In this instant New York Times bestseller and “multigenerational narrative that’s nothing short of brilliant” (People), two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present are explored as they struggle to find their places–and be true to themselves–in a rapidly evolving world from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner. Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise. … were born into a world full of promise.
Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.
But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?
In “her most sprawling and intensely personal novel to date” (Entertainment Weekly), Jennifer Weiner tells a “simply unputdownable” (Good Housekeeping) story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?
more
I ordered this book by mistake thinking of another author. It was surprisingly good and well written.
I’m not quite sure what lead me to read this book as it is not at all what I usually read but am very glad I did. Jennifer Weiner leads us through the lives of two sisters who grew up in an era where African-Americans were considered to be in a lower social class beneath the level of any white person. Where biracial relationships were horrifying. Where abortions were illegal even if a woman had been gang raped. Where women were expected to have no dreams beyond getting married, and taking care of a home, husband and raising children. Where a woman could be groped and/or raped by men and it was her fault for dressing the way she dressed or being too flirtatious or being stupid enough to get in a situation where she was alone with him. Where the ‘casting couch’ was found in all professions a woman wanted to work in. Where people engaged in same sex relationships were not only considered unnatural but believed to always be ‘recruiting’.
Through the lives of Jo and Bethie we see them have some experience with all of these events whether it occurred to one of them personally or to someone close to them. Some of the events happened in their youth and shaped them into people they had not started out to be. It is a story about learning to accept people for who they are, mending torn relationships, healing, and ultimately being true to yourself.
I became quite caught up in their stories and found it very hard to put it down. I actually read all last night trying to finish (didn’t quite make it, finally had to grab some sleep early this morning). Somehow Ms. Weiner managed to put a piece of every woman’s story into one cohesive one, “Mrs. Everything”.
Not as good as her previous books.
For once, I have to agree with everyone (including the critics) that this is Weiner’s finest book, to date. As she has said in countless interviews, ‘chick lit’ was just over for her. She had a need to write something MORE and boy, has she ever.
I was so absorbed into this wonderful book and characters that I regretted ever having to put it down.
This is the kind of book every author wants to write. And read.
I’m not much for books with lots of details but somehow that worked for this book. I actually appreciated all the details. The book is filled with themes of strength, compromise, love, generosity, forgiveness, lost and found loves. And there are men, but in this story, they are background figures. This book is about finding yourself time and time again. So many people find a place in life and just park there to rust. And then die. Where’s the fun in that?
This book is about do-overs. How they can make you or break you but you gotta keep moving forward.
Thank you, Jennifer Weiner for writing one of the best books of 2019.
Kind of long, some unnecessary details that could have been culled. Gratuitous sexual descriptions could also have been edited.
A story which spans decades, Mrs. Everything closely explores women’s roles in society, homosexuality, ethnicity, race, sexual assault, and family relationships. It is a well-written, character-driven, fast and easy read.
I was provided a review copy by Atria; this did not influence my opinion of the book nor my review.
I was really looking forward to this, but not my favorite of hers. Although there were good characterizations, it was way too depressing. No comic relief at all (like In Her Shoes).
Everyone is talking about this novel and with good reason. It’s knock your socks off fabulous. I have been a fan of Weiner’s since her debut novel, Good in Bed, was released in 2002, faithfully reading every novel the week of release. In Mrs. Everything she’s taken her writing to the next level. A tender story of two sisters, a sweeping family saga, and a commentary on the role of women in American society, this is a feminist masterpiece.
The story follows sisters, Jo and Bethie, from their childhood in Detroit all the way to their seventies. Each sister struggles to find her place in the world for different reasons. Jo is gay, but because she can’t imagine what her life will look like if she reveals that truth, she marries a man and has three daughters. Despite her deep love for her children, her secret tears her apart from the inside and rules her life. Bethie, who suffered repeated sexual assaults by her uncle as a teenager, wanders aimlessly for years trying to find place of belonging and acceptance. The sisters intermittently support each other and then lose their connection over the years, ultimately finding true meaning and unconditional love in their sibling bond.
Because Weiner and I are of similar age and upbringing, she addresses issues which speak directly to my heart. I found myself reminiscing about my formative years, about songs I listened to and places I went, and challenges I faced as a woman coming of age and building a career in a man’s world.
I love this passage as Jo thinks about her daughters and what she hopes for their future.
“She loved them. More than that, she admired them. They would be better than she was; stronger and smarter, more capable and less afraid, and if the world displeased them, they would change it, cracking it open, reshaping it, instead of bending themselves to its demands.”
A beautiful and heart breaking story, Jo and Bethie will live in my heart for a long time to come.
-Description-
A novel that follows the lives of two Jewish sisters. It begins in their childhood with their father purchasing their first home and declaring that this is the American Dream. And we follow that America Dream for the rest their lives….with all this trials and all its good times.
-Thoughts-
1. This books is Jennifer Weiner at her finest. Intertwining our real world with the past and present of this family. She goes right to the heart of the matter. It’s not just about attempting to look at life through other’s eyes, but really through their thoughts and decisions.
2. These characters, all of these characters, are so realistic. They are flawed and perfect. No superficial, no stereotypical characters here.
3. It’s going to take me a minute to say goodbye to this family. You know a book is good when you just want to know how the characters are doing today. When they feel so real to you.
4. This book is a great look into the #metoo movement, #youknowme legislation, and #lgbtq histories….but it wasn’t crammed down our throats. It was realistic and true and beautiful.
-Rating-
-5 Stars!
-Similar Recommended Reads-
Beyond The Point
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Before We Were Yours
“We lose ourselves…but we find our way back.” from Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner is an emotional roller coaster about Baby Boomer sisters Jo and Bethie. Pop culture and political landmarks set the novel in specific times and places, beginning in 1950s Detroit. When their father suddenly dies, their mother Sarah struggles on her own, finding affordable housing and a job at Hudson’s.
Jo was the rebel, resisting girly dress and activities and early becoming involved in Civil Rights protests. She also falls in love with her best friend Lynnette. Lynnette buckles under social pressure unable to accept her sexual orientation.
Younger sister Bethie was always the perfect Jewish middle-class girl, her mother’s favorite. She becomes a victim of sexual abuse and begins to alternately binge eat and starve herself. She is in a school play with Harold, who is African American, but they do not act on their mutual attraction.
Jo goes away to the University of Michigan, meeting the love of her life, Shelley. Bethie comes to visit where she is picked up by an older, drug-dealing, man who turns her onto drugs and sex, beginning a long spiral of bad choices.
When Shelley elects to marry, Jo is devastated and allows a man to woo and marry her. She loves being a mom, but as the children grow so does the distance between Jo and her husband until he betrays and leaves her.
Passivity allows bad choices to take the sisters further from their true selves while misunderstanding and anger drive a wedge between them. Meanwhile, Jo’s three girls grow up and her youngest, Lila, makes her own series of bad choices.
Their stories become a synopsis of women’s history from the 50s housewives to the women who juggle career and family to the last question of what kind of death to choose.
As entertaining as the book was, for a long time I was not sure what its purpose was until near the end of the story when Jo summarizes a woman’s struggle between expectations and self-fulfillment, how we find ourselves far from our deepest truths and struggle to come home again.
I was offered a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Mrs. Everything is a very good read. Written about a time when so many paths were just opening for women, the relationship and lives of Jo and Bethie made for interesting reading.
Like so many people, Jo and Bethie dealt with ups and downs, times when one would sacrifice for the other and times when they really pushed against social mores. The give and take between the characters and their relationship with their mother added an extra layer of angst to this story that was already filled with struggle.
I believe the author captured society during the years of the book very well. So much was open to women ~ at first ~ but then the pressure of the times contributed to it seeming like an illusion at times.
If you have enjoyed Jennifer Weiner in this past, you will definitely enjoy this book.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC at my request. My thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.
Mrs. Everything spans over several decades, following Bethie and Jo, two sisters born after the 2nd world war, living their childhood in Detroit.
Tackling many important subjects, the story follows Jo a little more closely than Bethie, but they both have their chapters, and we follow their lives rather closely, even without being with them all the time.
Changes in society, from civil rights to LGBT rights, to women’s rights, the story really touched me deeply. All the trials and tribulations women have to deal with in their daily lives were depicted, and most importantly were the relationships between sisters, and between mothers and daughters.
Mrs. Everything was a story I savored over several days, the writing brought some kind of melancholy to my heart, and I was filled with tenderness (and sometimes rage – on behalf of) for the characters.
Weiner managed to bring the decades of the past to life, and she also made her characters very well rounded out.
An eye opening look at the struggle woman feel everyday, trying to be everything to everyone and perfectly! Emotional and gripping, it spans decades between 2 sisters just trying to find themselves and where they fit. It was very heartfelt and heartwarming and I really really enjoyed this positive message the book sends out.
Mrs. Everything is like “Beaches” but with mothers and daughters and sisters. I may never recover.
Jo and Bethie, sisters growing up in 1950s Detroit, are leading rather rigid lives. Jo is the troubled and angry older sister–the “different” one, while Bethie is the adored, perfect younger sister. Jo feels completely misunderstood by their mother, Sarah, but at least she has their father to act as a go-between. But, as the sisters grow up and move out, they somehow find their roles and lives changing. Bethie becomes the free spirit: the one unable to settle down and please their mother. Meanwhile, Jo marries and leads a picture-perfect life with her husband and children. Yet, deep down, neither sister is truly happy. Is it too late for either Jo or Bethie to find the life they really want?
This is a really wonderful novel from Jennifer Weiner. In the beginning, she states that she always wanted to write about a woman like her mom, who was born in the 40s, came of age in the 60s, married and had children, but then divorced and ended up falling in love with a woman. By then, times had changed and she could live a very different life than when she was born. Framing the story in this way makes perfect sense, and I think Weiner has more than fulfilled her goal. She’s written a gorgeous and sweeping epic novel, starting with Jo and Bethie as children and continuing throughout the majority of their lives.
The novel, as mentioned, starts with Jo and Bethie as kids, moving into a new house in Michigan. Each is hopeful for a new start to their small kid-sized lives. Already Jo is feeling different. The book is told from both Jo and Bethie’s perspectives, and Weiner does a wonderful job of not only capturing each of their own unique voices, but telling the story from their perspective at that particular time period.
“But maybe, in this new place, she could make a fresh start. Maybe here, she could be a good girl.”
From the beginning, we clearly see how much trouble Jo is to her mother, and how she struggles with her feelings of being different. She’s a tomboy who hates dresses and loves sports. She doesn’t want to date the boys that her other classmates fawn over. I had no idea that the book was going to cover Jo’s sexuality in this way, and it was such a pleasant surprise. It’s so well-done. I loved the unexpected storyline about this intelligent and strong girl/woman struggling with her sexual orientation during a time period where it not at all accepted: it was very poignant and touching.
“I am going to leave here, she thought. I am going to read, and I am going to write. I am going to find a girl who is brave enough to love me, and I am going to have the kind of life I want.”
So this book touches on a lot of tough subjects–racism, immigration, feminism, sexual orientation, religion, sexual assault, and more. It offers a discussion on womanhood, motherhood, marriage, and the options available to women (or not). Perhaps in the hands of a lesser author, this would all be too much, but through Weiner’s deft writing, it’s really truly beautifully done. The book spans a huge time period, but it never feels rushed or as if too much is crammed in. Once you get into Jo and Bethie’s story, you’re there: you are part of the family. And truly, this is a story of family at its core. A bitter family, perhaps, at times. It’s a story of how certain moments can change the course of your life. But it’s also a story of love and sisterhood, in all its many forms.
“‘You think I ruined your life? Well I think you ruined mine.'”
Overall, this is a really lovely book. It’s heartbreaking at times, for sure, and I cried at the end, but it’s a testament to how much I fell for these two sisters. Its story of strength and love is a wonderful theme. It’s a book for and about women, with some excellent messaging about women and society. (Wow, so much has changed and yet so little, it seems.) I certainly recommend this one. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and Atria Books in return for an unbiased review.
I wasn’t too sure if I was going to like Mrs. Everything. I have had bad luck with novels that follow families over the years. I either lose interest halfway through the book or the book goes off the rails. I am happy to say that I did not lose interest in Mrs. Everything. The book also didn’t go off the rails.
The plotlines for Mrs. Everything were terrific. They were well written. I loved that the author chose to have certain events as the background to Jo and Bethie’s lives. That added enough realism to the book.
Out of the two storylines, Jo’s touched me the most. She grew up with a mother who didn’t understand her. Jo was a lesbian who was forced to marry to keep up appearances. She gave up her dreams to help Bethie. But she wasn’t perfect. That is what I liked the most about her character. She wasn’t perfect, and she owned it.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Bethie but I did feel bad for her. What happened to her as a young teenager was awful, and should have never happened. Her rebellion was a direct result of that. I didn’t like her holier than thou attitude when she was visiting Jo. It left a bad taste in my mouth. She did redeem herself in the latter half of the book. She more than redeemed herself in my eyes.
I liked how the author chose to address Jo’s sexuality. Instead of making everything sunshine and unicorns, she decided to portray everything Jo went through realistically. I loved it.
I did not like Lila, but I understood her. She was suffering from her parents’ divorce, moving, and her mother coming out. She acted out. She was unlikable. Again, I loved it.
The end of Mrs. Everything had me in tears. I was a blubbering mess. And the epilogue. Oh, my poor heart. But, I wouldn’t have had the book any other way.
I received this book as an ARC.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started on the journey of reading this book. It’s definitely a ‘coming of age’ book, but what’s interesting is that it’s about more than one generation coming of age. I enjoyed going back and forth from one character to the other and their different points of view, and antics. Although this is not my typical type of read, with a build up to a series of big events, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had a certain flow and movement to it. There was this need for encouragement for the characters and for hope.
Great book. Highly recommend.
Jennifer Weiner is known for her stories of sibling relationships. With her newest book MRS. EVERYTHING she brings us siblings Jo and Bethie Kaufman. However, where this book differs from all her others is the time span of the story. She gives us three generations of women over a 60-year span. The Kaufmans are a Jewish Russian immigrant family who assimilate well into their community while maintaining their Jewish identity. So it was refreshing to have these characters be a “typical” Jewish family in America.
As the book opens in 1951 Jo is six years old and Bethie is four; the story ends in 2016. Jo is the sister that doesn’t care what other people think of her, while Bethie cares too much. Weiner’s description of the simple life for children in the fifties made me nostalgic for my childhood (although I was a decade later).
I enjoyed reading of the different directions life took them, but how sibling loyalty was still there. We travel with them through the sixties and the time of “free love” and drugs. We feel the conflict as their sexual identity is explored. I think there is something in this book that will strike home for everyone. While I cringed over drugs and “free love” portions it did remind me of hearing all this on the news. I was sheltered from that but knew it was out there. So to a degree I could relate. As the next two generations came along I could relate to the traits that carry on in the next generations and the frustration and dawning recognition of seeing yourself in your own children. (And blessing your parents for letting you live!)
While this is overall a more serious read that we are used to from Weiner she still gives us her special touches of humor. Example: Around page 40 she gives us a truly unique take on the Purimspiel. I dare you not to laugh!
This is a very realistic family saga that I highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading copy. Opinions expressed are my own.
Jennifer Weiner has written an amazing, intriguing, riveting, page-turning, emotional, intense, and thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this Novel are Women’s Fiction, Fiction, and Domestic Fiction. The timeline for this novel starts in the 1950s to the present in Detroit. I love the way the author describes her characters, events, and landscape in the story. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex, complicated and dysfunctional.
Several questions and themes can be seen in this novel. What exactly is a woman’s role in society? As the timeline progresses, do women have more choices and decisions to make? Can one be a better mother than their mother was to them? Will women ever be considered equal to men, in education, salary, the workplace, and the family?
I appreciate that Jennifer Weiner discusses the relationships between mothers and daughters, sisters, and domestic partnerships. Also discussed are the importance of family, love, emotional support, forgiveness, acceptance, second chances, and hope.
Jo and Beth Kaufman are brought up in the 1950s and are very different. One is considered “different” and acting too “boyish” for a girl, and the other feels that being pretty is about power. One challenges the fairness in the world, and the other is more concerned with what other people think of her. Their mother shows her disappointment and favoritism. This is a traditional time when father’s work, mother’s stay at home, and everything seems to be in black and white, with little room for areas of gray.
As the years pass, and things seem to get “more” modern, there are more confusing choices and decisions for women. That area that was black and white, has expanded with more gray. Do women have to get married and have children if they don’t want to? Can women work and have a family? I highly recommend and reflect on this amazing book. I still have a book-hangover and am deep in thought!! Kudos, Jennifer Weiner for such a well-written and descriptive book!
Edit
PUBLISHED BY LINDASBOOKOBSESSION
The times, they were a changing…
Author Jennifer Weiner takes her readers through the tumultuous changes in the 1950s through the 1970s and beyond. Many reviewers are touting this book as mainly an ode to women, and in addition to covering a myriad of women’s issues, it is a detailed work of {recent} historical fiction that your history class didn’t cover.
Even though I didn’t feel overly connected to any of the characters, I was engaged with the story and felt the characters sacrifices and losses. Much of Jo and Bethie’s lives are constrained by social mores. The lives of the next generation of sisters– Kim, Melissa and Lila—are defined more by their choices. Each of these sisters lives reflects a different path—having it all, choosing career over family, and wanting only to be a mother.
I appreciated the detailed research and Ms. Weiner’s inclusion of so much pop culture—from Prell shampoo to Jane Fonda’s workout videos; however, I felt the author tried too hard to include everything in her latest novel. Granted that period of time was chock full of events and fads, but Bethie and Jo experiencing every possible woman’s issue during the decades covered in this novel was too much for me. If some of it could have happened to friends not just the sisters, it might have been more palatable. Ms. Weiner covers corporal punishment, unwanted sexual advances toward a child, closet lesbians, drug use and peddling, rape, the rebirthing phenomenon, interracial relationships, equal rights protests, women’s liberation, abortion, and even #metoo. I’ve probably left some issues out, and all of that is on top of all the iconic pop culture included.
Mrs. Everything is a fantastically detailed and well-written book of history and women’s history over several decades, and it is well worth the read for young women. They might appreciate how much has changed and how much they benefit from the women who pushed for those changes. More mature women will appreciate the trip down memory lane, perhaps seeing with fresh eyes all that they and their mothers lived through.