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stang_gt3 's review for:
When All Is Said
by Anne Griffin
2.5 Stars
My favorite part about this book was the quality of the writing. The fact that I didn't like the main character or his choices doesn't take away from the fact that this is very well written. I struggled to really enjoy large portions of this story because while I felt for everything that Maurice had gone through I was left largely unconnected to him. I found him to be incredibly selfish in his decisions and really didn't understand how anyone liked him all that much let alone figure out what his wife saw in him to be drawn to. All of his tragedies were sympathetic more because of the circumstances than for him as a person. The thing I found most touching was actually his seeing the ghosts of those he lost to early.
The format of this novel was actually quite lovely and I enjoyed the way it was structured. The idea of the toasts and what them meant was interesting. I just wish it had had more impact for him. I think a large portion of my dislike and frustration again comes down to how I felt about Maurice's selfishness. The way everything came together at the end was both expected and felt like a copout. I couldn't help but compare this story 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] and found it severely lacking in comparison. The two stories have similar plots and character types, but where one finds joy and a world still to appreciate, the other still had things going for him, but yet chose to see none of it. I found myself sympathizing the most with Kevin. I hurt for him to find this letter from his father and imagine his reaction could be nothing more than pained.
The concept here was good and interesting, the writing quality itself was lovely as well. I just found myself disconnected from the character and his choices which hurt the story for me overall.
My favorite part about this book was the quality of the writing. The fact that I didn't like the main character or his choices doesn't take away from the fact that this is very well written. I struggled to really enjoy large portions of this story because while I felt for everything that Maurice had gone through I was left largely unconnected to him. I found him to be incredibly selfish in his decisions and really didn't understand how anyone liked him all that much let alone figure out what his wife saw in him to be drawn to. All of his tragedies were sympathetic more because of the circumstances than for him as a person. The thing I found most touching was actually his seeing the ghosts of those he lost to early.
The format of this novel was actually quite lovely and I enjoyed the way it was structured. The idea of the toasts and what them meant was interesting. I just wish it had had more impact for him. I think a large portion of my dislike and frustration again comes down to how I felt about Maurice's selfishness. The way everything came together at the end was both expected and felt like a copout. I couldn't help but compare this story 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] and found it severely lacking in comparison. The two stories have similar plots and character types, but where one finds joy and a world still to appreciate, the other still had things going for him, but yet chose to see none of it. I found myself sympathizing the most with Kevin. I hurt for him to find this letter from his father and imagine his reaction could be nothing more than pained.
The concept here was good and interesting, the writing quality itself was lovely as well. I just found myself disconnected from the character and his choices which hurt the story for me overall.