All Fours

A Novel

By: Miranda July

Narrated by: Miranda July

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The New York Times bestselling author returns with an irreverently sexy, tender, hilarious and surprising novel about a woman upending her life

"A frank novel about a midlife awakening, which is funnier and more boldly human than you ever quite expect….nothing short of riveting.”—Vogue

“All Fours has spurred a whisper network of women fantasizing about desire and freedom...It’s the talk of every group text."—The New York Times

“All Fours possessed me. I picked it up and neglected my life until the last page, and then I started begging every woman I know to read it as soon as possible.”—The Cut

“A novel that presses into that tender bruise about the anxiety of aging, of what it means to have a female body that is aging, and wanting the freedom to live a fuller life…Deeply funny and achingly true.”—LA Times

“July’s novel is hot and weird and captivating and one of the most entertaining, deranged, and moving depictions of lust and romantic mania I’ve ever read.”—New York Magazine

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, checks into a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in 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 forty-five-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectation 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.

©2024 Miranda July (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“An irreverent and brilliantly touching story of a woman’s quest for freedom.”—Oprah Daily

"Atmospheric, sexy and totally unexpected."—People Magazine

“July’s candor, her fearlessness, in describing the unwieldy emotional and biological nuances of this time of life is refreshing...reading her new novel, as a so-called woman of a certain age, I felt seen in a way that is rare. It was invigorating.”—Wall Street Journal

All The Feels

At times this book was rough and raw, but in the end it’s because of those moments that made it truly great. As a middle aged woman it spoke to me in ways I didn’t know I needed. It tore open feelings I was unaware of. Excellent work.

irresistible

I couldn't stop listening. I finished it in two days. listened every spare minute I had. she's so poetic and at times totally weird, but completely intriguing. so many times I connected to her story because she was able to put words to my own experiences. I absolutely loved it and wishes it wasn't over. please make it into a movie!

Read in one day

Honest, beautifully written….filled with the authors essence. I fell in love with every word.

Wow …

It was original and lush. Gorgeous writing. Honest. I relished it, like really good tonka bean soap, I suppose.

Loved it

As a long time fan of Miranda July I was really excited about this book. And it exceeded expectations. The protagonist’s journey of a woman’s midlife perimenopause mindf@&k was relatable and brutally honest. It pokes, prods, and caresses all of the emotions. I listened to it at 1.2 speed and it was perfect.

Her best work yet

The reviews for Miranda July’s book never reflect the brilliance of what she does, because her work is so provocative at times that it can be repulsive to some. To me, the fact no one ever has a particularly ambivalent reaction to her work suggests she is truly making great art- everyone feels something, whether it’s awe or disgust. This was the first of her books I listened to before reading (although about 30 pages in I knew I would read it again and again ordered the hardcover). Her voice really is the cherry on top of this book, which in her own words “cuts close to the bone.” Holy smokes, she wasn’t kidding,

Fascinating

It’s very much worth the trudge,startle and maybe a bit of shock to experience this wild ride! It’s a journey with a purpose, shared by all women,unique,individual, collective and unifying. Fasten your belt and shoulder the harness. Go!!!

Strange experience

This book was simultaneously compelling and tedious. A little too much obsession for me ( haven’t we all spent too much time listening to friends fall apart?) . But I kept listening, waiting for some resolution ( which didn’t come ). But it kept me listen to the end.

The book has ended and I feel abandoned

July’s earnestness is a remarkable gift, a salve. Somehow her voice kaleidoscopes the idiosyncratic tender spots of every woman you have ever loved, of every woman you have been. Each facet of the work’s architecture (plot structure, character development, syntax) reveal microcosmic variations on an essential paradox: despite our best, necessary striving, we only ever grow on accident.

15 going on 51

I felt so much of what this narrator feels and only wish I could capture it so honestly and hilariously as she did. I had to stop so many times to dance, to text a friend or my sister a line of text or just to make my own body feel free and safe. Thank you!