Mrs. Everything: A Novel

Well written and very much a downer.

I really wanted to love Mrs. Everything. It is a sweeping, multi-decade story about two sisters growing up Jewish in mid-century America, navigating sexism, sexuality, racism, and family expectations. On paper, this feels like a slam dunk for me. Unfortunately, this ended up being one of those books that sounds good but is too ambitious and feels scattered. The story follows Jo and Bethie Kaufman from the 1950s through the present day. Jo is the rebellious, intellectual tomboy who grows up queer in a world that gives her zero room to be honest about it. Bethie is the pretty, approval-seeking sister who chases love, validation, and escape, often at great personal cost. Their dynamic is compelling, and I appreciated how their lives mirror and echo each other across generations. The book comes full circle when Jo’s daughters, Kim and Lyla, repeat similar patterns in their lives. What didn’t work for me was the execution. The book is marketed as historical fiction, but it reads much more like literary fiction with historical timestamps in the background. Major events such as Kennedy’s assassination, the Vietnam War, women’s liberation, and presidential milestones are mentioned briefly. Then the historical parts are brushed aside, as if they exist only to remind you what decade you’re in before the story pivots back to personal drama. The one historical thread that really landed for me was Harold’s experience with Vietnam and being labeled a Black Panther for protesting. That felt grounded and purposeful. I wish more of the book had carried that same weight. The biggest issue for me, though, was how much of the story relies on graphic sexual content involving children and repeated sexual assault. I understand portraying trauma. I do not understand the level of detail used here, especially when it comes to childhood sexuality. Those scenes made me deeply uncomfortable, and I don’t believe they were necessary to convey Jo’s queerness or the harm these girls experienced. It crossed a line for me and pulled me completely out of the story more than once. At over 16 hours on audio, this book also felt far too long. The narrators sounded extremely similar, making it hard to distinguish perspectives. I had to increase the speed to 2.25x to stay engaged. By the end, I felt like the novel didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. Was it a women’s history novel? A generational family saga? A character study? It tried to be all of those things and ended up diluted instead of powerful. There are moments of warmth here. Bethie and Jo finding their way back to each other later in life is genuinely touching. Blue Tree Farm becoming a place of healing across generations was a nice full-circle moment. I did appreciate the recurring question the book asks: how does a woman stay true to herself as the world keeps shifting its expectations? Although the discomfort, length, and lack of focus outweighed what worked. This might resonate for you if you love long, messy, deeply personal sister stories and don’t mind heavy content. It just wasn’t the book I was hoping for.

This is my first book by Jennifer Weiner. I always passed over her books because the title or the cover just looked like too much fluff or too beachy. Well, I am glad I didn't pass on this one. "Would the day ever come when simply doing your best would be enough?" While this is not a coming of age story, it is beautifully written with relatable characters and great writing. It is more a journey of self discovery as it spans generations and more than 70 years. (That's probably why it's so long.) This story follows two sisters, Jo and Bethie, from their adolescence, to adulthood and all the challenges that come with that. There is something that every woman can relate to. What are the expectations we set for ourselves and how does reality often take us on a different path? Told through alternating perspectives, the dueling storylines will likely resonate with women from all backgrounds. I really liked the timeline (1950-2022)and how society influenced the hopes and dreams of the sisters. Both women follow different paths after surviving tragedy and trauma. Chances are you know someone like Jo or Bethie. Or maybe she's you.

I was provided an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Atria Books, through Netgalley.

This is a story about two sisters who lived from the 1950s to the present, how their lives were affected by the changing times, the different--and unexpected--paths their lives took, and how they always found their way back to each other. This timely novel is shaping up to be a must-read for this summer. For me, it was slow-moving, but enjoyable. It wasn't one I devoured, but when I did pick it up, I could get lost in this sweeping story. Satisfying and thought-provoking!

This book was just over the 4 star mark for me, honestly a very high 3 star book. I think what pushed it over the mark for me was the LGBT content and the struggles throughout different generations of life. I did enjoy the back and forth between sisters POV throughout. One day I hope to read a LGBT related book without angst but this ain’t it!