Fiction

We All Want Impossible Things

We All Want Impossible Things

  • Downloads：2834
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-12-22 00:51:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Catherine Newman
  • ISBN：085752898X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

'Nora-Ephron-style wit。。。comforting， so funny， moving。。。 one of my favourite books ever' MARIAN KEYES

'Dazzling， heart-wrenching， snorty-hilarious。。。 An utter joy to read' RACHEL JOYCE

'An absolute masterpiece in characterisation。。。 utterly beautiful。' JOANNA CANNON

'Tragically funny， with moments of clarity and wisdom， Newman writes loss and laughter in equally brilliant amounts。' BONNIE GARMUS

'You'll stay up late devouring every word' KATHERINE HEINY

'One of the best novels on friendship I've ever read' AJ PEARCE


Who knows you better than your best friend？ Who knows your secrets， your fears， your desires， your strange imperfect self？ Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years。 Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents， the Madonna phase， REM concerts， unexpected wakes， marriages， infertility， children。 As Ash notes， 'Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine。'

So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer， Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care， from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night。 Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment， about building a powerhouse of memories， about learning when to hold on， and when to let go。

For fans of Nora Ephron and Sorrow & Bliss， We All Want Impossible Things is a deeply moving， jubilant celebration of life and friendship at its imperfect， radiant， and irreverent best。

_____

'Smart and funny and devastating。。。has huge Sorrow and Bliss vibes。 I didn't want it to end。' LAURA PEARSON

'I absolutely adored this。。。what a beautiful， emotional novel' JILL MANSELL

'Shot through with whip-smart humour and boundless compassion。 It's one of the best debuts I've read in a long time。' HANNAH BECKERMAN

'Oh， this glorious book！ With warmth， wit， tenderness and a singular voice， Catherine Newman encapsulates both the heartbreak and yet vital necessity of a life lived with deep friendship。' WIZ WHARTON

'One of those books I will be buying for everyone I know。 A funny， moving， beautifully written book。。。will stay with me for a very long time' JENNIE GODFREY

'A riotously funny and fiercely loyal love letter to female friendship' AMITY GAIGE

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Reviews

Kristine Isaacson ，

I absolutely loved this funny and sad book。 The way the author writes about friendships and parenting is beyond realistic。 A gem of a novel。

Tasha ，

Catherine Newman managed to make me laugh throughout this almost overly-heartbreaking book about lifelong friendship in the face of death。

Steve McCarthy ，

Short book， so quick read about a woman who cares for her long time best friend in hospice。 Realistic about a lot of the end of life issues as the body shuts down。 Writing style was good。

Ericca ，

The saddest， funniest book I’ve ever read！！！ I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book SO MUCH！！ Highly recommend listening to this one…the narrator is so good。

Lianne Kitzmiller ，

If you need a good cry I highly recommend this book。 A beautiful story of friendship and relationships。

Jamie Sarche ，

Hilarious and heartbreaking。 The only thing ALL people will experience， aside from birth， is death。 And， if we are lucky enough to love people， we will experience grief too。 Thank you， Catherine Newman， for turning on the lights！

Denise ，

I really liked this。 What a great tale of profoundly deep and meaningful relationships with lots of colorful characters。 That said， the protagonist could be a lot， sometimes too much。 It also drove me crazy that there were three characters， Jude， Jules， and Jonah， with too similar and alliterative names。 It made for a somewhat confusing reading experience。

Laura Snyder ，

3。5

Yvonne ，

Newman’s storytelling is about living and dying， integrating a story of being an imperfect friend。 Having a best friend to laugh and cry with is a blessing in of itself。 Having a best friend to be there for you and those that love you is a unique friend。 Edi is dying of ovarian cancer and Ash is the friend that follows Edi’s requests to the end。 Beautiful storytelling！

Maureen Forys ，

This book really does feel like Nora Ephron does hospice sometimes。 It was brutal。 I sobbed through the last few chapters and could barely look at the cover without getting sad。

Joan ，

funny， sad， true to life characters as Edi is dying from ovarian cancer。 definitely a good read！

Molly Jackson ，

A tough and beautiful read。 I cried。 A lot。 And thought about loved ones that had passed。 I simultaneously related so hard， and then not at all。 That was a comfort in itself。 I thought it was beautiful and sad and also kind and gentle。 While I almost always avoid “sad” books， im glad I didn’t skip this gem。

shafaye 📚 ，

Beautiful story on grief and coming to terms with the loss of a best friend， but also how friendship doesn’t simply end when one person dies。 It lives on forever in the memories that both people share。

Noella Allisen ，

What an incredibly beautiful story。 So darn sad and yet so darn funny too。 The love was palpable…not only that of Ash towards Edi but for all of the very real flawed characters。 What a great tribute to friendship and family。 I'm going to have to reread this one。 Yes， it's that good。 What an incredibly beautiful story。 So darn sad and yet so darn funny too。 The love was palpable…not only that of Ash towards Edi but for all of the very real flawed characters。 What a great tribute to friendship and family。 I'm going to have to reread this one。 Yes， it's that good。 。。。more

m ，

3。5

Grace McAlindin ，

I think this is one of my favorite books I have ever read

Nancyreads ，

Would have liked more "real" conversations between Ash And Edi。 The sub-plots of Ash's sex life。。。with Edi's doctor， brother and hospice volunteer。。。and the banter with her daughter Belle were distracting。 Also， too many similar names。。。Jonah， Jude， Jules。。。and a grown man named Honey is just weird。 Would have liked more "real" conversations between Ash And Edi。 The sub-plots of Ash's sex life。。。with Edi's doctor， brother and hospice volunteer。。。and the banter with her daughter Belle were distracting。 Also， too many similar names。。。Jonah， Jude， Jules。。。and a grown man named Honey is just weird。 。。。more

Suzanne ，

I can't honestly say I didn't enjoy Catherine Newman's *writing* in We All Want Impossible Things， but I didn't enjoy the story。 Newman writes with a great deal of humor， particularly in how she writes about her real-life loss of a best friend to ovarian cancer。 You get the pathos and the dark， emotional humor as her friend spends her last weeks in hospice。 But， the characters aren't well defined （there's a Jude， a Jules， and a Jonah）， and it took me fully half the book to be able to figure out I can't honestly say I didn't enjoy Catherine Newman's *writing* in We All Want Impossible Things， but I didn't enjoy the story。 Newman writes with a great deal of humor， particularly in how she writes about her real-life loss of a best friend to ovarian cancer。 You get the pathos and the dark， emotional humor as her friend spends her last weeks in hospice。 But， the characters aren't well defined （there's a Jude， a Jules， and a Jonah）， and it took me fully half the book to be able to figure out who was who。 The love for Edi shines through as does the relationship between Edi and Ash， but the rest of the characters were portrayed as circling around those two （or even just Ash） like insignificant moons。 I would give it 3 1/2 stars。 。。。more

Michele ，

Oh， my heart。 4。5 stars。 The story of a lifelong friendship， and the work of walking your best friend home， while desperately wanting it all to be different。 I sobbed。

Sonia ，

What a heartbreaking， bittersweet， and emotional rollercoaster of a story。

Mary Jo ，

Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years。 Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents， the Madonna phase， REM concerts， unexpected wakes， marriages， infertility， children。So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer， Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care， from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night。 Because life is about Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years。 Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents， the Madonna phase， REM concerts， unexpected wakes， marriages， infertility， children。So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer， Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care， from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night。 Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment， about building a powerhouse of memories， about learning when to hold on， and when to let go。The relationship between Ash and Edi is one of the most beautiful ones I've read。 This could have been a very， very sad book， and it was， but the friendship and love that the two friends shared carried them through the darkest hours of their life together and made me ponder what true friendship is all about。 。。。more

miti ，

this really hurt。 “is it better to have loved and lost？ ask anyone in pain and they’ll tell you no。 and yet。 here we are， hurling ourselves headlong into love like lemmings off a cliff into a churning sea of grief。 we risk every last thing for our heart’s expansion， even when that expanded heart threatens to suffocate us and then burst。”

Ms Jane ，

so good！I loved this book - so beautifully written， interesting， real… I felt like I knew all the characters， and the speech was so believable。 I wish I could meet all the characters and make them my friends。

Lettergirl ，

Maybe a 3-star （those daughters！ weakest teenage imperfections ever） （and a husband only a woman could mold into being）， but also maybe a 5-star （judging by how I tried to ignore when the page count started dwindling…I wanted to stay in that world a little longer） （also how many corners I’d folded over: sorry future library book readers）。

Karen Brinkman ，

Easy enough read。 Having characters named Jules， Jude， and Jonah was confusing

Kate Sly ，

This is a fairly quick book to read。 It felt a little like a best friend is dying but rom-com style。 There are moments that are poignant， but it felt mostly contrived。 I believe the author has actually had this experience of loss， but it feels more written by someone who isn’t written first hand。 Having lost a terribly good friend less than 2 years ago and also being bedside though hospice and death - this just didn’t hit me right。 I know it was part of the story…but the incessant sex of the nar This is a fairly quick book to read。 It felt a little like a best friend is dying but rom-com style。 There are moments that are poignant， but it felt mostly contrived。 I believe the author has actually had this experience of loss， but it feels more written by someone who isn’t written first hand。 Having lost a terribly good friend less than 2 years ago and also being bedside though hospice and death - this just didn’t hit me right。 I know it was part of the story…but the incessant sex of the narrator with everyone was annoying and aggravating and selfish。 Which she also admitted as such - but didn’t make it less annoying。 。。。more

Brennon ，

Written like one of those “cool moms。” You know， the sad， desperate for affection and affirmation types who have a too-close relationship with their teenage daughter。 Pukey and off putting。

Beth Orr ，

Edi is dying of ovarian cancer。 NYC Sloan Kettering Medical Center has done all they can do and she has to be out of there by the next day。 Every hospice close by has a waiting list and Edi dying at home with hospice would be very traumatizing to Dash， 7 yr old son of Edi’s and husband Jude’s。 So Edi goes into a hospice near Ash in Western Massachusetts and Ash is there 24/7 if needed。 Ash is a bit bizarre and I didn’t particularly like her。 She admits to “whoring around” by sleeping with Edi’s Edi is dying of ovarian cancer。 NYC Sloan Kettering Medical Center has done all they can do and she has to be out of there by the next day。 Every hospice close by has a waiting list and Edi dying at home with hospice would be very traumatizing to Dash， 7 yr old son of Edi’s and husband Jude’s。 So Edi goes into a hospice near Ash in Western Massachusetts and Ash is there 24/7 if needed。 Ash is a bit bizarre and I didn’t particularly like her。 She admits to “whoring around” by sleeping with Edi’s brother Jonah， Dr。 Soloman- a hospice doctor， and Jean- a woman coach all at the same time and jokes about clamydia。 I found that disturbing， especially her blasé attitude after her 17 year old daughter walks in on her with first Jonah then Jean。 The ending is wrapped up too tidily and much too “cutely”。 。。。more

Barbara ，

I am wrecked 😭😭😭。 I haven’t cried this much through a book since The Fault In Our Stars and this has much more depth。 And I laughed a lot too。 It’s rare that two people have a lifelong connection like Ashley and Edi。 Edi is dying of cancer。 The story is told from the perspective of Ash。 Nobody is perfect but Ash， in her grief， acts out in self destructive （？） ways that make her kind of unlikable。 But she is also the most loving， kind and loyal person。 Her husband adores her despite her flaws and I am wrecked 😭😭😭。 I haven’t cried this much through a book since The Fault In Our Stars and this has much more depth。 And I laughed a lot too。 It’s rare that two people have a lifelong connection like Ashley and Edi。 Edi is dying of cancer。 The story is told from the perspective of Ash。 Nobody is perfect but Ash， in her grief， acts out in self destructive （？） ways that make her kind of unlikable。 But she is also the most loving， kind and loyal person。 Her husband adores her despite her flaws and her daughters are open and funny and such good people。 I’m getting verklempt just writing about it。 。。。more

Jennifer Li ，

4。5 𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥， 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨。 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝。 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮。 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨， 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚。This is a devastatingly beautiful read that is impossibly sad dealing with topics of terminal illness， palliative care and death。 While the themes are heavy， it is overwhelmingly an ode to a lifetime of deep friendship and love between Edi and Ash who have been best friends since childhood。Edi and Ash’s friendship faces the ultimate challenge 4。5 𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥， 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨。 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝。 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮。 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨， 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚。This is a devastatingly beautiful read that is impossibly sad dealing with topics of terminal illness， palliative care and death。 While the themes are heavy， it is overwhelmingly an ode to a lifetime of deep friendship and love between Edi and Ash who have been best friends since childhood。Edi and Ash’s friendship faces the ultimate challenge when Edi is diagnosed with the final stages of ovarian cancer and she moves into a hospice close to Ash， leaving behind her husband and son。 Ash’s life reshapes around the rhythms of Edi’s palliative care， as she continues to move through the mundanities of life and dealing with the ups and downs of normal life which seem absurdly insignificant against the circumstances。 I savoured all the beautiful sentences， slowing down my reading and pausing to reread them。 It may be a sad read but it is also hilarious too。 I often felt like laughing and crying at the same time。 The beauty and force of Edi and Ash’s friendship is contagious and moving to behold。 I couldn’t help be drawn into the depths of their lifelong friendship and memories， embracing all its imperfections。 I felt so grateful that Edi and Ash have each other in this difficult time of their lives， which made me think of the beautiful friendship between Hilary and CC in the 1980s film Beaches 💔I also loved the insight into the messiness of Ash’s life， as she is searching for an impossible feeling in her love life。 The relationship she has with her daughters and her perfect husband， Honey， who she has separated from is lovely to read。 A gorgeous read celebrating life， friendship and love。 These characters will definitely stay with me 💛 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We All Want Impossible Things

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We All Want Impossible Things&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We All Want Impossible Things&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0