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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
A simply good book about a man, his faults, and lessons learned through life, especially about love. It was perfect in its simplicity and perspective.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm sure this is a lovely story, and the audio book narrator is outstanding, but it just wasn't my cup of tea and I lost interest.
Very Irish story. An 80 something year old widower goes to a hotel bar to have 5 drinks and toast the 5 most important people in his life. It’s a tear jerker but Maurice is one of the best developed characters you will ever read.
The first chapter felt rather boring and I couldn't really get into it – to the point that I considered not reading on. The last chapter was very good (but the big surprise wasn't exactly surprising when you got to the beginning of the last chapter). The middle bits were okay, definitely not as boring and uninteresting as the first chapter, and some parts were rather delicately touching (but e.g. [a:Marilynne Robinson|7491|Marilynne Robinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1256021025p2/7491.jpg] in [b:Housekeeping|11741|Housekeeping|Marilynne Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327882949l/11741._SY75_.jpg|1056302] or [b:Gilead|68210|Gilead (Gilead, #1)|Marilynne Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558681761l/68210._SY75_.jpg|2481792] – which is even closer to When All is Said because it is also based on a father talking to a son – could do the same but much better). But like, I have no interest whatsoever in rereading this or ever hearing about it again or whatever. The premise of the book seemed much more interesting & captivating than the actual book, and yes, sadly I am kind of disappointed.
Disappointed that this didn't wow me as much as I was hoping, especially as it seems to be so loved by many of my GR friends and should be exactly my kind of book... Not to say I didn't like it! I did, just why didn't I love it? I'm not so sure, really. Good writing, interesting structure, definitely good characterisation, but it just didn't grab me entirely. May be another case of reading a book at the wrong time? Who knows. As I can't think of much else to say and how to explain my lacklustre feelings over this book, here's one good quote:
These days people are all for talking. Getting things off their chest. Like it’s easy. Men, in particular, get a lot of stick for not pulling their weight in that quarter. And as for Irish men. I’ve news for you, it’s worse as you get older. It’s like we tunnel ourselves deeper into our aloneness. Solving our problems on our own. Men, sitting alone at bars going over and over the same old territory in their heads. Sure, if you were sitting right beside me, son, you’d know none of this. I wouldn’t know where to start. It’s all grand up here in my head but to say it out loud to the world, to a living being? It’s not like we were reared to it.
The author has a way with words that I envy. “My enthusiasm for the books slipped down, away from me, like my fallen knee socks”.
The story is set at a local successful upscale Irish family residence hotel conversion. I enjoyed having the protagonist Maurice Hannigan narrate his life story throughout a single day, to his only living family member son Kevin, who emigrated to the U.S. to pursue and achieve a stellar writing career.
With each toast, Maurice’s life story unfolds like an Indigenous death song. The 5 toasts reveal the stories of the five key family members who shaped and molded Maurice's life including the only surviving immediate family member, son Kevin.
The reader learns of the challenges that Maurice had growing up and growing older. While achieving financial success, Maurice is not one to socialize and holds his emotions in check. This made it difficult for me to warm up to Maurice. I found him to be prickly, self-focused and unwilling to seek help to manage his grief over the tragic losses that he experienced. I did empathize and hoped that he could overcome his grief.
Maurice honours his wife Sadie, daughter Molly, and son Kevin by toasting them each with distinct, fine rare Irish whiskies. A nod to how special they each are to have come into his life. His older brother Tony and sister-in-law Noreen were each toasted with a bottle of stout - a meal in a glass, two very different yet impactful individuals who helped to ground Maurice.
The story is set at a local successful upscale Irish family residence hotel conversion. I enjoyed having the protagonist Maurice Hannigan narrate his life story throughout a single day, to his only living family member son Kevin, who emigrated to the U.S. to pursue and achieve a stellar writing career.
With each toast, Maurice’s life story unfolds like an Indigenous death song. The 5 toasts reveal the stories of the five key family members who shaped and molded Maurice's life including the only surviving immediate family member, son Kevin.
The reader learns of the challenges that Maurice had growing up and growing older. While achieving financial success, Maurice is not one to socialize and holds his emotions in check. This made it difficult for me to warm up to Maurice. I found him to be prickly, self-focused and unwilling to seek help to manage his grief over the tragic losses that he experienced. I did empathize and hoped that he could overcome his grief.
Maurice honours his wife Sadie, daughter Molly, and son Kevin by toasting them each with distinct, fine rare Irish whiskies. A nod to how special they each are to have come into his life. His older brother Tony and sister-in-law Noreen were each toasted with a bottle of stout - a meal in a glass, two very different yet impactful individuals who helped to ground Maurice.
Just an overall heartwarming book....well worth the read