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    Love All; A Novel
    Love All; A Novel
    Love All; A Novel
    Ebook13 pages12 minutes

    Love All; A Novel

    By Callie Wright

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this ebook

    An addictive and moving debut about love, fidelity, sports, and growing up when you least expect it, told through the irresistible voices of three generationsIt’s the spring of 1994 in Cooperstown, New York, and Joanie Cole, the beloved matriarch of the Obermeyer family, has unexpectedly died in her sleep. Now, for the first time, three generations are living together under one roof and are quickly encroaching on one another’s fragile orbits. Eighty-six-year-old Bob Cole is adrift in his daughter’s house without his wife. Anne Obermeyer is increasingly suspicious of her husband, Hugh’s, late nights and missed dinners, and Hugh, principal of the town’s preschool, is terrified that a scandal at school will erupt and devastate his life. Fifteen-year-old tennis-team hopeful Julia is caught in a love triangle with Sam and Carl, her would-be teammates and two best friends, while her brother, Teddy, the star pitcher of Cooperstown High, will soon catch sight of something that will change his family forever.At the heart of the Obermeyers’ present-day tremors is the scandal of The Sex Cure, a thinly veiled roman à clef from the 1960s, which shook the small village of Cooperstown to the core. When Anne discovers a battered copy underneath her parents’ old mattress, the Obermeyers cannot escape the family secrets that come rushing to the surface. With its heartbreaking insight into the messy imperfections of family, love, and growing up, Love All is an irresistible comic story of coming-of-age—at any age.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJul 9, 2013
    ISBN9780805096972
    Love All; A Novel
    Author

    Callie Wright

    Callie Wright is a reporter and researcher at Vanity Fair. She graduated from Yale and earned her MFA at the University of Virginia, where she was a Poe/Faulkner Fellow in Creative Writing and won a Raven Society Fellowship. She is the recipient of a Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers and her short fiction has appeared in Glimmer Train and The Southern Review. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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    Reviews for Love All; A Novel

    3.5/5

    15 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Joanie Cole's unexpected death has disrupted the balance of her family, the Obermeyers, creating uncomfortable living situations,removing the family's primary confidante, and reintroducing a long lost book whose secrets still haunt the family. Callie Wright's Love All presents the Obermeyers' lives in the aftermath of Joanie's death, with the focus alternating between the children, the parents, and the remaining grandparent. Familial conflicts are examined from all angles and in the context of the family history. The small-town ties are intriguing and the personal lives of each of the characters is compelling and relatable. I was particularly drawn in by that of the youngest Obermeyer, Julia. In the end, the book was interesting and well-written, but not particularly moving. (Three and 1/2 stars)
    • 4/5
      I wasn't sure at first how the novel Love All would come together. It began with a death, and the characters seemed like they were all very separated. However, as the novel went on, I started to see the intertwining of the plot and the characters, and then a few first-person chapters from the kids' point of view helped me even further.Tennis appeared to be a story-spanning symbol (a motif, even) for relationships - the give and the take, and that keeping the ball in play is of utmost importance to relationships in the real world as well as the ones in the novel. I liked that. At first the daughter Julie resisted being officially on the tennis team - in other words, truly participating in the relationships around her - but by the end of the novel was able to compete in a match. That match brought all of the characters in the novel together, too.The story itself dragged a bit at some points, and I didn't always feel a lot of empathy for the characters. Some were just plain stupid in their actions, I felt, and weren't worthy of my pity or forgiveness. However, as the novel went on, I felt more connected to the characters and was able to enjoy the story as it unraveled. However, that took a little while in to the novel.Cooperstown, the novel's setting, was a bit of a microcosm for the world at large - secrets get out, people gossip, relationships bloom or disintegrate, and life keeps on moving.I might not have read Love All if I hadn't received an Early Reviewer copy, but I'm glad I did.
    • 4/5
      The small village of Cooperstown, New York was abuzz with rumors during the 1960's following the publication of a novel called The Sex Cure, which reportedly exposed the neighborhood's secret exploits behind slightly altered character names. Three decades later, the impact of The Sex Cure is still being felt in the Obermeyer family, as a copy is discovered when Anne Obermeyer is packing up to care for her father following the unexpected death of her mother. Family secrets begin to unwind between the three generations, past and present, eventually "coming-of-age at any age".

      Despite its automatic filing into the over saturated "Modern Family Drama" category, Callie Wright's Love All has the benefit of an interesting central plot device: The Sex Cure. This real novel, which takes a surprisingly long time to appear in Wright's book, holds Love All together and helps solidify its theme.

      It takes Wright some time to find her voice in the novel. While seeing the story's events from each family member's perspective is necessary, the jumping from first to third person feels a bit misplaced, particularly when compared to the brilliant chapter written in the style of a will by Anne Obermeyer. Each line of Wright's prose shines through Anne, leaving the third person chapters feeling flat in comparison.

      Still, Callie Wright's ability to create dynamic, realistic characters is clear. Love All is a strong debut novel, able to stand out among the crowded stacks of family dramas.
    • 4/5
      Not being a tennis player, KLove All meant nothing to me until I delved into this debut novel by author Calllile Wright. After reading for awhile and marveling at the many aspects of the personalities, I realized that only a week (in the novel) had transpired. So much living in such a short time, including finding the illicit book "The Sex Cure under her mother's mattress and dealing with the repercussions of such a find. The secrets that come out are devastating scandals that rock three generations of Anne's family. She begins to question her husband, Hugh, as he stays late nights at his town's preschool, and son Teddy's discovery changes his family forever.Five unforgettable characters-aging grandfather, recently deceased grandma, teenage Julia, suspicious Hugh and son Terry- paint a picture of a family falling apart. Fidelity, loyalty and love triumph in this well-written story with just a touch of tennis as a background to add to a teenage's attempt at growing up.I highly recommend this book to anyone, tennis player or not, as this novel will hold everyone's interest until the end.
    • 4/5
      By: Callie WrightPublished By Henry Holt & CompanyAge Recommended: AdultReviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: 4Review:"Love All" by Callie Wright was one read that had a lots going on and once you started reading it was hard to put down because you know there will be more family drama around the corner. A Matriarch from Cooperstown, New York in 1994, has died leaving three generations to find themselves all living under the same roof. Now, you know there will be much drama coming from just that with each family member having to deal with their own issues this novel will be very interesting. There will be "love overbearing parents, career choices, infidelity, financial problems" to the general everyday problems that come from this 'general coming of age story' that has been well written by this author. Now, this is where I say you must pick up the good read to see where this author will take the reader. Be ready for an interesting story with a complex plot and some characters that you will find well developed, with some being quite colorful and well portrayed. There will also be some family secrets that will be at the core of this storyline. So, if you are into a lots of family drama I would recommend to you Love All by Callie Wright.
    • 4/5
      This is definitely a well written book. It is concise and lyrical and usually entertaining. It is not an uplifting book by any means and I didn't feel as though the ending left much hope for the characters. The characters themselves were interesting but I didn't always understand their actions and interactions with others. Julia was by far my favorite character but I didn't really even feel like I knew her very well. The story follows one family in the aftermath of the mother/grandmother's death. Anne and Hugh and their two children take in her aging father and secrets both present and past haunt everyone. While I did enjoy the story and felt that the writing was excellent, it seemed that something was missing in the character development.
    • 4/5
      I received a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program and I have to say that I was not particularly enthused about reading it. The great news though is that what could have been a rather cheesy and lazy book was instead touching, unique, sharply written, and quite clever. I will be on the lookout for future books by this talented author.
    • 4/5
      A grandmother, mother and wife dies and everything changes. Joanie Cole had been the glue that held them all together and now there is nothing left to do but separate. Bob, her husband moves in with Anne, the daughter, her husband, Hugh and kids Teddy and Julia. Perfect scenario. Nope.Thirty years ago, the much littler city of Cooperstown, New York, was stunned by a novel titled The Sex Cure in which Bob and Joanie’s entire circle (except them) is depicted with names identifiable, acts questionable and marriages were destroyed. Bob and Joanie hung on and while Anne may or may not have taken a few actions on her own (she was a teen), all basically was well at the Cole home.Turns out that Joanie kept her copy of the book and, while packing; Anne finds it. She brings it home and things begin to get interesting. Bob doesn’t want to discuss it; especially with Julia but she persists. Julia has her own dilemma – she is in first-crush mode with her best friend Sam while their best friend, Carl, has a crush on Julia. Julia, Sam and Carl are fast friends. They speak their own language, smoke, hang together incessantly and Julia has given up tennis to watch them play on the high school team. Her brother Teddy, star athlete that he is; can’t beat Julia at tennis, and no one but Julia knows why she won’t play. Until she is tricked into it.A book, a family, teen love, tennis, three generations in one house. Brace yourself – you will not be able to put this down for long because Julia and family will ooze into your thoughts if you’re not reading. This is a debut novel for Ms. Wright and what a great one it is! She will do very well in the field!