When All Is Said

This is the story of one night and, simultaneously, the story of a lifetime. As Maurice Hannigan sits alone in a hotel bar in a small Irish town, we get a snapshot of his life in the thoughts he wishes he could convey to his son, Kevin. In the course of the night, he drinks five toasts to five people who have changed his life, and in thinking about them, we see who he is, who he was, and how he came to be sitting on this stool alone.

The tale is masterfully told by Anne Griffin, a woman who undoubtedly understands the way the world has changed in Ireland over the last 84 years, the span of Maurice’s lifetime. By the end of this novel, I cared very much for the unassuming Mr. Hannigan, who has risen from the depths of Irish poverty to show more hold a position of respect in his town. His losses seemed real, his pain palpable, his devotion admirable. He is a man who knows what it is to love one woman for a lifetime and to miss a brother with his heart.

What I wouldn’t give for just one hour of his company. No need for much conversation at all. Our elbows on the counter. A bottle of stout each in front of us. Half empty glasses. Looking out at the town. Tapping our feet to the music on the radio or laughing over the madness of the world. The company of the trusted, what? Being understood without having to explain and not having to pretend all is fine. Being allowed to be a feckin’ mess.

If you have ever had this relationship and lost it, you know exactly what he is longing for, what he misses, and what he is unlikely to find in any other person he meets. No one else is his brother. And, no one else is his wife. I loved his descriptions of his relationship with her--so warm, so real, so taken for granted.

We had our tough times like everyone else, but through it all I never looked at anyone else. Never desired another. My hands begin to shake when I think over it all, son. Can I, hand on heart, say that I did my best for her?

I am getting up there in age myself, and I know there are many times my husband and I have let each other down, maybe not stepped up when we might have, been too busy to recognize the aches or needs that weren’t clearly spoken, but we’ve always felt the love was there. You know if it is or isn’t. Maurice Hannigan made me think about that.

Yes, I have decided I loved this book. It is tender in just the right way. We can all use a little tenderness, especially now, can’t we? show less

I should probably wait to write this review until after my tears have stopped streaming, but I'm not going to wait because this book is a stunningly told tale and has moved me more than any book I've read in the several months.

Anne Griffin somehow manages to give perfect voice to an 84-year-old Irish codger, still grieving the death of his wife two years ago and taking a good, hard look at his life before he moves out of his home and into the next phase of his life. In each section, Maurice toasts five influential people in his life. He does so with a lot of regret for things unsaid, especially to his son, Kevin, to whom he's sort of dictating his thoughts. Griffin uses these memories to tell the story of Maurice's life - a life like any other with its joys, sorrows, accomplishments, and failures - while conveying the idea that maybe all of us should evaluate our lives and relationships before it becomes too late. Readalikes: Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf; show more A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman show less

Maurice Hanigan, now widowed, and aged 84, sits in a bar and raises a toast, one by one, to the most influential people in his life. We learn about his life, from his spectacularly unsuccessful school career, to his spectacularly successful career as an entrepreneur. We grow to hear about his complicated relationship with the family that first employed him while he was still at school, the Dollards. And his complicated relationship with a unique Edward VIII sovereign, which belonged to the Dollards, and which Maurice - er - found. It has a legacy, and bears a curse. This is an engaging, compassionate man, who's well aware of his failings and of the stereotypes he lives up to. Each toast, each story is a stand-alone which weaves together show more into a narrative of the life of a man both wily and mean, loving and grudging for whom in the end, I felt a great deal of understanding. show less

Could you sum your life up into its five most important people? That’s exactly what Maurice does, bellied up to the bar, on the 2 year anniversary of his wife’s passing. In turns deeply painful and terribly moving, “When All is Said” tells the story of a man, his successes, and his shortcomings. I took my time reading this - partly because it was a heavy book but mostly because Griffin’s writing deserves to be savored like one of Maurice’s whiskey toasts.

If this story had been absolutely awful, I probably would have still listened to the whole thing just for the joy of listening to narrator Niall Buggy's voice. But the story wasn't horrible, it was really quite wonderful and touching. An old man sitting in a bar, a curmudgeon especially to his son, reminisces . He is vengeful and resentful, and I liked him nevertheless. This book touches my heart, both the written words and the narration.

Oh my goodness, what an absolutely breathtaking book; I could honestly have read several hundred more pages of Maurice's story that is so flawlessly written by Anne Griffin. I simply couldn't put it down, despite knowing that I was hurtling towards an inevitably heartbreaking ending.

I initially thought of Maurice as a bit of a grumpy old man; he's a bit like a conker - rather prickly on the outside but with a smooth and polished heart. As Maurice shares his story, by raising a glass to 5 people he has loved throughout his life, we get to know him inside and out. I was actually very surprised to find, as the tears rolled down my face, that Maurice had burrowed his way into my heart, and not just because we share tastes where drinks are show more concerned. So it was with both tears of sadness and joy that I turned the final page and paused to catch my breath, raising my own virtual glass to Maurice.

I am absolutely stunned that When All is Said is Anne Griffin's debut novel. The writing is so vivid and multi-dimensional that I felt as if I was sitting at the bar listening to Maurice's story. As a fan of Irish alcoholic beverages, I do admit to being intrigued to see what drink Maurice would choose next and I was tickled pink that he chose to have a drop of my favourite Irish Whiskey, Bushmills. This is a story I will never forget and every time I have a drop of Guinness or Bushmills I will raise a toast to my old pal Maurice Hannigan.

Anne Griffin is a natural storyteller and I have no doubt that her beautiful and breathtaking debut, When All is Said, is destined to be a worldwide bestseller. I heartily recommend this novel and even if you don't read it with a pint of Guinness or a drop of Bushmills you will still feel as if you're sitting at the bar with Maurice. Sláinte!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less