Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Another review said “a 3 star book with a 5 star message” and I completely agree. Tough to read/listen to, but it definitely describes how women have been pigeonholed into certain lenses over time despite their overwhelming capability. Also, how men are too quick to take advantage of their privilege to women’s detriment. I can’t say I recommend this book, though, as I feel like other books are a bit better with the same message.
Just spent two hours this morning finishing up this one. I started reading it thinking, "ANOTHER variation on the same old/same old story. . . ." but I ended up moved and impressed by Weiner's insightful, loving connections. For those who know Weiner's background and have read her other works, there are certainly familiar aspects to the plot; however, this handling of the story of mothers and daughters finding their ways in the world is deeply developed and carefully thought through. As a reader born in 1963, I experienced many of the same questions and challenges, and watched people I care about negotiate the same pathways. Weiner's investigations of family loyalty, social change, love, and identity on a variety of levels pushed me to think about women's history in the US, politics in the US, and my own experience in new ways. I think this would be a great book club book (for more than one meeting!), and I'd love to read a sequel. There's a lot to think about here.
Gah, this book! 😭 To be honest it was a solid 4-star until the end. At times it felt TOO long — spanning every decade from the 1950s to now — but by the end I realized it was worth it. It follows the lives of Jo and Bethie from childhood to their lives as grandmothers and wives and aged women. And they are MY FRIENDS. And I will MISS THEM. While it felt like the story covered too much time, I realize I was just getting further engrossed in their lives and families. This was just a really, really lovely dive into sisterhood and friendship and marriage and parenthood and childhood and teen angst and questioning the purpose of life and womanhood. It’ll feel long, but super worth it. First book to make me weepy in a while.
Follow me on Instagram @bookmarkedbya / instagram.com/bookmarkedbya and see the full review on my blog: https://bookmarkedbya.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/mrs-everything-jennifer-weiner/
*Thanks to Atria for the free book.
A beautiful family saga spanning the 1950s through the 2020 that focuses most closely on the lives, struggles, and liberation of sisters Jo and Bethie.
Jo and Bethie are polar opposites. Jo, the eldest, is a tomboy, athletic, and passionate about the social issues of her time. Bethie, on the other hand, is tame, pretty, and the apple of her mother’s eye. Even with their differences, they’re close and supportive of one another. Jo and Bethie navigate the changing social landscape of the United States throughout their lives, letting each decade affect them differently. When tragedy strikes – and tragedy strikes often, they must decide whether to come together as a family or let it rip them apart.
I am utterly blown away by this novel. Beautiful, complicated, so in-depth, and extremely important, Mrs. Everything is one of the best books I’ve ever read. To be fair, I must tell you that I have a specific interest in family sagas, and in terms of historical fiction, I much prefer modern American history. So, I was inclined to enjoy this book from the beginning. I could not predict just how much it would touch my heart. Weiner’s writing is thorough and intriguing and the character development is second to none. So many traumatic experiences happen in the lives of these sisters, and while it may seem that whatever can go wrong will go wrong, these experiences provide space for Weiner to write such rich and important commentary on the experiences of girls and women. The issues addressed in this book were relevant in the ’50s and are still relevant today, as is essentially the point of the entire novel. Mrs. Everything is a must on your summer bookshelf!!
*Thanks to Atria for the free book.
A beautiful family saga spanning the 1950s through the 2020 that focuses most closely on the lives, struggles, and liberation of sisters Jo and Bethie.
Jo and Bethie are polar opposites. Jo, the eldest, is a tomboy, athletic, and passionate about the social issues of her time. Bethie, on the other hand, is tame, pretty, and the apple of her mother’s eye. Even with their differences, they’re close and supportive of one another. Jo and Bethie navigate the changing social landscape of the United States throughout their lives, letting each decade affect them differently. When tragedy strikes – and tragedy strikes often, they must decide whether to come together as a family or let it rip them apart.
I am utterly blown away by this novel. Beautiful, complicated, so in-depth, and extremely important, Mrs. Everything is one of the best books I’ve ever read. To be fair, I must tell you that I have a specific interest in family sagas, and in terms of historical fiction, I much prefer modern American history. So, I was inclined to enjoy this book from the beginning. I could not predict just how much it would touch my heart. Weiner’s writing is thorough and intriguing and the character development is second to none. So many traumatic experiences happen in the lives of these sisters, and while it may seem that whatever can go wrong will go wrong, these experiences provide space for Weiner to write such rich and important commentary on the experiences of girls and women. The issues addressed in this book were relevant in the ’50s and are still relevant today, as is essentially the point of the entire novel. Mrs. Everything is a must on your summer bookshelf!!
Truly excellent book. Took me awhile to get into it, but I'm so glad I did. A little historical fiction, some feminism.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked up Mrs. Everything knowing almost nothing about it other than that it was a recommendation from a friend (turns out it wasn’t - whoops). Sometimes it’s nice to read a story with no expectations and sometimes you end up with a 70-year long three-generation tale of two sisters and the successes, horrors, compromises, challenges, heartbreaks, and continual self-discovery that happens throughout life. Jo and Bethie seemed to have more than their share of all the possible life things happen to them, and all (but one) of the men in the book were real jerks, but the writing and female characters were relatable and interesting even when the historical context seemed to be more fictional than historically accurate.
Kicking off the annual Michigan Notable Books marathon with the latest from Charlotte's favorite author. The Michigan content is extensive in the first half of the novel, although it feels more technically precise than truly lived in. For example, the Wikipedia map of Lake Erie includes the Detroit River as part of the lake, but no one on either side of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel would ever say the tunnel went underneath Lake Erie. The story itself had positive resonances with "Beaches", minus the beaches and updated for a more realistic flow across the decades into the Time's Up era. Encapsulated within the two sisters' sagas are all the stories I've heard and witnessed from all of the women in my life.
4.5
I loved this book. It is the story of two sisters growing up in the 50's and 60's, and the chapters jump around in years as they follow both Bethie and Jo.
I loved this because I love books about sisters. I also loved it because Jo is a closeted lesbian and I felt her arc to be very real and poignant. It is also funny and touching and gives a glimpse into the life of a Jewish family struggling in Detroit in the 1950's.
Recommend.
I loved this book. It is the story of two sisters growing up in the 50's and 60's, and the chapters jump around in years as they follow both Bethie and Jo.
I loved this because I love books about sisters. I also loved it because Jo is a closeted lesbian and I felt her arc to be very real and poignant. It is also funny and touching and gives a glimpse into the life of a Jewish family struggling in Detroit in the 1950's.
Recommend.