Reviews - All the Beauty in the World

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1.48k reviews for:

All the Beauty in the World

Patrick Bringley

4.08 AVERAGE

pfuller91's review against another edition

3.25

emotional reflective medium-paced

blackcatranch's review against another edition

4.0

A quiet, contemplative memoir that lingers like a painting after you've left the gallery.

I really appreciated All the Beauty in the World—not just for its premise, but for Patrick Bringley's intentionality. After the loss of his brother, he chose to leave behind 40 empty hours a week in an office and instead take a job as a guard at the Met—a role many would dismiss as idle, but which he embraced as a way to grieve, observe, and heal.

Bringley’s reflections are gentle and observant. He doesn’t dramatize his pain, but lets it echo through his descriptions of art, routine, and human connection. Some reviewers have wished for more vulnerability, but I found his restraint to be part of the book’s quiet power. He listens, watches, and learns—not just about the art, but about the people around him and the eras that shaped the works he guards.

The book occasionally rambles, and I did find myself wishing for accompanying photos to match the artwork he describes. I listened to the audiobook at 2x speed—its pacing felt slow, though that may be more a production issue than a fault of the writing.

Still, there’s so much to admire. Bringley stayed in this role for ten years. He grew older than his brother had been, started a family, and built a circle of friends in what sounds like a surprisingly wholesome and supportive environment. His observations about artists—like Michelangelo’s early missteps or the practical struggles of funding art—add texture and humility to the grandeur of the Met.

The final chapter, on the quilts of Gee’s Bend, was especially moving. One quilter, born in 1942, told Bringley she didn’t even like sewing—she made quilts because no one else could supply enough to keep her family warm. That honesty, that necessity, reminded me that art isn’t always about inspiration. Sometimes it’s about survival.

I’m currently procrastinating on assembling blocks into a quilt top myself—and somehow, this book made me feel okay about that. It reminded me that beauty lives in the quiet moments, in the routines, and in the spaces we choose to inhabit with care.