Title: Mrs. Everything  

Author: Jennifer Weiner

Genre: Historical Fiction    

Publisher: Atria Books  

Format: Paperback

Pages: 416

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

 

From Jennifer Weiner, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who Do You Love and In Her Shoes, comes a smart, thoughtful, and timely exploration of two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places—and be true to themselves—in a rapidly evolving 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.

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?

 

Review:

Thank you to @simonschusterca for the copy of this book! –

Wow this book blew me away! There were so many great aspects to this book that I’m going to do my best to describe it to you all, but bear with me cause I have a lot of thoughts!

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The book follows two sisters from their childhood in the 1950s to present day. Jo is a wild child and can never please her mother. She doesn’t understand why she isn’t allowed to be friends with a young child of colour, and she struggles to understand how her family can be prejudiced against people of colour when they are Jewish and their people have been oppressed for so long! Her sister, Bethie, is the people pleaser who wants to be beautiful and have people love her, and follow the rules. And then due to a bomber of circumstances the sisters seem to switch roles! Jo settled down with a family and Bethie becomes the wild and roaming sister!

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There are so many important topics in this book. It delves into the issues surrounding women, equality, and feminism. Bethie and Jo really exploring what it means to be a woman in the second half of the twentieth century, and that the opportunities for women are not as great as they would like. The book also explores sexual assault and violence, so I would be cautious if this is a triggering subject for you. The book also touches on what it means to be a Lesbian in the 1960s and the struggles women had to go through for acceptance in society! This book really tugged my heart strings, and if you love a character driven book, then this one is for you!

 

Happy reading!