Customer Reviews

The All of It

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The readers who give this book five (and four) stars have the correct take. Indeed, counting the four other people I know personally who have read the book and delighted in it, the total rating for my entry should be 25 stars. The books I've read that come closest to this one in terms of capturing the psychological atmosphere of the protagonists are Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day" and Bausch's "The Last Good Time," although otherwise they have little substantively in common. How a reader could stop after one third of the book and know that the ending was predictable is paradoxical, to say the least. Similarly, to complain that the ending is not lurid enough surely misses the mark. As for its alleged boringness, with what is it being compared -- a James Bond film? Instead, this is a movingly told tale, with exquisitely gentle language, and two characters whose ordinary and not-so-ordinary lives intersect in a moment of revelation that has its own truth simply because of the author's tenderness in handling the plot. This slender novel is an unusual, touching accomplishment that is not soon forgotten.

It's clear that those who commented on this book either absolutely loved it or absolutely hated it. Those who loved it describe it with such words as "touching", "lyrical" and "beautiful". Those who hate it say it is "boring" and "lacking in suspense".

This should tell you that whether or not you will like this book depends solely on what you like in books. I agree that there isn't much in the way of suspense. That's not the kind of book it is. Its purpose was more to touch the heart in the way great works of art do. In that, it succeeds. I read "The All of It" three years ago and my memory of it now is more in the emotions it engendered and not in the details of the story.

What are you in the mood for? Adventure? Look elsewhere. A look at what is inside people's hearts? You've come to the right place.

While starting to read the book, I wasn't sure that it would do anything for me, in terms of touching me emotionally. After 6 hours, and having completed the book, all I can say is-"WOW! " The book was short but really to the point. Reading it transported me to Ireland into the room where Edna is telling Father Declan the story of her and her "husband". The psychological effect is really phenominal and it is truly artistic the way Jeannette Haien jumps from Father's conversations with Edna and his fishing trip. All the human emotion of the characters and their story has touched my heart and I hope that more people will read this book so that it can touch theirs.

This book was recommended to me by a person whose views of literature I respect greatly. He gave me a great gift in introducing me to this powerful little book. I literally could not put it down. I was raised Irish and have visited Ireland many times. This story captures the beauty, tragedy, and intensity, as well as the sometimes breathtaking acceptance of love and pain which marks so many of the Irish. I will read this again and again.

This is a treasure book...not to be loved by all, but by a few who love humanity. The tender mercies clearly detailed in this book will strike the souls of those who know they could falter along life's road. It is lyrical and simple...beautifully told. I read it several years ago and forgot the title. Tonight I ran into a friend in a bookstore who was looking for it and was delighted to have, at last, found the title again. This is a book to keep and return to when you are sure your sins will never be forgiven, and to learn,at the end of the day,that they will.

The book was a sweet deep reminder that there is so much more to us all than meets the eye. It reminded me too, that how we see ourselves can be changed when we are least prepared for transformation. Two hours very well spent!

Witty, thought-provoking, and brilliantly written, it was one of only 2 novels listed on the "Best 10 List" by all members of the Buckhead Bibliophiles at its 25th-year anniversary. (The other was William Maxwell's "Time Will Darken It.") It's worth reading for the surprising plot alone, but at the heart of this story is the question one keeps asking long after the book is closed: What makes a moral life?

A simple little book, with a compelling story, it might take a reader a bit of patience to get into the Irishness of it...patience well-rewarded.

The book title becomes clear early in the story and its significance is full of charm and humanity; I find myself using it frequently in conversations.

The story brings us to a revelation which satisfies...and then haunts the reader with its 'lesson'.... This is a wonderful example of how a story well-told reveals the reader to himself, in a way that didactic study cannot.

For me, this book is a secret that I like to share with others, when the moment is right. More than a secret, it's a treasure to discover and share.

You'll either love this book, or you won't like it at all, at all. It's just that kind of story.
Put me down as having loved it. And it's short, but it's not a book to be gobbled up too quickly. Take your time.
A well-liked man in a small Irish town has died, and his deathbed confession has hurled the village priest, Father Declan, into a moral dilemma. Turns out Enda and Kevin Dennehy lived a lie for 50 years by pretending to be married. Kevin refuses to marry her at the end, and also refuses to say why. So it's left to Enda to tell Father Declan "the all of it," and tell it all she does. It leaves you pondering the question: What makes a moral life?
Don't miss this one - in fact, buy two and give one as a gift to some thoughtful reading friend.

It was a little book by an uknown author; I took a chance because the description was intriguing.I began to read and the voice drew me in. As I read I fell in love with the characters, the village and the author. The All Of It is a joyous gift.