All Fall Down (Reprint) (Paperback) by Jennifer Weiner

About the Book

Allison Weiss has a great job, a handsome husband, an adorable daughter and a secret. Allison Weiss is a typical working mother, trying to balance a business, aging parents, a demanding daughter, and a marriage. But when the website she develops takes off, she finds herself challenged to the point of being completely overwhelmed. Her husband's becoming distant, her daughter's acting spoiled, her father is dealing with early Alzheimer's, and her mother's barely dealing at all. As she struggles to hold her home and work life together, and meet all of the needs of the people around her, Allison finds that the painkillers she was prescribed for a back injury help her deal with more than just physical discomfort. However, when Allison's use gets to the point that she can no longer control. or hide it, she ends up in a world she never thought she'd experience outside of a movie theater: rehab. Amid the teenage heroin addicts, the alcoholic grandmothers, the barely-trained "recovery coaches," and the counselors who seem to believe that one mode of recovery fits all, Allison struggles to get her life back on track, even as she's convincing herself that she's not as bad off as the women around her.

Book Synopsis

From a #1 New York Times bestselling author comes her "best book yet" (Philadelphia Inquirer), a "compulsively readable" novel that shows "there's no doubt Weiner knows how to deliver a certain kind of story, and well" (The New York Times Book Review).

Allison Weiss got her happy ending--a handsome husband, an adorable daughter, a job she loves, and the big house in the suburbs. But while waiting in the pediatrician's office, she opens a magazine to a quiz about addiction and starts to wonder...Is a Percocet at the end of the day really different from a glass of wine? Is it such a bad thing to pop a Vicodin after a brutal Jump & Pump class...or if your husband ignores you? She tells herself that the pills help her make it through her days...but what if her increasing drug use, a habit that's becoming expensive and hard to hide, is turning into her biggest problem of all?

Hailed as "a witty, realistic criticism on the modern age" (Boston Herald), this remarkable story of a woman's fall into addiction and struggle to find her way back up again is Jennifer Weiner's most masterful, moving, and celebrated work yet.

Review Quotes

"Dark humor and a surprise twist."-- "People Style Watch"

"The everymom heroine in this novel becomes a hard-core pill addict-and it's impossible to look away.-- "Glamour"

"Weiner's sly portrayal of family, entitlement and recovery culture is a romp - with an edge."-- "Good Housekeeping"

An absolutely heartbreaking read that will leave readers haunted. Great for book clubs or for anyone trying to understand a loved one's addiction."-- "Library Journal, starred review"

Weiner, who is a master at creating realistic characters, is at her best here, handling a delicate situation with witty dialogue and true-to-life scenes. Readers will be nodding their heads in sympathy as Allison struggles to balance being a mother, a daughter, and a wife while desperately just wanting to be herself. Weiner is one of the reigning queens of contemporary women's fiction, and her latest is sure to hit the best-seller lists. The "hot-topic" quality of the story line will only boost readership even further.-- "Booklist, starred review"

"All Fall Down is a witty, realistic criticism on the modern age and how difficult it can be to balance family, career and self, and how quickly everything can spiral out of control. Allison Weiss is a great reminder that people have weaknesses and that superheroes don't exist. Weiner fans will be happy to find this as one of her best works. For those who aren't familiar with her, All Fall Down is a great place to start."-- "Boston Herald"

"All Fall Down is Weiner's best book yet. Her portrayal of rehab is sharp, sad, and mordantly funny... Weiner's account of Allison's hard-won turnaround is pitch-perfect. Allison is a memorable character wisecracking her way through despair. Her rock bottom, when it comes, is well-drawn and convincing."-- "Philadelphia Inquirer"

"Compulsively readable. Weiner's skill is in the specifics. There's no doubt she knows how to deliver a certain kind of story, and well."-- "New York Times Book Review"

Best known for her sense of humor, Weiner's raw new novel proves she is equally as fluent in poignancy. A searing, no-holds-barred look at an ordinary woman whose life spirals out of control."--Jodi Picoult "#1 New York Times bestselling author"

Jennifer Weiner's books should be labeled a controlled substance. She creates relatable heroines with everyday worries, such as losing weight or finding a mate. Add her clever pop-culture references, girlfriend conversations over goblets of wine and her trademark self-deprecating humor and you have sure-to-please novels that hook you in and never let go. Weiner's storytelling talents are estimable. Just like Allison pops a Vicodin (or two or four) to get through the morning, you will read one more chapter, and oh, come on, what would one more hurt? I deserve this pill, er, page. And you are gone."-- "USA Today"

Reading one of Jennifer Weiner's contemporary novels of manners is a bit like biting into an apple. The experience is full of flavor, more crisp than juicy, and refreshingly tart.-- "The Baltimore Sun"

Weiner has taken a complicated, nuanced, and fraught subject and given us a narrative both entertaining and enlightening.
-- "New York Journal of Books"

About The Author

Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books, including Good in Bed, That Summer, and an essay collection, Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing. A graduate of Princeton University and contributor to the New York Times Opinion section, Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.