havebookswilltravel 's review for:

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

3.0

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This has been described as Jennifer Weiner’s “most ambitious” novel. It could be because it’s so long (too long), or it could be because it tackles pretty much every social issue there ever has been or ever will be: LGBT issues, race, religion, abortion, drugs, eating disorders, sexual abuse, #metoo, war, gender roles, divorce, cancer/healthcare... the list goes on. The historical moments the book is set against aren’t so much parts of the story as they are throwaway lines: one character is in class when Kennedy is shot, one character briefly mentions watching the moon landing, Hillary Clinton appears on the TV at one point. Even though some of the characters live in New York, 9/11 is not mentioned. Even though one character is gay, “the Stonewall riots” are only mentioned in passing and the legalization of same sex marriage doesn’t get acknowledged. Even though some characters are political activists, civil rights moments are not even mentioned. I think Weiner missed an opportunity here.