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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Though the beginning was slow I really enjoyed Maurice's story. His five toasts gave a clear picture of his life with the ups and downs we all experience.
Learning more about Ireland makes me want to visit even more. I really enjoyed his last message to his son, Kevin.
Learning more about Ireland makes me want to visit even more. I really enjoyed his last message to his son, Kevin.
I didn’t know what to expect with this book but I kind of love it. Beautifully written, a bit heart wrenching, a rainy day kind of book. A reflection of an ordinary, humble life through 5 toasts to 5 people. Fans of Maeve Binchy would really enjoy this book. I will be thinking of Maurice for a long time.
That was some lovely prose and rich character development, but I just couldn't relate to Maurice's woes. He seems to be deeply regretful about his actions and overall demeanor, and yet continues to act like a complete, um, eejit. Perhaps I'm not at a point in my life to truly understand his experience?
When life gets too hectic and you need a calm moment with a warm cup of tea and a blanket, this book provides the excuse. After a few pages warming up to the first-person narrator, the story launches into some touching flashbacks of his life with soft detail and quiet moments. While not a revelatory page-turner, this book is like a shortbread biscuit and Earl Grey which, while not especially exotic or designed to challenge your assumptions, is comforting nonetheless.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't like the book. I found it depressing from start to finish. Maybe I needed to be in a different frame of mind.
Deeply moving, yet very haunting story. The writing was excellent and I loved the author’s unique choice in story delivery.
This book reminded me of a darker, more melancholic version of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.
This book reminded me of a darker, more melancholic version of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.
"When all is said" is one of those books that keep following you around for a long time after finishing reading. One of those books that gives you goosebumps, makes you smile, makes you cry and makes you wish it would never end. That kind of book.
The setting ? 84-year old widower Maurice is having a night out, drinking at a hotel bar in Ireland, raising five toasts to five different people. Those five people who have meant the most in his life : his brother, his stillborn daughter, his wife, his sister in law and his son. Through the stories he tells while raising the toasts, we get to look back on Maurice's life and on the small and big events that shaped him and that lead to the final chapter of the book.
Beautifully written, extraordinary characters, heartbreaking story... one does not need more for a good read.
(Would have been 5 stars if it weren't for the first chapter, which I thought was quite hard to get into)
The setting ? 84-year old widower Maurice is having a night out, drinking at a hotel bar in Ireland, raising five toasts to five different people. Those five people who have meant the most in his life : his brother, his stillborn daughter, his wife, his sister in law and his son. Through the stories he tells while raising the toasts, we get to look back on Maurice's life and on the small and big events that shaped him and that lead to the final chapter of the book.
Beautifully written, extraordinary characters, heartbreaking story... one does not need more for a good read.
(Would have been 5 stars if it weren't for the first chapter, which I thought was quite hard to get into)
When you don’t LOVE a book as much as your GR friends it always feels a little like kicking a puppy.
I have to admit I only started listening to this because of the Irish narrator’s voice. He absolutely set the right tone for what was to follow, a book filled with the nostalgia a life lived fully, yet I never really connected to the story on an emotional level.
Maurice is 84, sitting alone in a hotel pub drinking a toast to the 5 people who had the greatest influence on his life, for good or bad. With each toast you get to know a little more about Maurice
I really liked the first two stories but somewhere after that things just started fizzing out a bit for me.
I don’t think I was in quite the right mindset to enjoy this and there are numerous glowing reviews that show this is a book worth exploring.
I have to admit I only started listening to this because of the Irish narrator’s voice. He absolutely set the right tone for what was to follow, a book filled with the nostalgia a life lived fully, yet I never really connected to the story on an emotional level.
Maurice is 84, sitting alone in a hotel pub drinking a toast to the 5 people who had the greatest influence on his life, for good or bad. With each toast you get to know a little more about Maurice
I really liked the first two stories but somewhere after that things just started fizzing out a bit for me.
I don’t think I was in quite the right mindset to enjoy this and there are numerous glowing reviews that show this is a book worth exploring.