Scan barcode
ciska's review against another edition
4.0
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review*
This book is beautiful. It starts of very confusing with two narrators telling a different part of Baptiste life. The one narrator is Baptise himself. Talking about his life on the boat. How he is experiencing life on his boat. How he falls in love with one of his clients. How he is struggling with giving that a place. The whole situation seems to throw him off his game so much that his whole life is starting to get confusing.
The other story is told by someone close to Baptiste but it is not clear who. It is the future or the now depending how you read the story. It often contradicts things Baptise is saying in his parts of the story making it unclear what is reality and what not. As the story unfolds the stories come together and start to make sense but the reading is slow and it takes a long time for things to become clear.
I did not mind this part though because the story is written very well and there are many things to think about. Friendship and the value of it. Love, being in love, falling out of love. The worth of different relationships. Loosing people, loosing yourself. Parts are heartbreaking.
I liked Baptiste though he seemed to worry a lot for a person that preaches happiness. Eventually it is clear he has a good reason to worry. I did enjoy Sophie a lot too. The way her story is evolving is very interesting. Amandine is one big mystery and this does not change much. Though as with the whole book a lot is written between the lines and you have to read very careful.
This book is beautiful. It starts of very confusing with two narrators telling a different part of Baptiste life. The one narrator is Baptise himself. Talking about his life on the boat. How he is experiencing life on his boat. How he falls in love with one of his clients. How he is struggling with giving that a place. The whole situation seems to throw him off his game so much that his whole life is starting to get confusing.
The other story is told by someone close to Baptiste but it is not clear who. It is the future or the now depending how you read the story. It often contradicts things Baptise is saying in his parts of the story making it unclear what is reality and what not. As the story unfolds the stories come together and start to make sense but the reading is slow and it takes a long time for things to become clear.
I did not mind this part though because the story is written very well and there are many things to think about. Friendship and the value of it. Love, being in love, falling out of love. The worth of different relationships. Loosing people, loosing yourself. Parts are heartbreaking.
I liked Baptiste though he seemed to worry a lot for a person that preaches happiness. Eventually it is clear he has a good reason to worry. I did enjoy Sophie a lot too. The way her story is evolving is very interesting. Amandine is one big mystery and this does not change much. Though as with the whole book a lot is written between the lines and you have to read very careful.
moniquemct's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book for free through NetGalley
You are so beautiful to me, can’t you see…So good. I powered through this book and I loved every beautiful detail. The writing is captivating to say the least and you do have to take it as it comes because it felt very different to me. I thought it explored love and what it is in an interesting and refreshing way. Simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting.
You are so beautiful to me, can’t you see…So good. I powered through this book and I loved every beautiful detail. The writing is captivating to say the least and you do have to take it as it comes because it felt very different to me. I thought it explored love and what it is in an interesting and refreshing way. Simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting.
fionahughes's review
4.0
I loved Claire King's first book & have been looking forward to this one for some time - so was happy to get an ARC from NetGalley. (So I have to 'review' it which I never ever do.)
It took me a while to get into this one, I didn't really know who was narrating which bits and felt slightly unanchored by that. As it all started to fit together, though, it was clear that the initial ambiguity about who was saying what was a deliberate creative move and this makes the second half of the book, when we realise what is going on, all the more powerful.
It's a lovely (but very sad) book and Claire King's prose has a poetic quality to it which is very evocative, I loved the descriptions of the houseboat..
It took me a while to get into this one, I didn't really know who was narrating which bits and felt slightly unanchored by that. As it all started to fit together, though, it was clear that the initial ambiguity about who was saying what was a deliberate creative move and this makes the second half of the book, when we realise what is going on, all the more powerful.
It's a lovely (but very sad) book and Claire King's prose has a poetic quality to it which is very evocative, I loved the descriptions of the houseboat..
whatsheread's review against another edition
Baptiste lives a quiet life. He has his work. He has his houseboat. He has his nightly routine of walking to the local pub for dinner. He has his piano to keep him company. He is a man who stops to smell the roses and definitely does not sweat the small stuff. In fact, many would consider his life idyllic. It takes the entrance of an equally mysterious female client to set him on the path of getting out of his comfort zone and explore the wider world.
Everything Love Is is the story of Baptiste’s entrance into a larger world. He is set in his ways and does not handle crowds well, yet he recognizes wisdom in his friends’ pleas to get involved and meet new people. In many ways, his involvement in Sophie’s politics and his enchantment with his new client are a rebirth for him, as he sheds his old identity, rediscovers just who he is, and finally sets aside the haunting mystery of his mother’s journey before his birth and her death.
What makes Everything Love Is so powerful is the emotional connection you feel with Baptiste. He is a simple man with simple needs, and you get to know him intimately. He is the type of character that brings out your protective nature because he is a gentle giant that harms no one and does not deserve harm in return. His successes become your successes and his losses are equally yours.
Ms. King achieves this astonishing connection with her lyrical writing. Her sentences are highly evocative, enticing all of your senses and placing you into the heartbeat of any scene. You may never experience Toulouse in real life, but Ms. King brings Baptiste’s world to such exacting life that you experience it through her writing. In short, her writing is breathtaking, taking a simple story and making it a masterpiece.
Claire King writes basic stories. They are not exciting or flashy; there is no suspense or plot twist that keeps you guessing. However, her stories are anything but boring or simple. They incorporate the essence of humanity and capture the human experience with emotional precision. Plus, her prose is enough to make you stop and weep. Everything Love Is is a powerful testament to her storytelling skill and well worth the emotional anguish.
Everything Love Is is the story of Baptiste’s entrance into a larger world. He is set in his ways and does not handle crowds well, yet he recognizes wisdom in his friends’ pleas to get involved and meet new people. In many ways, his involvement in Sophie’s politics and his enchantment with his new client are a rebirth for him, as he sheds his old identity, rediscovers just who he is, and finally sets aside the haunting mystery of his mother’s journey before his birth and her death.
What makes Everything Love Is so powerful is the emotional connection you feel with Baptiste. He is a simple man with simple needs, and you get to know him intimately. He is the type of character that brings out your protective nature because he is a gentle giant that harms no one and does not deserve harm in return. His successes become your successes and his losses are equally yours.
Ms. King achieves this astonishing connection with her lyrical writing. Her sentences are highly evocative, enticing all of your senses and placing you into the heartbeat of any scene. You may never experience Toulouse in real life, but Ms. King brings Baptiste’s world to such exacting life that you experience it through her writing. In short, her writing is breathtaking, taking a simple story and making it a masterpiece.
Claire King writes basic stories. They are not exciting or flashy; there is no suspense or plot twist that keeps you guessing. However, her stories are anything but boring or simple. They incorporate the essence of humanity and capture the human experience with emotional precision. Plus, her prose is enough to make you stop and weep. Everything Love Is is a powerful testament to her storytelling skill and well worth the emotional anguish.
juliechristinejohnson's review
4.0
My complete review is available on the Washington Independent Review of Books
balancinghistorybooks's review
3.0
I found this a little disappointing, in all honesty. Review to follow.
More...