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foreverarose's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
allysonwbrunette's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this book is easily one of my favorite reads of 2019. This novel follows the separate, but permanently intertwined lives of two immigrant sisters, Miranda and Lucia. Miranda is the Type A, over achieving, perfectly organized and coifed older sister. Lucia is headstrong, creative, a free spirit and is dealing with the devastating impacts of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Lucia’s battle with accepting her diagnosis of mental illness drives the family apart, but Miranda continually is drawn back to her sister’s side, despite the deep division that Lucia’s illness causes between them. This book was heart-wrenching as you felt so deeply for both sisters. I liked that there wasn’t a hero in this story, it exposed both sisters as humans struggling to accept the realities of living with mental illness on one-hand, and the free will and autonomy that individuals have, even if those decisions are not the ones that the same ones that they would make.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is harrowing, but having a beloved sister with mental illness is not an easy thing. Miranda and Lucia struggle over the years. There's a child and several foreign countries involved over the years, as well as several very decent men.
But I wanted someone to get a break. Lucia does find some peace, briefly, at least, in Ecuador and with Yonah, her real soulmate. Miranda's whole life is spent on tenderhooks, waiting for the next call about her sister's condition. Mira Lee does a fine job of expressing mental illness in the experience of the person dealing with it. How everything seems great, until suddenly, it isn't. But it's all within you, so it seems completely normal. It's the people on the outside who see the changes.
This is a very assured debut from Mira Lee. You have the be in the right place for this story, in the mood to be reading a hard story about a family's struggle to maintain balanced life when a beloved member of that family is involved in a battle every day that is daunting to understand.
But I wanted someone to get a break. Lucia does find some peace, briefly, at least, in Ecuador and with Yonah, her real soulmate. Miranda's whole life is spent on tenderhooks, waiting for the next call about her sister's condition. Mira Lee does a fine job of expressing mental illness in the experience of the person dealing with it. How everything seems great, until suddenly, it isn't. But it's all within you, so it seems completely normal. It's the people on the outside who see the changes.
This is a very assured debut from Mira Lee. You have the be in the right place for this story, in the mood to be reading a hard story about a family's struggle to maintain balanced life when a beloved member of that family is involved in a battle every day that is daunting to understand.
flavroc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
saltair_andtherust_onyourdoor's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
srbjess's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
k_lenn's review against another edition
5.0
To be honest, I went into this book expecting to be a little bored. I saw that big wall of text and the long chapters, and I considered just putting it off until another day. I didn't, obviously, and let me tell you one thing: after turning that last page and feeling sad it was over, I'm glad I didn't give up on it so quickly. This honestly has to be one of my favourite books I've read this year. I initially had a few minor issues with the writing, but they all seemed to disappear by the end.
Word of warning: "This is not some fairy tale. Things don’t turn out okay just because you want them to."
Word of warning: "This is not some fairy tale. Things don’t turn out okay just because you want them to."
trruuuudeee's review against another edition
4.0
this book was pretty captivating and opened my eyes to the complex life of living with/loving someone with schitzophrenia. my heart was invested, but i did not love the way that the story was told (bouncing around narrators/perspectives/tenses), as it sometimes made following along difficult.
novelvisits's review against another edition
5.0
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
Much More Than a Mental Illness Story – The core of Everything Here is Beautiful is certainly the mental illness of younger sister, Lucia, but the book itself is much more. It’s a story of immigrants, those coming to and those leaving the U.S. It highlights the differences in the quality of life for immigrants and for expats in different parts of the world. It’s a story of family, big and small, those we’re born into and those we create. It’s a story of love tested by the rigors of life. And, yes, it’s a story of mental illness in the midst of all that. It’s a story of how mental illness can sap the life out of everyone it touches, especially those who love the affected. Lee’s spotlight on Lucia’s schizophrenia/bipolar disorder is done with a delicate hand, never overwhelming the rest of her story, but always present.
“That first hospital stay, I was a compliant patient, a Sweet Asian Doll, and for this I was branded with a Severe Lifelong Mental Illness. Later, I would be told I had a twenty percent chance of maintaining a full-time job, a twenty-five percent chance of living independently, a forty percent chance of attempting suicide, a ten percent chance of succeeding.
I was twenty-six years old.”
The Humanity of Her Characters – It’s not every writer who can so thoroughly imbue her characters with life. Miranda, the older, responsible sister was so much more. She wanted her own life, but it was constantly tainted by her fears for her sister. The push and pull between those two parts of herself felt vividly real. Lucia, wanting so much from life, but facing demons often out of her control made the core of this story. Manuel, the father of Lucia’s daughter, was the character I most admired. An undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, Manny took responsibility when Lucia could not. Tied to a woman he wasn’t sure he loved, Manny did the very best he could to make a good life with Lucia and their daughter.
“He remembered still, that promise he’d made all those years ago. For my daughter, I will try. He had kept that promise a long, long time. He had stuck by Lucia. This was love, or this was duty, he could no longer tell the difference.”
Multiple Perspectives – Everything Here is Beautiful unfolds in long chapters with alternating perspectives. I loved those of Miranda, Manny, and Yohan (Lucia’s husband). Two that were more focused on places were also excellent. I liked Lucia’s sections slightly less, but overall the different perspectives served to weave together an exceptional story.
The Last Chapter – Though there was nothing shocking about the last chapter, it came together with such emotion and finesse, that I’d be remiss not to mention that it felt just right.
What Didn’t
Epilogue – I tend to not to care for epilogues, and the one here is no exception. There was nothing wrong with Lee’s epilogue. It just wasn’t needed. In my opinion the story was complete without it.
{The Final Assessment}
If you haven’t already guessed, I really loved this story. The characters were so rich, so vivid, and the story both hopeful and heartbreaking. It was a book I couldn’t put down and I know it’s a story I’ll not soon forget. Grade: A-
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
What Worked For Me
Much More Than a Mental Illness Story – The core of Everything Here is Beautiful is certainly the mental illness of younger sister, Lucia, but the book itself is much more. It’s a story of immigrants, those coming to and those leaving the U.S. It highlights the differences in the quality of life for immigrants and for expats in different parts of the world. It’s a story of family, big and small, those we’re born into and those we create. It’s a story of love tested by the rigors of life. And, yes, it’s a story of mental illness in the midst of all that. It’s a story of how mental illness can sap the life out of everyone it touches, especially those who love the affected. Lee’s spotlight on Lucia’s schizophrenia/bipolar disorder is done with a delicate hand, never overwhelming the rest of her story, but always present.
“That first hospital stay, I was a compliant patient, a Sweet Asian Doll, and for this I was branded with a Severe Lifelong Mental Illness. Later, I would be told I had a twenty percent chance of maintaining a full-time job, a twenty-five percent chance of living independently, a forty percent chance of attempting suicide, a ten percent chance of succeeding.
I was twenty-six years old.”
The Humanity of Her Characters – It’s not every writer who can so thoroughly imbue her characters with life. Miranda, the older, responsible sister was so much more. She wanted her own life, but it was constantly tainted by her fears for her sister. The push and pull between those two parts of herself felt vividly real. Lucia, wanting so much from life, but facing demons often out of her control made the core of this story. Manuel, the father of Lucia’s daughter, was the character I most admired. An undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, Manny took responsibility when Lucia could not. Tied to a woman he wasn’t sure he loved, Manny did the very best he could to make a good life with Lucia and their daughter.
“He remembered still, that promise he’d made all those years ago. For my daughter, I will try. He had kept that promise a long, long time. He had stuck by Lucia. This was love, or this was duty, he could no longer tell the difference.”
Multiple Perspectives – Everything Here is Beautiful unfolds in long chapters with alternating perspectives. I loved those of Miranda, Manny, and Yohan (Lucia’s husband). Two that were more focused on places were also excellent. I liked Lucia’s sections slightly less, but overall the different perspectives served to weave together an exceptional story.
The Last Chapter – Though there was nothing shocking about the last chapter, it came together with such emotion and finesse, that I’d be remiss not to mention that it felt just right.
What Didn’t
Epilogue – I tend to not to care for epilogues, and the one here is no exception. There was nothing wrong with Lee’s epilogue. It just wasn’t needed. In my opinion the story was complete without it.
{The Final Assessment}
If you haven’t already guessed, I really loved this story. The characters were so rich, so vivid, and the story both hopeful and heartbreaking. It was a book I couldn’t put down and I know it’s a story I’ll not soon forget. Grade: A-
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.