Publication date: December 10, 2018, 2PM CST
Link: https://www.thepagewalker.com/2018/12/book-review-when-all-is-said-by-anne.html

Brilliant!

WHEN ALL IS SAID is achingly beautiful. I can employ all the superlatives, but they will not suffice, I suppose. So, let me try again… Brilliant!

Maurice Hannigan is one solid farmer and family man. Rough on the edges and irascible at times, but appreciates hard work and recognizes a good soul. Tonight though, he’d be sitting alone, raising toasts to people who made his existence significant in distinctive ways, while exploring every nooks and crannies of his life –including his ghosts and regrets.

Anne Griffin’s used the simplest of language, unassumingly raw, but razor-sharp. From the blurb alone, I knew this book will be piercing, although, I was never prepared to bawl over it at two in the morning. With her words, it was not hard to like Maurice and relate to him –all 84 years of him. I felt this old man, like I was there sitting next to him in that bar.

This is one of those books I never wanted to end. It did, nevertheless. It was done, but verberates in echoes and booms. I highly recommend it.

Hi NetGalley. Thanks for the ARC.
I am not against sad books.I am not against books that weave in and out of time and space. However, I am not super thrilled with this one that does both things and has a main character that I am supposed to like, but I simply don't. I don't have to like all lead characters. They can be awful. That is fine. I just feel like he is still an angry 10 year old here even though it seems like his wife was pretty great. Maybe it is because I don't dwell on things I can't control in my life. Some people do, and I get that. This book is most likely for them. The one thing I can say for Maurice is that, at the end of his time, he finally told the truth, maybe. Also, since it is clear the he is dyslexic, not very good with words, how is this story being told? Is a man who left school at age 10 capable of writing all this? Is it is a phone call? I think if he were actually sitting with his son, it could work in a Rime of the Ancient Mariner way. That worked because the old man told his story to someone else who wrote it down. I don't know. I just didn't click with it, but I wanted to.

84 year old Maurice is preparing for goodbye by reflecting back on his life and toasting to 5 people. I commend Griffin on her first novel which was both touching and heartbreaking. Sadly at times, I lost interest as there seemed to be no real climax - the end was fairly predictable from the get-go. I also felt the book jumped back and forth between memories/times a bit too much for my liking within each toast.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

Eighty four year old Maurice Hannigan is ready to say goodbye. All his affairs are in order, property sold, dog given to new owners, money in various accounts for various people, things given away, boxes packed with names of who gets the contents, everything done and sorted so he can enter a nursing home the next day. At least that is where he tells those in the know, that he is going.

There are five people whose memories he want to toast first though. One of the most poignant is the toast to his late brother. The love between Maurice and his older brother Tony, was something most people could only hope to have. Five years older than Maurice, Tony let Maurice know he would always be there to protect Maurice. Maybe reading wasn't Maurice's thing but Tony knew that Maurice would win in life, doing other things just as big or bigger than reading. When people asked Maurice what he wanted to be when he grew up, Maurice said he wanted to be Tony...it was as simple as that, nothing was better than Tony.

That last person Maurice toasted to was his late wife, Sadie, who had died two years earlier. It's Sadie's death that has broken Maurice's heart and spirit and his depression is a bottomless pit. Maurice was always faithful to Sadie, never wanted another woman, but he knows he let her down in ways that he knew he was doing at the time. Stubbornness was always strong in Maurice, he was a stubborn man, set in his ways, always after money even after he had more than enough, despite the fact that Sadie didn't like that he was so intent on earning more money. So they didn't talk about money but at the same time, Sadie knew she could never order tea with her Sunday dinner because Maurice said they could have tea at home, instead. When Sadie rebelled, Maurice realized how much he'd hurt her at times and even then, he still couldn't just let her have her way. These types of things are on Maurice's mind as he makes his toast to her.

Intertwined in these toasts is another story, a mystery, that concerns a once rich family that was not only unkind but cruel to Maurice's family. A young Maurice does something that ends up hurting that family and also Maurice gets his revenge on that family as he slowly buys up all their properties when they hit hard times. His need for revenge is what drives Maurice to keep working for more money, more than they could possibly need, and this urge colors all parts of his life.

I suspected how the book would end and I was right. I felt sad during the entire book and certainly at the end. Depression can take your life while you are still alive and make you do things you might not do if you could see past that depression.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Took me a minute for this book to grab me, but it finally did.

A beautiful life. A beautiful Irish tale. Five toasts to the people who impacted Maurice’s life the most. Who he impacted as well.

An excellent title!
An elderly gentleman living in Ireland sends a recording to his son in the United States from a bar stool, in which he reviews his whole life beginning with his childhood.
Held together by excellent writing, his story becomes a family saga.
There are beautiful memories of a wonderful life with his dear departed wife, and proud ones too of his amazing success as a businessman. But, mostly his heart is filled with sadness and regret at the failures in his personal life; especially with his son.
He lingers in loneliness and depression with no hope of his life becoming better
Throughout the story there are many instances of family values, family loyalty and family sense of responsibility. But, then there are lies, hatred, and revenge with no end in sight.
The setting of Ireland, shows many of their customs and attitudes.
To describe this book in an Irish expression- "Tis Grand"!
You are definitely going to need tissues- so plan ahead!

This is not a book that I would typically read or choose but it seems interesting enough. And I am very glad I did.
This is book is immensely thought provoking. Despite the fact that the protagonist is a regular flawed guy, the emotions and his relationships are eye opening. The books is very conversational, feels like you are sitting with a wise sage and listening to him give you insights on life. This book makes you take pause and look back at your own life. It makes you realize that small insignificant seeming instances can actually shape someone's life!
The ending left me wanting more, maybe an epilogue would have given me a better closure. This is a heart breaking and heart warming book all at once. Good change from the non stop thrillers I have been reading of late!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me this ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review

A tearjerker for certain. A lovely book in many ways. Much food for thought about how outward appearances or your own point of view colors how you see others and their motivations. But, it was meandering and slow at times. Overall, a pick.

Although I enjoyed the premise of this book, I felt that each chapter was a bit too long. The main character, Maurice, takes us back in time as he delivers five toasts to five people who made the largest impact on his life. With his wife deceased and his son married and moved away, Maurice takes to the local bar where everyone knows him as the grumpy old businessman. My favorite story was the first toast to his brother Tony. He told the story of how Tony always protected him and how the sadness of Tony's passing took over the whole family. The book was well written with some very bright characters. 

Thank you to Netgalley, Ann Griffin, and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maurice Hannigan is a man of few words. He prefers being alone, he’s a farmer with great business sense, and feelings just aren’t for him. One evening, he settles down at a bar in his town’s hotel and raises toasts to five people who were the most important characters in his life. Through these toasts, we learn of the man Maurice was and the man he presents himself to be.

Griffin spins a story that, on the surface, seems to be about the five people Maurice is toasting, but really they’re about the man himself. And therein lies the beauty of this novel. This tear-inducing story lays bare every emotion Maurice has felt–joy, love, sadness, compassion–and can make a reader feel real invested in the story.

While the book is short at 330 pages, you need to take your time reading it. It, after all, is the story of 84 years of things left unsaid. Take your time and settle in for the ride.

I was a little thrown off by the ending. You’ll see it coming and yet you wouldn’t want to believe it. But there’s no other way such a poignant story could’ve ended.

Read this book if you like literary fiction, stories about families and their secrets, and character-driven novels.

This book isn't really in my comfort zone and it's not something that I'd normally pick out, but I decided to give it a try nonetheless.

Maurice, our main character, is relieving his life via sharing his memories with us and toasting some significant people in his life. Even though he has trouble sharing his feelings with his loved ones, all of them are put on display in a letter he writes him son, which honestly made me tear up.

I'll be honest and say that I wasn't that crazy for most of this book. Don't get me wrong, there wasn't anything bad or offensive with it, it's just that I wasn't amazed by it. But the final portion of this book is magnificent. As you read on it's pretty easy to predict how everything will end, but it still was very enjoyable to read

Maurice Hannigan sits at the end of a bar in the town near Dublin where he has lived all of his 84 years. He lifts five glasses to those who helped form his character, his life, over that time, and in doing so, tells his story. In the Irish tradition, there are family ties and respect for the land, but none of the famous influence of political upheaval that must have been going on in Greater Ireland at the time. As with Alice MacDermott, Anne Griffin is more interested in the look back interpretation of a life as the final flag approaches. She does this beautifully, nostalgically, and with clear introspection.

Wow! What a beautiful book. This gentle and thought-provoking book captures the story of Maurice, an 80-year-old widow as he sits in a hotel bar and looks back on life. His memories go back to the five people he most cherished and loved. Those cherished people however also provide a backdrop for the struggle and grief he has experienced and lived through. His story creates a rich tapestry of love and loss, pain, and joy. The book creates a quietness and tenderness that is a true gift to the reader. I thoroughly recommend “When All is Said”! I was privileged to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, in exchange for an honest review.

I like this book. It is beautifully written. It is a story about an elderly gentleman, Maurice Hannigan. Maurice spends an evening in a bar thinking about the course of his life and the people with whom he has had the most profound emotional connections. It is a very touching and passionate book with a great story and great characters. I highly recommend this book. I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When All Is Said, is a sad, beautiful novel. I love when books make me feel emotions that I do not always feel. Give When All is Said a read. I don't know if it would become a number one best seller but it is SO good.

Where do I begin? Beautifully and thoughtfully written.....words flow across the pages as a ballerina glides around a stage. Heartfelt tale of love and loss and angst. Questions to be posed..... how do we go on after we are left alone without our spouses? How do we reconcile regrets? How do we impress upon ourselves not to waste precious time and live in the moment? Read this book. It’s beautiful. Anne Griffin, you are a talented writer.

Wow, this book captivated me and had me glued to my kindle until the very end!

Maurice Hannigan, an 84 year old irishman, recounts the 5 people who have have had a profound impact on his life and the events that surrounded their importance to him. This premise is right up my alley and I knew after the first chapter I was “all in”, but boy, I didn’t expect it to pack such an emotional punch! Anne Griffin does a fantastic job with connecting the reader to the storyline — the characters are completely endearing, so much so that even after finishing this novel you are still thinking about them! If you are of fan of Mitch Albom’s Five People You Meet in Heaven, as I am, then this book is a must read! When All Is Said is a 5 star novel that I would love to see made into a motion picture (I have it already picked out the entire cast in my mind lol)! I looked up Anne Griffin to 1-click her prior books and I was shocked to learn this is her debut novel- talk about hitting it out of the park on your first try!!! I am truly looking forward to reading anything Anne comes out with in the future!

This was enjoyable to a point, but it jumped around far too much. It needed to be smoothed out a bit to fully appreciate the emotional intensity and the characters.

I adore this book. It’s like a combination of better versions of A Man Called Ove and The Dinner Party with lots of Irish drinking. Highly recommend.

I received an ARC of When all is said. I’ve never read Anne Griffin before. I found the premise of the story to be thought provoking. In a letter to his son, the main character pays homage to 5 of the most important people in his life. The main character was flawed, but the love he had for his family shown through his hard, gruff exterior. I read the story through his eyes and felt his emotions through the letter he penned. The last chapter was gut wrenching. The abrupt ending was not the conclusion I was expecting. An epilogue would have helped the story resolution. 3.5 stars.

See my review on goodreads.com