Perhaps I did good reading this book before Three Junes, which appears to have stolen the limelight in Glass' short list of accomplishments. This was, for me, one of the finest books I've had the pleasure of reading. Julia Glass is a brilliant author capturing you at once with words that are as sweet and as delicious as her characters' fancy confections. Glass spins an intricately woven tale of life and love and lust and betrayal and parenthood and childhood and ambitions and downfalls - all seamlessly intertwined and in perfect harmony. She is at once the master craftsman building layer upon layer of events as though constructing a multi-tiered confection, frosted and iced; all the while keeping you on your toes for a surprise filling.

This is a story about real life with all its testing trials and all its glorious triumphs. There is no sugar-coating here (no pun intended!) - Glass takes us on the all-too-familiar journey of self-discovery as her lead character "Greenie", an independent wife, mother and chef, characterized by `certainty', `clarity' and `modesty' leaves behind her home and husband in NYC in pursuit of a professional opportunity in New Mexico. It is here that we learn of the importance of roles in relationships - the unwavering need for communication, balance and compromise and the fine unspoken lines that are often drawn and disrespected. One fateful decision sends Greenie on a whirlwind adventure that will rearrange her priorities and drastically alter the lives of many people around her.

Sprinkled with character names such as Saga and Fenno, colored with the innocence of a child (her son George), the discovery of love and the ultimate finding of oneself, this is a gorgeous and deeply satisfying book that ends on a note laden with relief. It offers readers hope and the greater realization that losing your direction in life isn't necessarily the disaster it may appear to be (in hindsight). This is ironic as Alan tells us of how he fell in love with Greenie for all the resolute clarity and certainty contained in her. Early in the book he recalls her saying "I'm one of the lucky ones. I knew what I wanted to do with my life from the time I was five years old. Just because I've had it easy doesn't mean I don't wish sometimes that I got to this place by a road that winds a little more." There is no doubt she got her winding road and they all got their happy ending - even though it may not have appeared at the time that this was what they each sought.

Glass has exceedingly succeeded at building a cast of characters so solid that your concrete affection for them will remain well after the pages of the book have ended. "The Whole World Over" is beautifully written and so witty in every portrayal of its multi-faceted emotions. It is heart wrenching yet astoundingly human about love, friendship, emotional pain, longing and joy. I found myself ear-marking so many pages. There is an abundance of fabulous lines to quote from!

I ordered two copies of each of Julia Glass' books. Once again I received only one copy of each of these books. These were all gifts to friends as I had already read them and enjoyed them. So I had to order one more of EACH and pay extra shipping because AMAZON got it wrong AGAIN!

I LOVED this book. I found the main character and all those who surrounded her compelling, and got engaged in the story easily. The plot is a familiar one of a woman who is not quite satisfied, making changes that uproot her from her comfort zone and lead to growth and awareness. Julia Glass is a super writer, very intelligent and amusing. I've read The Three Junes, and likely will read everything she writes, including the book that comes out this fall.

The Whole World Over goes all over the place and never quite delivers much of anything. The characters are hard to keep track of and when the story leads you back to them, you've forgotten who they were.
The end is extremely unsatisfying. It was as if Ms. Glass decided to hurry up and end things that she spent so long developing. We never find out what has become of a few main characters after the 9/11 tragedy. It was a lesson in frustration for me. I won't waste my time reading anything else she writes.

This was an enjoyable second novel by Julia Glass. It didn't quite tug on my heartstrings in the way that "The Three Junes" did. However, if I weren't making comparisons to Julia Glass' excellent first novel, I would have found "The Whole World Over" fully satisfying.