Title: The Mrs. Everything
By: Jennifer Weiner
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: June 11, 2019
Pages: 416
Do we change or does the world change us?
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 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 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?
MY REVIEW
I've been a fan of Jennifer Weiner for years now. Her stories and writing style has made her one of my all time favorite authors, so when I got an opportunity to read her latest novel, The Mrs. Everything, I knew I had to read it and I wasn't disappointed. The Mrs. Everything is well written, fast and easy read.
The story is about two sisters and their lives spanning over the course of four generations from them growing up in Detroit in the 1950's to the present day. The story shares them living a somewhat perfect white picket fence kind of childhood with one sister being the tomboy and the other being the girly girl.
This story follows both Jo and Beth as they struggle to find love and happiness. (The names of both main characters definitely had me thinking of the book, Little Women.) We read about their happy times to their struggles and tragedies they face in life and how the impact from a tragedy shapes the way their future as well as where their life ends up and how it isn't as picture perfect as they thought it would be when they were younger. From childhood, to adulthood, to having children and grandchildren of their own, we get to read about the highs and lows of two different sisters. It amazes me at how detailed this story is, you can just picture and see everything happening in your mind as this story unfolds.
The Mrs. Everything has something for every woman from all backgrounds trying to find their voice, path and place on this earth. At a time in our lives where the #MeToo movement has made such an powerful impact and has brought so many women from all over the world together, The Mrs. Everything is definitely a book that has come at a perfect time where sisterhood is so important more now than ever. This is definitely a story that should be read by all.
Available now where books are sold, you can find out more about The Mrs. Everything at Simon and Schuster Canada.
Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received The Mrs. Everything at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
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