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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
inspiring
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got really tired of Allison being all whiney and self-destructive about halfway through the book, but by that point I just wanted to know how it ended...whether it was with going to rehab, a crazy divorce, or something more interesting... The pre-rehab part of the book was more interesting to me because it had some funnier moments whereas the rehab part felt more like reading addict brochures and wasn't "entertaining reading."
I've long loved Jennifer Weiner (I think Good in Bed is one of the best books I've ever read) and this novel proved to be no disappointment. It deals with addiction and is pretty accurate when it comes to the stages of addiction. As someone who's worked with addicts and lived with them, I can tell you firsthand that Weiner gets it right. The lies, the cover ups, the secrets, the promising that you'll quit after one last hit. The withdrawal symptoms. All of it. This is a much more serious book than Weiner usually writes. Her characters never change much. That's not a criticism. Just an acknowledgement that she knows what she does well. If you want a book that will give you some idea of what living with addiction is like, this is one you will want to pick up and read. Enjoyable, quick read that proves that Weiner is truly one of the best out there!
What happened to the days when Jennifer Weiner wrote awesome women's fiction told from three points of views? Since she started writing single protagonist novels, I haven't liked a single one. This was really disappointing. Glad I didn't buy it.
Interesting story but some of the characters were just too annoying...
To be honest, I did not finish this book. I am finding it quite depressing and just don't relate to the characters. It seems well written, so don't take the review of an overly sensitive new mother to heart! Enjoy!
If I were being honest, as the main character talked about how good the pain pills were making her feel, I thought maybe I should try that. Of course by the end I was both thankful I haven't but also wondering about a few people in my life. I'm giving the book a three because she leaves you hanging about the girl at the end going or not to the AA meeting and the ending was yet again abrupt. As with most of her stories.
This is my second Jennifer Weiner book and the last one I will bother reading. I'm not sure how this book has such a high rating. The first book I read by this author was The Next Best Thing. I wondered if it was just a fluke that I felt like the author was convinced her audience wasn't very bright due to the fact that she had to bring up the main character's facial scar 255 times in the book. This scar impacted every aspect of her life and was apparently supposed to make the reader feel bad and excuse the "heroine's" bad choices in life. She has a scar! She treats the people that love her horribly, but she has a scar!!!
In All Fall Down, I realize the author either really does believe her readers have short-term memory loss and constantly need to be reminded of her characters flaws, or she just doesn't have enough material to reach the necessary word count and has to keep repeating the same information. Allison love pills! She's addicted, people! She really loves pills! She crunches them ALL DAY LONG!! It's beyond frustrating to read, because it takes three hundred repetitious pages to get to a place where the story actually moves forward and be resolved by the ending twenty pages later. Very disappointing reading material.
In All Fall Down, I realize the author either really does believe her readers have short-term memory loss and constantly need to be reminded of her characters flaws, or she just doesn't have enough material to reach the necessary word count and has to keep repeating the same information. Allison love pills! She's addicted, people! She really loves pills! She crunches them ALL DAY LONG!! It's beyond frustrating to read, because it takes three hundred repetitious pages to get to a place where the story actually moves forward and be resolved by the ending twenty pages later. Very disappointing reading material.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I follow Jennifer Weiner on Twitter for The Bachelor and read all her books. I really wanted to love this, and it had its moments.
This book served it's purpose: to help me take my mind off everything that was bothering me and to get some sleep, much like Allison taking a Perc to unwind. I'd like to focus on that positive aspect, because Weiner's writing is typically enjoyable and witty. It is a testament to craft to write a work that frees the reader from care and provides pure escapism.
I want to give a kudos to Weiner for addressing the many missing components of our mental health system. Every person deserves compassionate care from highly qualified providers regardless of the decisions or circumstances that led them to require such care. By her making Allison maybe the least sympathetic patient (yet still sympathetic) in rehab, perhaps more people will develop a sense of empathy and outrage for those individuals with horrifying back stories, unable to get efficacious treatment.
This morning, the front page of my paper was devoted to the story of a veteran who died in a police standoff while waiting for court ordered VA treatment of PTSD. The judge interviewed explained that he had ordered treatment following a domestic violence charge but getting it was impossible. This veteran drove a jeep around a field looking for IEDs in the week before his death. Individuals who need help should not have to wait for a bed, and should not have to be well connected to receive care in a decent facility. Allison's need for a required number of therapy sessions to receive a day pass, when a shortage of therapists prevented her from receiving them, is just one example of the kinds of challenges patients encounter when confronted with a shortage of resources.
This book served it's purpose: to help me take my mind off everything that was bothering me and to get some sleep, much like Allison taking a Perc to unwind. I'd like to focus on that positive aspect, because Weiner's writing is typically enjoyable and witty. It is a testament to craft to write a work that frees the reader from care and provides pure escapism.
I want to give a kudos to Weiner for addressing the many missing components of our mental health system. Every person deserves compassionate care from highly qualified providers regardless of the decisions or circumstances that led them to require such care. By her making Allison maybe the least sympathetic patient (yet still sympathetic) in rehab, perhaps more people will develop a sense of empathy and outrage for those individuals with horrifying back stories, unable to get efficacious treatment.
This morning, the front page of my paper was devoted to the story of a veteran who died in a police standoff while waiting for court ordered VA treatment of PTSD. The judge interviewed explained that he had ordered treatment following a domestic violence charge but getting it was impossible. This veteran drove a jeep around a field looking for IEDs in the week before his death. Individuals who need help should not have to wait for a bed, and should not have to be well connected to receive care in a decent facility. Allison's need for a required number of therapy sessions to receive a day pass, when a shortage of therapists prevented her from receiving them, is just one example of the kinds of challenges patients encounter when confronted with a shortage of resources.