All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

By: Janelle Brown

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A smart, comic pause-resister about a Silicon Valley family in free fall over the course of one eventful summer from the author of Watch Me Disappear and Pretty Things.

When Paul Miller’s pharmaceutical company goes public, making his family IPO millionaires, his wife, Janice, is sure this is the windfall she’s been waiting years for - until she learns, via messengered letter, that her husband is divorcing her (for her tennis partner!) and cutting her out of the new fortune.

Meanwhile, 400 miles south in Los Angeles, the Millers’ older daughter, Margaret, has been dumped by her newly famous actor boyfriend and left in the lurch by an investor who promised to revive her fledgling post-feminist magazine, Snatch. Sliding toward bankruptcy and dogged by creditors, she flees for home where her younger sister Lizzie, 14, is struggling with problems of her own. Formerly chubby, Lizzie has been enjoying her newfound popularity until some bathroom graffiti alerts her to the fact that she’s become the school slut.

The three Miller women retreat behind the walls of their Georgian colonial to wage battle with divorce lawyers, debt collectors, drug-dealing pool boys, mean girls, country club ladies, evangelical neighbors, their own demons, and each other, and in the process they become achingly sympathetic characters we can’t help but root for, even as the world they live in epitomizes everything wrong with the American Dream.

Exhilarating, addictive, and superbly accomplished, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything crackles with energy and intelligence and marks the debut of a knowing and very funny novelist, wise beyond her years.

©2008 Janelle Brown (P)2008 Books on Tape

good writing

This story was well written. I can appreciate that it's not "exciting" story. But she writes her characters so well, I think. I feel for each of them and I love that.

Excellent

I enjoyed every minute of this audiobook. Excellent characters and narrator. Can’t wait for the author’s next.

Wonderfully Weird .... what a great listen

I really enjoyed this book and narrator. Such a atypical story yet extremely enjoyable. Was surprised and delighted.

pretty good, sort of sad

It was okay. It held my attention. I really liked the narrator, especially since she had to narrate the three different perspectives of Mom, older sister and younger sister.

Totally enjoyable

Love the multiple POV, and the characters are well-developed. This is my third Janelle Brown in a row, and I have loved all three. I think this was even my favorite!

ONE OF THE BETTER BOOKS!

I LOVED it. The characters were realistic and the plot exciting. However, I HATED the ending. I certainly hope book 2 is on the way. I want more!

ho hum

Started out with promise and then it just seemed to drag and drag. After that it just abruptly ended!

I came here after DEVOURING “Pretty Things”

You can definitely see how Ms. Brown has come into her own as a writer after listening to this after finishing “Pretty Things”.

I’m captivated by the intimate details in her prose and the way she keeps you entertained by hooking you into the characters.

I felt she thoroughly nailed the slippery slope of addiction and the agonizing process of quitting a substance “cold turkey.” I wasn’t expecting the drug angle at all when I started the book, and I felt like Ms. Brown dealt with the topic with an intimate and caring understanding, allowing us to sympathize with the character that suffered with addiction.

The narration was amazing! How one woman could pull off the entire book (all the characters!!) shows how truly talented and gifted Ms. Rebecca Lowman truly is!

What makes or breaks an audio book for me is the narration and unfortunately, the narration of “Watch me Disappear” couldn’t pull me in, but I’m glad I moved onto this book and really enjoyed the ride!

Janelle Browne does it again

Thai is the second book I have listened to by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Describes very well how greediness breeds a sort of emptiness- . Good storyline w family dynamics and consequences and choices. Did seem to end abruptly- but at least there was no sugar coated sweet unrealistic ending- can’t wait to listen to another one of her books. Narrator was very easy to listen to. Enjoy!!

Interesting dilemma, and characters

This book kept me riveted throughout, mostly because the writing is so strong, and the dilemma of the women was fresh and interesting. Definitely going to read more of this author.