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 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. ( )

Maurice spends an evening in a specific bar in an Irish village drinking a toast to five important people in his life. The "audience" for the toasts is his son who lives in America. In the course of the toasts, Maurice tells the complicated story of his life.
It was very engaging. It took a bit to get oriented to what was happening, but once I understood, I was all in. There are lots of foreshadowing clues but still I wasn't sure of the end until it happened. ( )

Now in his eighties, Maurice sits a bar at a grand hotel, thinking about his life. He toasts the five people who meant the most to him. He is alone and lonely, having lost his wife two years ago. He is ready to take that next step, but before he does, he wants to tell you his story. This poignant tale of his life is certainly sad in places, yet hopeful in others. He talks about his growing up years, recalls how he met his wife, tells of his love for his family and for his son, discloses his regrets, and even admits to a long held secret that affected the lives of others. Author Anne Griffin does an excellent job of portraying this curmudgeonly elderly Irish man, and makes him a strong yet sympathetic character. It’s a beautifully told tale, and one that will resonate with readers of all ages. ( )

I won an ARC edition in a GOODREADS giveaway. ( )

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 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?
( )

I loved the part about Tony. The rest was meh.
When the book was over, I started thinking: what was it for? What was the point of this book?
Honestly, I have no idea. ( )

Maurice Hannigan sets out for the local hotel bar with the intent of honoring the five most important people in his life. In his eighties, Maurice has been widowed for two years, and his only son Kevin, is a renowned journalist in the US.

Armed with some very good whiskey's, he sets about a narrative as though speaking to Kevin about these five most important people in his life. As a result the story reads as an autobiography. In speaking about his life, Maurice does not paint himself as a saint. He reveals his tendencies toward anger & revenge, his greed, and his deep capacity for love.

This is an example of Irish storytelling at it's best. ( )

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. ( )

I loved good old Maurice but I imagine being his wife or son was no picnic. Structure of the novel was well-done and it was a great story. ( )

I loved this debut by Irish author Anne Griffin, and I thank Macmillan so much for sending me the galley.

Maurice Hannigan, the protagonist in this fine novel, has one of the most engaging voices I've read in a long time. It was like I was sitting next to him in a pub as he told me his story. I could smell the smoke and the ale and see the damp in the corners of the old building, and I loved listening to him toast the five people who meant the most to him during his long life.

Poignant, humorous and heart-breaking at times, WHEN ALL IS SAID is perfect for readers who enjoy immersive fiction with a compelling narrative. I can't wait to recommend this one! ( )

fiction

A good first novel. This book was selected as the Novel Idea book for 2020 for the Deschutes Library program in Oregon. There were many additional online group programming activities related to the themes in this book for an entire month. There was an author Q & A at the end of the program, she is based in Ireland and it was on-line due to the Stay and Home rules. The five toasts were a very creative way to honor important folks in the main character's life. I found the ending of the book very upsetting. (I don't want to give it away.) It could make an interesting movie, but the ending would need to change for USA audiences. ( )

A sad account of an old Irish man's last day. It was an all right read. I cried. But is by no means an uplifting book! ( )

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 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. ( )

Lovely book. Will be enjoyed by many. ( )

4.5 stars! A wonderful story that is beautifully written. ( )

Over the course of an evening, Maurice Hannigan sits on a bar stool in the local hotel in his small Irish town and raises a glass to the 5 people who meant the most to him in his long life. Through the stories he tells, we see his from poverty to a wealthy man; we see the story of the town and the changes that he has seen and has effected; and we see his triumphs, his failures, and his profound loneliness.
I listened to this marvelous book, and the Irish brogue coupled with Maurice's turn of phrase certainly enhanced the experience. ( )

Page 24 and I've choked up twice. ( )

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; A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman ( )

An interesting book, falling short of greatness for me.



I started reading this book with high expectations – interesting setting, highly praised on GoodReads. I really expected to love this book but it was not to be, unfortunately.

Maurice Hannigan, 84, sits in an old hotel at the bar and drinks to the people he loved most and who all have passed away before him, telling us about his relationship with them and, consequently, about his life. The son of an Irish farmer, he, too, sets out on this path and soon by far surpasses his parents and becomes a wealthy and well-respected man.

We learn about the Dollards, formerly major land owners and employing Maurice’s mother and himself, whom he loved to hate for his entire life. He toasts to his brother Tony who died as a young man, his first child, Molly, his sister-in-law Noreen, his son, Kevin, a well-known journalist who has emigrated to the USA and, last but not least, his wife Sadie.

Griffin tells her story, Maurice’s life, in long chapters most of which overlap with each other in narrated time. This gives her room to explore each relationship deeply and allows for concentrating on their respective unique aspects. Unfortunately, the overlap does cause some conflicts that are hard to handle gracefully. Let me give you an actual example:



“It was twenty-seven years later that I learned the origin of the coin from Emily at that special dinner she’d arranged. But even then she’d been holding back. And it wasn’t until a year after that again that I found out the real consequence of its theft. And it was all because of Noreen, would you believe.”



I’m calling this, well, clumsy. You might consider it a narrative device, I don’t like it, sorry.



In between each of those toasts we’re getting a small glimpse into the current time and Maurice’s state of mind which is – at the very least – bordering on depression. By his own admission, Maurice is sleeping very badly (“I’ve stopped sleeping, have I told you? Two hours, three if I’m lucky now and then I’m awake.”), feeling bad and guilty as well as being prone to pondering (“Staring at the ceiling, going over it again, this bloody decision”). He’s tired and pretty much hopeless (“I feel tired and, if I’m honest, afraid.”) - all clinical symptoms of a depression.

Maurice even has people worrying about him (e. g. David, a social worker; Emily, the hotel’s owner; Robert, his notary) but none of them seem to recognise that and help him.

Griffin ends the book as anyone past the first chapter will know – “when all is said”, Maurice tries to take his own life. I’m sure Griffin doesn’t want to “promote” suicide as a way out of acute grief but a bestselling book ending like that does make me feel uncomfortable.



Putting that thought aside, I still didn’t really warm to the book. I can’t even put my finger on the exact reasons: Griffin’s language is believable (if restricted to Maurice’s vocabulary) and vivid. The story itself is plausible – everything in Maurice’s life could have happened just like it is told. Maybe that’s in fact part of my problem with the book – I felt myself nodding and registering the narrated facts but I was rarely touched by the story.

There were a few passages that really gripped me, especially since I’m a father and, obviously, a son myself (“fathers have a lot to answer for”), and made me swallow, e. g. this passage:



“But no, I mean, sorry for the father I’ve been. I know, really I do, that I could’ve been better. That I could’ve listened more, that I could’ve accepted you and all you’ve become with a little more grace.”



Boy, can I relate to that...



Unfortunately, this emotional engagement remains the exception for me in this book. Too rare and, in the end, too late.

To be able to really love a book, it needs to strike a chord within myself. I’m not an analytic reader, you won’t catch me scientifically dissect a book. The books I’ve loved most so far are those that make me enthuse about them to my wife and children till they send me somewhere else (or leave themselves). There are books (you can find them in my “Favourites” shelf on GoodReads) that make my soul thrive and rejoice (or only mentioning their names brings tears to my eyes) and I cannot help but sing their praise.

I fully expected “When All Is Said” to be such a book but it felt too shallow, it never engaged me emotionally and, quite possibly, maybe it’s all me, myself and I who’s to blame for that.

I guess you’ll have to find out yourself. ( )

This book stayed with me a long time after I finished it. Three words sum up ‘When All is Said’ by Anne Griffin. Masterful. Emotional. Funny. It is the story of Maurice Hannigan as he sits at a bar one evening. He drinks a toast to five people and tells the story of his life. It is one of those Irish novels which makes your emotions tingle and say ‘yes, it is like that’, which makes tears prick your eyes and laughter rise in your chest. This is Griffin’s debut novel but she is an accomplished prizewinning writer who knows how to tell a story. It is unbearingly touching and will, without fail, make you cry.
Maurice is in the bar of the Rainsford House Hotel in Rainsford, Co Meath, Ireland. At the beginning we don’t know why he is there, the first few pages are an introduction to Maurice, how he feels his age, as he conducts an imaginary conversation with his son Kevin who lives in America. His first drink is a bottle of stout and as he drinks, he tells the story of his brother Tony and their childhood. A key incident in this section has reverberations throughout Maurice’s life and throughout this novel; a gentle reminder that we all may grow old, we may live in the same place or move away, but our childhood and our actions stay with us. We are introduced to Emily, owner of the hotel, and Svetlana, barmaid. Griffin has a talent with sense of place; she makes the hotel come alive.
Four more drinks follow. For Molly, a glass of Bushmills 21-year old malt. For Noreen, a bottle of stout. For Kevin, a rare whiskey, Jefferson’s Presidential Select. And for his wife Sadie, Maurice drinks a glass of Midleton whiskey. “Svetlana places my final drink down in front of me: Midleton, you can’t fault it. Majestic stuff. I look at it like she has just handed me the keys to a new harvester. It’s the autumn colours that get me. It’s the earth of it, the trees, the leaves, the late evening sky.”
As each story is told, Anne Griffin weaves in the present day so the two strands blend and the past explains Maurice’s situation, why he feels as he does, why he longs for what he longs for. This is a beautiful Irish novel about love, dyslexia, grumpiness, family, bullying, forgiveness and whiskey. I loved it and didn’t want it to end.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ ( )

An unforgettable first novel. A quissessentially Irish novel, filled with melancholy and angst. 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 in the village. This house figured largely in his youth, and the memories are not good ones. He is lonely,sorely misses his wife, feels as if he belongs nowhere, to none. Now though, Maurice has a plan.

As he drinks each drink we learn the story of his life. The importance of a gold coin, which is also the continuous item that travels through his stories. Maurice is very likable, a flawed character, and so very human. It is a novel with a few gothic undertones, one filled with guilt and envy. Love that couldn't be expressed. A sensitive exploration of guilt and regret. A quiet novel, a heartfelt story that feels very real. A story of a father and son that had trouble connecting. The last chapter is an emotional slayer, but the memorable last line brought the curtain down. One of the best last lines i have ever read.

Fans of the late, great William Trevor will appreciate this novel.

ARC from Netgalley. ( )

When All is Said is a poignant and heartfelt novel. It is slow, flawed, and beautiful and I got emotional many times while reading it. Maurice sits at a bar alone looking back over his life. He pours a drink and makes a toast to five people who influenced and changed his life: his brother, his daughter, his sister-in-law, his son, and his wife.

He’s a cantankerous old man, in some ways reminiscent of Ove (A Man Called Ove), but where that book had dry humor this one is steeped in nostalgia. Early on you can see where it’s heading but when you get there, you’re still gutted.

The writing is that of a seasoned author, yet I believe this is Griffin's debut book. I'm eagerly awaiting her next novel where I hope she can mend the broken heart she left me with. ( )

An Irishman at sunset reviews his life in a series of toasts to those who have meant most to him, revealing the hidden knowledge and never shown feelings that reside inside a person. Recommended ( )