Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

☆☆☆☆☆
Kindle Edition, 470 pages
Published June 11th 2019 by Atria Books and Simon & Schuster Canada
About the Book:
Jo and Bethie Kaufman 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 differently than 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, or 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 ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a 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? Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, richly textured journey through history - and herstory - as these two sisters navigate a changing America over the course of their lives.

Oh my gosh, I devoured this 470 page book in two sittings. Mrs. Everything has everything and is everything I want in a book. My 109th book of 2019 and I have to say that this is, by far, the best book I have read, so far, this year.

Another easy and engaging read from Jennifer Weiner. Her books are easy to pick up, but not easy to put down. This story was so authentic, it resonated with me on so many levels. I have enjoyed many other novels by Ms. Weiner, she has a special way of giving her characters such depth and insight and also includes a lot of humor and believable plots. I never know how things are going to turn out which I love, so many writers are so predictable. Jennifer Weiner is original and entertaining and, as always, I look forward to her next book.

Ms. Weiner has definitely done her homework before stepping back in time and she gives her characters difficult themes with which to grapple, such as rape, civil rights, addiction, gay rights, abortion, eating disorders and feminism. She also gets a strong handle on the attitudes and perceptions of society at the different times during the story.

There are many elements about this book that I admire; not least the author’s ability to transport us through the decades and write with the mind of a child and a gay woman. Her characters are not without flaws, but you still want to see them happy in the end. I also like how her endings aren't perfect, but they are satisfying enough.

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Weiner, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Canada and Goodreads for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#MrsEverything #NetGalley