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Book Summary and Reviews of All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenberg

All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenberg

All You Could Ask For

by Mike Greenberg

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Readers' Rating (54):
  • Published:
  • Apr 2013, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A tender and wonderfully insightful story of friendship, love, heartbreak and renewal, played out in the lives of three unforgettable women, from an extraordinary - and unexpected - debut novelist: "The King of Guytalk," ESPN's Mike Greenberg

Three women are about to find their lives intertwined in ways none of them could ever have imagined ...

BROOKE has been happily married to Scott, her college sweetheart, for 15 years. Even after the twins and the C-section, the dog poop and the cat litter, the stomach viruses and the coffee breath, Scott still always manages to wink at her at just the right moments. That is why, for her beloved, romantic, successful husband's fortieth birthday, she is giving him naked pictures. Of his wife.

SAMANTHA's newlyweded bliss is shattered when she finds shocking evidence of infidelity on her husband's computer. She has been married for two days. She won't be for long.

KATHERINE works eighteen hours a day for the man who irreparably damaged her heart when she was 24. She has a duplex on Park Avenue, a driver, a chef, an assistant, and a killer house in Southampton, and she bought it all herself. And if she has to see Phillip every day, so what?

Brooke, Samantha, and Katherine don't know each other, but their stories are about to intertwine in a way none of the three could anticipate. And all three are about to discover the power of friendship to conquer adversity, the satisfaction of unexpected delights, the incredible difference one human being can have on other lives - and that they have all they could ask for, as long as they have each other.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"The shared adversity these women face is portrayed realistically and tenderly, although a storybook ending ties up the individual stories a little too neatly." - Booklist

"Greenberg's promising first effort, told partly in the form of message board postings, develops the lead characters well enough for its predictably feel-good conclusion to feel justified." - Publishers Weekly

"Any automatic sympathy conferred by illness will be mitigated, for most readers, by how little we've come to care for these superficial and uber-privileged characters." - Kirkus

This information about All You Could Ask For was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Margaret M. (Venice,, FL)

All you Could ask for
I loved this book.. It carries a thoughtful message using interesting literary style and plot..it appealed to me as I too have struggled with their common issue. All thee women are described with humor, insightfulness and credibility!

He treats a scary female illness with humor and dignity. It remarkable that a man can describe female characters with such clarity and skill.

Rita Q. (Pittsfield, MA)

All you could ask for
Excellent book...easy read. amazing that a male author could write with deep understanding of woman's feelings, esp. going thru the diagnosis of cancer. Great depiction of how strong and valuable female relationships are in life/death.
Highly recommend this for a book club.

Beverly J. (Huntersville, NC)

Living Your Life Like It Is Golden
Mike Greenberg has penned an alluring tale of three women unconnected until they a similar event happens to all three in the same time period. Part One has a breezy yet self-assured feel as we learn about the characters individually each voice leading up to the moment that is the best day of their entire lives. At this point my anticipation is high on what crises will connect the women. I turn the page to start Part Two and my heart sinks as crisis is immediately apparent. But I will credit the author with writing a credible situation in an honest realistic manner that had me totally engaged and rooting for each of the women as they make the best decisions for themselves. I enjoyed this beautifully crafted story that speaks to happiness, friendship, and living your life to the fullest.

John P. (Timonium, MD)

All you could ask for in a book
Brooke, Samantha and Katherine became a part of my life from the very start. The three strong independent women each of whom had difficult relationships with men and family were fully developed as characters who did not take an easy path through life.
The circumstances that bring them together is compelling, tragic and gives the reader an insight to true emotions.
A great read for a book club with a great deal to discuss, contribute and challenge.

Jenna B. (Fairfield, CA)

Quite Surprised
I was quite surprised at how good this book was considering who it was written by. I am quite familiar with Mike Greenberg and his show on ESPN so I was very intrigued to read this story. It's unbelievable that it was written by a man and not by a woman. I will know longer look at Mr. Greenberg in the same way. Kudos, to a book very well written. Will be telling all I know to add this to their Christmas list as a must read!

Jan T. (Leona Valley, CA)

All You Could Ask For
This is a very heart warming story of three women facing a mutual crisis. I felt an emotional bond to these women and admired each of their stories. I am astounded this book was written by a man as I was when reading any book by Wally Lamb. This would be an excellent book for a book club composed of mostly women. He captured the emotional spectrum of life. I will recommend this book to all my women friends - it is an ode to female friendship. Five Stars!!!

...22 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Mike Greenberg

Mike Greenberg is the co-host of ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning, the highest-rated sports talk program in the United States, and is the author of the New York Times bestseller Why My Wife Thinks I'm an Idiot: The Life and Times of a Sportscaster Dad. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a native of New York City. He currently lives outside New York with his wife and two children. Visit him at espn.go.com, or follow him on Twitter: @espngreeny

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