Mrs. Everything: A Novel

by Jennifer Weiner Narrated by Ari Graynor, Beth Malone

Overview

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?

Editorial Reviews

JULY 2019 - AudioFile

Listeners hear about the lives of two sisters through a whimsical performance by Ari Graynor and Beth Malone. Jo, an athlete and aspiring writer, and Bethie, an elegant socialite, grew up in a Jewish household in Detroit during the 1950s. However, their lives drastically changed after they experienced traumatic events, including sexual assault and issues relating to sexual identity. Jo becomes a young mother living in Connecticut, and Bethie turns to the hippie free-love movement of the ‘60s. Malone and Graynor put the listener in a dreamlike trance during the story’s long flashbacks. The sisters’ reflections are engaging, with clear expression of the emotions they felt during disappointing situations. Although both narrators sound quite similar, Jo and Bethie’s perspectives and experiences are unique and easily distinguishable. G.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

"The 34 Best New Books to Put in Your Beach Bag Th PopSugar

"You won't want this book to end as you laugh, cry, and root for these characters as if they were a part of your own family. MRS. EVERYTHING is Weiner's best book yet."

Parade

"The Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2019"

Booklist (starred review)

"Readers will flock to this ambitious, nearly flawless novel . . . Weiner asks big questions about how society treats women in this slyly funny, absolutely engrossing novel that is simultaneously epic and intimate."

Shelf Awareness

Jennifer Weiner has created a novel for the ages in Mrs. Everything, which is as impressive as it is ambitious... a skillfully rendered and emotionally rich family saga... an unapologetic feminist novel, fully fleshing out the pernicious effects of patriarchy... Weiner shows that big, expansive social novels are not only still possible in our fragmented society but perhaps necessary. Mrs. Everything is a great American novel, full of heart and hope.

Entertainment Weekly

"Her most sprawling and intensely personal novel to date."

Cosmopolitan

"From the writer behind IN HER SHOES—your favorite movie about sisters—comes another story about sisters. But intsead of being in a competitive relationship fueled by mutual envy, these two are sibling goals as they try to figure out if their generation is really so much freer than their mother's."

Good Housekeeping

"Simply unputdownable."

Bookpage

"MRS. EVERYTHING's flawed but approachable female characters, well-examined friendships and romantic relationships, and often-joyful sex scenes make this vintage Weiner. This is a warm, readable novel about figuring out what it means for a woman to be true to herself, and then figuring out how to act on that knowledge."

Bookreporter.com

"A big sweeping novel . . . MRS. EVERYTHING will be great for a book group discussion."

Library Reads

"A sweeping story about sisters Jo and Bethie . . . This novel is both heartwrenching and funny, and readers will cry and laugh with them along the journey."

The Missourian

"MRS EVERYTHING is heartbreakingly familiar, the struggles and trauma . . . feel as real as the entries of a secret diary. Jennifer Weiner misses nothing crafting the story of two women who could be any woman—weighted down by gender roles and patriarchal expectations, learning to navigate a world where women continue to carry burdens passed on to us from generations past. To read the truth of Jo and Bethie's lives is enough to inspire anyone to live more honestly."

AARP Summer Book Preview

Weiner brings us another winner, maybe even her best book yet. A wonderful, absorbing novel skillfully woven with social critique, it's comparable to books by her more heralded male contemporaries (yes, Jonathan Franzen).

Refinery 29

"Jennifer Weiner is the master of richly told page-turners about complicated and likable women."

People

A multigenerational narrative that’s nothing short of brilliant.

Hello Giggles

"A complex, captivating look at the many different roles women play: daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, friends, and beyond."

SheReads

"The perfect book club pick of summer. MRS. EVERYTHING is an acute, sharp and eclectic story about real women facing problems we can all relate to and social obstacles that need to be talked about."

Newsday

"It is her most ambitious and serious book to date, exchanging the witty tone and one-liners of earlier work for a more earnest approach to social issues. MRS. EVERYTHING is sure to delight Weiner's legions of fans and win new ones."

Jill Grunenwald

"Mrs. Everything is like "Beaches" but with mothers and daughters and sisters. I may never recover."

Bustle

"A topical novel about sisterhood, heartache, hope, and womanhood that takes readers through the 'herstory' of the second half of the 20th century."

Good Life Family Magazine

"EVERYTHING you want in a novel."

New York Times Book Review

"Weiner has always been a gifted novelist and a powerful essayist. In 'Mrs. Everything,' she brings the best of both worlds to the page, holding up the prism of choice and letting the light shine through from every angle.... If you have time for only one book this summer, pick this one."

Woman's Day

"A heartfelt and super-relatable story."

Women's Health

"What really makes this book a summer sensation is Weiner's female characters that capture your attention and make you feel lots of feels."

Cosmopolitan

"From the writer behind IN HER SHOES—your favorite movie about sisters—comes another story about sisters. But intsead of being in a competitive relationship fueled by mutual envy, these two are sibling goals as they try to figure out if their generation is really so much freer than their mother's."

Booklist

"Readers will flock to this ambitious, nearly flawless novel."

Woman's Day

"A heartfelt and super-relatable story."

Booklist

"Readers will flock to this ambitious, nearly flawless novel."

Library Journal

05/01/2019

The latest novel by New York Times best-selling Weiner (Good in Bed) follows Jo and Bethie Kaufman, Jewish sisters growing up in Detroit during the civil rights era. Jo is lean, sporty, and a constant source of worry for her traditionalist mother, whereas Bethie is beautiful and the near-perfect daughter. After the untimely death of their father, the girls enter adolescence and begin grappling with their identities, sexuality, and strict societal expectations. Jo seeks solace in her best friend and eventual same-sex lover, while Bethie starts down a destructive path, aided by a sexually abusive uncle. College brings experimentation with drugs, sex, and the fight for equality. The sisters continually come together and then break apart as they navigate life's vagaries for 60 years, all while searching for peace within themselves. VERDICT Not as strong as some of Weiner's previous works, this title struggles with continuity through its expansive time line. Readers may have trouble keeping up with the gaps. Nonetheless, it's a fascinating read that emphasizes the moments that define who you are. [See Prepub Alert, 12/17/18.]—Chelsie Harris, San Diego Cty. Lib.

JULY 2019 - AudioFile

Listeners hear about the lives of two sisters through a whimsical performance by Ari Graynor and Beth Malone. Jo, an athlete and aspiring writer, and Bethie, an elegant socialite, grew up in a Jewish household in Detroit during the 1950s. However, their lives drastically changed after they experienced traumatic events, including sexual assault and issues relating to sexual identity. Jo becomes a young mother living in Connecticut, and Bethie turns to the hippie free-love movement of the ‘60s. Malone and Graynor put the listener in a dreamlike trance during the story’s long flashbacks. The sisters’ reflections are engaging, with clear expression of the emotions they felt during disappointing situations. Although both narrators sound quite similar, Jo and Bethie’s perspectives and experiences are unique and easily distinguishable. G.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2019-03-18
A sprawling story about two sisters growing up, apart, and back together.

Jo and Bethie Kaufman may be sisters, but they don't have much else in common. As young girls in the 1950s, Jo is a tomboy who's uninterested in clothes while Bethie is the "pretty one" who loves to dress up. When their father dies unexpectedly, the Kaufman daughters and their mother, Sarah, suddenly have to learn how to take care of themselves at a time when women have few options. Jo, who realizes early on that she's attracted to girls, knows that it will be difficult for her to ever truly be herself in a world that doesn't understand her. Meanwhile, Bethie struggles with her appearance, using food to handle her difficult emotions. The names Jo and Beth aren't all that Weiner (Hungry Heart, 2016, etc.) borrows from Little Women; she also uses a similar episodic structure to showcase important moments of the sisters' lives as she follows them from girlhood to old age. They experience the civil rights movement, protests, sexual assault, drugs, sex, and marriage, all while dealing with their own personal demons. Although men are present in both women's lives, female relationships take center stage. Jo and Bethie are defined not by their relationships with husbands or boyfriends, but by their complex and challenging relationships with their mother, daughters, friends, lovers, and, ultimately, each other. Weiner resists giving either sister an easy, tidy ending; their sorrows are the kind that many women, especially those of their generation, have had to face. The story ends as Hillary Clinton runs for president, a poignant reminder of both the strides women have made since the 1950s and the barriers that still hold them back.

An ambitious look at how women's roles have changed—and stayed the same—over the last 70 years.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170482108
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	06/11/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	997,548

Read an Excerpt

1950: Jo The four Kaufmans stood at the curb in front of the new house on Alhambra Street, as if they were afraid to set foot on the lawn, even though Jo knew they could. The lawn belonged to them now, along with the house, with its red bricks and the white aluminum awning. Every part of it, the front door and the steps, the mailbox at the curb, the cherry tree in the backyard and the maple tree by the driveway, the carport and the basement and the attic you could reach by a flight of stairs that you pulled down from the ceiling, all of it belonged to the Kaufmans. They were moving out of the bad part of Detroit, which Jo’s parents said was crowded and unhealthy, full of bad germs and diseases and filling up with people who weren’t like them; they were moving up in the world, to this new neighborhood, to a house that would be all their own.

“Oh, Ken,” said Jo’s mother, as she squeezed his arm with her gloved hand. Her mother’s name was Sarah, and she was just over five feet tall, with white skin that always looked a little suntanned, shiny brown hair that fell in curls to her shoulders, and a pursed, painted red mouth beneath a generous nose. Her round chin jutted forward, giving her a determined look, and there were grooves running from the corners of her nose to the edges of her lips, but that morning, her mouth was turned up at the corners, not scrunched up in a frown. She was happy, and as close to beautiful as Jo had ever seen.

Jo wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist, feeling the stiffness underneath the starch of Sarah’s best red dress, the one with a full skirt flaring out from her narrow waist and three big white buttons on either side of the bodice. A smart red hat with a black ribbon band sat on top of Sarah’s curls. Her mother put her arm around Jo’s shoulders and squeezed, and Jo felt like someone had pulled a blanket up to her chin, or like she was swimming in Lake Erie, where they went in the summertime, and had just paddled into a patch of warm water.

“So, girls? What do you think?” asked Jo’s daddy.

“It’s like a castle!” said Bethie, her little sister. Bethie was five years old, chubby and cute, with pale white skin, naturally curly hair, and blue-green eyes, and she always said exactly the right thing. Jo was six, almost seven, tall and gangly, and almost everything she did was wrong.

Jo smiled, dizzy with pleasure as her dad scooped her up in his arms. Ken Kaufman had thick dark hair that he wore combed straight back from his forehead. His nose, Jo thought, gave him a hawklike aspect. His eyes were blue underneath dark brows, and he smelled like the bay rum cologne he patted on his cheeks every morning after he shaved. He was only a few inches taller than his wife, but he was broad-shouldered and solid. Standing in front of the house he’d bought, he looked as tall as Superman from the comic books. He wore his good gray suit, a white shirt, a red tie to match Sarah’s dress, and black shoes that Jo had helped him shine that morning, setting the shoes onto yesterday’s Free Press, working the polish into the leather with a tortoiseshell-handled brush. Jo and Bethie wore matching pink gingham dresses that their mother had sewn, with puffy sleeves, and patent-leather Mary Janes. Bethie could hardly wait to try on the new dress. When Jo had asked to wear her dungarees, her mother had frowned. “Why would you want to wear pants? Today’s a special day. Don’t you want to look pretty?”

Jo couldn’t explain. She didn’t have the words to say how she felt about pretty, how the lacy socks itched and the fancy shoes pinched and the elastic insides of the sleeves left red dents in her upper arms. When she was dressed up, Jo just felt wrong, like it was hard to breathe, like her skin no longer fit, like she’d been forced into a costume or a disguise, and her mother was always shushing her, even when she wasn’t especially loud. She didn’t care about looking pretty, and she didn’t like dresses. Her mother, she knew, would never understand.

“It’s our house,” Jo’s mother was saying, her voice rich with satisfaction.

“The American Dream,” said Jo’s dad. To Jo, the house didn’t seem like much of a dream. It wasn’t a castle with a moat, no matter what Bethie had said, or even a mansion, like the ones in Grosse Pointe that Jo had seen when the family had driven there for a picnic. It was just a regular house, square-shaped and boring red, with a triangle-shaped roof plopped on top, like the one in her “Dick and Jane” readers, on a street of houses that looked just the same. In their old neighborhood, they’d lived in an apartment. You could walk up the stairs and smell what everyone was cooking for dinner. The sidewalks had bustled with people, kids, and old men and women, people with light skin and dark skin. They’d sit on their stoops on warm summer nights, speaking English or Yiddish, or Polish or Italian. Here, the streets were quiet. The air just smelled like air, not food, the sidewalks were empty, and the people she’d seen so far all had white skin like they did. But maybe, in this new place, she could make a fresh start. Maybe here, she could be a good girl.

Except now she had a problem. Her dad had borrowed a camera, a boxy, rectangular Kodak Duaflex with a stand and a timer. The plan was for them all to pose on the steps in front of the house for a picture, but Sarah had made her wear tights under their new dresses, and the tights had caused Jo’s underpants to crawl up the crack of her tushie, where they’d gotten stuck. Jo knew if she pulled them out her mother would see, and she’d get angry. “Stop fidgeting!” she would hiss, or “A lady doesn’t touch her private parts in public,” except everything itched her so awfully that Jo didn’t think she could stand it.

Things like this never happened to Bethie. If Jo hadn’t seen it herself, she wouldn’t have believed that her sister even had a tushie crack. The way Bethie behaved, you’d expect her to be completely smooth down there, like one of the baby dolls Bethie loved. Jo had dolls, too, but she got bored with them once she’d chopped off their hair or twisted off their heads. Jo shifted her weight from side to side, hoping it would dislodge her underwear. It didn’t.

Her father pulled the keys out of his pocket, flipped them in the air, and caught them neatly in his hand. “Let’s go, ladies!” His voice was loud and cheerful. Bethie and Sarah climbed the stairs and stood in front of the door. Sarah peered across the lawn, shadowing her eyes with her hand, frowning.

“Come on, Jo!”

Jo took one step, feeling her underwear ride up higher. Another step. Then another. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she reached behind her, grabbed a handful of pink gingham, hooked her thumb underneath the underpants’ elastic, and yanked. All she’d meant to do was pull her panties back into place, but she tugged so vigorously that she tore the skirt away from its bodice. The sound of the ripping cloth was the loudest sound in the world.

“Josette Kaufman!” Sarah’s face was turning red. Her father look startled, and Bethie’s face was horrified.

“I’m sorry!” Jo felt her chest start getting tight.

“What’s the matter with you?” Sarah snapped. “Why can’t you be good for once?”

“Sarah.” Ken’s voice was quiet, but angry.

“Oh, sure!” said Sarah, and tossed her head. “You always take up for her!” She stopped talking, which was good, except then she started crying, which was bad. Jo stood on the lawn, dress torn, tights askew, watching tears cut tracks through her mother’s makeup, hearing her father’s low, angry voice, wondering if there was something wrong with her, why things like this were always happening, why she couldn’t be good, and why her mom couldn’t have just let her wear pants, the way she’d wanted.

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