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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
More like a 3.75 rating. It’s Jennifer Weiner so I know what to expect. She crams a lot into this book it was long.
3.5 is more accurate. This book really surprised me - it had a Kristin Hannah feel, with the focus on relationships and navigating hard times, with fully drawn characters and experiences. I didn't really have an unable to put it down feeling, but I was intrigued and appreciated the scope and storylines that were woven throughout the entire book. I loved Shelley so much, and I appreciate Jo's struggle. Bethie was easily one of the most infuriating characters I've ever encountered. In general, a good read, one that made me cry, definitely the best work I've encountered from Jennifer Weiner, and I understand why people are such a huge fan of it.
I expected to love this book. I've been a Jennifer Weiner fan since her very first novel, and while I knew this was a "bigger" book than is standard for her, I thought there would just be more to love. But something in it fell flat.
It can't be easy to cover seventy years from two points of view while remaining grounded in the details of the characters' lives. And sometimes - frequently, even - Weiner succeeds. When she pauses in an era long enough to really get into it, her writing is just as absorbing and powerful as always. But just as the reader gets comfortable she skips forward a decade, or to the other sister's point of view, and these transitions are jarring.
The tradeoff, of course, is meant to be a compelling vision of what it is to be a woman in America now. But... I didn't feel compelled. Jo and Beth are fairly privileged white women of the Baby Boomer generation, that isn't an underrepresented demographic. The characters are unique in significant ways - they're Jewish, and Jo is gay, - but because of the novel's epic scope, Weiner doesn't have time to linger in the details of characterization, and both of the novel's main characters remain sketches.
There was plenty to like in this novel. It's highly readable and the cast of supporting characters is vivid and interesting. But Mrs. Everything had ambitions of greatness, and to realize those it needed more and less. More editing and less grandiosity; fewer sweeping pronouncements and more of the details that bring readers into the story and make its conclusions resonate.
It can't be easy to cover seventy years from two points of view while remaining grounded in the details of the characters' lives. And sometimes - frequently, even - Weiner succeeds. When she pauses in an era long enough to really get into it, her writing is just as absorbing and powerful as always. But just as the reader gets comfortable she skips forward a decade, or to the other sister's point of view, and these transitions are jarring.
The tradeoff, of course, is meant to be a compelling vision of what it is to be a woman in America now. But... I didn't feel compelled. Jo and Beth are fairly privileged white women of the Baby Boomer generation, that isn't an underrepresented demographic. The characters are unique in significant ways - they're Jewish, and Jo is gay,
Spoiler
and Beth experiences sexual assault and illegal abortionThere was plenty to like in this novel. It's highly readable and the cast of supporting characters is vivid and interesting. But Mrs. Everything had ambitions of greatness, and to realize those it needed more and less. More editing and less grandiosity; fewer sweeping pronouncements and more of the details that bring readers into the story and make its conclusions resonate.
I was not prepared to enjoy this book as much as I did. Reading through this novel was an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, felt shocked and angry, I cried. Weiner’s writing allowed my relationship with the characters to grow as they did.
Weiner’s writing is very detailed, which is beautiful & puts you right in the story. However, many scenes in this book were a bit too raunchy for my liking. I absolutely loved the overall story, but I could have done without the sexual details. They were just a bit too much.
Would highly recommend the audiobook on this one. This was a gorgeous, sweeping epic novel about two women growing up in a changing world, from the 1950s to 2016. I sobbed.
This book is so well written. I've read a few other Jennifer Weiner books and this is my favorite. This book does follows two very different sisters through their lives. You will feel along with the characters. This is one of the books I recommend to any of my friends looking for something to read.
3.5.
I won this book in a Goodread's giveaway, which was super exciting. Jennifer Weiner pulls you into the story of Jo and Bethie's lives over several decades, and weaves together a heart wrenching story of womanhood, sisterhood, motherhood, and finding your place in the world even when it feels like everything is against you. Although she pulled together a lot of stereotypes of the different decades, she made it work and each chapter left me needing to know what was going to happen next. It's definitely an emotional read. Jo's story in particular hurt, with all of its what ifs and could have beens. My advanced reader's edition had several spelling mistakes that will hopefully be fixed, and sometimes the details dragged on unnecessarily, but overall I enjoyed it.
I won this book in a Goodread's giveaway, which was super exciting. Jennifer Weiner pulls you into the story of Jo and Bethie's lives over several decades, and weaves together a heart wrenching story of womanhood, sisterhood, motherhood, and finding your place in the world even when it feels like everything is against you. Although she pulled together a lot of stereotypes of the different decades, she made it work and each chapter left me needing to know what was going to happen next. It's definitely an emotional read. Jo's story in particular hurt, with all of its what ifs and could have beens. My advanced reader's edition had several spelling mistakes that will hopefully be fixed, and sometimes the details dragged on unnecessarily, but overall I enjoyed it.