I have now read three novels (all stand-alones) authored by Ms. Yoerg, and each one is so different from the others. I love seeing this versatility, especially since the quality of her work remains high no matter what she writes about.

All the Best People is a moving family drama with a lot of emphasis on mental health issues. I cannot find it in me to call it women’s fiction, let alone chick lit. To me, this is closer to literary fiction than anything else. Ms. Yoerg’s prose is outstanding. Her descriptive passages and imagery, though not as overwhelmingly prevalent as seen in a lot of literary fiction (a good thing in my opinion), are easy to read and very effective, setting the scenes beautifully.

We are presented the story of three generations of one family, mostly from the women’s points of view. The tale is told over a span ranging from 1927 to 1973. The chapters alternate from one generation to the next, but don’t skip around so much as to hinder the flow. The pace is excellent, particularly over the last two-thirds of the book, after a bit of a slow start due to the setup.

Mental health issues take center stage. It’s obvious Ms. Yoerg has done her research on these topics. As a physician I found these scenes rang true. I especially loved the arc featuring 10-year-old Alison who tries her very best to survive as everything in her life is progressively falling apart. If I had to break down the plot into simple words, I would say that it is basically a journey of self-discovery as to what makes a person “worthy” of love and happiness.

The threads of this complex tale come together splendidly at the end. By then I had fallen in love with several of the characters, especially Alison, Carole and Solange; it will be a long while before I forget them.

I allotted myself 7 days to read this one. I finished in 4 days and missed the final days of the Olympics because of it. No regrets. If you are looking for a novel that touches on the themes of prejudice, unfairness, betrayal, love, redemption and just a hint of magic, this is for you. Highly recommended along with Ms. Yoerg’s first two novels, Housebroken and The Middle of Somewhere.

Many thanks to Sonja Yoerg, Net Galley, and Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy of this novel. The opinions are mine alone and are unbiased in any way.

Mental illness and its impact on three generations of women and their families. Incredibly well written, sad, and touching.

Storyteller Sonja Yoerg returns following The Middle of Somewhere and Housebroken with her most powerful book yet, ALL THE BEST PEOPLE – beautiful, complex, incisive. Crossing three generations, told with compassion —from water symbolism, class conflicts; love, madness, secrets, and a little magic.

“Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?
Alice: I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers.
But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”
– Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Set in Vermont 1972, Carole recalls when she was ten-years-old, her mother Solange was committed to Underhill State Hospital. A tragic childhood.

Even though her father said she was going for a much-needed rest, soon the reality hit. Her mother was institutionalized. She had been locked up for thirty-four years. Carol knew she was there; however, she did not anticipate her mother might abandon reality entirely and never return.

Before Solange Gifford had been committed she had been the center of Carole’s world. Carole was left confused and she often overheard other say she was mad, not tired. Carole had promised her mother she would care for her sister and protect her, even though she was a child herself.

Now as a wife and mother, Carole starts experiencing her own alarming incidents. She is determined she will not be locked away, like her own mother. Instead, she hides her schizophrenic symptoms and withdraws from her family.

Presently, her eleven-year-old daughter, Alison takes on the world. Intuitive and perceptive. A desperate search for meaning and power. From tarot cards, in omens from a nearby river and in a mysterious blue glass box belonging to her grandmother. Her great Grandmother had given it to her Grandmother.

Carole’s sister Janine rarely went to see their mother. She is angry. The place made her ill, the spell and the air of hopelessness. There was nothing for Janine there. A woman trapped. She was unlike her sister who had ten good years with their mother. Her mother did not understand her as an adult—thinking of her as a baby. Lies and secrets.

We hear from Janine, Carole, Alison, and Solange. From the 1930s and 1970s- an array of emotions from hatred, revenge, fright, terror, isolation, guilt, betrayal, desperation, madness, and ultimately striving for acceptance, grace, and unconditional love.

Wrenching yet ultimately uplifting, the human capacity to maintain grace under unrelenting fire. A haunting story . . . well-researched, a candid portrayal of mental illness from multiple perspectives.

Throughout the years, we have read the horrors of mental illness, often misunderstood by society. However, in literature, we can appreciate how talented authors such as Yoerg— offering a deeper understanding of the darkness through different eyes. Allowing the light to shine through the cracks.

One-in-eight-chance of developing schizophrenia. There is no remedy for the guilt if passed on. "What is in your blood matters, but not as much as what is in your heart."

Not only the patient but those close to the family and carried down through generations. Each person reacts differently using protecting mechanics, denial, anger, and often worrying about their own reputations or reactions from those outside the family unit.

Heartbreakingly real characters, multi-generational, and dual timelines with lyrical prose, symbolism, metaphors such as bodies of water. Solange and the lake, Alison and the river, Carole and the ocean. Each has special meaning. A fitting title and cover image. An ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions (discussion questions included).

A huge fan of literary fiction, love the author’s writing style, reminding me of T. Greenwood and Chris Bohjalian— two other favorites, often using Vermont as their book settings with stunning metaphors.

On a personal note: Enjoyed the tarot card readings. (intriguing) I have some interesting stories, evolving from readings in New Orleans which ultimately came true, years later.

Highly Recommend! looking forward to what Sonja has in store for her readers next. Always a unique journey.

A special thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early reading copy. JDCMustReadBooks

I just love Sonja's books and I know when I start one that I am going to take an emotional journey into a family's life and come out with a better understanding of an issue that is a big part of, not just that family, but a lot of other families as well. All of her books are like that. All the Best People deals with mental health issues, an issue that has touched my family, as I am sure it has others.

This story is so beautiful as well as being so heartbreaking. Beautiful because we see how families and communities can support and love each other and heartbreaking because we get a glimpse of how mental issues were dealt with in the past. Oh, how far we have come.

Sonja's stories are always filled with great characters. I have so much respect for Carole and admire her for being so strong, even with all she had been through in her life. Her sister, Janine however, not so much. And then there's Walt and Alison, Carole's husband and daughter. They are both so supportive and loving as Carole is struggling with her past and dealing with the present. She doesn't want to be like her mother, but what if she can't help it?

All the Best People gives us a very personal look at those who are affected by mental health issues and brings the struggles to our attention to give us all a better understanding of what it is like when something like this touches families. Hopefully, we can all have a little more empathy going forward for those who are faced with these issues.

Thank you Sonja for another wonderful, emotional, touching story!

Overall not a bad story - "All the Best People" explores how the beginnings of schizophrenia is affecting housewife Carole... and it's revealed that her mother, Solange (with family drama and a hidden secret of her own), was committed to a mental hospital years and years ago, apparently with the same disease.

Carole's young daughter, Alison, looks on as her mother starts behaving very oddly. Alison has no one around to "mother" her and take her seriously, and she has to navigate tough stuff by herself: buying a bra, having a crush, troubles with friends.

Not an earth-shattering story, almost depressing, and hardly any of them I thought were likeable except Alison and her cat, Sally.

Thanks, Netgalley, for this arc.

Carole LaPorte is a mother of three children and helps her husband run their automotive repair business in Vermont. She is beginning to hear voices in her head and at times they seems to originate from the television. She starts having trouble focusing on simple chores and it affects her ability to work. She does her best to hide these symptoms from her family because of issues from her childhood. Her mother, Solange, was diagnosed with mental illness and was committed to an institution by her father.

This novel combines three stories which are told from various points of view. We learn more about Solange and Carole and soon get introduced to Alison who is Carole’s youngest child. Alison is watching her world fall apart as her mother becomes unreliable and withdrawn. With a mother battling mental issues, Alison experiences many of the same concerns as Carole. Solange’s life is examined in more detail and LaPorte family issues are revealed.

This is a heartfelt book about the stigma that mental illness carries and how treatments have changed throughout the years. Sometimes the best prescription is the love and support of your family. I hope to read more novels by Sonja Yoerg.

3.5/5 This is the story of 3 generations of women and the struggles they have fitting in - in society, in their family, and in their own skin. It touches on topics of mental illness and racism and weaves these into the narrative. Overall a good read, but I never felt fully connected to the characters or the story.

There was one scene in All the Best People that I absolutely loved. Other than that, I had a hard time getting through the book. It explores some fascinating ideas, but the plot builds slowly and shifts between characters and didn't hold my interest.

This story brings to light many of the issues surrounding mental illness- the stigma attached to it, the difficulties in coming to terms with it and the impact on families. Its about more than this, though. It's about a time when a husband could easily commit his wife to a mental institution for "hysteria" meaning behavior they didn't like . It's about some complex family relationships and secrets, the ones you hold and those you don't know about. It's about class differences, about mothers and daughters, sisters, about misconceptions of who you are and your family history.

There are alternating narratives centering on three generations of females in this family. Carole knows something is happening to her. She's disoriented, can't stop the voices in her head, thinking that it might be the illness that led to her mother being in an asylum for the last 34 years . The narratives are both past and present so you get an understanding of the events in their lives that bring them to where they are today. The other narratives are from the perspectives of Janine, Carole's younger sister, Solange, Carole's mother, but I was most touched by Alison, Carole's 11 year old daughter. She knows things are not right with her mom and doesn't quite know what to do about it, sometimes thinking it's her fault and she is the one who is changing until a near tragedy brings recognition to Alison, Carole and the rest of the family.

A pat ending in some ways, but Yoerg does a great job of saving until the end some revelations that I didn't guess. It's well written family drama , a quick read that while focusing on mental illness, has a lot to say about family ties, trust and love.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Berkeley Books through NetGalley.

This was such a sad and such a great read. A story that starts with the love story of a man, Osborn, and a woman, Solange. They are born from different parts of society. A part that is hotly contested in real life, according to the author in the back of the book. A piece that I found very interesting after I read the book. However, I am not spoiling it for you in anyway.

The union of Osborn and Solange brings about the real meat of the book which is their daughters and their lives. A strongly emotional story wrought with many feelings, lies, secrets and shames. A book that enthralled me, enraged me and touched me.

I was able to read and review this book thanks to Berkley Publishing and Net Galley.

I’m not sure where to begin with Sonja Yoerg’s amazing upcoming novel, All the Best People. Based in the early 70’s, this is the story of a woman named Carole who lives with her husband Walt and their three children. They have teenage twin boys Warren and Lester, and Lester is special needs. Alison, their daughter, is getting ready to start 6th grade and at an age where she desperately needs and wants her mother’s attention. The product of a tumultuous upbringing, Carole is starting to hear voices and gets confused easily but doesn’t want to admit it to anyone or ask for help, for fear she is becoming like her mother, Solange, who has been institutionalized for over thirty years. All the Best People explores Carole’s growing illness, Solange’s past, struggles with Carole’s sister Janine, and Alison’s yearning for her mother and grandmother as she begins middle school.

This novel has such an incredible cast of characters, all of whom are very different, yet tied together in various ways. Carole’s parents were happy and in love when Carole was a young child until Solange became pregnant with Janine. After Janine’s birth, their father commits Solange to a local mental hospital, Underhill. Further changes arrive when their father enlists in the military and goes off to war, leaving the girls with an aunt and uncle, and then placed with another aunt until Carole is 18. Carole’s husband Walt is a kind, caring, and mostly happy man that owns his own car repair business and employs their two sons. Alison is a happy, creative young girl who is experiencing all of the highs and lows of being 11 – including friends, conflicts, changing needs and the desire for attention and admiration. Janine is widowed, having previously being married to Walt’s twin, Mitch. Working as the school secretary, she has set her sights on Mr. Bayliss (Alison’s teacher) as an appropriate choice for a future husband. And of course, there is Solange, Carole and Janine’s mother. Solange’s life is revealed through flashbacks. She grew up on the lake living on a houseboat, which most people in the area referred to as “pirate people,” who supposedly had bad blood. Solange married a successful attorney which propelled her into an upper class in society, although the constantly yearned for her family and her roots.

There are so many different sub-plots in this novel, but the prominent issue is Carole’s sudden struggle with mental illness and her attempts at hiding it. Then, as is often seen within families, Walt and the children find themselves rationalizing and making excuses for her behavior, unwilling to admit that something is wrong. Except for Alison who repeatedly sees warning signs that something is wrong with her mother, but whenever she tries to discuss it and excuse os made or it’s swept under the rug.

Another strong theme has to do with societal class and genetics, a.k.a. coming from the wrong side of the tracks and guaranteed to cause societal problems. Long before Solange herself is committed, her husband takes her to a presentation and “tour” at Underhill where Solange learns about the Vermont Eugenics Project, led by professor Henry F. Perkins. In a nutshell, this was a study and movement starting in the 1920’s that sought to alleviate the weaker or troubling members of society, believing that mental illness, poverty, or disruptive behavior were genetic. I have heard of various instances of medical sterilization but was unfamiliar with this project until reading this novel. There are several resources out there shedding light on this “project” but the above link gives a basic overview of the ridiculous thoughts and actions of these people.

The author also raises the famous nature vs. nurture debate, posing the question if we are destined to become like those we are related to, or if being raised in a different environment can prevent history from repeating itself. Although Solange never recognizes or recalls Janine, she recognizes Carole, as well as, Alison which is surprising because Alison has visited her so rarely. They both have red hair and feel a connection towards Tarot cards and spells. Carole was loved by both parents, yet ends up developing a mental illness. Janine was not loved by the adults in her life, with the exception of her sister, and Janine’s life has been problematic.

I was fascinated with All the Best People from beginning to end, although it is full of difficult and uncomfortable moments. Coming from a family that has quite the history of mental illness, this was particularly uncomfortable for me, prompting me to stress out a few times thinking, “oh my God, am I going to end up like my mother, grandmother, etc.” However, Sonja Yoerg has created a powerful and important story that will make you even more grateful for the loved ones that you have and know that you can count on. The story, Carole, and Alison will stay with me long after today and I encourage everyone to read this amazing novel.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I highly recommend this lovely book. Sonja Yoerg is an author that changes with each novel and is always great. This beautifully written book deals with the effects of social status and mental illness on three generations of women. Solange was a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who fell in love with an ambitious young lawyer from one of the best families in Burlington. Her husband loved her, but when she expressed her opinion on his work, he didn’t let her forget where she came from. Osborne’s attitude has long-term effects on his wife, his daughter, and his grand-daughter.

Sonja Yoerg handles the changes in how mental illness was treated when Solange was committed in the 1930’s with the conveniently vague diagnosis of “Hysteria” and how Carole is assisted when she starts to hear voices in the 1970’s. Yoerg obviously did extensive research and wove her knowledge seamlessly into the story.

Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

This is an amazing novel dealing with mental illness and its effect on family. The last part of this novel, I was literally shaking my head, not wanting to turn the pages, as I was afraid of what would transpire next. The novel is split into three sections based on time, 1972 and back in 1926. The novels centers upon a family who lived in Vermont and three women who were a part of this family. As I look back, I cannot say that I enjoyed one of the main character more than the other. With their own set of blueprints, Solange, her daughter Carole and Carole’s daughter, Alison each entered into mental illness with different conditions.

Solange marries Osborn, who later becomes involved in a high profiled case when he lands his first job. As an attorney, Osborn is paid to represent his client yet Solange is devastated about social injustice. Solange argues and clashes with others including Osborn and authorities about this topic causing quite a scene. These strong feelings are carried over into the household, making things there uncomfortable. Add this to the other difficulties occurring in the house and you have a stressful marriage. Osborn notices that Solange is not well and he has her admitted to Underhill, a state hospital. I am livid, I am shaking my head and ready to throw my Kindle across the floor. It’s 1926, I realize the time period, I realize what high statue he stands on, I realize she is a woman, but I also see the children and I hold onto my Kindle because I know, it just might slip from my grips. Carole, she is another one of the women we are introduced to. She is the daughter of Solange and Osborn and she was ten when her mother went to live in the hospital. She saw and hear what went on in the house when her parents were arguing, fighting about equality and life in general and I found out now just what that did to her. As I read, I also discovered what happened to Carole and her family after they locked away her mother. Carole poured her story out for me in these pages, she let it all out and yet, I felt there was more that she not telling me. She was so innocent, she had the most to lose and she was scared and who could help her? Married with children of her own, she tried to remain strong, she fought but somehow, they were stronger. Alison, is one of Carole’s children and the other woman we get to know in this novel. Alison was always waiting for a sign before she would proceed any further. Sinister Alison, she seemed to me like she always had something up her sleeve. As I child I felt sorry for her and as she grew, she had the shine in her eye, like she was thinking of something. As an adult, she was thinking, always thinking and it didn’t always work out the best for her.

This is the first novel I have read of Sonja Yoerg and now I am curious about her other novels. This sure did pack a punch for me as it provided some intense moments, interesting characters, a great storyline and something to think about. I highly recommend this novel if this topic is one you read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Books for sending me an e-copy of this novel for my review.

This is a heartfelt and emotional drama about three generations of a family, mostly narrated by women. I really enjoyed Yoerg's writing style--she does a great job of setting the scene and delving into her characters' inner lives in a way that feels genuine. The set-up opening chapters are perhaps a tiny bit slow, but then the pace picks up substantially. I particular enjoyed the self discovery theme.

I thought this book was really beautiful and eloquently written and a fine example of how women's fiction can be literary fiction, deep and moving with a great portrayal of mental illness.

It did take me several chapters to become engrossed in this novel and to get my bearings regarding who was who. Even then I felt I could have stepped away; however, the characters were intricately developed and crafted with each having their own and I thought of them affectionately.

This story has its origins in a real law case and though the rest of it is fictionalised I was impressed by the way that Yoerg set up the effect of the case on the generations to come. Additionally, the setting of Vermont was well done and I felt like this could have been memoir at points.

Classism was portrayed in such an incredible manner. I was fascinated by how we saw it slowly creep through the story to play a huge role, and the way that prejudice was so easily dismissed and explained away. The concept of bad blood coming back later through Carole's illness was so incredibly poignant and ironic, and I loved the way the last twist of information worked against those who'd used the idea.

The connection between Solange and Alison was honestly so sweet. Alison was an absolute delight to read about and was incredibly well-written; I could see aspects of my twelve-year-old sister in her. The way she talked about feeling lonely and forgotten leading up to how she comes to really appreciate her mother was incredibly touching.

Not all characters were 'good' and I appreciated the way this showed all facets of people--the good, the bad, and the ugly. I loved how even when I adored a character, they showed their flaws and did something I wouldn't expect.

Finally, and most importantly, I loved how this talked about mental illness. So often literature does no justice to this very important matter, but this showed how mental illness is real, how it needs to be talked about, and how it is something that we can live with.

Beautiful, beautiful novel. I highly recommend for those looking for a deeper women's lit read.

“Recently, Carole overheard the nurses say Solange Gifford was haunted, and although Carole did not, strictly speaking, believe in ghosts, it was as fitting a diagnosis as any.”

Something is pulling the threads of Carole’s sanity, and the origins of her unraveling may be in the blood. When Carole was a child growing up in the 1970’s, her mother was committed to the ‘madhouse’ but what a child perceives and what is truth is more often than not at odds with reality. She has always had to keep things together, raising her little sister- the baby her disturbed mother always mentions, one who never grew up in her damaged mind, a sister who refuses to visit the mother she never knew. But despite Carole’s calm surface and her orderly life of structure she cannot stop the shift that is taking place and her daughter Alison is horrified. Desperately in need of mothering, Alison is adrift without guidance. Her body is changing, school is getting difficult, friendships are strained and her mother is losing it but no one seems to be doing anything about it! Unbeknownst to her husband and children, Carole is hearing voices that she knows aren’t there. She is terrified of being devoured by the mental illness that swallowed her mother whole, with good reason. When Solange was committed, times were different and treatments far more severe. It’s hard not to delve deeper into Solange’s past in my review, the ease with which women were committed, the treatments that did more harm than good. What can be said is it was a fresh hell indeed for those afflicted and those committed for different reasons.

Alison is the only hope for uncovering the truth of her mother’s illness and her grandmother’s past. What really drove Carole’s father to commit her mother? The two were once so deeply in love, despite their social standing. How did a life, once so full of promise, sour and turn nightmarish? The roots of the past are choking the life from Alison’s mother, and without her mother’s nurturing, Alison turns to tarrot cards, omens, her family’s mysteries to try and make sense of a world that has suddenly gone spinning off its axis. Alison’s maternal great grandmother Rosemarie once gave Solange a blue glass box and it must contain an answer of some sort. Solange came from people who made their living on boats, who worked themselves to the bone, some were said to be healers, but were they really just mentally ill? Savage people?

Carole’s heart is a wound, the terrifying fear that lurks in the darkest crevices of the mind when mental illness runs in a family disarms the reader. So terrified of becoming like Solange, Carole tries to hide the cracks when she needs glue to put her back together. It’s more than losing control, it’s the fear of losing one’s identity, reality even. Times were not kind to people struggling with mental instability and it sticks to those who witnessed the tragic outcome of early treatments. My compassion was deep for Carole, in fact for Solange and Alison too. It’s beautifully realistic in the way Alison’s father reacts, because so many people don’t know what to do when someone is ‘off’. Often, usually to dire consequences, signs go ignored and loved one’s assume ‘they just need a rest, and then they’ll be right as rain.’ Her mother has always been reliable, a rock in the running of the garage her family owns and Alison’s father is too wrapped up in work to realize what is happening. He imagines it’s just a ‘change’ all women of a certain age go through. Alison is not convinced.

Carole’s father was a different story entirely. It’s not at all far fetched, what happened to Solange during that time. It’s strange how people set themselves apart, feel superior to those who have less or believe differently. When I sat back and really chewed on what happened to Carole’s mother Solange, I felt so much anger because although this is fictional, it was a reality not just for women, but children that were ‘defective’- such an ugly word. Mental health has always been something people want to bury, or lock up. Anything that makes the happy people uneasy is dealt with through an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ fix. Maybe we’re getting better, though not through leaps and bounds, as we should be. Yet back in the day… well… Solange was doomed and what exactly was her source of ‘mental decline’? You must read to find out.

The author did a beautiful job writing about the women in this family. Sometimes even the strongest women can’t undo what’s been done. In Solange’s time, women didn’t have much power, certainly not when going against the paragons of society. Don’t look at the pretty cover and think it’s a light read, you’d be sorely mistaken. It’s terrible but hopeful too. Add this to your May reading list.

Publication Date: May 2, 2o17

Berkley Publishing Group

I enjoyed this book on so many levels. First and foremost , it is a love story. A realistic one that show the beauty and magic of a marriage that extends beyond circumstances and stays strong through it all. Additionally, it explores the complexity of family relationships and how loving those suffering from mental illnesses is a choice that is rarely regretted.

Mad Hatter: "Have I gone mad?"
Alice: "I'm afraid so, but I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

In the bad old days women who violated society’s norms, or even those who displeased a man, could be committed to a psychiatric hospital for “hysteria.” Was Carole’s mother truly ill when she was committed to Underhill, or was it her vindictive and powerful husband who sent her? This novel, set in the early 1970’s, delves into the story through Carole, her sister Janine, and her daughter Alison, and tells a compelling story though the eyes of its multi-dimensional female characters.