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louiselibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Meet Allison, your typical stay at home mom / blogger. She is married - not so happily, i might add- to Dave. They have a 6 year old daughter, Elouise (Ellie for short) who is dubbed as being "sensitive". Allison's rocky marriage, her daughter's bad behavior, and her father's developing Alzheimer's is enough to set her over the edge - but wait... not without a little help from her little white friends. No, not the skin color, but instead I'm talking about Oxycontin, Percocets, and Vicodin. What began as occasionally taking one pill a day soon turned into three at a time and then maxes out at 30 per day.
She tries all of the legal methods to keep her hidden secret thriving, such as calling for more and more refills. This soon turns into buying pills online. Eventually she ends in rehab where she has to really open her eyes to the hell she has put her family through the past six months. She must face the fact that she ignores her daughter because she is sleeping all day, that she drove under the influence with multiple kids in the car, and that she has spent almost $10,000 on pills. With all of the storm comes a hint of sunlight. Although she will never fully recover, meaning she will always desire the bitterness of a pill under her tongue, Allison had made strides by the end of the book.
The book was hard to get through at times because of how unnerving it was to watch (read) this trainwreck of a wife, mother, and employee. You wanted to shake her and ask her how someone so intelligent could be so stupid. And that right there is exactly the reason this book is as good as it is. It shows the unknown side of addicts - the suburban mom with a college degree. Granted, in rehab it does show the "typical" users, but for Allison she believes she is different. The whole time she is in rehab (up until the end) she feels as though this isn't her reality. There was no way she could be as low as the other patients. She didn't do heroin, she didn't sell herself for drug money, and she wasn't homeless. It isn't until her daughter sits outside the bathroom door on the night of her 7th birthday party that she realizes she doesn't have to be all of those awful things to be an addict. Allison lied to her husband and said she had a day pass to go home when really she snuck away. She ran into the bathroom at a neighbors house during her daughter's party to find prescription pills in the sink. While rummaging through the cabinet she hears Ellie crying for her. Ignoring her protests she continues on the search. Just as she puts the pill in her mouth Ellie says "Do you need to take a nap now? I will be quiet". Allison said that that was the instant she felt her heart break. It was only then she realized that she had a problem, a problem that was noticable to her daughter. She spit the pill out and pulled her husband aside to tell him that she had to go back. Wonderful story about a woman who seemed to think that life could be fixed by being in a drug induced trance only to realize what was really in front of her when she could see clearly. Great book!
She tries all of the legal methods to keep her hidden secret thriving, such as calling for more and more refills. This soon turns into buying pills online. Eventually she ends in rehab where she has to really open her eyes to the hell she has put her family through the past six months. She must face the fact that she ignores her daughter because she is sleeping all day, that she drove under the influence with multiple kids in the car, and that she has spent almost $10,000 on pills. With all of the storm comes a hint of sunlight. Although she will never fully recover, meaning she will always desire the bitterness of a pill under her tongue, Allison had made strides by the end of the book.
The book was hard to get through at times because of how unnerving it was to watch (read) this trainwreck of a wife, mother, and employee. You wanted to shake her and ask her how someone so intelligent could be so stupid. And that right there is exactly the reason this book is as good as it is. It shows the unknown side of addicts - the suburban mom with a college degree. Granted, in rehab it does show the "typical" users, but for Allison she believes she is different. The whole time she is in rehab (up until the end) she feels as though this isn't her reality. There was no way she could be as low as the other patients. She didn't do heroin, she didn't sell herself for drug money, and she wasn't homeless. It isn't until her daughter sits outside the bathroom door on the night of her 7th birthday party that she realizes she doesn't have to be all of those awful things to be an addict. Allison lied to her husband and said she had a day pass to go home when really she snuck away. She ran into the bathroom at a neighbors house during her daughter's party to find prescription pills in the sink. While rummaging through the cabinet she hears Ellie crying for her. Ignoring her protests she continues on the search. Just as she puts the pill in her mouth Ellie says "Do you need to take a nap now? I will be quiet". Allison said that that was the instant she felt her heart break. It was only then she realized that she had a problem, a problem that was noticable to her daughter. She spit the pill out and pulled her husband aside to tell him that she had to go back. Wonderful story about a woman who seemed to think that life could be fixed by being in a drug induced trance only to realize what was really in front of her when she could see clearly. Great book!
aetataureate's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner is a book about a wife, mother, and blogger that gets addicted to pain killers. Allison Weiss (almost 40) is a wife to Dave, a reporter for the Philadelphia Examiner. They have a daughter Eloise (they call her Ellie) who is extremely sensitive (doctor’s diagnosis). Everything is too loud, too rough, or harsh for the little girl. Ellie also has attitude issues. She acts out in public, yells when talking, and definitely likes to get her way (or temper tantrum time). Allison was originally a stay-at-home mom, but then she was hired to be a writer for the blog Ladiesroom.com. Allison writes stories about marriage and motherhood. Dave is at work most of the time or training for a marathon (instead of spending time with the family he is “training” on the weekends). Allison’s father has Alzheimer’s and her mother is having difficulty coping. Her father always took care of her mother (took care of finances, they had a housekeeper, and she does not even drive). Now Allison is having to help her mother in addition to her responsibilities.
Allison hurt her back working out at the gym and her doctor gave her some painkillers. That was the beginning of her addiction. They meds helped her get through the day and also helped her writing (she became bolder with her writing). It starts out with one or two pills a day (she has them in little Altoid’s tins), then two pills at a time, and then five or six a day (Oxy, Vicodin, and Percocet). Allison was doctor shopping (going to various doctors to get multiple pain prescriptions). Then Allison discovers a web site where she can get the meds without needing a prescription (how handy). Allison was up to over 600 milligrams a day of Oxycodone when her functioning became impaired (with the help of a glass of wine). She goes to pick up Ellie at school and is stopped by a teacher (a teacher monitors the pickup line at Ellie’s school), Allison knows she needs to do something. She contacts a doctor who gives her Suboxone (it takes care of pain without the opiates). Allison ends up in the hospital. Will she get the help she needs or will she lose everything?
All Fall Down tells of how she got addicted and what happens after her addiction is discovered. I found it to be an interesting story and well written (the author has a good writing style). One thing that is odd is Allison’s lack of emotions. She is more matter of fact. You do not feel her love for her husband or daughter. I expected more emotion especially during the second half of the book. We do not get much detail on the husband. His character is also very different in the last half of the book. Davie is made out to be distant and uninvolved (especially with daughter), then he completely changes (it was odd). However, the book had me hooked, and I stayed up late to find out what happened to Allison. I give All Fall Down 3.75 out of 5 stars. I did not like the ending. It was abrupt and leaves the reader with questions. I wish the author had included an epilogue.
I won a copy of All Fall Down from Goodreads First Reads Program.
Allison hurt her back working out at the gym and her doctor gave her some painkillers. That was the beginning of her addiction. They meds helped her get through the day and also helped her writing (she became bolder with her writing). It starts out with one or two pills a day (she has them in little Altoid’s tins), then two pills at a time, and then five or six a day (Oxy, Vicodin, and Percocet). Allison was doctor shopping (going to various doctors to get multiple pain prescriptions). Then Allison discovers a web site where she can get the meds without needing a prescription (how handy). Allison was up to over 600 milligrams a day of Oxycodone when her functioning became impaired (with the help of a glass of wine). She goes to pick up Ellie at school and is stopped by a teacher (a teacher monitors the pickup line at Ellie’s school), Allison knows she needs to do something. She contacts a doctor who gives her Suboxone (it takes care of pain without the opiates). Allison ends up in the hospital. Will she get the help she needs or will she lose everything?
All Fall Down tells of how she got addicted and what happens after her addiction is discovered. I found it to be an interesting story and well written (the author has a good writing style). One thing that is odd is Allison’s lack of emotions. She is more matter of fact. You do not feel her love for her husband or daughter. I expected more emotion especially during the second half of the book. We do not get much detail on the husband. His character is also very different in the last half of the book. Davie is made out to be distant and uninvolved (especially with daughter), then he completely changes (it was odd). However, the book had me hooked, and I stayed up late to find out what happened to Allison. I give All Fall Down 3.75 out of 5 stars. I did not like the ending. It was abrupt and leaves the reader with questions. I wish the author had included an epilogue.
I won a copy of All Fall Down from Goodreads First Reads Program.
margot23reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this book to learn more about prescription drug addiction and it delivered on a lot of fronts. I will happily consider reading more from Jennifer Weiner in the future.
jgraydee's review against another edition
3.0
"There was a parallel universe that ran alongside the normal world, and if you went through the wrong door, or turned left instead of right, ran up the street instead of down it, you could accidentally push the curtain aside and end up on that other place, where everything was different and everything was wrong." p. 229.
This was a novel that deserved a 3.5 rating -- better than average, but not fantastic either.
An interesting story -- a mother and wife who becomes addicted to prescription pain killers. But also a choppy novel because the author kept interjecting Allison's memories without warning, so the reader finds herself jumping from current day to a recollection, and back again to current day. Also, what a missed opportunity to further develop Allison's relationship with her husband and her mother. Both characters are kept on the periphery of the story.
This was a novel that deserved a 3.5 rating -- better than average, but not fantastic either.
An interesting story -- a mother and wife who becomes addicted to prescription pain killers. But also a choppy novel because the author kept interjecting Allison's memories without warning, so the reader finds herself jumping from current day to a recollection, and back again to current day. Also, what a missed opportunity to further develop Allison's relationship with her husband and her mother. Both characters are kept on the periphery of the story.
khornstein1's review against another edition
4.0
OK, Confession Time: A nice new Jennifer Weiner book is one of my guilty pleasures. She's a decent writer; I give her one point off as I can't say this book offers much to the ongoing literary canon...BUT Weiner always manages very convincingly to get into her characters' heads and All Fall Down's Allison is no exception. The portrayal of an addict (doesn't matter really that she's a "nice" addict who does Oxy and lives in the suburbs) I thought was spot on--she brilliantly captures what it's like to lie not only to others, but most importantly, to yourself...I found myself liking Allison but then I was like, "what did you just say? Thats bulls****!!"
And her portrayal of rehab is very OITNB, but again with the added bonus of Allison's twisted thinking...we see what's going on, and then we see how Allison sees it. So interesting. Great beach book.
And her portrayal of rehab is very OITNB, but again with the added bonus of Allison's twisted thinking...we see what's going on, and then we see how Allison sees it. So interesting. Great beach book.
that_one_emily11's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
leahwonstomesek's review against another edition
2.0
First half amazing second half horrible garbage.
tayloormc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
williamz4lyf's review against another edition
5.0
This is one beautiful book about a woman's struggle with drug addiction. I must have cried for this character. She was well written, and her struggle was very painful to read. I consider this a well done work. Very good read.