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thebradking's review against another edition
5.0
Let's get this out of the way, my friend Janelle Brown writes really unlikeable characters, I'm told. Of course, I didn't know this until she told me in 2018 that critics of her work have said that about her characters.
I have found her characters (as I'm clearly writing this review long after having read all of her novels)...wildly human, full of flaws and nuance, and haunted by the very kinds of tragic flaws that sink our ships on a daily basis.
What she does is give voice to a very specific time and place in our world. We both cut our teeth covering Silicon Valley during the Dotcom boom. (She more critically than me!) And so as I read All We Ever Wanted Was Everything I couldn't help but click through the characters that we'd come across during those insane years in the Valley.
Yes, the Millers are the absolute prototypical nouveau riche family where the father has abandoned any emotional connection to his family in pursuit of wealth and success, the mother turns a blind eye to that believing her husband is acting in the family's best interest, and the kids are—as you would expect—disasters.
Look, these characters aren't the people you're going to want to have over for dinner. And that's the point. The pursuit of Everything leads if not to destruction than it at least to breaking. Every person in the Miller family is looking for Everything because they've bough into the mythology of the Valley.
Maybe the premise was too time and place for some folks. Maybe you had to have lived through the Valley's meteoric rise, it's transformation of society, and then it's start-up collapse (version 1.0) to really see the characters are something more than archetypes. I don't know. I can't answer that for other readers.
What I can say is this: The Great Gatsby took on Long Island and New York City. Janelle took on Silicon Valley.
I have found her characters (as I'm clearly writing this review long after having read all of her novels)...wildly human, full of flaws and nuance, and haunted by the very kinds of tragic flaws that sink our ships on a daily basis.
What she does is give voice to a very specific time and place in our world. We both cut our teeth covering Silicon Valley during the Dotcom boom. (She more critically than me!) And so as I read All We Ever Wanted Was Everything I couldn't help but click through the characters that we'd come across during those insane years in the Valley.
Yes, the Millers are the absolute prototypical nouveau riche family where the father has abandoned any emotional connection to his family in pursuit of wealth and success, the mother turns a blind eye to that believing her husband is acting in the family's best interest, and the kids are—as you would expect—disasters.
Look, these characters aren't the people you're going to want to have over for dinner. And that's the point. The pursuit of Everything leads if not to destruction than it at least to breaking. Every person in the Miller family is looking for Everything because they've bough into the mythology of the Valley.
Maybe the premise was too time and place for some folks. Maybe you had to have lived through the Valley's meteoric rise, it's transformation of society, and then it's start-up collapse (version 1.0) to really see the characters are something more than archetypes. I don't know. I can't answer that for other readers.
What I can say is this: The Great Gatsby took on Long Island and New York City. Janelle took on Silicon Valley.
bookerage's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book started out with great potential, but the plot got somewhat lost. The ending was simply disappointing.
Great title though!
Great title though!
squirrelmonster's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lindsaydrue's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lit_chick's review against another edition
A rollicking summer read detailing the divorce of a Silicon Valley house wife and the fallout for her and her fragile daughters, all of whom share the same desperate need for love and attention. It was a little predictable toward the end, but it was well written and had a couple of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. Great beach read.
bill_lundeen's review against another edition
Not my usual type of book, but I somehow enjoyed reading it. No clue how this got on my list, It’s probably Been on there for 2-3-4 years
andimontgomery's review against another edition
1.0
Wow, this book was filled with unlikable, self-centered, dysfunctional characters in some pretty outrageous situations. Yes, it was awful.
summer33's review against another edition
4.0
I found the characters and situations to be disturbing. These are modern dilemmas, sure to strike a chord with many people. I responded to the writing style, but suffered along with the characters in an unpleasant way.
crystichelle's review against another edition
2.0
A decent beach read, but not much more than that...