Reviews

When All is Said by Anne Griffin

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magsisreadingagain's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

mbenzz's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a heavy book, but it was very good. Maurice Hannigan spends one evening in his local raising a toast to the five most important people in his life...his brother Tony, his daughter Molly, his sister-in-law Noreen, his son Kevin, and his wife, Sadie. In doing so, we get the full picture of Maurice's life and why he's chosen to do what he's about to do at the end of the evening.

This story was sweet but mainly very sad. As an Irish farmer born in 1930, men back then didn't express their feelings freely. There are a lot of things in Maurice's life that were left unsaid, and therefore a lot of regrets. He's lonely and grieving and has lost all will to continue on. I understand where he's coming from and why he decided to do what he did, but it's hard to read about, nonetheless.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book, but I'm definitely going to be looking for something on the lighter side for my next read.

kristyc23's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-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

2.5

chloedev's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jansbookcorner's review against another edition

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4.0

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book when I got started. You know early on how it is going to end and it's not "happy ever after" - but I ended up enjoying the story of Maurice's life. I liked the way it was told by introducing people who had been important to him through his recollections. I'm glad I stumbled across this jewel.