After reading Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner, I can say without an ounce of doubt that this novel is her most powerful, emotionally resonant, and timely work to date.
In my decade-plus years as a publicist, I’ve formed a theory: the novels that really strike a chord are those in which readers see their own lives reflected and validated – some form of a story about people who feel like them, look like them, or have faced similar hurdles, experiences, and triumphs. Mrs. Everything is all that and more. It’s an exploration of women’s rights, sexual freedom, and the changing landscape of American politics. It’s the perfect mix of poignancy and levity – what you’d expect from a Jennifer Weiner novel, but on emotional and socio-political steroids. This is a big, juicy page-turner, infused with characters that will engage you and social issues that will illuminate the world into which it’s being published.
From 1951 to 2016 and beyond, Weiner covers 70 years of American history through sisters Jo & Bethie; from bell bottoms to shoulder pads, from Jell-O to Julia Child, from Peter, Paul & Mary to the Indigo Girls, from the Me Generation to #metoo. Painting on a broader canvas, Weiner explores not only the arc of two specific women’s lives, but also how the place of women in society has changed over the course of the 20th century. The novel ultimately asks if women today are any freer or more fulfilled than those of their mothers’ and grandmothers’ generations and speaks to the paradigm-shifting power of women who tell the truth about their lives.
Mrs. Everything intelligently examines how the changing tides of culture can affect individuals, whether you strive for progress or feel left behind in a rapidly evolving world.
