All is Song

by Samantha Harvey

Leonard is alone and rootless, returning to London after his father's death. He moves in with his distant brother William and his family, hoping to renew their friendship but learning to drop his expectations of brotherhood. William is a former lecturer and activist who now runs informal meetings with ex-students. He is defiantly unworldly and forever questioning.

When a young student follows William's arguments to a shocking conclusion, it appears William has already set his own fate in motion. Against a backdrop of tabloid frenzy, Leonard can only watch as William embraces the danger in the only way he knows how, which threatens to consume not only himself, but his entire family.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, British Literature, Philosophy, Modern, Novels, Literary Fiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Samantha Harvey has completed postgraduate courses in philosophy and in Creative Writing. In addition to writing, she has traveled extensively and taught in Japan and has lived in Ireland and New Zealand. She recently co-founded an environmental charity and lives in Bath, England.

Her first novel, The Wilderness, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2009, longlisted for the 2009 Man Booker Prize and won the 2009 Betty Trask Prize.

Reviews

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this; it's a very interesting exploration of the relationship between two very different brothers, and looks interestingly at the effects of living by ideology and philosophy.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t read Samantha Harvey's first novel,‘The Wilderness’ so I can’t compare the two, but I found this one quietly powerful in its questions about responsibility, culpability, duty, faith and the nature of sin. To begin I thought the pacing was glacially slow (though I was revelling in the beauty of the language) but the character of William gradually sucked me in in the way I imagine he sucked in his students and followers. Perhaps it was too philosophical, too academic in places, given that it was in essence a character study, I don’t know. There was a review in the Telegraph that spoke of William (the novel is about two brothers, William is the elder)as a modern-day Socrates – I’m afraid I know little of him, but to me William was a Christ-like figure. He hears the voice of the Lord; he has his disciples; he is tempted by Aleph, the flame haired anarchist beauty with the privileged background (whom all other men are in thrall to) whilst he endures his 40 days in the wilderness (or five weeks in a psychiatric ward!); there is a last supper of sorts that is described as being like a communion; he questions the existence of sin and says there is only ignorance and fear (or to put it another way: forgive them for they know not what they do). I’m not entirely sure what Harvey’s point with all this is unless it is to ask whether Jesus was also ignorant and unable to control the way his message would be interpreted years hence, and to question if he too is therefore culpable for the acts committed in his name… it's certainly a novel I will be mulling over for a few days yet, and it has made me keen to read 'The Wilderness' at some point.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @21%. Samantha Harvey’s second novel, All Is Song, tries to imagine what might happen if Socrates was teaching in this day and age. It’s told from the point of view of the Socrates-figure’s brother, Leonard, who has come to stay with his older brother William after the collapse of a relationship. Leonard witnesses William’s extraordinary hold over some local students, which will eventually lead him into trouble, and closely studies his brother’s ways and motives. I barely made it through a quarter of this novel, which is a bit of a shocker, as I absolutely adored Harvey’s Dear Thief and The Western Wind. Having read a number of reviews and interviews about this book, I think that Harvey was trying to pull off something incredibly difficult here; to produce a novel as luminous and moving as Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, but centred around a character who is extraordinary, rather than relatively ordinary in the way that John Ames could be said to be. I admire her ambition, but it doesn’t work; William doesn’t seem special in the ways she needs him to be, and rather than achieving Gilead‘s timeless simplicity, the novel feels both chronologically and geographically adrift. However, failing to write as well as Marilynne Robinson is hardly a condemnation of Harvey, and I’m still a huge fan of her later books.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about philosophy. It is structured as a struggle between two brothers. It is told from one of the brother's point of view. Leonard, the brother in question, attempts to understand his brother William, a modern day Socrates. William is very believable as a Socratic construct. The understanding underpinning the story feels genuine from a philosophical perspective. The book is something of a gentle gadfly, worth reading for anyone interested in truth.

[Sevket Akyildiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha Harvey has created a good story, and the relationship between the brothers is insightful. The questions raised in this work make us think about family relationships, free thought, morality, the duty of care, and the need to conform to social norms. Well written by an intelligent and sympathetic observer of people. Worth the read!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

But in an instant, and only for an instant, he saw it all quite differently, as William saw it. God had nothing to do with that building that the camera so phlegmatically revealed. He wasn't the Lord who indiscriminately gave and took away, and who made life-shaping, life-shattering decisions for the mortal on a whim, or on a piece of divine reason too abstracted to understand. No, God was a piece of pure philosophy just as zero was a piece of pure mathematics, put there to serve myriad functions. Not in the slightest way was it there by default or thoughtlessness. God wasn't a totem, an idol, an excuse, nor even an explanation in itself, but a philosophical principle that William had interrogated like any other, asked questions of, asked for logic and consistency from, weighed it, worked it, asked it to earn its keep, and had found it to be a formula that made sense of so many of the world's structures that he perceived.

2024 Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey’s second novel (published in 2012) and interestingly her only novel not to achieve prize recognition although a 2015 article on her third novel by the future Booker Prize Chief Executive Gaby Wood asserted that “Harvey was considered for a couple of prizes, and had strong supporters, but All is Song didn’t quite seem the book to reward”.

The novel is set in 2000 and told in first person by Leonard a fifty something atheist RE teacher (although on a sabbatical to care for his elderly widower ex-vicar father whose funeral in Scotland occurs immediately before the novel begins). It is largely a tale about Leonard’s much less conventional brother William - a one time university lecturer.

William (his and Leonard’s mother was a midwife) is: married to a much younger woman (who frequently argues with his luge choices); has three sons; lives in the capital (London) and has only ever left it for a spell serving in warfare in the Navy (a chef in the Falklands wars); is well known both for his rather ugly appearance and fur sheaths being barefoot; lives largely off a series of family inheritances; is a vegetarian; has limited appetites for sex, money etc; despite no longer lecturing he attracts around him a group of students eager to follow his often radical teaching which fundamentally questions much of commonly held morality in a series of logically expressed but often very controversial views; he is indifferent to the on-going fuel strikes and other protests - refusing to take a position between the political elite and the people on the street.

But most striking - and often upsetting to those closest to him such as his now dead parents, wife and Leonard is his detailed, methodical serial probing questioning of every feeling, statement, opinion.

One might be tempted to say that he is sung the Socratic method and then note that every element of my description of William matches the commonly agreed biography of Socrates and do not be surprised when William is placed in trial for corrupting the youth.

From a Scotsman interview for early 2012

“Harvey’s fascination with Socrates began while studying philosophy at York. In that brief scoot through the minds of the founding fathers of western thought, there was something about Socrates’s that stuck in hers. For the next 15 years, as she studied philosophy at a postgraduate level before studying, and then teaching creative writing, the idea of writing a novel about him refused to go away. If Socrates were alive today, she wondered, what would he do and what would we do to him?”

Overall I am not fully sure the novel is a success.

William comes across as rather an oddball with only a handful of ex-students listening to him. His trial rather than being due to his notoriety stems from one of those students committing an infamous crime (burning down a rather famous community supplied library which rather unlikely attracts donations which make the British Museum take an interest) and implicitly blames William’s mentorship for his actions.

Further William is really portrayed as a very unsympathetic character - not bothering to attend his father’s funeral as almost being beneath him, neglecting the views and welfare of his wife and children - and while part of Harvey’s aim is to show how we might react to a Socrates style character I think part of the issue is that as a society we have views very different from the classical world (as the popular classicist Tom Holland had very convincingly argued even the moral views of Western liberal extreme-atheists are fundamentally grounded in the way the teachings of Christ infused society and are very opposed to Greek/Roman worldviews) and so there is an extra step of distancing involved.

Nevertheless the novel has much of Harvey’s quiet, thoughtful and philosophical writing - writing which culminated in her deserved Booker win for another quiet and philosophical novel.

[Ric Cheyney · Rating 3 out of 5]

ORDINARY LIFE: ENJOYABLE
BUT PERHAPS A LITTLE TOO ORDINARY?
Although I really did enjoy reading this book, I must say that it is rather slight in its thematic content. There are ambiguities in the two main characters, especially William. Many readers see him as a 'modern Socrates', and I suppose that works, but he could just as easily be seen as autistic and ingenuous, unaware or perhaps uncaring that his detached, analytical thought can be misunderstood by his students and the authorities.
There is almost no 'plot' to this novel, which does not bother me but some readers might want a greater sense of crisis or danger. The family did not strike me as finely observed, and at times I started to wonder if Samantha Harvey was trying to build a Woolf-like voice in her narrative; if so, I believe she did not succeed.
Nevertheless, the portrayal of 'ordinary life' in modern Britain was capably done, and I was sorry when my stay in the household had to end.

[Frank Strada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha Harvey has written a tour de force. All is Song is about a modern day Socrates. It's told primarily through the eyes of one of two brothers, Leonard, in 21st century London. Leonard's brother, William, is a thinker and teacher. He has retired from work and now has students who are his voluntary followers. He does this without pay and no ambition, other than to seek the truth and to help others seek it. Their father, on his death bed, asked Leonard to find out what's wrong with William. William's wife, Kathy, is also worried about him. (She complains about his life style, just as Socrates wife, Xanthippe, complained about him; but Kathy complains in a much more caring way). There are other parallels with Socrates, but I don't want to go into detail here. I do recommend you read this very thoughtful novel about living an examined life

[Konstantin R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

[rating = F]
Although I believe, really really I do, that Samantha Harvey is a very good writer, I was just stunned with how boring this is. All Is Song delves into the usual Man Booker-sort of writing about loss and grief and separation, yet her prose was just very lifeless and her characters were unlikeable and dreary. I really tried to read this, but couldn't get past the first twenty pages. I do, however, want to read her newest book. If you didn't like this novel, please try her first and third; they are actually very good and mark her as an author to watch out for!

[Swapna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate the author's vision of a man's predicament with his understanding of what he perceives as truth, a brother's guilt and a wife's non-chalent support and frustration. But it was a painfully slow read, one I could do only because of my compulsion to finish the book I started. It was a draining experience finishing the book. I feel I still couldn't fully get what the author intended to convey. But I might not try a second time to read it. May be someday.

[mary]

i DN read the entire book so I will not rate, It is interesting well written but not for me. Alot of philosophy and little resolution. To be William will never end well in this century and Leonard dilemma is one all of us can confront I just did not really appreciate the struggle

[Flo Prosser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolute no from me. What was the point of this book? Why bring up interesting things that happened in the past and never explain them? How did William acquire a house in London large enough to keep chickens in the back garden despite not working? WWHAT HAPPENED TO JAN???

[Aidan Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern reimagining of Socrates' life; deftly deals with the emotional toll it would take on a family to live with such an uncompromising mind, and questions whether it is actually worth it in the end, where happiness actually lives.

[Rachael Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this at all. Far too wordy, overly descriptive and lacking in narrative.

[Carolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I persevered because of the writing but my god was I glad when this was over. I was just...bored. Which almost never happens.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful lyrical novel.

[Kathrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Harvey`s The Wilderness and while I can definitely appreciate her wonderful writing style in All is Song, I could not find it in me to finish this particular story.

[Colette Ramsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The constant philosophising in this book bored me. Disappointing as I loved Orbital

[Suzanne Cornyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up after page 90. I just wasn't enjoying it and life is too short to struggle through a boring book.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn’t get on board with it. I’m sorry.

[Joanna Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t for me. I think her writing is beautiful (stars are for this) but the story and the characters weren’t up my alley so gave up about 30% in.

[PabloHabla · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all have family and we all know how frustrating these relationships can be sometimes. This story delves into a family that is more open about their convictions than most. Compelling story line and thought provoking, but a warning also. A Goodread for MS Harvey.

[Jaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a thinkers book about the relationship between two brothers: William - deep, loving, spiritual and non-conformist, and Leo - conformist, a little lost and craving a different relationship with his brother. The introduction captured my attention, with a slow, peaceful, birds-eye view into the first meeting between the brothers in years. But the story seemed to loose its momentum through out the middle. I wondered about the plot and where it was going. It was one of those books that seem to depict the ebb and flow of ordinary life, without the usual structure and plot.

*** SPOILER ALERT!***

A very unsatisfying - and sad - ending where William ends up imprisoned and his naturally open and questioning character retreats. Very hard to 'watch'. Prior to this, William is pressured into forgoing his morals by his nearest and dearest to avoid punishment, and in keeping with his nature, refuses and takes the penalty. Seeing this sweet, simple man removed from his quiet and homely family life and ministry, only to end up living with criminals in a dog-eat-dog prison, was heart-breaking. I found myself intrigued and also irritated by William's character, which I feel reflects well on Harvey for creating a living and breathing person whom evokes such emotions. I can honestly say I have never come across such a unique character as William before, and I commend Harvey for his creation :)

[Sabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. The characters all seemed to hang a bit in midair. Instead of some real debate of the whys and hows William seems just stuck in his inability to relate to other humans' needs. He basically talks things to death, and with that his relationship to his family and his brother.

I did neither find it particularily deep nor emotionally touching in any way, give the description of the two brothers, neither seemed like a developed enough human for a relationship and so the both broken relationships, Leonard's with his girlfriend, and William's with his wife makes you wonder, how they got into those in the first place, especially as William does not seem to be able to actually step into real contact with other people and in the whole book I was not sure, he was actually seeing his wife as a person.

Neither would I read this again, nor recommend it to anyone else.

[Kay D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review of the book up to page 96 (where I finished reading).
I found this book a little puzzling. The two main characters are brothers who have been brought together following the death of their father. The interaction between the two characters was not brother-like at all, it was more like following the lives of two old colleagues. There was no emotion in anything they did or said. There were lots of pages of dialogue that had nothing to do with anything, and lots of philosophical discussion, and these things pretty much killed the storyline. Very little happened in those 96 pages. It was hard work to get that far with it, and a lot of it was skimmed. I wouldn't recommend this book.

The cover is nice, though.

[Undomiel Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally one of the only books I have ever given 1* to. I genuinely disliked this book, and found it problematic in so many ways, it is no exaggeration when I say I cannot think of something I liked about the book. I hate to slate books, and feel very unfair giving such a cold review to something that someone has worked hard on, but I personally cannot lie and pretend I enjoyed any element of the book.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a very good novel, but Harvey is so smart that you might not mind. If your interests are more philosophical and moral than literary, this might be a book for you. Also, if you don't mind plodding books that really have no narrative drive, this also might be for you. I suspect it won't be to most people's tastes, but I enjoyed it and think I am better off for having read it.

[John Arvee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH, this book is proof that just because a book has bad ratings it means you wont like it. I love the conversations and debates between the 2 brothers. Its very slow-paced which im a big fan of.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be clear I only got half way through this book. I've got two young kids and I work and I don't have time to waste on crap boring books.
Like philosophy for someone who's never encountered it. Socratic enquiry 101. Pretentious garbage.

[Sallyann van Leeuwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hopefully this book just didn't translate well into an audio book, as I found it hard to get into the story...just not much substance and I didn't care about any of the characters.