All Adults Here - Emma Straub

All Adults Here

By Emma Straub

  • Release Date: 2020-05-04
  • Genre: Family Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 1,199 Ratings
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Description

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK!
"In a time when all we want is hope, it’s a beautiful book to reach for." -Jenna Bush Hager

"Brimming with kindness, forgiveness, humor and love and yet (magically) also a page turner that held me captive until it was finished. This is Emma Straub's absolute best and the world will love it. I love it." —Ann Patchett

“An immensely charming and warmhearted book. It’s a vacation for the soul.”—Vox

A warm, funny, and keenly perceptive novel about the life cycle of one family--as the kids become parents, grandchildren become teenagers, and a matriarch confronts the legacy of her mistakes. From the New York Times bestselling author of Modern Lovers and The Vacationers, and the forthcoming novel This Time Tomorrow.

When Astrid Strick witnesses a school bus accident in the center of town, it jostles loose a repressed memory from her young parenting days decades earlier. Suddenly, Astrid realizes she was not quite the parent she thought she'd been to her three, now-grown children. But to what consequence?

Astrid's youngest son is drifting and unfocused, making parenting mistakes of his own. Her daughter is pregnant yet struggling to give up her own adolescence. And her eldest seems to measure his adult life according to standards no one else shares. But who gets to decide, so many years later, which long-ago lapses were the ones that mattered? Who decides which apologies really count? It might be that only Astrid's thirteen-year-old granddaughter and her new friend really understand the courage it takes to tell the truth to the people you love the most.

In All Adults Here, Emma Straub's unique alchemy of wisdom, humor, and insight come together in a deeply satisfying story about adult siblings, aging parents, high school boyfriends, middle school mean girls, the lifelong effects of birth order, and all the other things that follow us into adulthood, whether we like them to or not.

Reviews

  • Delightful and moving

    5
    By sheskrafty
    A thoroughly enjoyable read about the agony and ecstasy of being part of a family. I appreciated the perspectives of multiple generations and seeing how they struggled with their own experiences and mistakes in spite of all the best intentions.

  • Could Have Been Better

    3
    By Connor Bruton
    This novel had a feel-good storyline, and the characters were vulnerable and loveable. However, the story was quite boring through the first half as nothing eventful happened, and the characters were still being introduced. Only toward the end did the storyline get interesting. The story was enjoyable but not exciting or profound enough to make this a favorite of mine. I did appreciate the healthy and optimistic look on families, and this book is definitely worth reading as a new parent.

  • Not engaging

    2
    By arich0815
    Really had a hard time getting through this book. The characters were not captivating and the story line was boring. Impressed I actually finished.

  • A pleasant view

    5
    By SvenKaplan
    A pleasant read that allows a view of picture perfect upstate NewYork. Emma has the many words needed to describe how lush the simple life can be.

  • Fell good read

    3
    By Zhz113
    This is what the world would look like if small towns were progressive, coming out as trans was not dangerous, bullies got their punishment, and two women finding romance late in life would be embraced. Somewhat of a fantasy world to which we should all aspire and hope. More generally, the theme of the book is about appreciating the small joys of life - we should all remember to do that.

  • Disappointing

    1
    By Kittyusa2015
    The book feels filled with topics made to fit 2020. Really disappointing and false. It might seem a guarantee of success to approach all this hot topics but you can see through it and the implausible existence of those characters in a small town community.

  • All adults here

    5
    By Eva Palomares
    Excellent, plenty of different feelings inside each character.

  • Modern day family dynamics

    4
    By CaliRya
    I wouldn’t exactly call this book a riveting page turner. I’d say it’s more of a relaxing, comforting, thought-provoking read. I loved getting to know the beautifully flawed, well intentioned characters in this book. Mostly based around a large adult family, it was fascinating getting to know their unique stories and perspectives. The book was very well written with nuggets of wisdom at every turn. I also appreciate how inclusive the book is, with recognition of the many forms of relationships, family, and love.

  • Excellent book—must read!

    5
    By Charlotte Juna
    Loved this book! Best novel I’ve read in a long time!

  • It’s ok

    5
    By Britain 9128
    Good

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