Mrs. Everything Review

By Jennifer Weiner

Rating: 4/5

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?

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It took me much longer than I had anticipated to finally finish this book. I originally read about a third of this back in June 2019 because it was that month's Barnes and Noble book club pick. With waiting so long to finish it, I ended up just starting over and man... I wish I had finished it back then!

This book is such a beautiful story about the many challenges women face growing up. Even though the book is focused on two sisters and their lives, we see multiple generations of women and how they ended up living their lives. Throughout the book we follow sisters, Jo and Bethie, and the obstacles they face growing up. However, we also get to see the obstacles their mother, their children and grandchildren face as well.

Throughout the book I couldn't help but think of Juniper from A Good Neighborhood which I recently read as well. How she also struggled in society with what was expected of her and what she wanted to do with her life as a woman.

One thing this book shows beautifully even though its sad, is this idea of being the perfect woman and mother. No matter how hard any woman tries, nothing they do is never enough in the eyes of others. Women are always judged by the things they didn't do instead of what they did do.

Even the name of the book, "Mrs. Everything" plays with the concept of "misses everything" that every choice you make, you still miss the other opportunity.

Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book. I think all women should read this to know that no matter your path, each path is different and unique, and none of them should be considered the "right" path.