All Fours
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025
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3.5 • 118 Ratings
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025
THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS PICK
A BEST SUMMER READING PICK FOR THE TIMES, DAILY MAIL, FINANCIAL TIMES AND GUARDIAN
A 2024 BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK FOR BBC R4 OPEN BOOK, THE OBSERVER, THE GUARDIAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, GQ, GRAZIA, HERO, i-D, NYLON, VULTURE, READINGS AND KIRKUS REVIEWS
A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey.
Miranda July’s second novel confirms the brilliance of her unique approach to fiction. With July’s wry voice, perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman’s quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic and domestic life of a 45-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectations while excavating our beliefs about life lived as a woman. Once again, July hijacks the familiar and turns it into something new and thrillingly, profoundly alive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the hilarious, sexy, and wonderfully weird latest from July (The First Bad Man), a 40-something artist tries to reinvent herself while reckoning with middle age. The unnamed narrator's choice to drive instead of fly from Los Angeles to New York City for a two-week writing retreat stems from a desire to "follow beauty," as her libidinous lesbian friend encourages her to do. In this tenderhearted mode, the narrator barely makes it beyond the city limits before checking into a Monrovia, Calif., motel. The initial draw is a boyish 31-year-old named Davey, whom she first encounters at a gas station where he squeegees her windshield. She also becomes strangely attached to her room, and hires Davey's decorator wife, Claire, to sink thousands of dollars into a luxe rehab job. While Claire works, the narrator makes regular calls to her husband, Harris, telling him about various fictitious stops on her abandoned itinerary. After the two weeks are up, the narrator returns home, although the Monrovia motel room turns out to play a central role in her attempt to find fulfilment as she faces menopause and mortality. July lightens those weighty themes with a steady supply of bizarre erotic interludes and offbeat one-liners ("False modesty is one of those things that's hard to go easy on, like squirting whipped cream from a can," the narrator acknowledges, after telling a stranger she's "kind of a public figure"). This is a revelation.
Customer Reviews
Readable and interesting, but ultimately forgettable
Clearly a book not meant for me. Thats ok though as I love the different perspectives that you gain from literature. It can explain and educate, and widen your experience. There were brief glimpses of that occurring for me, but not enough to really bring me in. I didn’t care enough about the main character. In a first person narrative, you need to care.
Pensive
I don’t know how I really felt about this book, there were many times when I wanted to DNF but I told myself that I’d try and read different books this year.
I think this book would be better suited for me to read again when I’m a bit older and have more life/marital experience.
Didn’t even read it to the end
Annoying, boring, and woke 👎🏻