All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley

4.08 AVERAGE

meanieheadbookreviews's profile picture

meanieheadbookreviews's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad
Amazing. Such a well done book. If you love literary nonfiction, read this. This author was an up and coming writer at the New Yorker when his brother died from cancer. He found himself feeling stunted in his grief, so he quit his job and spent ten years working as a security guard at the Met instead of writing. This book intertwined his experience among some of the most revered art in the world with memoir style retelling of his grief journey. He compares paintings depicting Jesus being crucified to very intimate details of his brother’s suffering. He tells tours of schoolchildren that Egyptians mummified their dead in an effort to transform humans into something more eternal. He slips into boredom and complacency, but a Monet painting he dismissed as “nothing but pretty” reaches into him when he finally takes the time to look at it, and he FEELS it. And made me feel it! This whole book is wonderful and insightful and reflective. He gives grace and patience to people who are frozen by trauma and need time to start moving again. I made so many joyful utterances while reading this. Go read it. It’s not a large book—medium sized. Very worth it. 

mpickard's review against another edition

3.5
emotional informative reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

mariellepezz's review against another edition

3.5
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sam3_wich3's profile picture

sam3_wich3's review against another edition

4.0
adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

charmeran's review against another edition

4.0
hopeful informative reflective medium-paced
priyastoric's profile picture

priyastoric's review against another edition

4.25
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funsized327's profile picture

funsized327's review against another edition

3.75
informative reflective slow-paced
A book almost as
Beautiful as the artworks
At the Met museum 

It made me want to
Go visit the Met again
And take time to Be

Some peaceful reading
With interesting facts; and thoughts
On stillness, growth, life

adrienne_g's review against another edition

1.75
emotional reflective sad
wishesandpages's profile picture

wishesandpages's review against another edition

4.0
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A very relatable and nostalgic read for me. I was a museum guard for around two years and a half, two of those spent in the Louvre, and Bringley's memoir echoed a lot of my feelings and memories of it, whether it was the day-to-day of working as a museum guard, how it changes you overtime, but also the state of mind you're in. It made me ponder on my life there, and the person I've become since, so I'm really glad I listened to it.

jessicadl16's review against another edition

4.25
emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced