What an incredible novella. I was so exited to dive into this because of the author (huge Mad Men Fan) and it did not disappoint. Both breathtaking and page-turning, I gobbled this up on one day. I really hope he writes a longer novel soon.

The name recognition of the author will guarantee that this book gets checked out at my library, but the book itself is full of choppy sentences, exploitative rape fantasies, and awkward pacing that may discourage readers.

Given the writer's link to Mad Men, I jumped at the chance to read this. However, it was terribly written with no prose or character development. Because of the writing style, it was a quick read but it wasn't enjoyable. None of the characters were likeable and it was generally poor.

This was the worst. Really awful stuff. Not well written at all.

This book caught my interest with its descriptive prose, and it is interesting...but it wasn't quite my cup of tea. It is a fast-paced book with a few twists and turns but I don't know if I would recommend it except maybe to fans of Mad Men.

In Heather, the Totality, Matthew Weiner has written a portrait of a family whose life revolves around Heather. Heather is an ideal child - beautiful, empathetic, vivacious, and popular; she is all the best parts of her parents, Karen and Mark Breakstone. The Breakstone family is perfect on the outside and beset with typical, but painful problems under the surface. Mark struggles professionally; Karen struggles with her role as a mother as Heather grows up and needs her less; and Heather is doing her best to wade through the morass of adolescence.
On the flipside of the Breakstone's privileged life and problems is that of Robert "Bobby" Klasky. Bobby's life is a series of disadvantages that lead him to prison sentence for assault. While in prison, Bobby is given accidental encouragement for his sociopathic tendencies while seeing a prison psychiatrist.
Through chance, the trajectories of the Breakstone's and Bobby's life meet, and everything changes.
I enjoyed Heather, the Totality. It was an excellent choice for a lazy, summer morning read.

Heather, the Totality is a novella written by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. That's the entire reason I requested this book. Since Mad Men was so visually stimulating, I was curious to see what Weiner could do in a non-visual medium.

The novella follows two main stories: the lives of a rich upper east side family and a loner construction worker who crashes into the lives of the various family members. The best way to describe this story is dark!

I ultimately enjoyed reading Heather, the Totality because I like dark, but I don't think this is for every reader. I don't know many people I would want to recommend it to, even people I know who were avid Mad Men viewers. I did appreciate how Weiner went there and didn't back down from the evil living in his characters. There just isn't a lot to hold onto in this story. Its length and a little bit of lack in emotional depth make it a reserved read.

Recommended for anyone who can handle the darkness lurking around any corner.

A short yet compelling and seductive literary thriller.

You might know the author from his amazing series, Mad Men! Now Matthew Weiner brings us a short book called Heather, The Totality. It’s essentially about a wealthy family in New York City whose daughter, Heather, becomes the subject of a stalker. Creepy and a little dark!

The plot is cloaked in secrecy, here is the only thing you can find about it: The tale of a family and a psychopath.

It’s more than that, the book tells how the parents met and fell in love and about Heather too. I’m very curious what other readers think of this story!

This might be a very enjoyable book for some people, but the creepiness factor is high and I think I just wasnt in the mood.

I jumped at the chance to read this novel after hearing about it on the Book Riot podcast. Matthew Weiner is the creator of Mad Men and this book is his debut. It's almost a stretch to call it a novel because it's so short. It's more like a long short story or a novella.

There's not a lot to tell about the plot without ruining it, which is probably why the description on Goodreads simply reads it's the tale of a family and a psychopath. True, but it's also a story about obsession and parental love.

Overall this debut is an entertaining read. The storytelling is very expository with very little character development, but it's short and compelling enough that it's easy to not be too bothered by its shortcomings.

Heather, The Totality is a short, read in one sitting novel by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. Obviously, Weiner has a knack for character development and such is the case here. The publisher synopsis for this book is simple, probably in an effort not to give anything away. It is described as “a collision course between a privileged family and a dangerous young man.” I’ll go further than that. Heather, The Totality follows a dysfunctional married couple living in NYC and their young daughter and only child, Heather, whom they worship. It also follows a man named Bobby, a twisted character from the wrong side of the tracks. He has recently been released from prison and has his eyes set on Heather. The race to the conclusion (Bobby’s “collision course” with the family) is eerie and suspenseful. The conclusion itself is certainly not what I had expected.

Published in the June 22, 2017 edition of The Napanee Beaver, pgs.8-9

I'm afraid I didn't like this at all. I'm a big fan of Mad Men, but I found this awkwardly written, uninteresting and sexist. It's also more of a short story than a novel. I wouldn't be likely to recommend this to people who like Mad Men, but I'm sure it will be very popular anyway.

What to say about this book? It was dark. It was good. The author keeps it brief and that prevents the topic from being too perverse to stomach. Lots of innuendos that keep you guessing. Overall, I'm not sure I enjoyed it but it was a good read.

Well, its not Mad Men. This novella read like a story right out of New Yorker Magazine. Very well drawn characterization of a New York family in crisis. However, the central conflict between the family and the "worker" stalking their daughter is not believable and the resolution of the crisis is not believable. Matthew Weiner probably has a great novel in him but this is clearly not it. (Review posted in Goodreads)

I am suffering with an attack of major disappointment. I am a huge fan of Matthew Weiner (devoted to MAD MEN), so this book came as quite a shock. It is amateurish and predictable. There is no real character development, the plot is not only not twisted and exciting, it is dull and absurd.

Heather, the beautiful child of a clichéd NY couple, is viewed by a sexual pervert, who her father can tell just by looking at him, and he decides that the man must die. He conveniently murders him and saves his daughter and his marriage, and will probably never get caught.

Is this a book? Is it a short story? Is it a treatment for a TV show? Whatever it is, it is simply dreadful.

I have been a Matthew Weiner fan ever since Mad Men settled deep into my brain, inhabiting my subconscious and informing how I absorb character development. So when I heard he was writing a novel, I was beyond excited. The pace of Mad Men, after all, was the pace of a novel. So I had very high hopes.

This novella length book tells the story of a wealthy New York couple, their daughter, Heather and the recently released from prison sociopath that crosses their path. In true Matthew Weiner-ish description, the summary of this book here on Goodreads and elsewhere is sparse and totally not revealing (remember the previews for episodes of Mad Men??) and I wouldn't dream of providing any spoilers here.

I don't want to say that I'm disappointed in the book as a whole; the story is gripping and tense and will engage pretty much everyone. The writing is sparse and reminded me a lot of Hemingway with its economy. I also liked the character studies of each of the four main characters. Weiner manages to tell us a lot by revealing a little at a time.

However, there were aspects that I found off putting. There are a couple of descriptions of the women in the book that I found a tad sexist in an almost cliched way. The characters were fully realized which helped make up for that. However, I did find myself cringing at some of the women in the book's motivations. It left a slightly bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, the story is not at all what I expected, which can be a good thing. I would be interested to see if he would be writing any more novels or short stories. I did get the sense that he could probably do more justice to a short story format than a longer format.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. In this short novel, Matthew Werner does something that fans of his show Mad Men have known all along; he excells at revealing the ugly truth that lurks below the surface of normality. "Heather, the Totality" is a story of obsession. This is a very American story in which a couple focused on their careers and success lose themselves and become unrecognizable when they have a daughter. Their story is told alongside the story of a man whose life is vastly different and darker than our success driven couple. Their stories inevitably collide and come to a somewhat foreseen conclusion which revolves around the obsession and perfection they desire. Heather, the Totality's plot is fast paced making for a very intriguing and exciting read. While the characters are not very likable, they are relatable and on a long spectrum of damage. I devoured this book in one sitting and I'm excited for Its publication for a good reread!

4 stars: really enjoyed the story and pacing of this book. Can't wait to read more from this author. The voice the author used to tell the story connected with me well. Thumbs up!!