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When All is Said

Anne Griffin (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 28,329 ratings · 3,524 reviews

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the ...more

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Paperback, 272 pages

Published June 27th 2019 by Sceptre (first published January 24th 2019)

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Jan 10, 2019 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-lit, 2019, arc

"I'm here to remember - all that I have been and all that I will never be again."

When All Is Said tells the life story of Maurice Hannigan. Now an elderly man, he sits alone in the bar of the Rainford House Hotel. Over the course of one evening, he raises toasts to five different people as he recounts the story of his life up until that moment. Like all lives, Maurice's has moments of pure happiness, moments of darkness and misery, mistakes made and things left unsaid. I think perhaps the qu ...more

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Mar 03, 2019 Angela M rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

There are 5 star books and then there are five star books with a story that make me wish I could give more stars. This is one of them. There are debut novels and then there are debut novels which after I’ve finished reading, have me thinking, wow what a debut and hoping that the author is working on her next book. This is one of them.

I don’t drink much beer, let alone one “not from the fridge” and certainly not stout. I don’t like whiskey at all, but I wanted to be sitting at this bar in Irelan ...more

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Dec 22, 2018 Paromjit rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, family-drama, netgalley

This is an exceptional, undeniably Irish, debut from Anne Griffin, the prose is effortlessly engaging and it is simultaneously heartbreaking and life affirming as we get intimately acquainted with the life and times of 84 year old Maurice Hannigan. Hannigan has packed up his life, leaving no loose threads prior to booking the most exclusive suite at the Rainsford House Hotel. Early on, we cotton on to how the night will end, but before that, Maurice settles in for an evening at the hotel bar to This is an exceptional, undeniably Irish, debut from Anne Griffin, the prose is effortlessly engaging and it is simultaneously heartbreaking and life affirming as we get intimately acquainted with the life and times of 84 year old Maurice Hannigan. Hannigan has packed up his life, leaving no loose threads prior to booking the most exclusive suite at the Rainsford House Hotel. Early on, we cotton on to how the night will end, but before that, Maurice settles in for an evening at the hotel bar to raise a toast for the five most important loves of his life. They are Tony, his brother, Molly, his daughter, Noreen or Auntie No-no, his son, Kevin, who emigrated to New Jersey, USA, becoming a notable journalist, and lastly, but of the most vital importance, his wife, Sadie.

As Maurice reminisces, we become aware of just how close his bond with Tony is, of how school became a tortuous experience as he became convinced of just how stupid he is. He leaves at 10 years old to work, like his mother, for the local rich family, the Dollards, where he undergoes a plethora of the most unhappiest of experiences that are to leave him scarred for life and shape him to be the most unforgiving of men. The scales shift as through the years the Dollard fortunes drop substantially whilst Maurice becomes a astute entrepreneurial farmer, buying up the land around his farm, becoming financially secure and wealthy. He falls for Sadie hook, line and sinker, and to his surprise and joy, she returns his love. Sadie's sister, Noreen, is fiercely drawn to the sparkle, and she will go to any lengths to acquire it when she sees it, not afraid of making a fuss in public. Kevin makes a ritual of providing his father with rare whiskies. To Maurice's eternal regret, he has not been an expressive man, he has never been able to articulate the depth of his love to those nearest and dearest. It becomes transparently clear that loneliness has seeped into Maurice's heart and soul.

Anne Griffin has written a touchingly profound and moving novel, of the oh so very human Maurice, his joys and tragedies, the ghosts who have been there in his life, and his concerns that the one ghost he really wants to see has proved to be elusive. Maurice is a character you cannot help but get emotionally invested in, despite his obsession for business and making money, which, of course, left him open to missing the opportunities to be with his loved ones when they may have needed him. This novel hones in what is important in life, family, friends and love. Maurice is not infallible, he had a drive for vengeance, not always aware of the consequences of his actions but I loved and adored him. This is a brilliantly enthralling story of Maurice, of his dyslexia, his family, heartbreak, and the Ireland he lives through. Hugely recommended. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC. ...more

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Mar 08, 2019 Meredith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

A subtly beautiful story that celebrates life, loss, and, most significantly, love.

“I’m here to remember -- all that I have been and all that I will never be again.”

One night in Meath, Ireland at a hotel 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan makes five toasts to five people. In doing so, he recounts those who have shaped his life in the most important ways. His tribute to these five individuals reveals his accomplishments, regrets, and unwavering love for his friends, family, and his wife, Sadie.

This i ...more

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Nov 24, 2018 MarilynW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

***Trigger warning at end of post***

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 ***Trigger warning at end of post***

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.

The 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.

***This is a spoiler but I want to include this trigger warning (it does not take away from the important messages in this story but it can be upsetting).

(view spoiler)

Published January 24th 2019

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

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Oct 02, 2018 Katie B rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, read-in-2018, ireland, fiction, giveaways, favorites

This is a perfect example of a book I didn't want to end. I just fell in love with the main character to the point that by the end of the story I felt like he was an old friend. Maybe this book isn't going to be special for everyone, but I found it to be incredibly touching and brilliant.

84-year-old Maurice Hannigan takes a seat at a hotel bar in a small Irish town. Before the night is over, he will toast 5 people who made an impact in his life.

The thing I kept thinking about while reading is ...more

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Mar 04, 2019 Diane S ☔ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

An unforgettable first novel. A quissessentially Irish novel, filled with melancholy and angst, with some great storytelling. Maurice is 84, his beloved wife Sadie gone now for two years. His only child, a son lives in America with his family. He now sits at a bar in a restaurant, intending to toast the five individuals who had the greatest impact on his life. He has reserved the VIP suite for the night. The bar where he sits, the hotel he is in, had once been the house of the wealthiest family ...more

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Feb 02, 2019 Dem rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: irish-history-fiction, favorites, recommended

Delighted to see this novel nominated in the 11th Annual Goodreads’s choice awards as When All Is Said is a terrific debut novel that really deserves all the attention it’s getting. I am lucky to be attending A reading by Anne Griffin today and am looking forward to meeting this wonderful author.

This is my second reading of this novel in a few months as it was chosen as our April sit in book club read and what a lovely re-read this book was. I started out listening to this one on Audio but the Delighted to see this novel nominated in the 11th Annual Goodreads’s choice awards as When All Is Said is a terrific debut novel that really deserves all the attention it’s getting. I am lucky to be attending A reading by Anne Griffin today and am looking forward to meeting this wonderful author.

This is my second reading of this novel in a few months as it was chosen as our April sit in book club read and what a lovely re-read this book was. I started out listening to this one on Audio but the narrator doesn’t do this one justice and was so glad to have my paperback copy to hand as this is one that NEEDS to be read as you need to get a voice and vision of the 84 year old Maurice in your head. Beg, borrow or Steal a copy of this wonderful novel as its such a compelling read. <\b>

I absolutely hated having to step down from that Bar Stool by the end of this Novel, but I dont want to over stay my welcome as there are many customers awaiting that stool so they can take a turn getting to know Maurice and his life story .
A thought provoking and captivating novel that will quite likely break your heart. I adored it. This is a debut novel by Anne Griffen, and I can see why this lady has won the John McGahern award and short listed for the Hennessy award as her imagination and confidence as a writer really comes to light in this wonderful novel. This lady is not just a great writer but also a great storyteller<\b> .

A terrific sense of time and place spanning from Ireland of the 1930s to the present day. At the heart of this story is a strong man who struggles with expressing emotion, a man who fiercely protects his memory and his past and whose secrets come back to haunt him. Moving and beautifully written, Anne Griffin captures the Irishiness of the Irish without being over dramatic or twee and writes a pure and simple back to basics story which in my opinion is on a par with John Boyne and Maeve Binchy and Sebastian Barry.

I was drawn to this book solely by its cover as I browsed in a local bookshop, The image on the cover has a wooden bar stool, and the words, Five Toasts, Five People, One lifetime. I didn't even need to read the back cover as straight away Ann Griffin had caught my attention. The best characters and the best stories can be found by sitting up on a high stool beside an elderly man in a bar in any small town in Ireland.

"84 year old Maurice Hannigan sits alone at the bar in the only hotel in a small Irish town. Pull up a stool and charge your glass because Maurice is finally ready to tell his life story to you, five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him." A story full of emotion, it made me laugh and cry and I can't wait to see what Anne Griffin writes next.

Maurice was a very typical Irish man of his time with his his thoughts and opinions , set in his ways, a man with a large chip on his shoulder and a man who wont be bowing to anyone. I found so much of my own father in this man, not in the story but in his sayings, his love of the land, and his family his companionship with his dog, you often wondered if that dog could talk what he could reveal of this quiet and lonely man, the pride of family and hard work ethic and the want to succeed and be succeeded, I have fallen in love with a couple of characters in the past year Gus Lonesome Dove and Eleanor OliphantEleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and now I can quite happily add Maurice band of characters.
Stories like this need to be read and savoured as there is an honestly about this story of Maurice that we seldom find in fiction. I think many readers will get this one.

This book would make a terrific book club read as lots to discuss here and I would love to see this story turned into a stage play as it is just made for an audience to enjoy. ...more

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Mar 13, 2019 Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Christine by: Diane review 5

Shelves: irish, contemporary-fiction, net-galley, ebooks

4.5 rounded to 5 stars

Gosh, I must have been under a rock for years ignorant of the high quality Irish fiction that I am gradually discovering. Maeve Binchy, Patricia Gibney, Tana French, John Boyne, and now newcomer Anne Griffin are some of the wonderful Irish authors I have been delighted to come across since joining Goodreads five years ago.

This book is shockingly a debut as a honey of a gem it is! It features Maurice, an 84-year-old Irish farmer, who has lost nearly everything and everyone ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

‘there was a love, but of the irish kind, reserved and embarrassed by its own humanity.’

this tenderly told and humbly crafted story has me falling in love with the irish culture and people all over again.

this is a story of love and loss, of beginnings and endings, of happiness and grief, of remembering and forgetting. it is a story of life and how beautifully painful it can be.

my heart is so full.

↠ 4.5 stars

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Feb 02, 2019 Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am becoming a huge fan of Irish stories and authors!

I loved 84 year old Maurice, who has lost his beloved wife 2 yrs ago, and isn’t doing well without her.
He plans a memorable night at a hotel bar that holds a personal history...and through the course of the night makes narrative toasts with a fine whiskey to five people, this followed by a stay in the honeymoon suite at the same hotel.
At each toast during this night, we find out the history of Maurice and the significance of each of these fiv ...more

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Feb 20, 2019 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, netgalley, kindle, read-2019, published-2019, 2019-super-favorites

What a grand Irish tale and well done debut! I truly wanted to start at the beginning and read it again!

Encouraged....Supported....and I'm guessing Inspired by John Boyne, Anne Griffin has given me my first SUPER FAVORITE of 2019.

Let's start with.....the home, nursing home, that is...."What poor widow or widower living alone out there hasn't dreaded its arrival."

Next.....meet Mr. Maurice Hannigan nicknamed 'Big Man' by his beloved older brother, and get ready to travel through his tumultuous

...more

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Jun 05, 2019 Beata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read several emotional reviews of When All Is Said, and now I can say that 'Yes, you were all right.' A most moving tale by an elderly man who recalls precious moments of his life. The first person narration sounds like nothing extraordinary, however, oh boy, Maurice knows how to tell a story. The more time we spend with him at the bar, having five drinks, the more is masterfully unravelled. A powerful novel that did not leave me indifferent. ...more

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May 17, 2019 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-literary, european-literature

"I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will ever be again."

There’s something about reading an Irish novel that always feels a bit sad to me. Irish novelists really understand love and loss, or perhaps they are just super skillful about expressing it in words. Another thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of books out there right now that seem to focus on the condition of loneliness. It seems to be quite pervasive in the current world of disconnection with other indivi "I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will ever be again."

There’s something about reading an Irish novel that always feels a bit sad to me. Irish novelists really understand love and loss, or perhaps they are just super skillful about expressing it in words. Another thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of books out there right now that seem to focus on the condition of loneliness. It seems to be quite pervasive in the current world of disconnection with other individuals while at the same time we have the ability to be hyper-connected on a technological level. It’s quite distressing to think about, but something we should consider more. What can be done about it, especially when we are dealing with the elderly, who have perhaps gotten lost in this onslaught of technology? I’m not saying that these individuals don’t have technical abilities, but there are likely a very large number of the aged that simply do not have devices at their fingertips every single minute of every day. Some may choose not to be so ‘wired’. While their younger counterparts are seemingly always plugged in, the older generation seems to be more and more neglected as a result. I could be wrong, but that’s the message I’m getting. But enough with my ramblings… what about this book?

When All Is Said is a fictional novel, but feels like a memoir of sorts. Maurice Hannigan is eighty-four years old and has decided to make five toasts to five individuals that have left an indelible mark on his life. Those that have meant the most to him are introduced to us in this very personal way through his musings. Like most of us, Maurice has his regrets in life and makes his apologies with a special drink in hand – sometimes a bottle of stout, sometimes a glass of expensive whiskey. This method rather appealed to me, even if it did force me to jump a bit from one memory to the next. It felt rather like a special heart-to-heart with a loved one sharing his stories rather than a timeline of events told to us through a systematic plot. Naturally, Maurice has suffered loss in his life, and these moments of reflection were particularly poignant and will undoubtedly resonate with anyone that has experienced a loss themselves.

"No one, no one really knows the loss until it’s someone you love. The deep-down kind of love that holds on to your bones and digs itself right in under your fingernails, as hard to budge as the years of compacted earth. And when it’s gone… it’s as if it’s been ripped from you. Raw and exposed, you stand dripping blood all over the good feckin’ carpet."

I thought this was very well written, unadorned but with smooth and affecting prose. There’s nothing expressed that is immensely profound and yet you can’t help but think about Maurice and all the other lonesome souls out there. You really can’t look at someone at face value and truly know what they are going through. Anne Griffin’s debut novel is well worth the read. I look forward to seeing what she has to offer us next.

"Loneliness, that fecker again, wreaking his havoc on us mortals. It’s worse than any disease, gnawing away at our bones as we sleep, plaguing our minds when awake." ...more

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Apr 11, 2019 Jen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-favourites

An old man walks into a bar and sits down for the last time. He’s come to toast 5 people who have had the most impact on his life.
Tony, his beloved uncle, always supportive and giving him courage.
Molly, the ghost of a daughter, who becomes his voice and conscience* for what is right and wrong.
Doreen the beloved sister in law whose acceptance won him a place with his in-laws.
Kevin, the journalist and son, who he was very proud of but couldn’t express it.
And Sadie, the love of his life.
A reflecti ...more

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Mar 12, 2019 Larry H rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Imagine you're on travel by yourself and you decide to spend an evening at a local pub. You're seated at the bar and one of the bar's patrons starts speaking—partially to you and partially to himself.

With nothing else to do, you listen to the man tell his stories. At first you're not sure what to make of it all, but little by little, you find yourself fairly engrossed in what he has to say. Sometimes his conversation is entertaining, sometimes it meanders a little too much, ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Charlotte May rated it really liked it

Shelves: tear-jerker, contemporary-recent, romance

All of the feels 😭😭

"I'm here to remember - all that I have been and all that I will never be again."

Well, this book came for my heart and honestly I was not expecting it!

Maurice Hannigan has lived a long life, he now sits in the bar of the only hotel in town to raise 5 toasts to 5 people who have impacted his life in some way.
I expected this to be slightly reminiscent of The Five People You Meet in Heaven but it had its differences and honestly I'm glad. I love The Five People You Meet in Heav ...more

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Feb 14, 2019 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“Five toasts, five people, five memories”.

Maurice Hannigan is 84 years old... sitting in the bar of the Rainsford Hotel in Ireland on a Saturday night in June. The hotel is part of Maurice’s history and his memories.
He planned his Saturday night.....had a clear purpose.....
a toast to his brother, daughter, son, sister-in-law, and wife ( who died two years ago).

I love the idea and significance of this book.
Maurice may have picked only 5 people to toast who have shaped his life but he also ...more

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Apr 30, 2019 Brandice rated it it was ok · review of another edition

When All Is Said is the story of 84 year old Maurice, who, one night in a hotel bar, makes a toast to five people who had an immeasurable impact on his life. The five people include: his brother, his sister-in-law, his daughter, his son, and his wife.

Maurice is stubborn man, though he is aware of his behavior and often acknowledges it. He has some regrets and is apologetic about them. In addition, he has endured his fair share of tragedy. As the story progresses, it becomes clear Maurice loves ...more

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Jun 01, 2019 Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: huggable-books, recent-favorites

I loved everything about Maurice’s story, and reading it was a personally resonant experience. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Before I even knew exactly what I was reading, who Maurice was, and what type of story he was telling me, he felt familiar. I connected instantly to him on a deeply resonant level, and that made the book for me.

I had to read When All Is Said in bits and chunks because it felt so personal. I thought of my grandparents and how they must have reflected on their lives. I thought of my late I loved everything about Maurice’s story, and reading it was a personally resonant experience. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Before I even knew exactly what I was reading, who Maurice was, and what type of story he was telling me, he felt familiar. I connected instantly to him on a deeply resonant level, and that made the book for me.

I had to read When All Is Said in bits and chunks because it felt so personal. I thought of my grandparents and how they must have reflected on their lives. I thought of my late beloved great aunts who have recently passed away and led full, meaningful, big love kinds of lives. I thought of my aging parents and how they have a full lifetime on which to reflect, as unfortunately, their ailments seem to add and never take away, much as Maurice’s do. The connection was to one family member in particular, and in these pages I found both pain and comfort.

Maurice’s story could be any of our stories. He puts his life out there in an open and upfront way. He easily could tell us only the highs, but he carefully and thoughtfully revisits the lows; some with regret and others with firm resolve. He is as complex as they come, but as I felt his heart, I had to keep reminding myself that this is Maurice’s story, and not one of my relatives. I was that connected.

I read many pages through tears, and sometimes my sadness was overbearing, but again, I know my personal connection played a part. In some ways this book was therapeutic for me, having me think about this reflection on life.

In a nutshell, When All Is Said is a beautifully-told story of Maurice’s life as he tells it. He is toasting those most impactful in his life and telling us their importance to him. He has regrets, but he has so many moments in which he shines, and I am not certain he knows that because he’s so humble.

I usually do my brief synopsis first, but instead I addressed how When All Is Said made me feel. Honestly, I’m crying now as I write this review, and that’s unusual for me. I know not everyone will have the intense connection I did to the subject matter, but if you do, wow. My words are at a loss here other than to suggest you read the book.

I want to sincerely thank Anne Griffin for Maurice’s story.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com ...more

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Nov 23, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-read-list

One Saturday night on June, 2014, a 84 year old charming Irish man named Maurice Hannigan takes his spot in the bar and starting from 6 pm to midnight, he meets with five different people who means a lot to him to express his feelings to them how they changed him and his life and how he truly loves them.

As a grumpy, reserved old man who has his quirks, absurd antics reminded me of Frederick Bachman’s Ove and my own father (that’s why a several times I had some cry breaks because I felt like he One Saturday night on June, 2014, a 84 year old charming Irish man named Maurice Hannigan takes his spot in the bar and starting from 6 pm to midnight, he meets with five different people who means a lot to him to express his feelings to them how they changed him and his life and how he truly loves them.

As a grumpy, reserved old man who has his quirks, absurd antics reminded me of Frederick Bachman’s Ove and my own father (that’s why a several times I had some cry breaks because I felt like he was watching me from the clouds as he kept saying his signature quote: “Stop so much reading! Go outside and get some fresh air and have mercy for your eyes!”, yes, I got more fresh air, walking outside but taking my book in my bag to read as I sit on the grass. I hope it counts! I love you dad! Please don’t be angry of me!)

With the participation of those special guests, we start to catch different glimpses and varied looks to the different time zoned parts of Maurice. We learn that he suffered from dyslexia which forced him to work in the farm under a very irritating, punch deserving, ashol-ish employer. And we move back the other parts that he fell in love, married, had his kids. As we know more about him, we start to empathize his decisions, his mistakes, his faults and we start to root for him more.

There are too many heavy stuffs we need to face during our read starting from grief, abuse and of course suicide. It is a little depressing, sad, but true, honest, poignant, tear jerker, effective and amazingly developed, wonderful story.
Keep your napkins close to you because even a cold hearted person cannot survive after witnessing this remarkable man’s beautiful, realistic, heart-wrenching story.

I think it was one of my favorite but also heavy and struggling read for me. I know how it will make me feel so I procrastinated to start it several times. But eventually I get my hands on it and I’m sadly happy to finish it. Some part of my heart is still in pain. So is it worth it ? Absolutely! ...more

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Mar 03, 2019 Esil rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, d-a-buddy-reads

First 5 star novel of 2019!

Anne Griffin is amazingly talented. She had me sitting in the bar with Maurice, listening to him make a toast at 84 years old to each of his five favourite people. Maurice had me laughing, crying, getting angry — including at him more than a few times — and shaking my head. Maurice grew up in a village near Dublin, and he never left. But he managed to get out of the poverty of his childhood, marry Sadie, have his son Kevin, and amass more than a few grudges and regrets ...more

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Apr 09, 2019 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First I saw that John Boyne recommended this book and then I saw five star reviews from several Goodreads members whose opinions I respect so of course I had to read it. And what a beautiful book it turned out to be!

I guess I am a total sucker for books about charming Irish men and 84 year old Maurice Hannigan is certainly charming. The whole book takes place between 6.25 pm and midnight on Saturday 7th June 2014, the second anniversary of the death of Maurice's much loved wife Sadie. He drinks ...more

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Mar 25, 2019 Debbie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cultural, debuts, netgalley, mostly-not-set-in-u-s, family-drama, esil-recs

3.5 stars in my sky

Here we go again. While everyone else is sparkly happy because they’re seeing a zillion stars, I’m sort of grumpy, because all I can see in my sky are 3 stars, no matter how much I squint. Well, three-and-a-half stars, if I’m being fair. Sigh. Funny, the blurb and the glowing reviews are so good, they almost convince me that I loved the book. But then I get real—it wasn’t a wow for me, it just wasn’t.

This is the story of an old man named Maurice, who, while sitting on a barst ...more

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Dec 01, 2019 karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-made-me-cry

“I’m here to remember—all that I have been and all that I will never be again.”

this is self-reckoning at its finest.

here i am finally reviewing a book i read more than six months ago with the warning that because i read it six months ago, it’s going to be a review by someone with a sorta hazy memory of the book, trying to recall what i was thinking about, and what impression this one thing made on me way back before the world changed so much, but which i need to write in order to check off a “fi ...more

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Feb 13, 2019 Cheri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ireland, family-relationships, love, aging, 2019, arc, netgalley, debut-novel, irish-author

!! NOW AVAILABLE !!

”A room is a still a room, even when there's nothin' there but gloom
But a room is not a house and a house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart”
--A House is Not a Home, Luther Vandross, Songwriters: Burt Bacharach / Hal David

Maurice Hannigan has lived eighty-four years as this story begins, sitting at the bar of the Rainsford House Hotel, Co. Meath, Ireland. He’s there to raise a toast to five people, all members of his family, in !! NOW AVAILABLE !!

”A room is a still a room, even when there's nothin' there but gloom
But a room is not a house and a house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart”
--A House is Not a Home, Luther Vandross, Songwriters: Burt Bacharach / Hal David

Maurice Hannigan has lived eighty-four years as this story begins, sitting at the bar of the Rainsford House Hotel, Co. Meath, Ireland. He’s there to raise a toast to five people, all members of his family, in this place that has been a part of his life since he can remember.

A trip down memory lane ensues, and you begin to piece the stories of his life together through these toasts as he wanders through these memories with each character from his past, all gone from his life with the exception of his son, who now lives in America working as a journalist. While these stories have an air of sentimentality to them, it is filtered through both humour and his truth about the life he has lived there, in the shadow of this now-hotel, formerly the home of his former employer, and the employer of his family members, as well.

Maurice is a flawed individual, as we all are, burdened by his many regrets that he has managed to accrue through his years. One toast, one memory devoted to one person at a time, he expresses his love for each, his wish that he had done a better job, perhaps of expressing that love, perhaps, but seeking forgiveness for his faults.

There is a reclusive edge to this man, which becomes apparent as he relays his story through these toasts to those people who continue to live on in his heart. Through his stories it is soon apparent that he has lived his life guarding his heart, showing his love in the only ways he’d been shown love – “the Irish kind, reserved and embarrassed by its own humanity.” Perhaps his biggest regret, that he had not shared his love in a way that showed his love for these people, who were so special to him, so as he toasts them he shares his love for them, at last.

When I read about this book, it brought to mind a book that I had read three years ago and loved by Roger Rosenblatt, ’Thomas Murphy,’ another Irishman, and there is a bit of the charm that Thomas Murphy had about him in Maurice, both reminiscence on loss, love, life, death, aging and love. Having read this now, Maurice has lived a very different life than Thomas Murphy, which has given him a different view of life, perhaps, but it’s the love and tattered charm of both that kept me smiling through the tears.

Pub Date: 05 Mar 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books ...more

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Sep 23, 2018 Felicia rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 Stars 🌟

I'll begin this review by explaining why I chose this book in the first place. To put it simply, the author is Irish. I have become an avid fan of the modern Irish authors of late, John Boyne (who endorsed this book), Liz Nugent and Tana French just to name a few, and this debut by Anne Griffin definitely shows promise. I don't know what they are putting in the stout over there but it's working.

This story involves a night at a bar with 80+ year old Maurice as he makes a toast to the ...more

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Mar 04, 2019 Rachel rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: irish, 2019, netgalley

Oh man, this is a tough one. It is not often the case that I look at glowing reviews and think 'did we read the same book?!' but here we are... I was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was going to love this, too! When All Is Said is a contemporary Irish novel about an old man named Maurice who's looking back at his life and giving a toast to the five people who had the greatest influence on him, most of whom are already dead. So it's a premise that promises nostalgia and regret and hea Oh man, this is a tough one. It is not often the case that I look at glowing reviews and think 'did we read the same book?!' but here we are... I was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was going to love this, too! When All Is Said is a contemporary Irish novel about an old man named Maurice who's looking back at his life and giving a toast to the five people who had the greatest influence on him, most of whom are already dead. So it's a premise that promises nostalgia and regret and heartache, but I never really felt any of it.

My main issue with this book was Maurice's first-person narration - I just wasn't convinced by his voice. Forgive me, but you know how sometimes you read a female character and think 'yep, a man wrote this book' - I felt the opposite here. (Which is more of a gut feeling and probably a baseless one that's impossible to quantify, so I'm just going to move on.) It's established early on in this book that Maurice has dyslexia which led him to quit schooling at a very early age and develop a lifelong antipathy for literature; instead he fills his days with farming and various other business ventures. So while Maurice is clearly an intelligent man, and I have no qualms with that intelligence being on display, I'm not sure why Anne Griffin wanted us to believe he was a poetic one? Lines like this:

But her story is like the wind under the front door, whistling its way through the crevices, getting through the cracks in my skin.

and this:

There was a love but of the Irish kind, reserved and embarrassed by its own humanity.

pulled me out of the story again and again, because why would this 84 year old farmer use that simile, why would he have that sophisticated emotional vocabulary? I guess this goes hand in hand, but what also grated on me was the fact that we were essentially spoon-fed the ways in which the love and loss of these five characters shaped Maurice. Take this passage from the first chapter, where Maurice describes the death of his older brother Tony:

It's so hard to lose your best friend at any time, but to do so at such a young age was pure cruel. At sixteen I was heading into my life. Having travelled those precious years with Tony by my side, I now had to venture forth into the most significant of them alone. Without his guidance, his cajoling, his slagging. It didn't feel possible.

It's too articulate, it's too on the nose. Funny that this is called 'When All Is Said,' because that was exactly my problem: nothing is left unsaid. There is no room for the reader to think or feel anything organically, because we are told exactly how we should think and feel about Maurice's story. This was missing tension, nuance, thematic complexity. I'll concede that Maurice is a well-constructed character, and that Anne Griffin makes a real effort to weave together moments of joy with moments of sorrow to paint a three-dimensional picture of this character's life, I just felt utterly empty while reading this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Dunne Books for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. ...more

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Dec 15, 2018 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

At the bar in a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84 year old Maurice Hannigan. He's alone as usual. So pull up a chair and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story. He will raise 5 toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Stories of joy, regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden and a fierce love that never found its voice.

What a heartwarming but also a heartbreaking story this is. A beautifully written story. An old man sits at the bar and toast th ...more

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Apr 02, 2019 Zoeytron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: public-library

This quiet novel almost had a Kent Haruf feel to it, but told with an Irish lilt in the written words. The ones we have loved and lost stay with us for a lifetime. They live on in our memories and in the memories of others who knew them. An old man reflects upon his life. Sad and touching without being cloying.

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About Anne Griffin

Anne Griffin

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Anne Griffin is an Irish novelist.

Anne was awarded the Newcomer of the year at the Irish Book awards 2019 for her debut novel 'When All Is Said' which will be translated into 20 foreign languages.

Anne's second novel 'Listening Still' will be published in April 2021.

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Quotes from When All Is Said

“No one, no one really knows loss until it’s someone you love. The deep-down kind of love that holds on to your bones and digs itself right in under your fingernails, as hard to budge as the years of compacted earth. And when it’s gone … it’s as if it’s been ripped from you. Raw and exposed, you stand dripping blood all over the good feckin’ carpet. Half-human, half-dead, one foot already in the grave.” — 21 likes

“I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.” — 15 likes

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