Customer Reviews

Was It Beautiful?: A Novel

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4 star:		(3)
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The answer to the question posed by the title of this wonderful addition to my library is a resounding `yes!'. That's not the way the title was intended to be taken, of course, but nevertheless...

I first came across Alison McGhee's writing in the form of her acclaimed novel SHADOW BABY - it impressed me so much that I sought out RAINLIGHT, which in no way let me down. When I heard about the release of this, her third novel, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. With this work, anyone thinking that McGhee was a one- or two-hit wonder should be convinced that she's very much for real - and one of the best writers around today.

Like her previous two works, this story is set in the Adirondacks - rural upstate New York, small-town America, complete with its fair share of mildly eccentric characters. The eccentricity of McGhee's creations never gets in the way of the story, as it might in the hands of some writers - her people never become caricatures. She is such a gifted writer that the humorous side of them blends effortlessly with the more serious issues that they face - and, as a result, the inhabitants of her fiction are always completely believable, as real as they could possibly be. They feel joy, they experience uncertainty, and they wrestle with the obstacles life throws their way. In this story, as in her other novels, there are no really `bad' characters - everyone is simply who they are, pure and not-so-simple, and McGhee's portrayal of them in this way accomplishes two things: it allows the reader to more closely identify with the characters, and it keeps the reader from being distracted by a too-easily-seen good-versus-evil set-to. McGhee respects her characters, her story - and her readers - too much to stoop to such techniques, and the result is a treasure of a book.

The `culprit' in this novel is Grief - how to bear it, how to understand it, how to process it, how to lighten its load. The main bearer of grief in this story is one William T. Jones - described by many (and on the jacket flap) as `the happiest man in upstate New York, a self-proclaimed king of the world who laughed loudly and often'. William T. is blessed with a son whom he loves more than anything, a devoted wife, and his best friend Burl, a quiet, reserved man who knows more about those around him - and in a deeper way - than anyone suspects. William T.'s son is William J. - and this is only confusing for a little while - and is blessed with the gift of music, which he manifests by constructing wind chimes, and by his love of listening to his father's friend Burl (who has perfect pitch) sing in his beautiful Welsh tenor voice.

William T.'s world is indeed perfect - until William J. is suddenly and inexplicably stricken with Cogan's syndrome, causing a rapid deterioration of his hearing, to the point of deafness. William J. - and his father and mother - are desperate to understand his condition, and each, in their individual way, devastated by the unfairness of it. William J.'s deafness is followed closely by his death - and it is this greater loss that sets the wheels of William T.'s grief and struggle in motion. He detaches himself so completely from his former life that his wife leaves him as well, compounding his sorrow and confusion.

William T. is not alone, however. He has his faithful feline companion, `Genghis Khan, king of the cats'; his `flock' (a motley crew of feathered foundling holed up in a barn on his property that stands as if by sheer will alone, on the verge of imminent collapse); and, mainly, his friends. Burl, chief among these, is tortured to understand what William T. is feeling, and aching to help him. William J.'s widow, Sophie (William T. muses repeatedly over the question of whether she is still his daughter-in-law), and Crystal (waitress in a local diner) both love the grieving man in their own way, and are eager to help him as well. This `conspiracy' of friends is at first invisible to William T. in his sorrow - but as things begin to fall apart for him, and things begin to happen that he can't explain, he begins to realize that he is, indeed, blessed and loved by those around him.

The journey William T. Jones takes to this revelation is a moving one - and revealing it here is no spoiler, it's hinted at on the jacket flap. The beauty of this book lies in McGhee's narrative and character development skills. Her method of revealing William T.'s thought processes - the book is told in third person, but centers around him, naturally - is utilized with such delicacy and naturalness that I felt privy to his actual thoughts. Additionally, the voices of the individual characters are so perfect that I accepted them right away as intensely real.

In the hands of some writers, returning to the same small hamlet and bringing back several of the same characters from previous books would be hackneyed and clumsy - in McGhee's hands, it's absolutely perfect, and merely adds perspective to the other books. She introduces previously seen characters gently and unhurriedly - it's a definite asset, never a distraction - and does so in such a way that it's not necessary to have read the other two novels in order to appreciate this one. That being said, I can't imagine anyone reading this wonderful book and not wanting to explore the earlier works. If you haven't done so already, you're in for a treat.

I love a book like this. The words move like colored water through the pages. The story unfolds gracefully and the descriptions are gorgeous. The story is simple but the character's emotions are not. The author allows you to enter into this world and for one moment to live in a place where someone you love has died- and the world stops.

I've been a fan of McGhee's soulful writing since I picked up her book Shadow Baby from my local library. In that book, I fell in love with Clara winter, and now I've fallen in love with William T. Jones. McGhee creates a world that my mind never leaves upon finishing her books. It stays with me--a feeling, an image, sometimes a sadness. This is a worth follow-up to Shadow Baby, and I will eagerly await another book from this very talented writer.

This is the third novel from Alison McGhee. Her first two novels (Rainlight, Shadow Baby) were quite exceptional and quickly made McGhee one of my favorite authors. Was It Beautiful? fully deserves to be mentioned with McGhees other novels. It is just as good. The title of the books asks the question: Was It Beautiful? While this is really a question for the protagonist, William T, I believe that the question also fits the novel itself. To answer the question, yes, it was a beautiful novel. Very.

McGhee revisits the Sterns community in the Adirondacks Mountains. We get to see Crystal and Johnny (Rainlight, Shadow Baby) and see a glimpse of Clara and Tamar Winter (Shadow Baby). With these characters appearing, it is easy for McGhee to build the very strong sense of place that we get with Sterns. Some of the locales are back. Crystals diner plays a strong role in this novel, and readers of McGhees work are immediately familiar with this world. This time around, we get the story of William T Jones. Everyone calls him William T. William Ts life used to be pretty good. He had a loving wife, a son, and a job he was proud of. Unfortunately, he didnt get the life he thought he had. His son was hit by a train and died. His wife left him. His job, while he was still proud of it, wasnt as special as it was when his life was still beautiful.

This is how we begin the novel, with a 50 year old man dealing with the grief over his life and his losses. In the hands of a lesser writer, this could be the start for cheap melodrama. In the sure hands of Alison McGhee, we are given a compassionate story about a broken man and how his friends can help begin his healing. We do not have to wonder about the title and if it was beautiful. With a novel by Alison McGhee, we know that it is.

One of the many questions asked in this book is whether there is such a thing as "perfect pitch". Well, to reverse the order, this book is pitch perfect in its writing.

Frankly I was a little scared when I picked it up. The loss of a son just seems like it would be too sad a tale to bear. It is sad, but McGhee manages to convey the deep sadness without overplaying it. There is no melodrama here. The characters are strong and sympathetic. The writing is lyrical.

This was a wonderful book, and Ms. McGhee's first novels are now definitely on my "to read" list this summer.

A depressing story of loss and unbearable sadness. William T. a trucker in the Adirondacks loses his only son William J. to the train in front of his own eyes and cannot get through the days without wondering and questioning himself. His wife leaves him (she cannot take the pain of losing her only child) and he loses his job, his cat is killed and his dreams are torn apart.
A very sad tale of the unbelievable grief that can strike a parent who loses a child; nature is unquestionably mysterious and William T. who thinks of suicide as an only option is barely making it.
This is a story for those who know that life is definitely not all roses and happiness; this is for those who have lived and survived grief.
I can only recommend it to people who can take a very sad story without cracking up or putting the book down; this is a story you won't forget it strikes you with all the sadness, the frustration, and the impossible sorrow of those who live from their memories..... Those who can take grief should read this book.

"Was It Beautiful?" is set in the picturesque Adirondack Mountains and explores one man's struggle with several heartbreaking losses. The novel centers on William T. Jones, a middle-aged dairy-office employee who has everything he wants: a loving wife and son, a good job and an old family farmhouse stocked with animals including his elder eccentric cat, Genghis. The novel's preface foreshadows the downward spiral of Jones' life by quoting from the Holy Bible's Job, "Oh that I were as in month's past, as in the days when God preserved me."

Alison McGhee's writing style is simple, yet effective; her writing enables the reader to live within Jones' thoughts and empathize with his psychological pain. However, the novel roams in depressive terrain so often that you begin to ache for something uplifting to happen. At one point Jones visits with his just separated wife and thinks, "Eliza. Come home. I'll keep the house warm for you. I'll stoke the woodstove as high as it'll go." But Jones says nothing to her; it is this helpless attitude that envelops the novel like a suffocating blanket. McGhee does not accord the reader a breather and for this reason the novel becomes frustrating to read - the sad tempo is so over-the-top that one begins to feel numb like Jones.

Page after page Jones is "dying from the inside out," like the giant maple trees lining his driveway, as he focuses only on a warm and irretrievable past. Before midway through the novel you may want to place a self-help book into Jones' hands or take him to the nearest therapy session because his coping skills are non-existent. It is not until Jones winds up in the hospital that he begins to open his eyes and appreciate what he still has. Redemption seems to flicker on the horizon towards the end of the novel for Jones, but for some readers it may be too late to save this novel.

Bohdan Kot

The story was slow and not very interesting in the beginning two-thirds of the book. I kept waiting for something more to happen. It ended with an attempt to make you contemplate life's greatest mysteries. Overall, this was a good read.

WAS IT BEAUTIFUL?

Yes,this was a beautiful book. Anyone who has ever lost anyone they love should read this book. When you loose someone you love, you feel so alone in the world. You feel as if you are the only person who is suffering and sad and alone. Yet, you are not, you are not.

This book is another winner by Alison McGhee. I love her writing, her style, her wisdom and her slick little way of bringing former characters from previous books into the story line. She is quite the gifted author.

We meet William T. Jones who has lost his son, William J. Did William J. commit suicide or was his death an accident? William T. deals with this anguish every day of his life. His friends worry about him constantly. The book tells the story of how William T. tries to deal with his son's death and it is quite moving. When someone you love is taken from you, your mental state is so fragile. This book explores that through William T. The book tells such a good story of William T. going through his daily life and living without William J.

Read this book. It is not depressing, it is not sad. The characters are wonderful and kind. They are all touched by the death and the aftermath of the death of William J. They all try to be there for William T. William T. is quite the guy, has a great sense of humor, tries to just make it through each day, and manages to do so with grace, humor, and just because he has to make it.

One phrase hit home for me -- "He's everywhere I go," ..... "I can't get away from him. I can't go anywhere where William J. isn't, but he isn't anywhere." Wow, that sentence sums up everything you feel when you are missing someone dear to your heart. Wow.

Read this book. Then read the rest of Ms. McGhee's books. You are in for a treat and will be glad you discovered her writing.

Thank you!
Pam

WAS IT BEAUTIFUL? is the story of William T. Jones' unbearable grief at the loss of his son, and how the people in his small town watch over him to help keep him from slipping into a gaping hole of madness. Though the story that unravels here is profoundly sad, the way the people in William T's life come to his aid is just as profoundly uplifting. This story gives new meaning to the saying 'You reap what you sow.'

The book jacket says this "...is a tender portrayal of loss and renewal at midlife." That's exactly what this book is about, and McGhee delivers here on every level. McGhee's deft writing, spare prose, and a willingness to let her characters wander where they must make this book not only deeply moving, but truly inspiring.

I absolutely loved this book.