All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Books | Fiction / Literary
4.2
(3.8K)
Bryn Greenwood
- A New York Times and USA Today bestseller - Book of the Month Club 2016 Book of the Year - Second Place Goodreads Best Fiction of 2016A 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 star gazing 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.31 Books Bringing the Heat this Summer —BustleTop Ten Hottest Reads of 2016 —New York Daily NewsBest Books of 2016 —St. Louis Post Dispatch
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Bryn Greenwood
Pages
352
Publisher
Macmillan
Published Date
2016-08-09
ISBN
1250074134 9781250074133
Ratings
Google: 2.5
Community ReviewsSee all
"This one is a little twisty on morality, but it reminds us that in life, nothing is really as black and white as it seems. "
Cassie Sandberg
"So many emotions. So hard to read (listen) and yet could not stop. There are so many clear right-and-wrongs, the often-wrong-of-righteousness, and the gray areas where you know it’s the best you can do. Wow. "
Jackie Davidson
"It was dark. Very sad. I just felt very uncomfortable reading it. Extremely inappropriate."
Courtney W
"Im not sure about the age gap, but she did write some interesting interpersonal relationships. I enjoyed it overall. "
Ruby
"Disturbing and fascinating "
Trish Campbell
"Pretty well written, especially from so many POV's, but it seems the intention is for readers to root for the pedophile & that's difficult for sane people. "
Anne G
"This story will NOT be for everyone. This is very taboo in nature and will make you uncomfortable at times. You’ve been warned. Read with caution. Trigger warnings apply.<br/><br/>5 year old Wavy forms an unusual friendship with her father’s 18 year old crime associate. Over a 16 year span, you will see how this relationship unfolds. Wavy’s father is a meth dealer, her mother a germaphobe addict. Wavy struggled to take care of herself and her brother, until she meets Kellen. Wavy suffers from an eating disorder along with being non verbal, which is from the trauma caused by her environment.<br/><br/>“Except for Wavy. She kept me there. More than that. She kept me tethered, not just to Powell, but to being alive. In the whole world, she was the only person who cared whether I lived or died.” - Kellen"
Larissa
"This book should be required reading for humans so that we all know that we don't see a person's full story when we look at them. This book encourages you to think twice before judging someone. I'm not saying that what happens in this book is okay, but it's best to listen to other people instead of automatically writing them off. It was beautifully written, and I will jump on anything else Bryn Greenwood writes."
Emily
"406 pages"
Sarah Womack
"Storyline for some characters are extremely controversial, but the writing is so well developed and raw that it impossible to ignore. The grayness in the mortality creates a story of frustration, sympathy, heartbreak, and a smack of reality that is felt in every POV touched upon. Buckle up but I think it’s worth the read!"
alexis
