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    All Fall Down
    All Fall Down
    All Fall Down
    Audiobook12 hours

    All Fall Down

    Written by Jennifer Weiner

    Narrated by Tracee Chimo

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJun 17, 2014
    ISBN9781442367289
    All Fall Down
    Author

    Jennifer Weiner

    Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books, including The Summer Place, That Summer, Big Summer, Mrs. Everything, In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, and a memoir in essays, Hungry Heart. She has appeared on many national television programs, including Today and Good Morning America, and her work has been published in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, among other newspapers and magazines. Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

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    Reviews for All Fall Down

    3.5/5

    312 ratings32 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      the story of a high functioning RX addict who is dealing with a lonely marraige, a child with difficulties, a father with Alzheimers, and a highly dependent mother.
    • 5/5
      I don't know how she seemed to write my life's story, without ever meeting me. I laughed, I cried, I understood. Jennifer has definitely done her research. Phenomenal listen, Love Love Love!!!
    • 3/5
      I couldn't decide between three or four stars for this one, but ultimately, I decided on three because of one factor: the musicals.

      I suppose that a five-year-old could have an obsession with musicals. I suppose. Especially one as annoying and precocious as Ellie (thank God they called her Ellie, and not Eloise, most of the time). And I suppose part of the reason that Weiner wove that little thread throughout the book was so that it would make sense when Allison tried to escape rehab, and used the idea of a musical to do it.

      But in my opinion, that whole escape-plot thing was just so poorly executed that I could barely get through it. The scenes in which the women rewrote popular lines from musicals so that they applied to life on drugs or in rehab were just painful. Especially because I don't watch musicals; the Sound of Music lines were the only ones that made sense to me. It doesn't seem funny or clever when you don't get the reference, and because I don't watch musicals, it just seemed like some dumb poems about rehab. And there were SO MANY.

      I guess the reason I take issue with it is because I believe that when you're writing for a very wide audience, you should probably keep your references a little more broad. I don't have a clue which musicals Weiner used, and I didn't care enough to look it up. At some point, I was just like, "Stop with the stupid poems already." In my opinion, it would've been just as easy to cut out an entire chunk of text and simply mention what was going on, and it certainly wouldn't have hurt the plot.

      Aside from that, I really did like the book. Weiner's books are usually quick, easy reads, and this one was no exception. I appreciate the depiction of a mother trying to do everything, and struggling to do it exactly right (while failing miserably from time to time).
    • 3/5
      I couldn't decide between three or four stars for this one, but ultimately, I decided on three because of one factor: the musicals.

      I suppose that a five-year-old could have an obsession with musicals. I suppose. Especially one as annoying and precocious as Ellie (thank God they called her Ellie, and not Eloise, most of the time). And I suppose part of the reason that Weiner wove that little thread throughout the book was so that it would make sense when Allison tried to escape rehab, and used the idea of a musical to do it.

      But in my opinion, that whole escape-plot thing was just so poorly executed that I could barely get through it. The scenes in which the women rewrote popular lines from musicals so that they applied to life on drugs or in rehab were just painful. Especially because I don't watch musicals; the Sound of Music lines were the only ones that made sense to me. It doesn't seem funny or clever when you don't get the reference, and because I don't watch musicals, it just seemed like some dumb poems about rehab. And there were SO MANY.

      I guess the reason I take issue with it is because I believe that when you're writing for a very wide audience, you should probably keep your references a little more broad. I don't have a clue which musicals Weiner used, and I didn't care enough to look it up. At some point, I was just like, "Stop with the stupid poems already." In my opinion, it would've been just as easy to cut out an entire chunk of text and simply mention what was going on, and it certainly wouldn't have hurt the plot.

      Aside from that, I really did like the book. Weiner's books are usually quick, easy reads, and this one was no exception. I appreciate the depiction of a mother trying to do everything, and struggling to do it exactly right (while failing miserably from time to time).
    • 4/5
      This novel is another example why Jennifer Weiner has been my go-to “chick-lit” author since the early 2000’s. Weiner’s gentleness and humor in writing about addiction or any challenging topics is a hallmark of her work. I highly recommend this audiobook. The narrator was also very nice to listen to.
    • 2/5
      Meh. Her main characters are all basically the same. The drug addiction angle was new, but I'm getting a little tired of the "poor, poor pitiful me" vibe from them. Plus, Ellie talks a lot like the main characters in Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books. I'm not buying it. I think I'm about done with Weiner unless she shows me something different.
    • 2/5
      2 and half stars, generously. Weiner captures the self-created busy-ness of modern suburban family life really well with some wit and humor. The story centers on wife, mother and blogger, Allie Weiss who is addicted to prescription pain-killers. Some of it rings true and some of it seems really far-fetched. Entertaining read and perhaps a cautionary tale for all those women who try to do too much, perfectly.
    • 3/5
      I couldn't decide between three or four stars for this one, but ultimately, I decided on three because of one factor: the musicals.

      I suppose that a five-year-old could have an obsession with musicals. I suppose. Especially one as annoying and precocious as Ellie (thank God they called her Ellie, and not Eloise, most of the time). And I suppose part of the reason that Weiner wove that little thread throughout the book was so that it would make sense when Allison tried to escape rehab, and used the idea of a musical to do it.

      But in my opinion, that whole escape-plot thing was just so poorly executed that I could barely get through it. The scenes in which the women rewrote popular lines from musicals so that they applied to life on drugs or in rehab were just painful. Especially because I don't watch musicals; the Sound of Music lines were the only ones that made sense to me. It doesn't seem funny or clever when you don't get the reference, and because I don't watch musicals, it just seemed like some dumb poems about rehab. And there were SO MANY.

      I guess the reason I take issue with it is because I believe that when you're writing for a very wide audience, you should probably keep your references a little more broad. I don't have a clue which musicals Weiner used, and I didn't care enough to look it up. At some point, I was just like, "Stop with the stupid poems already." In my opinion, it would've been just as easy to cut out an entire chunk of text and simply mention what was going on, and it certainly wouldn't have hurt the plot.

      Aside from that, I really did like the book. Weiner's books are usually quick, easy reads, and this one was no exception. I appreciate the depiction of a mother trying to do everything, and struggling to do it exactly right (while failing miserably from time to time).
    • 3/5
      This is all about addiction and it could just be that when I'm looking for a good, light hearted, beach novel, I really don't want to read about this topic. I would not recommend the book.
    • 3/5
      This title has all the things we love about Jennifer Weiner's heroines, but with an updated "issue." Allison is understandable, an everyday woman, a mother we can relate to, vices that we all have...until it's too much and she loses control of her life. It doesn't all end perfectly, but we are routing for her on very page.
    • 4/5
      This follows the same path as book two in being a legal thriller. Book two followed DV, and this story is following and has triggers for sexual abuse.I went into this a little hesitant as I had previously tried to read it and put it down. I ended up really enjoying this. This is a sneak peak into the Opiate crises we are facing today. It does not matter who you are or where you come from to find yourself dealing with an addiction. I flew through parts one, two, and three. They were very fast paced and had my interest. Part four seemed to slow down. I was disappointed how everything was wrapped up.Overall, this was much better than I was expecting though and I really enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I listened to it on audible and it was ver captivating. It kept my attention and kept me wanting more. It was a fresh topic and very well written.
    • 2/5
      I'm not sure why I wanted to read this, not sure I liked it, and found myself wondering "this is how it ends?!?" - not the best book I've ever read... but it wasn't bad, that's the thing. If it had been bad, I wouldn't have finished it, except I did. So, really, I have NO IDEA!
    • 5/5
      Not too close-to-home, I was able to enjoy this.

      Library copy
    • 3/5
      Jennifer Weiner is a great storyteller and usually I love her books. This one was okay. I've never dealt with addition so I don't know what it's like to struggle and wonder where the next pill is, how many are left and if I can stretch them until the next refill. So this book gave me a little bit of insight into addiction. Allison was a pretty developed character, you knew what was going on with her life. You could feel her struggles. What wasn't very developed was her best friend Janet, who at the end I had to remember who she even was. And her husband who kind of just popped in and out of the story but really wasn't there. Although that shouldn't have bothered me since my own husband works such long hours in the summer there can be several days in a row that we really don't see each other. The daughter was very annoying. The last few chapters kind of felt like an afterthought. Maybe they should have been titled epilogue. All in all, a well written book as Jennifer Weiner can write. She's entertaining. It's a book that you won't fall in love with the characters, you won't remember them when you are done reading and you won't laugh with them or cheer for them. This book is not one you are going put down and say wow I need to read that again or Wow that was amazing.
    • 3/5
      When you have it all, you have to fight hard to keep it all. Allison turns to pills to make that happen. Harrowing in some ways but also made extremely accessible for the most squeamish of readers.
    • 3/5
      I received an ARC through Goodreads.
      ---
      It was an interesting read.

      When we first meet Allison, we are introduced to the early days of her drug addiction and all the stress and pressure that eventually lead to the spiral downwards into the world of addiction. All it takes is one pill after another, to keep her going, to give her patience, to keep her sanity... before she popped pills like eating candy and almost endanger her children.

      It was a very realistic portrayal of a successful woman who has to juggle not only motherhood, work and family, but eventually reaches a breaking point and turns to pills for relief. It goes to show you how the most unlikely people and unexpected people can easily become an addict that you see and hear so often on the news.

      When it came to a crucial moment, I kept expecting Allison to snap out of it and give up her pills cold turkey. I think on another level I was hoping an actual incident would do it not that I wanted her to actually crash the car with the kids in it or anything, which she came dangerously close to!

      There were a few moments in the book that bored me and annoyed me. In all honesty, it took a little bit before I really dived into the book. To be honest, Allison seems so superficial and single minded for the most part. It's always about me taking on the world, and not wanting to ask for help.

      Overall, it was a decent read and quick.
    • 4/5
      Realistic story about drug abuse. Well done story which did not have a "pat pat ending".
    • 5/5
      All Fall Down, by Jennifer Weiner, is an intriguing story of a woman’s struggle to stay afloat while the seductive lure of opiate bliss and oblivion, enticed and entrapped her.Allison Weiss was a middle age career woman living in a wealthy suburban community, with her husband and daughter when she sustained a back injury at the gym. Becoming a drug addict was the furthest thing on Allison’s mind that day. Her slip into the drug world occurred after she received a prescription for pain medication and found that it did so much more than just ease the pain in her back. Percocet was not only an analgesic to Allison; it became her miracle drug, her lifesaver and her ultimate enemy.Allison continued to seek out her miracle drug long after her back injury had healed. She discovered that when she took the drug, not only did the sting from her husband’s absence in her bed lessen, but she had more patience with her challenging and high-strung daughter. To Allison, this narcotic drug was a soothing balm for her emotional pain and frayed nerves. She even found that it helped in her writing career, words and ideas flowed effortlessly from her mind to the keyboard for her blog. And once Alison had tasted the sweet euphoric bliss of opiate oblivion, she chased it with gumption on a daily basis.The problem with addiction is that it never stays the same; once the body develops a tolerance, it takes more and more of the drug to achieve the same effect. And like many drug addicts, Allison soon found herself crossing the line into criminal and illegal activity to obtain her fix.Allison Weiss didn’t see herself as a true addict because her fix didn’t come from street drugs but from prescriptions. The fact that she had to cycle through several doctors to get them, and then order online when her physician sources failed, was irrelevant. But when Allison ended up in an AA meeting sitting between a homeless person and a lawyer, she realized that addiction was no respecter of persons and that it was indeed an equal opportunity destroyer.Jennifer Weiner in All Fall Down did an excellent and accurate job in describing a person’s descent into addiction. She also made this thought-provoking book a delightful read by adding humor and witty dialogue to it. The only part of the book that I found a bit unrealistic was the rehab piece, but it didn’t take away from the story itself. I highly recommend giving this book a read.~5 out of 5 stars~ Review by Peg Glover
    • 3/5
      Interesting story of one woman's slide into addiction. Allison knows she is not an addict because she only takes prescription drugs. But as her use increases her life spirals downward.
    • 4/5
      Slow beginning, good story with a quick ending.
    • 4/5
      Do you ever pick a book without knowing anything about it? That's what happened with this one, and it turned out to be a winner in my book! I've always liked rollercoasters so maybe that is what attracted me to this novel. This audiobook turned out to be a rollercoaster ride of Allison's life that was non-stop, from beginning to end.As the book opens I thought Allison to be your average mother/housewife, taking her daughter to the pediatrician. It doesn't take long to catch on to her abuse of prescription painkillers, as with every little crisis in her day, she finds herself needing to pop a pill to get her through the next couple of hours.Wiener did a wonderful job of of relaying the thought process of someone addicted to painkillers. I've heard of people seeking prescriptions from various doctors, and this method is explored in this novel. She even goes so far to cover up her abuse that she opens another bank account to transfer funds, allowing her to keep an ample supply through the mail.It's easy to see Allison's life spinning out of control as she makes her downward spiral. When she no longer can complete daily tasks it doesn't take her family long to figure out what is transpiring. When they confront her with their discoveries, of course she tries to pass it off as if no problem exists, but finally, she concludes that her daughter deserves more than this. This decision starts Allison on a new rollercoaster ride as she is admitted into a treatment center.This book turned out to be so much more than I expected and Tracee Chimo did a great job of narrating Allison's character. There was no doubt of Allison's need and desire of her painkillers with Chimo's narration. With themes of addiction, family, and perseverance, you may enjoy this book as much as I did. I don't hesitate in recommending this book for personal leisure or as a book club selection.
    • 4/5
      All Fall Down by Jennifer WeinerAlicia Wice has a full plate-taking care of her ailing aging parents, married and have a teen daughter and working.She reads a magazine article and she discovers she is addicted to painkillers, pops them like breath mints. Then others find out and intervene.The rest is how she goes to rehab and I learn so much about the problem. Life on the outside after rehab is a bit frightening as she is so close to using again...I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 5/5
      Tracee Chimo as the reader for the audio was excellent! You actually feel as though you are listening to Allison tell you about everything that happened. Chimo's voice for Eloise was priceless! But what a tough story---compellingly believable. Weiner is so descriptive---the details make the difference in taking you right along with Allison through her addictive, no pun intended, story. I just wanted to keep listening to see what would happen next.
    • 3/5
      Don't like her personality, but i guess it was the drug doing.
    • 3/5
      I've been a big fan of Jennifer Weiner books for a very long time now and have always tried to pick up her new books soon after their releases. This book of course was on my radar from the get-go and I knew that I wanted to read it.I had a hard time with this book, I liked it, but I wanted to hate it at the same time, which is why It took me so long to write this review. I wanted to connect with Allison and in a way I did. I could understand falling victim to getting addicted to pills, lets face it life is hard and everyday stresses alone are overwhelming let alone when bigger stresses get pilled ontop of that, but most people deal with it in a glass of wine, or a massage, etc. I guess i'm just the total opposite of Allison and have alwys avoided medicine of any kind unless I absolutley need it because I don't like taking things for every ache and pain. I have had a lot of people in my life struggle with addiction of one sort of another, and while I did empathize with her to some degree, it angered me that she would risk losing her daughter, husband, and whole life to pain pills. I do think it was a good story, and I wanted her to end up in a good place, I was rooting for her, and like I said I did empathize with her a little bit, but she also made me angry at the same time, but hey not all books can spark such emotions so I think it was effective. FTC: I did recieve this audiobook from Simon and Schuster; all thoughts are my own.
    • 5/5
      I read this book in one sitting and thought, "there but for the Grace of God go I." The scenario that Jenifer Weiner portrays could be anybody's story. Anyone who has unthinkingly popped an aspirin could be headed this way..Allison Weiss seems, on the surface, to have a perfect life yet suddenly she finds herself overwhelmed by this perfect life which veers off in unexpected directions. What started off as a seemingly harmless popping of a pill turned into a coping mechanism and then to a hopeless addiction.This book, despite the poignant storyline, is hilarious at times and one keeps reading it and rooting for Allison. Allison is a powerful character and the supporting characters are well-sketched too.All in all it makes for great reading.
    • 4/5
      When a book hits home,( especially one about addiction) it is hard to write just about the story with out the affect it had on ones self. I have chronic pain and take opiates for it. That is my reason, or excuse. I logically know that I can not lead anywhere close to a normal life without keeping the pain under control. However, when I read this book I realize how close I am to being an addict and how easy it is to make up all the explanations in my mind to explain the use of opiates away...How easy it is for Drs to prescribe them and how hard for the patients to deal with the aftermath...This was a life changing book and because it hit home it was raw and real. I listened to it on books on CD. Thank you Jennifer Weiner for All Fall Down
    • 4/5
      Solid storytelling. This book made me see how it was possible for an affluent, well educated mother to fall into addiction. Weiner skillfully gets inside the head of her protagonist, Allison Weiss, showing how her thoughts become more confused and desperate as she sinks deeper into her disease. She avoids the trap of an unambiguous happy ending, and sugar coats nothing. My only complaint is that Dave, Allison's husband, is not well defined, but that could be because during her addiction, Allison has trouble seeing him as he is. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
    • 4/5
      I've been a fan of Jennifer Weiner from her first novel, Good in Bed. Her latest book, All Fall Down, has just released. You know that analogy about the duck gliding serenely across the surface of the water - but what you can't see is how fast its feet are moving under the water? Well that is Allison Weiss's life. On the surface she has it all - a beautiful home, a handsome husband, an adorable daughter and a very successful career as a blogger. But lately her husband Dave has become distant, her daughter Ellie has behaviour issues, their house still looks like they just moved in, there are financial worries, her father has onset dementia, her mother isn't coping and the pressure to produce for the blog is all adding to the stress and pressure in Allison's life. The answer? A pill, or two, or three.... "Not one thing, but dozens of them, piling up against one another until the pills became less a luxury than a necessity for getting myself through the day and falling asleep at night." While waiting to see the pediatrician, she idly fills out a magazine questionnaire and realizes...But she's not an addict, right? She can control it. And cut back if she wants to. Right? As Weiner's tale unravels, so does Allie's life. The reader can empathize with her busy life and her stressors and can almost....but not quite, buy her rationalizations. And we can only watch as Allie's life mirrors that roller coaster on the cover and plunges downward. Allison is not always a likable character - and that's to be expected given her situation. But I did like her voice. The supporting cast was a mixed bag. I thought Allie's mother's story was just as heartbreaking and telling. I was disappointed in Dave - he had suspicions of what was going on with Allie, but chose to not 'push' the issue, until things were far beyond the point of no return. I quite enjoyed Ellie's CAPITAL pronouncements. What's frightening is that this book is not so far removed from the truth. Addiction doesn't always take place in a back alley in a bad part of town. I thought the ending was perfect - because life rarely is. While Weiner's earlier books had more of a 'chick lit' feel to them, her later works tackle more serious subjects - contemporary women, their issues, emotions, thoughts and modern day life. She does it with warmth, humour, compassion and a sense of reality.