All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve - 310 pages

After I found out this was the prequel/sequel to Stella Bain, which I read earlier this year, I wanted to read this.  However, despite the vivid imagery and descriptions, it was not a great book.  Written from the husband's perspective, it details his obsession with two things and the lengths he will go to to get and keep them.  Namely, to court, marry, and be a husband to Etna Bliss and to become the dean of his college.  The story provided within Stella Bain fits into middle of the book's last section and shows how Etna dealt with the outcome of this book.

In my opinion, skip this book and just read Stella Bain if you are interested in the story line.  That book summarizes this one without the bore of this one.