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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Very lovely. Highly recommend. The scope of a life told with specific, engaging incidents and stories
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
I fell in love with Maurice’s story of his life. I laughed, smiled, and cried. Wow! The audio version was fantastic.
I sat in my car in 12 degree cold, and just sobbed as I listened to this. Crotchety, grumpy, adorable old man toasts five people as he remembers his life. A great read alike to [b:A Man Called Ove|18774964|A Man Called Ove|Fredrik Backman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405259930l/18774964._SY75_.jpg|21619954], [b:The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy|20890479|The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy (Harold Fry, #2)|Rachel Joyce|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403202599l/20890479._SY75_.jpg|39861474], and [b:The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|13227454|The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Harold Fry, #1)|Rachel Joyce|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1335816092l/13227454._SY75_.jpg|18156927]). 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. You can find my original review =here.
Maurice Hannigan is a man of few words. He prefers being alone, he’s a farmer with great business sense, and feelings just aren’t for him. One evening, he settles down at a bar in his town’s hotel and raises toasts to five people who were the most important characters in his life. Through these toasts, we learn of the man Maurice was and the man he presents himself to be.
Griffin spins a story that, on the surface, seems to be about the five people Maurice is toasting, but really they’re about the man himself. And therein lies the beauty of this novel. This tear-inducing story lays bare every emotion Maurice has felt–joy, love, sadness, compassion–and can make a reader feel real invested in the story.
While the book is short at 330 pages, you need to take your time reading it. It, after all, is the story of 84 years of things left unsaid. Take your time and settle in for the ride.
I was a little thrown off by the ending. You’ll see it coming and yet you wouldn’t want to believe it. Read this book if you like literary fiction, stories about families and their secrets, and character-driven novels.
Maurice Hannigan is a man of few words. He prefers being alone, he’s a farmer with great business sense, and feelings just aren’t for him. One evening, he settles down at a bar in his town’s hotel and raises toasts to five people who were the most important characters in his life. Through these toasts, we learn of the man Maurice was and the man he presents himself to be.
Griffin spins a story that, on the surface, seems to be about the five people Maurice is toasting, but really they’re about the man himself. And therein lies the beauty of this novel. This tear-inducing story lays bare every emotion Maurice has felt–joy, love, sadness, compassion–and can make a reader feel real invested in the story.
While the book is short at 330 pages, you need to take your time reading it. It, after all, is the story of 84 years of things left unsaid. Take your time and settle in for the ride.
I was a little thrown off by the ending. You’ll see it coming and yet you wouldn’t want to believe it. Read this book if you like literary fiction, stories about families and their secrets, and character-driven novels.
Wow! This book is a heartbreaking story of a man at the end of his life called Maurice who is sat alone in a bar toasting the people who have shopped his life over the years. The love and pain that has made him the man he is and brought him to this hotel bar on this night. This book made me cry and smile in equal measure. It is a breathtakingly beautiful read and I don’t normally say that.
3.5 stars. Loved the life stories but after about 3/4 of each 'toast' I was done with the chapter. I hate when I read all the 4-5 stars and I don't have the same experience...but a lovely story and lovely writing...just didn't hold my interest as I'd hoped!
I did not hate this book, but I did not get much out of it either. It lacked authenticity and felt derivative to me. I was drawn to the premise of toasting to the people that shape one's life, but the story did not capture me at this point in my own.