Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I always like Jennifer Weiner's books because everything is so relate-able; the characters, the events. That is true for this one but it dragggggged.
Much darker than I expected. Alison's story started to weigh my heart down and I had to put it down for a bit. Glad I came back to finish it.
One of my favorites of the one she has written recently. At times it seemed a little too forced (ie while the main character was taking pills she seemed to psychoanalyze herself occasionally in a way that seemed too instructive towards the reader) but I loved the characters and got very sucked into the plot.
Powerful. Emotional. Insane.
I could not put down this book even though I don't understand how anyone allows themselves to fall into addiction. As a stay at home mom and wife I could totally see myself in Allison but again as a mom and wife I don't understand how anyone could choose addiction over family. I see how easy it is and I understand due to heredity some are predisposed. I was rooting for her to get her life back. I was disappointed in the ending. Still a good read though.
I could not put down this book even though I don't understand how anyone allows themselves to fall into addiction. As a stay at home mom and wife I could totally see myself in Allison but again as a mom and wife I don't understand how anyone could choose addiction over family. I see how easy it is and I understand due to heredity some are predisposed. I was rooting for her to get her life back. I was disappointed in the ending. Still a good read though.
I experienced this book as an audiobook and it was a good one to listen to. I would prefer to give it a 2.5 and only gave it a 3.0 because of the last chapter and the ending. It's the saga of a modern wife, mother and blogger who gets addicted to pain killers, her final realization that she has a problem and the start of her recovery. It gave me a glimpse of how easy it could be to become addicted, why people who seem to have everything become addicted and how hard it is to stop and stay clean.
I've always wondered how one becomes addicted to painkillers. It seems like it would be easy to see you have a problem and stop. This book paints a very realistic picture of addiction and a middle class woman's downward spiral.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Title: All Fall Down
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: June 17, 2014
T H R E E • W O R D S
Readable • Superficial • Stale
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Allison Weiss got her happy ending—a handsome husband, adorable daughter, a job she loves, and the big house in the suburbs. But while waiting in the pediatrician’s office, she opens a magazine to a quiz about addiction and starts to wonder.
The pills she takes help her manage the realities of her good-looking life: that her husband is distant, that her daughter is acting out, that her father’s Alzheimer’s is worsening and her mother is barely managing to cope. She tells herself that they let her make it through her days. But could it be that her increasing drug use, a habit that’s becoming expensive and hard to hide, is turning into something bigger.
💭 T H O U G H T S
All Fall Down has sat unread on my shelf for nearly five years, so during a recent purge of books I decided I needed to read it or pass it along. The topic of addiction is what made me finally decide to pick it up.
On the one hand, I appreciated the topic of addiction - how it is a disease, how it can affect anyone (something society still struggles to understand), and how societal stigmas affect people with addiction. And yet, I've come to understand the importance of the language people use, and I definitely think Jennifer Weiner could benefit from some a lesson in empathetic and compassionate language. Yes, the plot demonstrates how addiction is a disease that can happen to anyone, but it also uses hurtful language.
My biggest issue is how it romanticizes addiction. It does show some of the hard stuff, but it still has a rosy outlook - a character able to afford treatment, and the happily-ever-after vibe, which doesn't necessarily mirror the realities of living with addiction. It doesn't show how recovery is an ongoing process, and in that it does a disservice to anyone affected by the disease.
With all of that said, the writing was still readable, but I think the author could have chosen a better main character. Allison came across extremely unlikeable and privileged. The side characters seemed very underdeveloped. And the ending was somewhat abrupt. A little more exploration of Allison's recovery rather than so much emphasis on her struggles would have improved the value of this book for sure.
Overall, this book had the potential to be brilliant but ended up falling fairly flat. If you enjoyed white, middle-class stories then you'll probably find more value in this one than I did. But please, don't let this be your picture of what addiction is like.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• suburban middle class women
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You’ve got to make time. It’s important. You know how they tell you on planes, in case of an emergency, the adults should put their oxygen masks on first? You’re not going to be any good to anyone if you’re not taking care of yourself."
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: June 17, 2014
T H R E E • W O R D S
Readable • Superficial • Stale
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Allison Weiss got her happy ending—a handsome husband, adorable daughter, a job she loves, and the big house in the suburbs. But while waiting in the pediatrician’s office, she opens a magazine to a quiz about addiction and starts to wonder.
The pills she takes help her manage the realities of her good-looking life: that her husband is distant, that her daughter is acting out, that her father’s Alzheimer’s is worsening and her mother is barely managing to cope. She tells herself that they let her make it through her days. But could it be that her increasing drug use, a habit that’s becoming expensive and hard to hide, is turning into something bigger.
💭 T H O U G H T S
All Fall Down has sat unread on my shelf for nearly five years, so during a recent purge of books I decided I needed to read it or pass it along. The topic of addiction is what made me finally decide to pick it up.
On the one hand, I appreciated the topic of addiction - how it is a disease, how it can affect anyone (something society still struggles to understand), and how societal stigmas affect people with addiction. And yet, I've come to understand the importance of the language people use, and I definitely think Jennifer Weiner could benefit from some a lesson in empathetic and compassionate language. Yes, the plot demonstrates how addiction is a disease that can happen to anyone, but it also uses hurtful language.
My biggest issue is how it romanticizes addiction. It does show some of the hard stuff, but it still has a rosy outlook - a character able to afford treatment, and the happily-ever-after vibe, which doesn't necessarily mirror the realities of living with addiction. It doesn't show how recovery is an ongoing process, and in that it does a disservice to anyone affected by the disease.
With all of that said, the writing was still readable, but I think the author could have chosen a better main character. Allison came across extremely unlikeable and privileged. The side characters seemed very underdeveloped. And the ending was somewhat abrupt. A little more exploration of Allison's recovery rather than so much emphasis on her struggles would have improved the value of this book for sure.
Overall, this book had the potential to be brilliant but ended up falling fairly flat. If you enjoyed white, middle-class stories then you'll probably find more value in this one than I did. But please, don't let this be your picture of what addiction is like.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• suburban middle class women
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You’ve got to make time. It’s important. You know how they tell you on planes, in case of an emergency, the adults should put their oxygen masks on first? You’re not going to be any good to anyone if you’re not taking care of yourself."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Alcohol
Minor: Dementia, Car accident
I'll start with a positive Jennifer always has the ability to engross me in the world she creates. However that was the only good thing about this book. It was so anticlimactic. I kept waiting for SOMETHING to happen and it never did. And the caps lock for the 5 year old was obnoxious. My 3 year old has a better since of respect than that brat. And nothing was happening with the other woman? Yeah ok. You can't have a story without some sort of drama.
Excellent book! And I forgot how fast I read while on vacation! Need to get my book club to read this one so we can talk about it!