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silverintheknight's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
jdrummond's review against another edition
5.0
A beauty of a book that carries so much love, pride, hope, sadness, and life (in all its fullness) in its pages. Best enjoyed with a good whiskey in your hand.
mandarinkata's review against another edition
4.0
Хубава книга. Слабост са ми ирландските автори. Единствено ме отегчи историята за монетата. Както и напоследък се потрисам на подбора на някои автори - историята да се поднася като разказ от първо лице до някого друг, в случаят сина на Морис. И човек остава с усещането че тези хора не се познават, или никога не се прекарвали време заедно.
bethrwitt's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting concept. Written well with a story that comes together relatively neatly. Wish I’d enjoyed it more.
portybelle's review against another edition
5.0
When All Is Said by Anne Griffin is a book which packs an emotional punch.
Over the course of an evening, 84 year old Maurice Hannigan sits in a bar in a local hotel and raises five toasts to five people who were important in his life. Although on his own, he imagines he is telling his son about these five people and through the toasts we learn his life story.
At first I thought it might be a similar concept to Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven but while Albom's main character is surprised by the five people he meets and influenced when he was alive, Maurice knows very well and appreciates the significance of the five people he is raising a toast to. Through his reminiscing we learn about his loves, his regrets, the ghosts of the past, his secrets, his joys and his sorrows.
This book is storytelling at its best. I felt as though I could have been sitting on the bar stool next to Maurice listening to him tell his story. He had a relatively ordinary life perhaps, but Anne Griffin's writing makes it captivating in its telling nonetheless.
I expect that some people will feel a bit conflicted about the ending and of course I'm not going to tell you how it ends. But I would say that I thought the ending was perfect, very poignant yet perfect.
Over the course of an evening, 84 year old Maurice Hannigan sits in a bar in a local hotel and raises five toasts to five people who were important in his life. Although on his own, he imagines he is telling his son about these five people and through the toasts we learn his life story.
At first I thought it might be a similar concept to Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven but while Albom's main character is surprised by the five people he meets and influenced when he was alive, Maurice knows very well and appreciates the significance of the five people he is raising a toast to. Through his reminiscing we learn about his loves, his regrets, the ghosts of the past, his secrets, his joys and his sorrows.
This book is storytelling at its best. I felt as though I could have been sitting on the bar stool next to Maurice listening to him tell his story. He had a relatively ordinary life perhaps, but Anne Griffin's writing makes it captivating in its telling nonetheless.
I expect that some people will feel a bit conflicted about the ending and of course I'm not going to tell you how it ends. But I would say that I thought the ending was perfect, very poignant yet perfect.
nolasis17's review against another edition
3.0
An unassuming, authentic, gentle, and heartbreaking telling of loss, love, and grief.
yerkem's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jbr471's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shortsaga's review against another edition
3.0
"Despite her closed eyes and the anguish of my guilt, I smiled for her, showing her my endless, hopeless, unquestionable love..."
"...unable for the lie of a man I would have to become to make my way into their circle, to be accepted, to belong. But here's the thing, son: I only ever wanted to belong to one person. And she wasn't in that room."
"...unable for the lie of a man I would have to become to make my way into their circle, to be accepted, to belong. But here's the thing, son: I only ever wanted to belong to one person. And she wasn't in that room."