"Executed with nerve and wit... Brown's comic scenes and devastating details make her postmillenial consumer universe surprisingly entertaining." - New York Times Book Review “A withering Silicon Valley satire . . . From the ashes of their California
dreams, the three [women] must learn to talk to each other instead of
past each other, and build a new, slightly more realistic existence—but
not without doses of revenge and hilarity. Brown's hip narrative reads
like a sharp, contemporary twist on The Corrections.” "A winning debut – 3.5 of 4 stars" —People Magazine "Essential for the beach season"—Vogue "Brown is going after the intellectual (and not simply the power)
trade-offs of marriage, the double standards of teen sex, the failure
-- both literal and psychological -- of post-feminist feminism, the cutting
ways in which women often treat each other and the stomach-turning ways
in which they treat themselves in service to the men in their lives. She's
also tackling the poisonous influence of all your major opiates: sex,
drugs, money, fame, religion.... "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything"
is as addictive as the meth on which Janice gets quickly hooked."
"'Brown's novel is more worrisome and raw than it first appears
... All three (characters) learn about human frailty as they accept their
imperfections and the knowledge that failed expectations can be mourned
but should never be paralyzing." "Brown's first novel rates as one the most difficult-to-put-down
books of the year. It is the quintessential summer read, except that description
downplays Brown’s quirky, sharp-as-tacks characters, unbelievably real
dialog, and helluva plot." "A killer summer read."—Daily Candy "Brown — a respected journalist whose work has appeared in Salon, Vogue, and The New York Times — possesses a witty style that makes the book a quick but substantive read. Sex and the City may be this summer’s guilty pleasure, but All We Ever Wanted is all the fun without the saccharine hangover. " - SF Weekly "Brown’s novel reminded us of a soapier, more summery version of Jonathan Franzen’s biting social commentary. All We Ever Wanted critiques a certain Silicon Valley lifestyle in which 5,200-square-foot Colonials are average and blowout IPOs catapult regular tech guys to zillionaire status overnight. Against this backdrop, her tale of one family’s implosion is a deliciously fun satire that manages to raise interesting questions about the American Dream." - Boston Magazine "Swift-paced and very readable" - San Francisco Chronicle "A sinful treat.... ruthless and razor sharp." - Santa Cruz Sentinel "The author grew up in Atherton, Calif., covered the tech boom as a writer for Wired magazine and Salon.com, and even edited a neo-feminist magazine, called Maxi. She knows this landscape well. It could be a minefield of cliches and tropes. But mostly - through humor, some deft plot twists, her eye for absurd detail and her ability to reveal the inner lives of her characters - she manages to steer clear of them, as well as temper sharp irony with a dose of mercy for the Millers." - Newsday "Brown's beauty of a book believably puts it out there that you can go home again, but only if you're willing to genuinely care for and about each other." - New York Daily News "A smart, darkly comic book... a really great read" - Today Show, "Ten Books Not to Miss This Summer" "One more terrific novel to throw in the beach bag-maybe I like this one so much because the unlikely heroine is a magazine editor...although one who lives in L.A. and who has completely maxed out her credit card. Having been recently dumped by her famous actor boyfriend and struggling to keep up with her more successful movie-industry friends, Margaret has to make a change that will bring her-and her family-back from the brink. This is one for the book club." - Glamour "AWEWWE depicts a shining Silicon Valley suburb replete with country club appearances and pool boys. In the grand tradition of the suburban novel, beneath the surface of all that material excess lurks despair, accidental pregnancy and general malaise. It's sort of like a modern day, West Coast version of the Ice Storm, but instead of key parties there's…meth." - Jezebel.com "If you're nostalgic for boom times, pick up Janelle Brown's satirical first novel "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything.'' It'll set you straight on the absurd expectations of our very own gilded age." - San Jose Mercury News "The women spiral downward over the course of their epically terrible summer. Janice deals with her betrayal by picking up a crystal meth habit that has her running her house like a cranked-up Martha Stewart, which makes for some funny moments. Margaret hides her desperate straits from all who can help her either financially or emotionally, retreating into sulky, self-centered solitude. Promiscuous Lizzie goes searching for Jesus, but ends up somewhere else entirely." -- LA Times “A razor-sharp critique of the absurd expectations that, these days,
have come to stand for ambition, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
is wrenching, riveting, and still manages to be great fun. This is a wise,
intimate chronicle of one family’s struggle to take off their masks and
live in the place they most feared: the real, imperfect world.” “Rarely does a first novelist write with such confidence and grace. All We Ever Wanted Was Everything is a marvelous book.” “Janelle Brown's beautiful debut explores the tiny fissures in our lives and what happens when those fissures erupt into chasms. Excruciatingly funny, unrelentingly painful—this extraordinary book gives us something only the best novels can: a glimpse of what it means to be human.” |