Description

THE NUMBER ONE IRISH BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD

‘A rare jewel’ John Banville
‘A genuine page-turner’ Donal Ryan
‘This is how you tell a story’ Cecelia Ahern

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.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will powerfully and poignantly be laid bare.

‘A book to savour and pass on. An absolute joy’ Sunday Mirror
‘A rich and moving story, a poetic voice and unforgettable character in Maurice’ Elle

Publisher Review

A gentle tale of an irascible Irish farmer, who spends the last day of his life toasting the five people who have meant the most to him- sure to move even the stoniest of hearts * Independent * Nearly 40 years of publishing has made me a cynical reviewer of books, but, oh my god, it's impossible to be churlish about discovering such a fabulous and unforgettable character. A one-hit wonder this is not * NB Magazine * Anne Griffin's first novel has taken Ireland by storm . . . Immediate, often funny, sometimes dark and, on occasion, devastatingly sad. -- Audio book review * The Times * A portrait of a life in which revenge, love, loss, and misunderstanding all play their part . . . This is a wonderful piece of story-telling that is intimate, compassionate and extraordinarily assured. -- Summer Holiday Reads * Daily Mail * Beautifully realized * LitHub * An accomplished debut. A sensitive layered description of grief and regret . . . excellent * Minneapolis Star Tribune * Griffin's stunning debut, brimming with irresistible Irish-isms, is an elegy to love, loss and the complexity of life. * People Magazine * A heart-warming, heart-breaking and poignant debut of rare power. * NetGalley Books of 2019 * Achingly poignant and wryly funny, Irish author Anne Griffin's luminous debut is a celebration of stolen joy and lost opportunities * Waterstones Weekly * Tissues at the ready for what is a confident yet carefully written debut . . . I adored it. Utterly recommended. * Woman's Way * A beautifully written, perfectly paced, heartfelt novel * Saga * When All Is Said tells the tale of an imperfect man who you will not be able to forget. * Irish Country Magazine * [Maurice's] story will make you laugh and cry - When All Is Said is a wonderful debut novel from Anne Griffin. She says she "wanted to write a damn good story". She has succeeded beyond her dreams. * My Weekly * Superb ... incredibly moving without ever straying into sentiment * People * A fine literary debut from a writer I'm sure we'll hear more from * Mature Times * Griffin's debut is a beautiful and poignant page-turner. * Image Magazine * A warm and nourishing story from a writer of much promise. * RTE Guide * Maurice Hannigan is one of those rare and unforgettable characters whose lives we enter, inhabit for a time all too brief, and emerge from deeply changed. Anne Griffin is a writer with a bright, bright future. -- Janet Peery When All Is Said captures the texture of a night catching up with an old friend - the pleasures and comforts, the stories and surprises - one that you never want to end, and all the more bittersweet because you know, of course, that it must. -- Kathleen Rooney A powerful page-turner ... wonderfully poetic, atmospheric and moving. -- Dierdre O'Brien * Best * Beautifully written, this is a feast of Irish storytelling * Choice * Will stay with you long after you close the cover * Irish Mail on Sunday * An emotional yet uplifting novel - we defy you not to fall in love with Maurice Hannigan and his heart-warming story. * Woman's Weekly * Poetic and touching without being sentimental, When All Is Said by Anne Griffin is something special. * Good Housekeeping * A heartfelt and impressive debut novel * Sunday Business Post * A rich, fluid debut novel * The I Newspaper * Griffin's strength is in voice and in the rhythm of her prose ... She is excellent at interrogating the complexity of Maurice's barriers * Irish Independent * An atmospheric debut ... The most impressive aspects of this first novel are its rich, flowing prose, it's convincing voice and it's imaginative and clever structure ... Griffin is a welcome arrival to the literary scene * Irish Times * This could be one of the big book hits of 2019 * Red Magazine * It's all beautifully done; a tale told in the plain but poetic prose of a man who recognises the tragic truths gleaned from a life of love and loss. A gem of a book * Sunday Express * A rich and moving story, a poetic voice and unforgettable character in Maurice * Elle * A warm and wise treasure of a book with a character whose voice draws you in from the start * The I * A proper tear-jerker, but one that will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful * Grazia * Pitch-perfect prose ... Moving and beautifully written, this is a wonderfully assured debut. * Mail on Sunday * As candid a portrait of human frailty as you're likely to find. Griffin is uncannily accurate in her depiction of that peculiarly Irish emotional paralysis we're all familiar with. * Sunday Independent * Beautifully written, unhurried and thoughtful, and a character you love from the off. -- Kit de Waal [Anne Griffin] builds a remarkably rich sense of place, while also tracing the wider changes affecting Ireland. ...Maurice is a lovingly rendered example of the current vogue for characters who have fallen through the cracks * Sunday Times * This is how you tell a story -- Cecelia Ahern Maurice Hannigan is a wonderful invention, whose bitter-sweet meditations will stay long in the reader's mind. Anne Griffin has fashioned a rare jewel. -- John Banville A hugely enjoyable, engrossing novel, a genuine page-turner. -- Donal Ryan A book to savour, and pass on. An absolute joy * Sunday Mirror * Griffin is a magical storyteller whose prose is effortless and clear. She conjures an intimate, poignant and ultimately enthralling portrait of a man who has battled loneliness and other demons throughout his life. Maurice is superbly well-realised: a character who tries to make amends and, in so doing, cracked my heart. -- Fanny Blake * Daily Mail * There is something special here . . . The next big name to emerge from the Irish writing scene. -- John Boyne Anne Griffin's debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observed, masterful story telling - stunning! -- Graham Norton [An] impressively confident debut ... Maurice Hannigan emerges as an engaging, compassionate creation * Guardian *