All These Things I've Done

By: Gabrielle Zevin

Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin

From Gabrielle Zevin—the author of the critically acclaimed Elsewhere—comes the first book in the Birthright series, All These Things I've Done, a masterful novel about an impossible romance, a mafia family, and the ties that forever bind us.

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend.

That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight—at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

©2011 Gabrielle Zevin (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Ilyana Kadushin's tempered reading perfectly suits Anya's attempts to keep her emotions hidden under the surface…With believable Russian accents for older family members and deliberate timing that deftly builds suspense, Kadushin will keep listeners riveted with this futuristic story of a mob family.” —AudioFile Magazine

“Narrator Ilyana Kadushin quickly brings listeners into Anya's life as she navigates the chaos all around her. Kadushin paces her performance to methodically reveal Anya's intelligence and protectiveness of her family. Carefully measured emotion perfectly matches the carefully distanced feelings that Anya needs to keep in check in order to survive all the things thrown at her that she must do…Listeners will eagerly look forward to the next installment.” —Sound Commentary

“In Gabrielle Zevin's All These Things I've Done, we fast-forward to 2083. Chocolate and coffee are contraband (can you imagine?!), paper and water are scarce, and New York is crawling with crime and poverty. But this is normal for sixteen-year-old Anya Balachine, daughter of the city's late crime boss. Until, that is, the chocolate her family manufactures accidentally poisons her ex and all fingers are pointed at her.” —TeenVogue.com

Preteen dream

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Nope too goody goody for me.

Any additional comments?

This book is a preteen dream. It was way too young for my taste but with that being said, the story was good, and the characters were a bit hollow. I kept waiting for the action, the drama but I felt it never really got there.

Futuristic Mafia Princess

Not at all what I thought I was getting into, but this book is very good. Although I'm sure it was meant for a younger audience than I, it really is a good story that most people will enjoy. While it is very different from the "Hunger Games," if you liked the "Hunger Games" you'll like this too. I look forward to the next in the series.

Mediocre Start to a Series

This started out really slow, and although it picked up, I don't feel the need to continue with this series. There was not enough focus on the dystopian world, such as what led to these changes, how did this impact the characters' lives, etc. I agree with the reviewers that questioned why ban chocolate, which is central to the story; although they allude to its addictive qualities, there is no ban on alcohol, which also has addictive qualities. It was a pleasant enough story, but I just don't care enough about what happens to the characters to continue with the series.

The narration was good, but it was distracting at times when the character would break out of the story and speak to the reader. A specific example was when the main character was sick and she stops in the middle to say to the reader "and you probably thought I was pregnant, I wouldn't do that to you, I'm an honest narrator." At first I had no idea who she was talking to and thought she was talking to another character.

Good characters, no discernible plot!

The narrator's performance made the book feel childish. The story was slow. I feel like it was solely background for the second book. Unfortunately I didn't like it enough to go on to book 2. The characters could have been magical but the narrator ruined them for me.

much better than expected

What sounded like an amusing coming-of-age story set in the future turns out to be a moving survivalist story about the unresolved issues of real life as a stressed high-school family-supporting junior in a Detroit-like Manhattan at the end of this century. As a survivor of similar conditions in South Chicago in the middle of the previous century, I hear reality.

Loved it

So easy to jump into this book. Love the main character and I’ve enjoyed reading all 3 books in the trilogy. I’ve reread them all

Ridiculous Premise... but enjoyed it nonetheless

I actually purchased this book because I enjoy Ilyana Kadushin's narrations, and she didn't disappoint. She has a voice that is very easy to listen to and she brings you into the story flawlessly. I'd suggest purchasing anything she narrates.

Despite the fact that chocolate is a banned substance but beer is not...the characters are well rounded, the story is intriguing, it left me wanting more and I was happy to discover that it's a series. It's a very creative look at future of our world and it takes familiar things and twists them in a surprising way.

Can't wait for the next one

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this was a great dystopian audiobook. I thought Anya was a really strong character and I can't wait to listen to the next one. Ilyana Kadushin's narration seemed very well-suited to the story.

Not for me..

All These Things I’ve Done is about a 16 year old girl named Anya, whose family is in the illegal business of chocolate making. This is the story of her life, what happens when someone poisons the chocolate her family makes, and the repercussions of her starting to fall in love with a boy, whose father is the assistant D.A.

This book, like Eve by Anna Carey, had everything that I was wanting in a dystopian society. And on top of that, the premise of the society is SO unique. Caffeine is illegal, chocolate is too, paper (and consequently, books) is difficult to get a hold of – what could go wrong with such creative ideas? The answer? So many things.

My gripes may come from the fact that I listened to this on audiobook and so obviously if I were to have read the book, I could have interpreted Anya different. But I didn’t read the book – I listened to it and let me tell you what – I think Anya is really..rude. I think she’s TOO blunt. Is she the product of her environment? (read: mafia family) Yeah, maybe – but still. I did not like her. She talked about her love for her siblings and though she does make a sacrifice at the end of the book for them, most of the time she talks to her older brother like he really is an idiot and is rude to her younger sister. I thought she was immature, paranoid, and just plain mean.

Then the plot dragged and dragged in the middle section of the book. There was no conflict and I wasn’t scared or worried for Anya, especially considering how mean and cold-hearted she was. For a good section of the book, it was just her everyday life and it wasn’t even exciting. Also, I swear, I think I would have smashed something if I had heard the word “birthright” one more time.

Needless to say, I was so sad that I didn’t like this book because I went into it with really high hopes.

If you read this book, what did you think? Did you interpret Anya differently than I did from the audio?

waste of time

Bizarre, implausible, sophomoric, aimed perhaps at adolescent audience?

A dystopia where mob families fight over illegal chocolate. Who dances with whom at high school prom is still the subject of many words, though.

Ends when the author loses interest, just peters out unfinished.