All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

A Novel

By: Bryn Greenwood

Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A beautiful and provocative love story between two unlikely people and the hard-won relationship that elevates them above the Midwestern meth lab backdrop of their lives.

As the daughter of a drug dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. It's safer to keep her mouth shut and stay out of sight.

Struggling to raise her little brother, Donal, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible adult around. Obsessed with the constellations, she finds peace in the starry night sky above the fields behind her house until one night her stargazing causes an accident. After witnessing his motorcycle wreck, she forms an unusual friendship with one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold.

By the time Wavy is a teenager, her relationship with Kellen is the only tender thing in a brutal world of addicts and debauchery. When tragedy rips Wavy's family apart, a well-meaning aunt steps in, and what is beautiful to Wavy looks ugly under the scrutiny of the outside world.

A powerful novel you won't soon forget, Bryn Greenwood's All the Ugly and Wonderful Things challenges all we know and believe about love.

©2016 Bryn Greenwood (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Jorjeana Marie was meant to narrate this gripping story, which takes place in meth country in the Midwest. Neglected, abused 8-year-old Wavy Quinn is stargazing when she unintentionally causes Jesse Joe Kellen, an ex-con employee of her drug-dealing dad, to crash his motorcycle. Marie grippingly portrays this troubled pair who befriend each other after Wavy saves his life. Things come to a head when their relationship is misunderstood. In addition to deftly presenting the lead characters, Marie perfectly renders Wavy's adorable little brother and beloved grandmother. Some chapters are written from other characters' viewpoints over a period of 15 years, and Marie presents those flawlessly as well. Listeners will be eager to hear what happens next, always rooting for Wavy and Kellen." ( AudioFile Magazine)

Beautiful novel full of ugly things.

I have over 400 books in my Audible library and have never written a review. I loved this book, but probably wouldn't write a review here either except I want to add my opinion to those slamming this book for the content, and the author for writing it. First of all, I thank God we live in a country where we can still write a novel about things that happen in real life and not be persecuted. Many of you want to persecute the author while applauding the entertainment you got from it. Secondly, while there were parts that made me uncomfortable, I appreciated how far the author went to show human feelings and frailty. It's this kind of writing that makes people stop and think and examine how different life can be from one person to the next. Stop your judgment and just think. Maybe your life had

A brave departure from the norm

The story line is a refreshing change from assembly line romance tales. The main protagonists are damaged and unglamorous. Some readers might even find the gradual development of their relationship disturbing due to the age gap and the squalor of their surroundings, yet the author persuades us that something of beauty can still grow in the ugliest of circumstances. There is neither a handsome Prince nor sexually skilled billionaire to fuel a reader's girlish daydreams here. Instead a random act of kindness to a child generates a feeling of responsibility which, over a period of years, develops into an attraction destined to raise concerns. This was not an easy subject to tackle and I applaud the author for taking us in a new direction. I look forward to more books from this source.

Hard to Read but Worth It

The great reviews kept me reading when I felt intensely uncomfortable. It paid off. The story is wonderful and beautiful and ugly all at same time. The narrator did a phenomenal job conveying so many different viewpoints and voices. This book is truly exceptional.

Sick

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Very average....gloried child molestation to me. The story line was okay.

Has All the Ugly and Wonderful Things turned you off from other books in this genre?

no.

What about Jorjeana Marie’s performance did you like?

It was a decent performance.

Was All the Ugly and Wonderful Things worth the listening time?

no

great!!

What a fantastic book! Jorgeana Maria did an amazing job narrating numerous people in the book. There were a few moments in the book that were pretty inappropriate but it was apart of the over all story so it was probably necessary.

Mistake

Had my teen daughter request the hard cover book, I ordered it without reading the reviews. Yeah, my daughter will not see the book.

The narration was good. The content was more adult then the characters described in this book.

Love this Wonderfully Realistic and Gritty Story

The story was well written for a book with multiple perspectives; many books have failed at finding a balance that this one has. It was wonderful seeing the perspective of the two main characters and a few of those close to them. The only downside to this was that not everyone whose perspective we read from seemed necessary. For example, one of Wavy’s elementary school had two appearances in the story. The first time it made sense as it showed us how she was as a teacher, but the second time was a smidge cringy due to the completely different situation. It made me wonder what happened to her later on but we never got an answer about her since she wasn’t important enough to follow. Honestly, a cut into the perspectives would have been nice.

Fair warning as there are a lot of things that will make this book not for everyone. One of the biggest issues is part of the plot; the story of how a friendship turned into a relationship between a young girl and young adult male. Personally, for me, the story developed slowly, and I really liked how we got to see how much they both care about others and each other. There are graphic scenes in the story but it’s not like an erotica. Both Wavy and Kellen have been through terrible circumstances that have affected their childhood and they want to prevent those they care about from having as tough a time as they have. I ended up rooting for them as individuals and a couple. There are mentions of child abuse, drug abuse, criminal activities, mental illness, prison, physical abuse, slight racism, alcoholism, family issues, murder, mental abuse, emotional abuse, and other scenarios that might upset those who have been sexually assaulted. The themes can make it a difficult read but I love the realistic view of life in a small town during the 1970s and 1980s. Kellen is part Native American and it would have been nice to hear a little bit about this part of his heritage. We got to see how he deals with tough moments of racism and his dad's faulty past.

The ending seemed a bit rushed for me, but it fit the overall plot pretty well. I would have made the book a little longer as it wouldn’t have been too bad to follow along what happened with Wavy’s family and hear what might have happened to the other people whose perspectives we read from. I’d gladly recommend this book if you’re interested and can handle an honest yet gritty contemporary then definitely pick “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things” by Bryn Greenwood.

Now one of my favorites!

Reading the reviews on this book, I knew it dealt with "sensitive" subjects, primarily on a relationship with an underage girl. I went into it skeptical, but quickly found my open mind, seeing this through the eyes of a girl who had no choice but to grow up too fast. I found myself rooting for the love story in the end. I love the characters, the raw nature of the story, and could feel the emotion. Excellent narration with ability to interchange characters and give each their own voice. It is racy at times with parts that will widen your eyes, yet such a heartfelt story. Absolutely worth the credit. I wish I could listen to it again for the first time!

Excellent, controversial, uncomfortable

This is a hard book to review. I know that some were very turned off by the relationship between a teen and a "grown man". Out of context it sounds disgusting. However, within the context of the story it was something that was understandable if unpalatable. It's great for a bookclub discussion, in fact in the book one of the main characters discusses the situation with her bookclub to get their advice on how to handle things. I chose this for my bookclub to read and we had a wonderful discussion. They tended to agree with my opinion that life and morals are not black and white and sometimes we have to deal with those shades of gray. I also suggest going to the authors website and reading her own story which was her impetus to write the book. This stayed with me a long time and I think its worth your time and credits.

Not What I Expected

A friend had told me a while back that this was a wonderful book, but she wasn't sure if I would be able to read it because of the subject matter. When I was able to get the audio book, I went for it.
This story is hard to read/ hear. I don't think because of the underlying subject, the one that has everyone in a tizzy, but because of all the pain the two children in this book had to endure.
Beautifully written, I felt so much compassion for Wavy and Kellan, and I loved how the story ended.
Definitely a must read...or hear!