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Barbara Shoup

Author of Everything You Want

10 Works 244 Members 4 Reviews

Works by Barbara Shoup

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Gender
female
Nationality
USA
Awards and honors
Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Award (2006)

Members

Reviews

This is an excellent coming-of-age story set in the early 1960's. Does a person set their own path for the future or just settle for what's familiar? Paul sets off on a quest to find Jack Kerouac, hoping to find his future as well. This is funny, heartwarming, and sometimes sad. The characters feel real and the situations make you think about your own life path. A great read!
 
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mjolorenz | Jun 30, 2017 |
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Emma, a college freshman, has grown up comparing herself to a more beautiful and accomplished older sister. With her life plagued by embarrassing situations and constantly feeling odd, Emma thinks she will never fit into the world around her. Little does she know; most of her family and friends feel exactly the same way about their own lives.

Emma's tale starts as she attempts to save an annoying goose whose life is scheduled to end because she has finished her psychology experiment. Heartsick at the thought of Freud's cremation, she packs him up in a borrowed cage and takes him home for the weekend. Her parents are not pleased, but they accept it as a typical example of Emma's normal, yet peculiar, behavior.

It turns out that the goose changes their lives when Emma's father uses "golden" as inspiration in the purchase of a lottery ticket and ends up winning an astonishing $50 million dollars. That's when Emma's story truly begins. Does having money improve life or simply make a mess of it?

EVERYTHING YOU WANT details Emma's experiences as she struggles to find her place in the world. Having money doesn't mean that everything falls easily into place. Instead it tends to muddy the waters and make choices less clear and focused.

At times I found Emma an annoying complainer, but as she gradually comes to terms with her situation and begins to recognize that her personal problems are no different or special than anyone else's, I found her more likeable and relatable as a character.

Barbara Shoup takes readers into a world we all dream about, only to reveal that things may not be - everything we want.
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GeniusJen | 1 other review | Oct 10, 2009 |
It's all because of a goose that Emma's family wins the lottery. Fifty million dollars. You'd think it would make life easier, but suddenly everything gets more complicated. Emma's been immersed in her first semester of college and it's Not Going Well. Her best friend from high school isn't speaking to her because she told him she was in love with him. Emma stays in the psychology lab late on Friday night because her roommate's always making out with her boyfriend. Emma feels lost and alone and she wishes more than anything that she could return to the time when she was small, when her parents took care of her, when things were simple.

Everything You Want is a story about getting, well, everything you want. And then realizing that it's changed you and the things you used to want no longer apply. As a person who felt plenty lost myself during my early college career, I really identified with Emma's struggles. She felt very real to me and I liked that she described her life as both depressing and hilarious. Other characters in the book are pretty well developed, especially her family members who each have different problems adjusting to the money. I also loved that Barbara Shoup painted such a vibrant picture of life at Indiana University. She made me feel like I was walking down Kirkwood all over again. :)

Read more on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/12/book-review-everything-you-want.html
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abbylibrarian | 1 other review | Dec 6, 2008 |
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Jackson pretty much had a normal teenage life. With two parents who were overly worried about him due to their divorce, to his best friend, Brady, who pretty much had the best ideas for the both of them, Jackson's life was the way he liked it. He was just too excited about his senior year and the plans he and Brady were making, like getting an apartment close to school.

Then everything changed when Jackson hadn't heard from Brady for quite some time. Turns out Brady ran away right after the fight he had with his father when he was hanging out with Jackson. With no phone calls, messages, or any details, no one knows where he went. He was the talk of the town; that is, until his disappearance was all-too-soon forgotten.

Everyone around Jackson seems to be moving on. His mom is dating a very successful businessman who really loves her, and the prospect of getting married is very positive. His dad has met a personal trainer who he seems to really like, but of course she could just be another one of his girlfriends. And his friends are starting not to care about what happened to Brady.

Jackson's dad, mom, and even his grandmother are trying to get him to move on. It's up to him to make the move, to forget about Brady and find his own identity.

An edgy and realistic novel, WISH YOU WERE HERE is one of the few teen novels out there that even guys can enjoy. Jackson is a character that anyone can relate to, and the teen angst in the novel is current for this generation. A perfectly chosen novel for a personal revival.
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GeniusJen | Oct 13, 2009 |

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Statistics

Works
10
Members
244
Popularity
#93,239
Rating
½ 3.4
Reviews
4
ISBNs
30

Charts & Graphs