Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book!
I think it's a great testament to this author that even though there was nothing groundbreakingly original in this story I was still 100% invested in these characters and this story. It was just so enjoyable.
A lot of the other reviews have mentioned that this is actually not Jonathan Tropper's best book, this is my first Jonathan Tropper book and i will definitely be checking out some of his others!!
I think it's a great testament to this author that even though there was nothing groundbreakingly original in this story I was still 100% invested in these characters and this story. It was just so enjoyable.
A lot of the other reviews have mentioned that this is actually not Jonathan Tropper's best book, this is my first Jonathan Tropper book and i will definitely be checking out some of his others!!
Zach is a middleman at work, and it's beginning to dawn on him, that in life, he also acts in a similar way. Is he happy? No, not really, but from an outsider's perspective, he seems to have everything falling into place. But, perhaps he's never stopped to ask himself if he's happy, so the possibility of his discontent is something he's never had to face. But peeing blood will do that to you-- force you to take stock and possibly screw up everything that seemed safe and right. On the precipice of turning his life upside down, Zach's father returns from his long ago abandonment just in time to assist in the upturning of Zach's life. Humor and moments of tenderness and honesty propel this novel of family, love, and loss.
Many people's immediate reaction to Jonathan Tropper — author of last year's critically acclaimed This Is Where I Leave You, one of my favorite books of 2009 — is to pigeonhole him as the dude version of chick lit writers like Sophie Kinsella, Lauren Weisberger and Candace Bushnell. Everything Changes certainly has elements of what could be considered "dude lit" — laughably bad dialogue, silly gratuitous sex scenes, drugs and rock'n'roll. Even the cover art plays into this notion of "for fellas only."
But I'd argue that Tropper is so adept at describing the psychology of relationships and love and connecting his readers to his characters that Everything Changes moves well beyond a brainless genre fiction novel to a memorable, affecting literary experience. At least, that was the case for me. I loved Everything Changes. Frankly, I was surprised by how much I liked it, and how it's stayed with me since I finished it several days ago.
The story is about 32-year-old Zack King. Ostensibly, his life is great — he lives rent-free with his millionaire buddy in New York City, is engaged to the beautiful, intelligent Hope, and has a well-paying job as a consultant. But then Zack wakes up one morning and pees blood, and then his long-absent father reappears, and then he begins to realize he's in love with his dead best friend's widow, and then he has a career-threatening crisis at work. That's a helluva lot to deal with in one week, and everything begins to, well, change.
The idea of the book is that even though Zack's life seems to be moving in the direction any early-30s dude would be happy with, he's really stuck in the neutral middle of just about every facet of his life. He's conflicted about his feelings for his fiance Hope and Tamara, the woman he thinks he really loves; he's a middle man at work, helping match up American companies with overseas manufacturers; and his ridiculous Viagra-popping father's re-emergence, has him torn between anger at his prolonged absence, skepticism about his real motives, and the possibility of forgiveness. And all this is weighing on him at once as he considers the possibility he might have bladder cancer.
The resolution is decidedly messy, as everything does, in fact, change. But following Zack through his decisions — both good and poor — and Tropper's acumen for explaining them, make Everything Changes just an out-and-out good time. Both male and female readers will enjoy this book. For females, Tropper provides a pitch-perfect peak behind the proverbial curtain of what the hell goes on in the male mind. For dudes, there are several "ah, yeah!" moments where Tropper describes something you may have thought about but aren't able to articulate. Again, at least that was the case for me. Though Everything Changes isn't quite as good as This Is Where I Leave You, it's still a great read — perhaps a good introduction to Tropper if you haven't read him at all.
But I'd argue that Tropper is so adept at describing the psychology of relationships and love and connecting his readers to his characters that Everything Changes moves well beyond a brainless genre fiction novel to a memorable, affecting literary experience. At least, that was the case for me. I loved Everything Changes. Frankly, I was surprised by how much I liked it, and how it's stayed with me since I finished it several days ago.
The story is about 32-year-old Zack King. Ostensibly, his life is great — he lives rent-free with his millionaire buddy in New York City, is engaged to the beautiful, intelligent Hope, and has a well-paying job as a consultant. But then Zack wakes up one morning and pees blood, and then his long-absent father reappears, and then he begins to realize he's in love with his dead best friend's widow, and then he has a career-threatening crisis at work. That's a helluva lot to deal with in one week, and everything begins to, well, change.
The idea of the book is that even though Zack's life seems to be moving in the direction any early-30s dude would be happy with, he's really stuck in the neutral middle of just about every facet of his life. He's conflicted about his feelings for his fiance Hope and Tamara, the woman he thinks he really loves; he's a middle man at work, helping match up American companies with overseas manufacturers; and his ridiculous Viagra-popping father's re-emergence, has him torn between anger at his prolonged absence, skepticism about his real motives, and the possibility of forgiveness. And all this is weighing on him at once as he considers the possibility he might have bladder cancer.
The resolution is decidedly messy, as everything does, in fact, change. But following Zack through his decisions — both good and poor — and Tropper's acumen for explaining them, make Everything Changes just an out-and-out good time. Both male and female readers will enjoy this book. For females, Tropper provides a pitch-perfect peak behind the proverbial curtain of what the hell goes on in the male mind. For dudes, there are several "ah, yeah!" moments where Tropper describes something you may have thought about but aren't able to articulate. Again, at least that was the case for me. Though Everything Changes isn't quite as good as This Is Where I Leave You, it's still a great read — perhaps a good introduction to Tropper if you haven't read him at all.
I have read "This is Where I Leave You" by Tropper and really enjoyed that, so I wanted to give more books of his a try. Tropper has such a distinct, neurotic yet entertaining voice. I enjoy his style very much. I whipped through this book in a week, which is a record for me.
I really enjoyed this book. Tropper is a great writer and navigates through the choppy waters of family drama and self discovery well! I liked this book a lot better than "This is where I leave you". Between the humor,wit and drama, its a page turner!
All of Jonathan Tropper's main men are lind of the same- writers or wanna be writers with gorgeous girlfriends/wives/girls-who-got-away.
There's usually some kind of fidelity issue, not to great moms or dads, and usually siblings. This makes them a bit formulaic - even if it is his own formula. All that said, I like his books a lot and I really enjoy reading them so I will keep on reading them. I don't thin k this one was as good as his others but I found it entertaining and that I usually what I'm looking for so - success!
There's usually some kind of fidelity issue, not to great moms or dads, and usually siblings. This makes them a bit formulaic - even if it is his own formula. All that said, I like his books a lot and I really enjoy reading them so I will keep on reading them. I don't thin k this one was as good as his others but I found it entertaining and that I usually what I'm looking for so - success!
I can’t believe I’ve only just read my first Jonathan Tropper novel. I usually like to bounce around, genre-wise, but I have This is Where I Leave You somewhere and I’m going to go find it and start that immediately. I love a writer that can make me chuckle and sniffle at the same time, can create a ridiculous, improbable mess that somehow still feels plausible, with relatable, flawed characters that you really want things to work out for. What a tender and hilarious adventure.