mother and daughter arrive in her hometown for a family reunion, and Kathleen is about to discover things she never knew before. This book is beautiful and moving, deep and involving in ways you can only experience to understand how great it is. I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone, no matter what your background might be. After all, there is a little of every one of us in it.

I can honestly say Lynn Austin's "All She Ever Wanted" was one of the best stories I've ever read. It stayed in my heart and mind long after I finished reading. Lynn is not only a talented writer, but her story grabs your emotions in an inspiring vice and refuses to let go! In "All She Ever Wanted", Lynn presented a unique plot in a rare way that almost seems "backward" to the traditional storylines of today. But it works! Oh, it works! =)

This book covers 4 generations of a family that immigrates to the United States. It reflects how the lives of our ancestors can affect us today. It starts with a family today and goes backwards to each generation and tells the story of their lives. This book was very captivating.

All She Ever Wanted is one of those books you can't put down. The characters are engaging, the settings well-described and the stories believable and insightful. This author is immensely talented at bringing others' realities to light in ways that help us understand human existence and experiences with God.