The Number We End Up With

by Beth Goldner

Anjou Lovett was conceived under a pear tree one half-moon night late in August. Not much in her life has been quite as poetic since. Her father left just weeks before sister Stella was born, and he returns only to set in motion a pattern of coming and going that would define their family for decades to come. With this sad, sordid history behind her, at the age of thirty-two Anjou is unprepared for the entrance of handsome, successful Quinn into her...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582432708
• ISBN13: 9781582432700
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Worth 5 stars

This novel is not only a compelling read but a pleasant surprise. I had expected it to be, as a previous reviewer stated, chick lit. It has the usual ingredients for a hackneyed romance; a woman in love with a married man who (gee, what a shock) eventually cheats on her too. Ms Goldner has taken this worn out theme and turned it into an unexpectedly fresh and highly enjoyable story. Her writing style is not spare or minimalist. She strings words together like poetry in long, gratifying sentences, eloquent in their construction. If one prefers the two dimensional characters of most fiction they will not like the well defined, memorable and fully fleshed out people in this book. The author knows them all intimately and, better yet, can induce the reader to know them as well. Rarely have I read a novel with this depth of characters and knowledge of time and place. Her mythical town of Glyn Neath is as real as Sinclair Lewis's Zenith or John O'Hara's Gibbsville. She knows where all of her characters live and the color of paint in the living room as well as the names of streets and where they intersect. Her sense of detail in describing architecture, the color and movement of the sea or the smell of flowers on her lover's neck is unerring. Ms Goldner has, through her protagonist, Anjou Lovett, described better than most the agony of being abruptly dumped by the love of her life. The sense of loss and betrayal are rendered in tragicomic fashion as Anjou struggles with the situation and the emotions they stimulate. Anjou's coping mechanism is through asking questions from friends, relatives and complete strangers about her departed lover as well as more generic questions about life and love. I thought this aspect of the novel to be unique and fascinating. Whenever my relationships have broken up I may have had a lot of questions but I never wanted to know the answers. Anjou did and therein lies the making of a brilliant and moving novel. Anjou's trek through her town coincides with the introspective journey she makes through her memories as she tries to come to grip with her family and her departed boyfriend. While there is no major epiphany, nothing life changing or life affirming, the commentary on her life and loves in all its manifestations is revealing and perceptive. Anjou grapples with her grief and her family in alternately poignant and humorous vignettes that will stay with the reader for a long time. Being rejected by the love of one's life could turn a person bitter and hate filled. But one can also let their love transcend the pain and allow their love to live on after the object of their affection has gone as Anjou does. Which makes me think that the reviewer from Philadelphia either read a different book than I did or has some major issues to deal with personally. I would highly recommend Beth Goldner's debut novel. She is a refreshing new author who writes in a singular style that is both compelling and thought p

I could't put it down

I work in a bookstore, and picked this book up one day when I was burdened with nothing to do. It was appealing because the picture on the cover looked so hopeful, gleeful, victorious, and utterly feminine, yet the book was not (thank f-ing god) chic lit. I have not read Wake (but need to get my hands on a copy soon!). There was no way to pry this book from my hands for the next day or so; I simply fell in love with the characters. This is a highly unusual and surprising book. Anjou is grieving and coming to terms with the death of her lover in the only way that she can. This is not a carefree novel, it is not light reading, and don't pick it up if you mind aching a bit. However, this books is hilarious and leaves you feeling refreshed and joyous. Thank you, Beth Goldner, for creating so many necessary things. I highly recommend this book.

This book made me think

I thoroughly enjoyed Goldner's first book, a short story collection entitled WAKE: Stories, but each story left me wanting more. I've been wondering if Goldner could provide more and finally found the answer to my question in her latest work. The Number We End Up With provided more than I expected through a well-developed story with an inquisitive main character who gives the people she meets, as well as the reader, a great deal to think about. Don't let the somewhat corny name of the main character throw you! Anjou will make you laugh, and perhaps even cry, as she seeks answer to her off-beat questions.

all biases aside, this is a good book!

beth is a friend/professor of mine, so i admit i'm biased. but even before i knew her very well, i picked up her collection of short stories, wake, and loved it. i love her writing and the ways she includes details that we see, but never pay attention to, in life. i love how she picks up on things that we probably all think or do, but rarely talk about. who doesn't wonder what those bells mean when you're flying? a theory is put forth in wake. and who the heck becomes a census enumerator? obviously, people do, but they're not they written about types of people. beth writes about them (in number). for a few chapters of the book i was a little disappointed. i was annoyed with the main character and didn't see why i should continue reading because this woman wasn't gonna do anything interesting. but i kept reading, because it was beth's book, and it got a lot better. the main characters started doing and thinking interesting things. and the book kept getting better as it went on (the beginning was really good too). there is no killer to try and weed out, the main character does not come to any huge, life altering, society altering decisions, nothing blows up and there are no sex scenes. but those things aren't what this book is about. i think the story is unique and well-crafted, and i think the writing is excellent.

What a Character!

Read this book!! Anjou Lovett, may have many flaws, as we all do, but Goldner makes her sympathetic and understandable, and surrounds her with friends that offer voices of reason and comic relief. The author gets to the core of a character whose actions are sometimes so selfish, she even manages to shock herself. It's a wild ride watching her lose it as she tries to deal with her losses, both past and present, but well worth the journey.