All Fours: A Novel

This book put me through the ringer! The first part read like my mind when I'm having an anxiety attack, so It was overwhelming. As we moved out of the main characters head and into the story, things got much better. The book was weird, the book was kinky, but at the end, I decided the book was good and I enjoyed the laughs It gave me.

nunca pensei gostar tanto desta leitura completamente absurda das ideias. mas já devia saber que a premissa na qual "uma mulher fica louca" me atrairia. ri-me bastante. as cenas fortes que muita gente não gostou eu achei momentos extremamente íntimos e de grande conexão com o físico. acho mesmo que é uma leitura obrigatória para qualquer mulher 40+ (ou que esteja a caminhar para os 40, que é o meu caso) espero lembrar-me dele daqui a 5,10 e 15anos !! importantíssimo
o meu único se não, é ter achado páginas a mais no final. acho que o wrap-up devia ter chegado mais cedo. não precisava de tanta monta russa emocional

This book took my breath away. As many have written, the main character is truly self-absorbed and certainly not a likable character in many places in the novel. However,her fallibility helps us see that what she is going through—the jarring and unpredictable vicissitudes of menopause—can level even the most grounded, level headed and privileged. I love the dichotomies July creates—parkers/drivers and body focused/mind focused sexuality. The metaphor of falling off a cliff and the back story of her mother and aunt say so much about what menopause can do to an unsuspecting woman who, having reached pinnacles in personal and professional achievement, finds herself uncontrollably declining. An important book for women of all ages (and men who are willing to learn). We need to start talking about these issues.

This book is poorly conceived and written. It is tedious and in some parts disgusting. I can't imagine why this book is getting the accolaides it is receiving.

Miranda July’s “All Fours” was not an engaging read for me. Perhaps it was never meant to be, and perhaps I may not fit the target demographic. While I enjoy July’s writing and pacing, it was the plot, characters, and tone of it all that did not work for me. “All Fours” is an existential observation of middle-aged life, sexuality, identity, and creation. My problem with it is that those core drivers felt like a series of self-fabricated struggles of an upper-middle-class life. Our nameless main character navigates a life interrupted and rebirth that could be compelling because that general experience is many ways true to all of us. However, in her searching for meaning and purpose, her actions appear forced when there so much already in front of her. At least from my perspective, which again is skewed. For those interested in the gritty details of unconventional modern relationships, you will get plenty of that. Ultimately, there are themes in the book I did learn from. Specifically, that sometimes it takes blowing everything up to break through in relationships. I also appreciate the perspective of this part of a woman’s journey through life. I just cannot accept this deeply unsympathetic main character. Not just her desires and struggles but her absolutely messy and entitled decision-making. The book offers a unique voice that challenges ideas of entitlement while also parading them in celebratory fashion.