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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A novella about an Irish priest, a woman revealing the story of her life and that of her brother who has just died, and each of their reflections on the meaning of it all - oh yes, and fly fishing for salmon in the pouring rain! Thanks for the fun read, Ginger!
Sometimes, I will just blindly pull a book from the shelves of the library, and this is how I came to read The All of It.
This novella is not something I would normally read, but once I started reading it, it hooked me.
An Irish priest visits one of his parishioners: Keven, a dying man, who tells Father Declan that he has a secret he must confess before he dies. The secret is a great lie, but before he can confess, Kevin dies.
And so it is left to Kevin's wife, Enda, to confess, but she will not confess. Imperious, proud, and unregretful yet still ashamed, Enda will tell to Father Declan the tale, but not as a confession. For the lie is none of God's business, she tells Father Declan.
Enda's tale is not terribly surprising, though the way it affects Father Declan is. The bulk of the book is taken up with Enda's tale, but the story is about Father Declan: it is the story of loneliness.
Haien has spun out an interesting little gem here, for who would have expected the tale of an Irish widower about her life in rural, mid-20th-century Ireland could be of any interest to an American in 2009?
I didn't think this was a great book or a compelling book or even a book with a great moral.
But I still liked it. Like Father Declan, I was somehow entranced with Enda's story.
This novella is not something I would normally read, but once I started reading it, it hooked me.
An Irish priest visits one of his parishioners: Keven, a dying man, who tells Father Declan that he has a secret he must confess before he dies. The secret is a great lie, but before he can confess, Kevin dies.
And so it is left to Kevin's wife, Enda, to confess, but she will not confess. Imperious, proud, and unregretful yet still ashamed, Enda will tell to Father Declan the tale, but not as a confession. For the lie is none of God's business, she tells Father Declan.
Enda's tale is not terribly surprising, though the way it affects Father Declan is. The bulk of the book is taken up with Enda's tale, but the story is about Father Declan: it is the story of loneliness.
Haien has spun out an interesting little gem here, for who would have expected the tale of an Irish widower about her life in rural, mid-20th-century Ireland could be of any interest to an American in 2009?
I didn't think this was a great book or a compelling book or even a book with a great moral.
But I still liked it. Like Father Declan, I was somehow entranced with Enda's story.
This is little, near-perfect novel is a lesson in craft and technique. A story within a story that is rich in lyrical writing and tightly wound scenes of emotional heft and well-observed action. If I had any complaints it would be that it's filled with Irish literary tropes--lust-filled priest; beautiful wide-eyed Irish lass; rainy, foggy, misty Irish landscape. But it was written in 1986 and may have felt more original then. At any rate, I loved it. Thanks to Ann Patchett for recommending it on her website/TikTok!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
