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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I am hovering between 3 and 5 stars with this book, so I shall leave it at 4 with a note that I found the narrative uneven: excellent in parts and forced in others. All in all it is pretty unputdownable and reads well, but I did find the plot a little clichéd and overdone in certain areas.
Mrs Everything is the story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie, starting in 1950 when they were just kids, and following them through their lives up until 2022. Jennifer Weiner takes us through their loves, their choices, their expectations, their interactions, and ultimately through their lives, and we visit many themes along the way. Molestation, rape, abortion, discovering one’s sexuality and coming out, marriage, drugs, divorce, single motherhood, depression, cancer, mixed race marriages in the US, the 60’s civil rights movement, segregation, women’s rights and so on. In my opinion there were actually too many themes in this novel, and it sometimes felt like they were stuck in there on purpose just to be there.
I found Jo’s stories more compelling than Bethie’s, probably because she was more likeable, and also more believable. Bethie’s story came with a lot more forced plot twists and felt less natural. I was also never a fan of Sarah, their mother, she was always portrayed in a way that felt one sided and shallow. I do however like how Jennifer Weiner aimed to create a novel showing how women’s rights and roles have changed/evolved over the years, and how much work still needs to be done, and I also appreciated her attempts at being inclusive and providing some historical background to certain events. I feel that all in all this is a good story that aimed to cover too much. And there were areas that fell short, or weren’t covered as in depth as I would have personally liked (the rape and abortion themes for example). Sometimes when you try to discuss too many topics in one narrative it can appear as if they are only treated superficially. I did shed a few tears while reading Mrs Everything, and I found myself unable to put it down at times, so I would say that it does work as it stands, but could have had more depth to it in many areas.
As a personal side note, this type of novel has been written before, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Jennifer Weiner hadn’t taken some inspiration from Marge Piercy’s epic body of work, especially the novels Braided Lives and Three Women, as well as some of Judy Blume’s work.
Mrs Everything is the story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie, starting in 1950 when they were just kids, and following them through their lives up until 2022. Jennifer Weiner takes us through their loves, their choices, their expectations, their interactions, and ultimately through their lives, and we visit many themes along the way. Molestation, rape, abortion, discovering one’s sexuality and coming out, marriage, drugs, divorce, single motherhood, depression, cancer, mixed race marriages in the US, the 60’s civil rights movement, segregation, women’s rights and so on. In my opinion there were actually too many themes in this novel, and it sometimes felt like they were stuck in there on purpose just to be there.
I found Jo’s stories more compelling than Bethie’s, probably because she was more likeable, and also more believable. Bethie’s story came with a lot more forced plot twists and felt less natural. I was also never a fan of Sarah, their mother, she was always portrayed in a way that felt one sided and shallow. I do however like how Jennifer Weiner aimed to create a novel showing how women’s rights and roles have changed/evolved over the years, and how much work still needs to be done, and I also appreciated her attempts at being inclusive and providing some historical background to certain events. I feel that all in all this is a good story that aimed to cover too much. And there were areas that fell short, or weren’t covered as in depth as I would have personally liked (the rape and abortion themes for example). Sometimes when you try to discuss too many topics in one narrative it can appear as if they are only treated superficially. I did shed a few tears while reading Mrs Everything, and I found myself unable to put it down at times, so I would say that it does work as it stands, but could have had more depth to it in many areas.
As a personal side note, this type of novel has been written before, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Jennifer Weiner hadn’t taken some inspiration from Marge Piercy’s epic body of work, especially the novels Braided Lives and Three Women, as well as some of Judy Blume’s work.
An ambitious, sweeping story that follows through sisters throughout their lives - through love and mistakes and betrayal. I found each step compelling and couldn't stop reading. The feminism and fights for racial justice were the best part.
I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did but would certainly read again
Weiner has such a personable and relatable way of writing. This story was honestly heartrending and full of disappointments---but was just that: honest. Life doesn't always go how we want it to, and still we keep on. Struggles and unfulfillments and lack of closures HAPPEN. I was really sucked into this story of two sisters trying to make it through life. The historical/current events through the decades was a nice touch as well. Lots of personal experiences through Civil Rights and dealing with racial, religious, and sexual discrimination were woven throughout the story.
3.5 stars. My first Jennifer Weiner book! (Thought I’d read something by her before, but apparently not.)
Very readable and enjoyable, although it felt at times that she had a checklist of “hot topics” to cover: racism, sexual orientation, religion, feminism.
Very readable and enjoyable, although it felt at times that she had a checklist of “hot topics” to cover: racism, sexual orientation, religion, feminism.
This is our October book club picked by another women in our group. There were a lot of things I didn’t like about this book. One of them being that it could be crude about sexuality at times. There were a lot of great things though about the progress of the women’s movement for instance.
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The book follows two sisters over the course of their lifetime from about 1950 to current day. We see the different ways women have been able to live, careers they could have, and lifestyles they could choose. There’s no denying that demonstrations and hard-work have produced amazing changes in the world for women.
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I find it a difficult balance to be in the middle of here. There are so many things about the feminist movement that have afforded me the life I have today. I own a home, have an education in something other than education, live on my own, and operate as a full member of society. I don’t need a man to validate my existence to the world. Feminism did that, it’s hard to deny that it would have ‘just happened anyway’ if generations of women didn’t fight back.
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There’s also a false feminism that says I need to sleep with all the people (man or woman), that pregnancy is a burden that should be disposed of, and that women are the same as men. We aren’t the same. We’re different. But different doesn’t mean less dignified or less qualified for something or less equal.
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The fight isn’t over. There are still a hundred ways women are seen as “less than.” The laws may have been changed sufficiently, maybe … but hearts and minds have not. Beliefs persist in the hearts and minds of people. Every time someone asks a woman when she’s going to settle down and have kids … or someone criticizes a woman for working when she “should be at home raising her kids because that’s her place.” These things aren’t bad in and of themselves, but they aren’t the only thing women are capable of.
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My feelings about this book are mixed because of the landscape that the story was told from. I think it’ll be good discussion, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. So ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ but read at your own risk.
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The book follows two sisters over the course of their lifetime from about 1950 to current day. We see the different ways women have been able to live, careers they could have, and lifestyles they could choose. There’s no denying that demonstrations and hard-work have produced amazing changes in the world for women.
.
I find it a difficult balance to be in the middle of here. There are so many things about the feminist movement that have afforded me the life I have today. I own a home, have an education in something other than education, live on my own, and operate as a full member of society. I don’t need a man to validate my existence to the world. Feminism did that, it’s hard to deny that it would have ‘just happened anyway’ if generations of women didn’t fight back.
.
There’s also a false feminism that says I need to sleep with all the people (man or woman), that pregnancy is a burden that should be disposed of, and that women are the same as men. We aren’t the same. We’re different. But different doesn’t mean less dignified or less qualified for something or less equal.
.
The fight isn’t over. There are still a hundred ways women are seen as “less than.” The laws may have been changed sufficiently, maybe … but hearts and minds have not. Beliefs persist in the hearts and minds of people. Every time someone asks a woman when she’s going to settle down and have kids … or someone criticizes a woman for working when she “should be at home raising her kids because that’s her place.” These things aren’t bad in and of themselves, but they aren’t the only thing women are capable of.
.
My feelings about this book are mixed because of the landscape that the story was told from. I think it’ll be good discussion, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. So ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ but read at your own risk.
I really enjoyed this book, even though it feels a bit shallow at times. The author seems to look down on women who want to be stay at home mothers, however, which bothered me.
If you enjoy character-driven stories, Mrs. Everything is a wonderful book for that. The story structure - following two sisters over the span of 5 decades - really allows the reader to fully invest in Jo and Bethie, to connect with them, to feel for and with them.
The thing I loved most is that Weiner takes her time with their story. Though it moves through different time periods, it doesn’t feel rushed through. Rather each part feels like she is capturing a brief moment in time in great detail so the reader can see how Jo and Bethie have transformed and also stayed the same. It allowed her to present the characters “switch” in trajectories (which seems to occur several times in the book) as not a switch at all, but just how life is.
The thing I loved most is that Weiner takes her time with their story. Though it moves through different time periods, it doesn’t feel rushed through. Rather each part feels like she is capturing a brief moment in time in great detail so the reader can see how Jo and Bethie have transformed and also stayed the same. It allowed her to present the characters “switch” in trajectories (which seems to occur several times in the book) as not a switch at all, but just how life is.
I can’t rate this book. Another review (sorry can’t remember who to credit) called it a 3 star execution of a 5 star message. So much of this book is true & real & important, and clearly the characters are desperately dear to the author or she would have realized how trope-y they are. I dunno. I won’t give it a low rating because it speaks women’s truth, but I can’t give it a high rating because the characters & plot are disjointed & meh.