Wow...what a powerful read! Morrissey's descriptive writing is spectacular. I could feel the cold NorthEast wind whipping up on the wharf, could hear the whining of the oil rigs...could smell the pillow that she sobbed into.
As a Newfoundlander who was raised in the outports, I love how she so accurately captures the patterns of speech & the colloquialisms that we have. There is no 'mocking' of us in her literature, rather a warm appreciation of who and what we are. A great read for anyone.

Donna Morrissey must be one of Canada's best kept secrets. She just keeps getting better and better. Her latest book "What They Wanted" is another great work of inter-personnal relationships. Her characters feel so real and vital.

What We Wanted is Donna Morrissey’s follow-up novel to Sylvanus Now. While some follow-up novels can only be appreciated if both books have been read, this novel stands solidly on its own regardless of the history of the reader. The story picks up with the grown children of Sylvanus as they begin to make their own way in the world. The story moves from the shores of Newfoundland to the oilfields of Alberta as two of the children leave home. I enjoyed this book. The complexity of life within a family rang true on each page. Nothing is simple or easy but all is eventually understood and appreciated.

Having not read any of Morrissey's previous books I went into this book with a clean slate.
I was pleasantly surprised by the book, even though it started slowly, and slightly aimless. By mid book I was interested, mostly due to the charactization of Sylvie the main character, and her relationship to her mother.
The most compelling part of the book is the ties between family members, as they are all very different. Sylvie and her mother being one; but also between Sylvie and her father; Sylvie and her Grandmother; Chris and Sylvie; Sylvie and Ben etc. All these relationships are fleshed out well and I found the rest of the story interesting if not very memorable.
A good read, but not mind-blowing in any way. If you are interested in family sagas that are not very long reads pick it up.