51 pages • 1 hour read
Miriam ToewsAll My Puny Sorrows
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews centers on Elfrieda and Yolandi, sisters from a conservative Mennonite community. Yolandi is a struggling writer and single mother, while Elfrieda, despite her success as a concert pianist, grapples with severe depression and suicidal ideation. Yolandi, who comes to help her family, must navigate her own troubled life while trying to save her sister. The novel explores mental illness, family dynamics, and sisterly bonds.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Miriam Toews' All My Puny Sorrows is widely praised for its poignant exploration of familial bonds, mental illness, and the complexity of sisterhood. Critics commend its emotional depth and dark humor. However, some find the story's pace uneven and its subject matter heavy. Overall, it is lauded for its empathetic narrative and compelling character portrayals.
Who Should Read All My Puny Sorrows?
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews will captivate readers who appreciate profound and poignant family dramas, exploring themes of mental health and sisterhood. Fans of Anne Tyler's Breathing Lessons or Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge will find this novel deeply moving and resonant.