One True Thing: A Novel

When Anna Quindlen's column first appeared on the Op Ed page of the New York Times, she claimed me instantly as a faithful reader. Hers was a fresh voice. Her prose was limpid. She had something to say. And she wasn't predictable. I was happy when she was awarded her Pulitzer prize for commentary. It was well-deserved. When she disappeared from journalism to become a novelist, I mourned her departure but I did not pursue her. Although I had been a passionate reader of novels from about ten years old until I finished college, I was then reading non-fiction almost entirely: foreign affairs, public policy, history, an occasional biography. I didn't return to Ms. Quindlen until I got a kindle app for my iPad, downloaded and read "Every Last One" (which I found astounding) and now "One True Thing."Not reading Ms. Quindlen for the past 20 years has been my loss. Her prose remains limpid and her insight into the human condition is, if anything, more profound than when she deserted me and I failed to follow her trail."Every Last One,"the first of her novels that I read, has a plot which I declined to disclose because it comes as such a devastating surprise that I did not want to ruin it for other readers. "One True Thing" discloses the essentials of the story on the very first page: Ellen Gulden, a brilliant young woman working in her ideal first job for a magazine in New York, is summoned home unwillingly to care for her mother who is dying of cancer. When death comes, she is arrested and charged with having killed her with an overdose of pain medication. Except for the outcome, that's the story in a nutshell. Such surprises as occur in the novel are relatively insignificant. The telling is all. Ms. Quindlen has managed to capture her main characters' emotional development with remarkable efficiency and delicacy: The evolution of Ellen's relationship with her mother, Kate, the changes in the bond with her father who had been her guiding light, and the depiction of other, less central characters and how Ellen's ties to each is modified, strengthened or eliminated completely as their essential characteristics are revealed by their reactions to her plight.It's a masterful performance. Ms. Quindlen continues to write prose as clear as any mountain stream. No sentence has to be read twice in order to understand it. (You may want to reread many sentences to admire their concision, her way with words, her ability to capture a critical moment so deftly.) Assuming a normal degree of literacy, you're never going to have to consult a dictionary to learn the meaning of an unfamiliar word. She's not Hemingway, and I don't mean that as a commentary on the quality of her writing. I intend it descriptively. Stripping complications from her sentences is not what she's about. Her sentences are never over-long or over-simplified. They are carefully edited, perhaps by Ms. Quindlen working alone, perhaps by a sensitive and sympathetic editor. In final form, her work would be difficult to improve in any way. She tells you every thing you want to know. It's a skill I am grateful for having rediscovered after so many years away. Welcome back into my life, Anna Quindlen. I didn't realize how much I had missed by not reading every word you've written in the last 20 years. I will remedy that now.

I remember Anna Quindlen when she was a reporter, but I have never read any of her books. I bought this one, not knowing that a movie had been made of it (ok, so I live under a rock), but rather because it was in paperback and I "needed something" to read."You" says Ellen Gulden's father, as he throws her stuff out on the porch after she suggests he "hire a nurse" to take care of her dying mother, "have a Harvard education, but you have no heart."And so starts her journey back into her family (she quits her job in the big city), back to the mother she never really identified with. So starts her learning process--about human nature...not just about books, or concepts. So starts her learning process about what love is, and what communication between human beings is. It is not just analyzing some dry tract, or being the "Star Pupil". It is far more complicated than that. And this is a complicated, super book.With her mother's inevitable death, her learning process continues and she changes, finally, into a person "with a heart". I cannot express how moved I was by this book. I was absolutely entranced from page one and read it in three days. I sense that many of the people who review in this section ( the book section) like me, love to analyze things and appreciate beautiful, honest writing. Well, guess what? You get that here, but you also get something more--a look at yourself, and how you must communicate with your family and loved ones, in less "removed" ways. I did, anyway. I am going to try to see things from a more human perspective, because of this book. It is good to judge, and yet sometimes it is better to act from the heart. Oh: and I will TRY to COOK MORE. Can't swear I'll clean any more than I already do, but nobody's perfect. :)best, Jean

The message that I carry with me about this book is the difference in how the two brothers treat the mother by taking her on an escapade in her wheelchair up and down the block and how Ellen is overburdened by taking care of her mother. It reminds me of how fathers parent compared to the way mothers parent much more lightheartedly and less seriously. After reading some of the reviews I believe unless you've experienced taking care of a dying parent at a young age you probably do not fully understand the impact of the novel. The misunderstanding between Ellen and her father and the lack of conversation seems to be rather typical however realizing the strength of her mother facing this lengthy disease, led me to realize I didn't understand what my mother was going through. I did not look at it from her perspective. I realize now that when she was diagnosed her bigger concern was for how her children would turn out without her being there in their lives. Unlike some reviewers, I found a great deal of dimension in the characters of the mother and most interestingly the mothers acceptance of the fathers actions. It was also an interesting dynamic that the daughter didn't understand the relationship between her mother and her father wait completely and I don't know how anyone can, unless they find themselves as an adult in the same position. Even 40 years after the fact, it is greatly beneficial to talk with the siblings about the dynamics of family.

A clever and successful daughter, who admires her somewhat distant father and feels slightly dismissive of her homemaker mother is called home to care for her mother, now suffering from terminal cancer. Harvard educated Ellen is embarking on an interesting literary career in NYC when her mother's illness requires her to give up her job and city life for awhile, and act as a carer for several months. She has a difficult boyfriend Jonathan and a loyal best friend Jules, who dislikes Jonathan intensely. Caring for her mother brings Ellen new insights into her mother's character, history and relationship with her father. Always perceived as rather cold, a bit selfish and aloof, Ellen now discovers her potential for tenderness and nurturing as she watches her mother's decline. When her mother dies, Ellen is accused of administering a fatal dose of morphine - and put on trial for murder. The second half of the book describes the fallout from this unexpected turn of events, its repercussions on her relationships with her father, her boyfriend and her friend Jules.The novel explores the complex undercurrents of family relationships and friendships - and how dramatic events can throw up truths and revelations that are life-changing. I found the book well written and reasonably enjoyable. It is just okay. But I have been on a 3-book Anna Quindlen binge and I think I am now finished with her novels. That's enough for me!

As the title suggests this book does ring true. The characters are well drawn and observed. The story well told with compassion and details that makes it very believable and easy to relate to. If I have one criticism, the ending spoiled it a bit, as I found this was the one thing that was too contrived and somehow not so believable. But perhaps there's a twist in the tale and the father was lying??! Anyway we can imagine what we want and it might even have been the author's intention for all I know...

One True Thing has all the ingredients: psychology, drama, a strong cast, and a challenging subject. But it takes more than a recipe to make a good cocktail, and Anna Quindlen puts it all together with conviction. The novel's greatest strength is its characterisation, vivid yet subtle, lucid yet eschewing stereotypes, true to life yet interesting. Ellen Gulden is called upon to take care of her mother Kate, who is dying of cancer. The gulf is wide between the daughter, a young and ambitious New York journalist, and her mother, the homebound wife of a small-town English literature professor. Forced to abandon her driven lifestyle, Ellen is confronted with her own choices, with the unequal partnership that is her parents' marriage, and with mortality itself. We learn at the beginning of the novel, moreover, that she will be accused of having ended her mother's life in a `mercy killing'. One True Thing is masterfully told, and it is material for hard, brass-knuckle reflection.

It's a deep and meaningful read. Essentially, it is about how relationships change when a family member becomes ill and is in need of care. It also shows how the reluctant carer can feel they are also dying a little inside whilst providing care, though at the same time the situation can provide positive new experiences and rewarding opportunities to get to know their family member(s) better. The situation also causes tensions to develop within relationships. I was much more comfortable with the way euthanasia was covered in this book compared to that in  Me Before You  where the love story in the latter detracted from the seriousness of the issue. Me Before You

This is the second of Anna Quindlen's novel's I've read and has cemented her in my mind as a favourite author. I would agree with the reviewer who said it was a slow burn, but I don't see this as a negative. Quindlen's interest as an author seems to be in exploring family relationships in the finest detail, and this is what makes her novels so special. Somehow she manages to lift this far beyond the typical 'issue based' fiction, despite the fact that it tackles some fairly hefty issues. A touching portrayal of the daughter/mother relationship which will not leave you unmoved.