Most of our book club members lived through the 60’s, 70’s and onward so we were all excited to read Jennifer Weiner’s new book, Mrs. Everything.

The two main characters are sisters, Jo and Bethie Kaufman and they grew up in Detroit in the 50’s and 60’s. Jo never fits into her mother’s image. She’s awkward and a tomboy. Her father shows her lots of love and tempers her mother’s sharper tones with his kind and gentle way.
Bethie, however, is the apple in her mother’s eye. Just perfect. Beautiful and smart with a lovely singing voice. What could possibly go wrong?
Life intervenes, and everything goes haywire. Bethie and Jo almost switch places and become each other. Numerous secondary characters add lots of color to the book and the story. Some you’ll love and others are just awful. Like our own lives.
Both sisters are steadfast in their love for each other through the tragedies and traumas they sustained. In the end it’s about finding yourself in a world with expectations and demands. The pain and successes are better shared.
We enjoyed this read and talked about our memories during this time period – the songs, the hair, the clothes and, our own sisters and, of course our first loves.
Enjoy.
Rating: 7.0