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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
While reading a book, if I am both completely invested in one or more characters AND the find the plot so intriguing that I cannot wait to pick it back up, chances are I will give that book five stars, the highest rating possible. Such is the case with Jennifer Weiner's new book, MRS. EVERYTHING. I have been a long time fan of Jennifer Weiner's and this book might be my favorite.
The epic story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie, drew me in from the beginning. MRS. EVERYTHING is a story about families and relationships and the love, disappointments, and struggles that surround them all. Their stories are real, at times painful, and very timely. A saga that covers a span of 70 years, Weiner handles several socially, emotionally, and politically charged topics. (There are parts of this book that are uncomfortable to read and possibly triggering for some readers as it deals with sexual abuse several times in the story.) Weiner handles all of the characters' struggles in a way that keeps you invested and interested without weighing the story down with too many details and unnecessary descriptions. The character arcs were never predictable, at times pleasantly surprising, and always stayed true to who the characters truly were.
Jo and Bethie were far from perfect sisters, but their love for one another was true and their bond a special gift to read. I will be telling EVERYONE that they should read MRS. EVERYTHING.
The epic story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie, drew me in from the beginning. MRS. EVERYTHING is a story about families and relationships and the love, disappointments, and struggles that surround them all. Their stories are real, at times painful, and very timely. A saga that covers a span of 70 years, Weiner handles several socially, emotionally, and politically charged topics. (There are parts of this book that are uncomfortable to read and possibly triggering for some readers as it deals with sexual abuse several times in the story.) Weiner handles all of the characters' struggles in a way that keeps you invested and interested without weighing the story down with too many details and unnecessary descriptions. The character arcs were never predictable, at times pleasantly surprising, and always stayed true to who the characters truly were.
Jo and Bethie were far from perfect sisters, but their love for one another was true and their bond a special gift to read. I will be telling EVERYONE that they should read MRS. EVERYTHING.
I devoured this - borrowed the ebook and the audiobook at the same time so I could alternate between the two and finish it faster. :)
Enjoyed the book but the first half felt more put together than the ending, i felt like it was a rush to close the story lines.
I did not love this. Other books of Jennifer Weiner's have been much better.
I didn't love this. I felt like it had all been said before.
I went into this book expecting it to be a light, insignificant, 3 star summer read but I was so pleasantly surprised. The author did a great job of taking the reader through the lifespan of two sisters; Bethie and Jo were relatable and lovable, and it had just the right amount of historical fiction and feminist components.
4.5⭐️ rounded down, it’s not a re-read life changing bookshelf book for me, but it’s one I would pass on to a friend.
4.5⭐️ rounded down, it’s not a re-read life changing bookshelf book for me, but it’s one I would pass on to a friend.
4 stars*,
It had been years since I had read a Jennifer Weiner book. When I noticed Mrs. Everything as an option on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to review it
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A family saga told in turns in the voices of sisters Jo and Bethie, Mrs. Everything stretches across three generations. It begins with sisters Jo & Bethie as pre-schoolers in the late 1940s, relating their observations of growing up in a mixed community in Detroit. From as far back as she can remember, Jo knows that she frustrates her mother and can't seem to do anything to please her. She hates dresses and everything that girls are supposed to like and prefers climbing trees and being loud and playing outside. She tells about her special relationship with her father, who she relates to so well and who seems to understand and accept her "tomboyishness" in a way her mother cannot.
The tale takes you through the girls' vastly differing coming of age circumstances, their perceptions of the same events, including the unexpected loss of their father before they are grown. Suddenly needing to all pitch in, their mother has to find a job for the first time in her life and Jo is forced to find a job herself while Bethie is offered the chance to help out in the home of their father's brother. The uncle's inappropriate behavior toward Bethie, and her inability to speak up result in emotional and relational issues for all of the women in the family.
As the women age, we watch them maneuver through their relationships with their lovers, their friends, their communities and each other.
It is also a story of womanhood and the space women are permitted to take up in a family, in a community, in the world.
I really like this one. Recommended!
*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.
It had been years since I had read a Jennifer Weiner book. When I noticed Mrs. Everything as an option on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to review it
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A family saga told in turns in the voices of sisters Jo and Bethie, Mrs. Everything stretches across three generations. It begins with sisters Jo & Bethie as pre-schoolers in the late 1940s, relating their observations of growing up in a mixed community in Detroit. From as far back as she can remember, Jo knows that she frustrates her mother and can't seem to do anything to please her. She hates dresses and everything that girls are supposed to like and prefers climbing trees and being loud and playing outside. She tells about her special relationship with her father, who she relates to so well and who seems to understand and accept her "tomboyishness" in a way her mother cannot.
The tale takes you through the girls' vastly differing coming of age circumstances, their perceptions of the same events, including the unexpected loss of their father before they are grown. Suddenly needing to all pitch in, their mother has to find a job for the first time in her life and Jo is forced to find a job herself while Bethie is offered the chance to help out in the home of their father's brother. The uncle's inappropriate behavior toward Bethie, and her inability to speak up result in emotional and relational issues for all of the women in the family.
As the women age, we watch them maneuver through their relationships with their lovers, their friends, their communities and each other.
It is also a story of womanhood and the space women are permitted to take up in a family, in a community, in the world.
I really like this one. Recommended!
*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Perfectly captures the complicated strength and vulnerability of women.
I really liked this book. It spans decades as it chronicles the lives of two sisters. Each grows up thinking her life will go a certain way. Of course, nothing goes according to plan. There is a lot going on but it never felt like too much. Weiner did an excellent job of keeping things interesting and moving the story along.