Scan barcode
ssatt5496's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rmarcin's review against another edition
4.0
Phil, a friend of Jeff's, is a writer. Jeff talks to him about his father, and recounts the story that has haunted him his whole life.
When his sister, 10 y.o. Miranda, comes home in 1975 to an empty house, she is curious as to where her mother, Jane, is. She searches for her, to no avail. When her father comes home, she tells him that her mom is missing. He dad, Dan, contacts the police, but they can't locate her. Jane is now a missing persons case.
Years go by, and Dan is under suspicion. Even after Jane's skeletal remains are found, no charges are brought. Now, Dan is suffering from dementia, Phil is writing a book, and Miranda is caring for her dad. Jeff is still convinced of Dan's guilt.
The ending is haunting.
When his sister, 10 y.o. Miranda, comes home in 1975 to an empty house, she is curious as to where her mother, Jane, is. She searches for her, to no avail. When her father comes home, she tells him that her mom is missing. He dad, Dan, contacts the police, but they can't locate her. Jane is now a missing persons case.
Years go by, and Dan is under suspicion. Even after Jane's skeletal remains are found, no charges are brought. Now, Dan is suffering from dementia, Phil is writing a book, and Miranda is caring for her dad. Jeff is still convinced of Dan's guilt.
The ending is haunting.
cheri325's review against another edition
4.25
4.25⭐️
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me is about a mother who goes missing one day in the mid-1970s, leaving no clue behind. The plot revolves around what happened to Jane, yes, but more deeply, it's about what happens to a family when there is no closure to a tragedy. It's told from multiple points of view and is a slow-burn look at life when we are hurting. It’s smartly written, keeping you on your toes and guessing. And that ending?! I highly recommend this story.
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me is about a mother who goes missing one day in the mid-1970s, leaving no clue behind. The plot revolves around what happened to Jane, yes, but more deeply, it's about what happens to a family when there is no closure to a tragedy. It's told from multiple points of view and is a slow-burn look at life when we are hurting. It’s smartly written, keeping you on your toes and guessing. And that ending?! I highly recommend this story.
lauriebwhite's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe 5 stars. I really liked this!! I tried to read it slowly. I need someone to read it and let me know when they are done so we can discuss the ending!!
fluffyturtle's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
From the NYT bestselling author of [b:Defending Jacob|11367726|Defending Jacob|William Landay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329612158l/11367726._SY75_.jpg|16298550], William Landay's latest, ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME is an intriguing and mysterious family drama whodunit that lures you in with a unique storytelling style, weaving readers through a maze of clues and puzzles pieces.
In 1975 in Newton, MA, a wife and mother, Jane Larkin, went missing. Her ten-year-old daughter, Miranda, comes home from school to find her gone. Hours pass, and no sign of the woman.
Other family members, Jeff, Alex, and husband, Dan, arrive home, and Jane's sister, Kate. The police are called in.
Was it foul play, or did she leave to escape?
The prime suspect is the arrogant criminal attorney, Dan—the husband (I despised this character). Of course, he would know how to plan the perfect murder. They must first find the body and the proof. Motive?
There is an ongoing investigation with Detective Glover that turns into a cold case from the 1970s into the 2000s.
Told in parts: Four Books, we hear from different POV perspectives, past and present.
Book #1: Author Philip Solomon, the narrator, decides to write a novel about the cold case. A childhood friend of Jeff.
Book #2: Jane
Book#3: Jeff. He does not like his father and firmly believes he murdered his mother.
Book #4 Dan: Later in life and now suffers from dementia
So how are the three children's lives changed after their mother left? Are they living with a murderer?
Alex defends his father, Jeff thinks he is a murderer, and Miranda is on the fence, but her view changes by the end.
Dan goes on about his life with his new girlfriend. Then later, a body is found near New Hampshire.
The author winds in and out with the characters leaving you to decide what happened to Jane Larkin during the course of the novel with a signature jaw-dropping conclusion.
The title could have different meanings, metaphors, and symbolisms: your most important possessions are your character and wisdom.
The cover and description drew me in. While this was not a favorite read, I enjoyed the mystery, whodunit, and legal aspects. I would describe it as "haunting, intriguing, and mysterious."
However, would encourage readers not to go into it thinking it will be a thriller. The novel is more of a family saga and how lives are shaped due to tragedy.
ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME would make for an ideal book club pick. I enjoyed the Bermuda mention. Been twice and also stayed at the Southampton Princess.
Thank you to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Dat: March 7, 2023
March 2023 Must-Read Books
In 1975 in Newton, MA, a wife and mother, Jane Larkin, went missing. Her ten-year-old daughter, Miranda, comes home from school to find her gone. Hours pass, and no sign of the woman.
Other family members, Jeff, Alex, and husband, Dan, arrive home, and Jane's sister, Kate. The police are called in.
Was it foul play, or did she leave to escape?
The prime suspect is the arrogant criminal attorney, Dan—the husband (I despised this character). Of course, he would know how to plan the perfect murder. They must first find the body and the proof. Motive?
There is an ongoing investigation with Detective Glover that turns into a cold case from the 1970s into the 2000s.
Told in parts: Four Books, we hear from different POV perspectives, past and present.
Book #1: Author Philip Solomon, the narrator, decides to write a novel about the cold case. A childhood friend of Jeff.
Book #2: Jane
Book#3: Jeff. He does not like his father and firmly believes he murdered his mother.
Book #4 Dan: Later in life and now suffers from dementia
So how are the three children's lives changed after their mother left? Are they living with a murderer?
Alex defends his father, Jeff thinks he is a murderer, and Miranda is on the fence, but her view changes by the end.
Dan goes on about his life with his new girlfriend. Then later, a body is found near New Hampshire.
The author winds in and out with the characters leaving you to decide what happened to Jane Larkin during the course of the novel with a signature jaw-dropping conclusion.
The title could have different meanings, metaphors, and symbolisms: your most important possessions are your character and wisdom.
The cover and description drew me in. While this was not a favorite read, I enjoyed the mystery, whodunit, and legal aspects. I would describe it as "haunting, intriguing, and mysterious."
However, would encourage readers not to go into it thinking it will be a thriller. The novel is more of a family saga and how lives are shaped due to tragedy.
ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME would make for an ideal book club pick. I enjoyed the Bermuda mention. Been twice and also stayed at the Southampton Princess.
Thank you to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Dat: March 7, 2023
March 2023 Must-Read Books
danubooks's review against another edition
3.0
How much loyalty does a child have to a parent?
The seemingly happy Larkin family of five in Newton, MA, is forever changed one winter’s day in 1975. Ten year old Miranda, the youngest of the three children, arrives home from school to an empty house. At first, she thinks her mom must have just run out to do an errand…her pocketbooks is stil in the front hall…but hours pass, and Miranda is still all alone. She’s worried, but doesn’t know who she should call. Certainly not disturb her father at work…he is a criminal defense attorney, and she understands that his work is important, she shouldn’t bother him. Her older brothers, Alex and Jeff come home, and they reassure her that it is probably nothing. Finally, her father comes home, and Dan Larkin knows something is terribly wrong. He calls friends, and finally the police, using his connections in the legal community to get a quicker response than might ordinarily be the case. An investigation begins, with a young detective named Tom Glover in charge, but no sign of Jane Larkin is found. Her car turns up at the local train station….with the steering wheel and other surfaces on the driver’s side wiped clean, and only Larkin family fingerprints found elsewhere. She seems to have just vanished. If she decided to leave her husband, would she have left her children behind? And where would she have gone? Was she abducted from her home? Or, the worst possible scenario, did her husband Dan kill her and dispose of her body? As days, then weeks, and then months go by, suspicion about Dan’s potential involvement increase both in the eyes of the police and in the media. Without a body, and without clear evidence of a crime committed or of Dan’s involvement in it, Dan is never charged with her murder. In the eyes of the world, though, particularly in his community, he is guilty. Jane’s sister Kate and their parents certainly believe that Dan killed her. Especially when it turns out that he has a girlfriend on the side, one who within the year he moves into his family’s home (with her teenaged daughter) and takes on a Caribbean vacation that Jane had planned before her disappearance. His children will spend the rest of their life not knowing if their mother is dead or alive, and dealing with the taint of their father’s presumed crime. If they believe him to be innocent, are they betraying their mother? How can they love their father and still wonder if he is a murderer?
Years pass, relationships grow strained. And then bones are found near a lake where the family had taken a summer vacation. They are identified as Jane’s, but no conclusive cause of death can be found, nor can Dan be placed in the area at the time of her disappearance. Still no charges will be brought against him by the DA. Finally, with Dan suffering from Alzheimer’s, the Larkin children ask Phil, a longtime friend and author, to write about the case. Can he help find a resolution, once and for all?
The story is certainly an interesting proposition. How can children chose a side between parents in a case like this? Could you live with a parent who you suspect, even just a bit, may have killed your other parent? Can loyalty be divided? The anguish of the family felt very real, with each of the three children reacting differently and handling the turmoil in their own way. The reader is led down different paths, at times with new evidence being discovered, at others by a change of narrator offering an alternate perspective. At times the book seemed to wander a bit, lingering over details that turned out not to be terribly important. Characters like Detective Tom Glover were developed to a point and then set aside. I would say the book is good, but not great. To be fair, I had a similar assessment of Mr. Landay’s previous book, “Defending Jacob”. Many people thought it fantastic, but I thought it fell a bit short of its perspective…so consider that as you weigh my review. Worth the read? Definitely. Could it have been better, tighter perhaps? In my view, yes, but read it yourself and come to your own conclusion. Readers of Noah Hawley and Peter Swanson may also find this book to their liking.
The seemingly happy Larkin family of five in Newton, MA, is forever changed one winter’s day in 1975. Ten year old Miranda, the youngest of the three children, arrives home from school to an empty house. At first, she thinks her mom must have just run out to do an errand…her pocketbooks is stil in the front hall…but hours pass, and Miranda is still all alone. She’s worried, but doesn’t know who she should call. Certainly not disturb her father at work…he is a criminal defense attorney, and she understands that his work is important, she shouldn’t bother him. Her older brothers, Alex and Jeff come home, and they reassure her that it is probably nothing. Finally, her father comes home, and Dan Larkin knows something is terribly wrong. He calls friends, and finally the police, using his connections in the legal community to get a quicker response than might ordinarily be the case. An investigation begins, with a young detective named Tom Glover in charge, but no sign of Jane Larkin is found. Her car turns up at the local train station….with the steering wheel and other surfaces on the driver’s side wiped clean, and only Larkin family fingerprints found elsewhere. She seems to have just vanished. If she decided to leave her husband, would she have left her children behind? And where would she have gone? Was she abducted from her home? Or, the worst possible scenario, did her husband Dan kill her and dispose of her body? As days, then weeks, and then months go by, suspicion about Dan’s potential involvement increase both in the eyes of the police and in the media. Without a body, and without clear evidence of a crime committed or of Dan’s involvement in it, Dan is never charged with her murder. In the eyes of the world, though, particularly in his community, he is guilty. Jane’s sister Kate and their parents certainly believe that Dan killed her. Especially when it turns out that he has a girlfriend on the side, one who within the year he moves into his family’s home (with her teenaged daughter) and takes on a Caribbean vacation that Jane had planned before her disappearance. His children will spend the rest of their life not knowing if their mother is dead or alive, and dealing with the taint of their father’s presumed crime. If they believe him to be innocent, are they betraying their mother? How can they love their father and still wonder if he is a murderer?
Years pass, relationships grow strained. And then bones are found near a lake where the family had taken a summer vacation. They are identified as Jane’s, but no conclusive cause of death can be found, nor can Dan be placed in the area at the time of her disappearance. Still no charges will be brought against him by the DA. Finally, with Dan suffering from Alzheimer’s, the Larkin children ask Phil, a longtime friend and author, to write about the case. Can he help find a resolution, once and for all?
The story is certainly an interesting proposition. How can children chose a side between parents in a case like this? Could you live with a parent who you suspect, even just a bit, may have killed your other parent? Can loyalty be divided? The anguish of the family felt very real, with each of the three children reacting differently and handling the turmoil in their own way. The reader is led down different paths, at times with new evidence being discovered, at others by a change of narrator offering an alternate perspective. At times the book seemed to wander a bit, lingering over details that turned out not to be terribly important. Characters like Detective Tom Glover were developed to a point and then set aside. I would say the book is good, but not great. To be fair, I had a similar assessment of Mr. Landay’s previous book, “Defending Jacob”. Many people thought it fantastic, but I thought it fell a bit short of its perspective…so consider that as you weigh my review. Worth the read? Definitely. Could it have been better, tighter perhaps? In my view, yes, but read it yourself and come to your own conclusion. Readers of Noah Hawley and Peter Swanson may also find this book to their liking.
crenlemire's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
barbaraskalberg's review against another edition
3.0
The chapters with no quotation marks drive me a little bananas. I probably would have enjoyed listening more since I wouldn't have known.