All the Good Parts

The author paints as heroes, Leona, a 39-year old woman who decides to have a child despite lacking the resources, social network, and maturity it takes to raise one, and her gynecologist friend who encourages her. Leona lives in her sister's basement while working part-time and going to school to get a nursing degree. Her interactions and with and those among the supporting characters are interesting. Leona expresses doubt about whether she'll be able to find a good job once she gets her degree. partial spoiler alert: Her sister and brother-in-law and their four children are the entirety of her support network, and as the book ends, they are packing up, selling their house, and moving to Ireland because after failure to file the proper immigration forms and failure to pay taxes for three years, the brother-in-law is being deported. Leona draws her home health aid clients and a classmate dying of cancer into her confidence as she decides whether to have a child. Leona takes advantage of an emotionally vulnerable homeless man who's been hired to tutor her niece, with the encouragement of her drunken gynecologist friend. In the end, Leona decides to choose a different emotionally stunted acquaintance as the father over several other inappropriate options. She still hasn't found an apartment to move into after her sister's family sells their house, nor graduated, but we're supposed to admire her for having made her decision to start right away to become pregnant. The author's message is that all that is required for good parenting is love. Perhaps the author should check with social services in her state to find out what can happen to children whose parents think love is the only support they need to provide to a child.

I was eagerly awaiting Loretta Nyhan’s newest book, having loved I’ll be Seeing You and Empire Girls, and prepared to binge read as soon as it arrived. I tore right into All The Good Parts, but before I finished the first chapter I knew this was one to savor, not race through.There is so much story beyond the blurb. While Leona’s dilemma is central, the side stories are not far off to the side and all play an integral part in forming her ultimate decision. I was immediately drawn to Leona and found her relatable and realistic. She’d been existing for others and when we meet her she’s trying yet again to carve out something truly her own to take her forward. At the onset she’s pursuing her nursing degree to fulfill this desire, but when her gynecologist/friend suggests she have a baby without benefit of husband, boyfriend or partner, this new idea becomes the goal. As with many of her goals before, it soon becomes a dilemma, then a moral debate and ultimately a rift with her sister.Living with her sister, her husband and four children, Leona can’t escape sharing her thoughts and becoming part of their parental, marital and financial issues. Caught between figuring out her own future and caring about the impact on her sister’s family, Leona turns to other people in her life ranging from home health clients, to online acquaintances and even a homeless hunk. This book is full of endearing characters who help Leona all in their own ways. In the end she discovers she is like George Bailey, rich with friends and armed to make her life-altering decision.I really enjoyed Leona’s evolution and her words of wisdom as she in turn helped her friends and family. I would love to see the story continue, though it did feel complete with a satisfying ending. Nyhan did a great job keeping me guessing and I was glad that I didn’t know what Leona would chose and I changed my mind as much as she did.All The Good Parts was a beautiful read and would make a great book for a discussion group.I highly recommend!

I wish I knew how to adequately review this charming book. It never hurts to say that it is beautifully written, or that the protagonist, Leona, and her messy life will stay with me long after I finished her sweet if delightfully eccentric tale. Wonderfully sketched perfectly imperfect people. Leona is a bit of a late bloomer, living in her sister’s basement while attending nursing school online. A large, loving family, with problems large and small.Her part time jobs as caregiver to cranky senior citizens allows a glimpse of the limits of her patience—and the breadth of her affection for her clients. At thirty-nine, Leona finds herself longing for a child before it is too late. Her quest to find a sperm donor—everyone has an opinion—allows us to get to know the people in her life in a way I can only describe as clever and delightful. If you are looking for a quiet, satisfying smiler of a read, may I suggest All the Good Parts?

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was wonderful. I didn’t know what to expect with this book, but I became deeply invested in Leona’s life choices and struggles. Leona played many roles in the book-sister, aunt, sister in law, friend, student, and home health care aide and each of her roles consisted of different relationships. This book talked about so many life issues-some more difficult than others, but all important and potentially life changing. This is a profound read and I will be reading more of this author’s books in the future!

Leona is 39, a nursing student close to gaining her degree and living in the basement of her sister Carly's house whilst helping her bring up her four children. In her opinion, and that of everyone around her, her life is drifting by and she doesn't have much to show for it. Then her gynaecologist asks a question that sets her world spinning - does she want to have a baby or not because time is running out.Carly and her husband Donal have four children and a problem with the Immigration Department. Leona's home-health care clients have their own issues that she tries to help them with varying degrees of success, and the friend Leona makes via her online course doesn't seem quite so straight forward.This book doesn't rely on trite answers and its not all wrapped up neatly with a bow on top. What I loved about this book is that it wasn't an instalove romance. Instead it is a story of a woman being challenged by those around her as to her motivation for wanting a baby (the old justification question) and the fact she has no boyfriend, in fact almost no men in her life to speak of, to ask if they would donate to the cause.This book tells a great story of a woman really searching for meaning in her life, finding her place in the world. The side characters are real and strongly drawn, the situation relatable and the ending is unexpected but left open enough to write a follow up novel. This is a highly satisfying read.

The media could not be loaded.  This book was painful, yet hopeful, frustrating, yet delicate, disturbing, yet hilarious. Most of all, it felt real. The main character was annoyingly immature at the start, but throughout the novel she struggled and pushed toward her own growth and discoveries.A pre-menopausal woman, whe went from acting like a teenager- in the way she dressed, lived, thought ... to transforming into a full-fledged woman, capable of making her own decisions. A little old for your typical coming of age story, but who's to say life has to run in a schedule?The secondary characters felt incredibly real as well. Some I wanted to hug or help or sit down and have a cup of hot cocoa with. Others I wanted to tell to mind their own business and back off. I pushed past tiredness to finish the novel and was pleased beyond belief with the way it ended - giving enough, but not too much, respecting the story and the journey of the protagonist, and not giving in to the standard of tying everything up in a little bow.

My first read from this author; she has a refreshing take on writing and character development. This came with good reviews from others, and I am glad I was pointed in this direction. I will look forward to reading her other titles, and encourage you to give this author's latest book the attention it deserves. I think you will be pleased.