A review by epiv
When All Is Said by Anne Griffin

4.0

Maurice is a man advanced in his years on earth and ready to make toasts to some of the most influential people in his life. The sorrow of the story is that many of these dear words he says about his loved ones in his final toasts are things he never was able to utter aloud. When All Is Said is magnificent for the sorrowful simplicity of Maurice's story. His life, like many of ours, has been marked with love and loss and mistakes and endearments left unsaid. The novel doesn't need anything flashy because it cuts right to the heart of life moments we can relate to and feel personally. The story unfolds somewhat slowly, but it is easy to grow attached to Maurice and the people in his life as he is charming yet wounded. The chief takeaway is the love the people in your life fully and deeply while they are still a physical presence you can reach out and touch. Don't live life so principled and choked that you regret not having loved and expressed that love more fully in the end.