All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Audiobook By Bryn Greenwood cover art

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

A Novel

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All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

By: Bryn Greenwood
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
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About this listen

A 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 stargazing 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.

©2016 Bryn Greenwood (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Scary Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Feel-Good

Critic reviews

"Jorjeana Marie was meant to narrate this gripping story, which takes place in meth country in the Midwest. Neglected, abused 8-year-old Wavy Quinn is stargazing when she unintentionally causes Jesse Joe Kellen, an ex-con employee of her drug-dealing dad, to crash his motorcycle. Marie grippingly portrays this troubled pair who befriend each other after Wavy saves his life. Things come to a head when their relationship is misunderstood. In addition to deftly presenting the lead characters, Marie perfectly renders Wavy's adorable little brother and beloved grandmother. Some chapters are written from other characters' viewpoints over a period of 15 years, and Marie presents those flawlessly as well. Listeners will be eager to hear what happens next, always rooting for Wavy and Kellen." ( AudioFile Magazine)

What listeners say about All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

Highly rated for:

Powerful Storytelling Emotional Depth Excellent Narration Unflinching Exploration Engaging Vocal Performance
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

I did not want the book to end. It's a week later and the characters are still with me. I never rate books but could not resist this one. If you only treat yourself to one a month this is guaranteed not to disappoint, I highly recommend it.

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11 people found this helpful

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Satisfying Conclusion

I kept wanting to listen instead of attending to my day. I rooted for the main characters and wasn't disappointed.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I am Speechless... This is a big change..

I am perplexed as to why I didn't listen to All The Ugly and Wonderful Things sooner. It was sitting in my library for over a year, and I guess I kept thinking I'd get back to it.

The bottom line.. This is a very controversial book, written eloquently- but it's dangerous. It crosses a very taboo line. It's like Harold and Maude for the new generation. While one may shudder and feel queasy by a relationship between a young girl and an older man, in order to appreciate this book we have to let our preconceived notions go, and simply enjoy the story. All of it. All of the truly ugly, and beautiful things.

I felt myself gasping for air crying in parts, and mildly disgusted in others. However, one thing is for sure- as a listener I could not stop even if I wanted to. And this to me, constitutes a 5 star novel.

Amazing- but not for the faint at heart.

5 big starts

-Wendi

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A strange, but beautiful touching story!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This whole book moved me. It challenges everything society deems as "normal". It really gets in your head and makes you realize that things are not always what they seem, and you can never ever judge someone else's life unless you walk in their shoes.

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful book! The author makes every character so very real, and with their own personalities. You feel like you know them. Even characters you are supposed to hate, like Brenda, you still are able to almost sympathize with her too and understand her actions. I have never read a book like this, it's just so unique - well worth the time!

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Six Stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An amazing book that made me feel everything! I was lost in the story from the first page til the last and beyond. All of the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a story that will stay with me, it has etched a place in my heart!

"Those letters seemed so wonderfully tragic to me. Each one a message he would never get. A note in a bottle, bobbing on the ocean. Lost."

I don't know how to put words together to explain how much this story touched my soul. It is beautiful and ugly, poetic and harsh, utterly heartbreaking and lovely.

"I liked learning things. How numbers worked together to explain the stars. How molecules made the world. All the ugly and wonderful things people had done in the last two thousand years."

I listened to much of this story on audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

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3 people found this helpful

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Not your average love story

Love stories are usually predictable; I must admit this was no exception. However, the story that takes you to the end was still much more interesting than a typical love story, and makes one reconsider how to judge a person or a situation superficially. I think most can relate to having good intentions but still being wrong, or not being appreciated by the other side. And vice versa. Would definitely recommend.

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Nuanced narration

This is an incredibly tragic story. The narration was excellent. The book has multiple points of view, randomly through the chapters, and the narrator handled each one well. My heart broke for the children, and the terrible choices the adults in their lives made. There was beauty in the story as well - but it was hard to cheer for the "drug dealer with a heart of gold" in the description, given that his relationship with Wavy began when she was 8. So many emotional twists and turns to tug at every heart string. A highly recommended listen.

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This is a book you feel in your soul

Brilliant writing. Heart wrenching and heart warming. I'm almost speechless and at a loss for what more to say about All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.

This book took me through a myriad of emotions, and most of all, I felt it in my heart and soul. I love that this book was told from so many different POVs. It gave such a complete picture of everything. It was absolutely perfect. The only downside (for me) for reading/listening to a book like this is that I don't know if I will ever find a book similar and of the same caliber. It makes me wonder if I will get the same level of feels from anything else in the future.

I highly recommend this book to those who can go into the book with an open mind. I know that this might not be a lot of people's cup of tea and that is okay, but for those who can appreciate an unconventional and taboo love story, this book is everything.

Audible: I added the audible to the kindle book and I am so glad I did. This narrator knocked it out of the park with this book. She was incredible. I highly recommend this as an audio book.

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disappointing

i finished it because i hoped for a different ending. it didnt happen. very odd

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gritty, surprising

heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. loved getting differing views of each character, as the story was told from various characters' perspectives.

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1 person found this helpful