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All Stories Are Love Stories
In this thoughtful, mesmerizing tale with echoes of "Station Eleven," the author of "An Uncommon Education" follows a group of survivors thrown together in the aftermath of two major earthquakes that strike San Francisco within an hour of each other an achingly beautiful and lyrical novel about the power of nature, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring strength of love.
On Valentine s Day, two major earthquakes strike San Francisco within the same hour, devastating the city and its primary entry points, sparking fires throughout, and leaving its residents without power, gas, or water.
Among the disparate survivors whose fates will become intertwined are Max, a man who began the day with birthday celebrations tinged with regret; Vashti, a young woman who has already buried three of the people she loved most but cannot forgot Max, the one man who got away; and Gene, a Stanford geologist who knows far too much about the terrifying earthquakes that have damaged this beautiful city and irrevocably changed the course of their lives.
As day turns to night and fires burn across the city, Max and Vashti trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium must confront each other and face the truth about their past, while Gene embarks on a frantic search through the realization of his worst nightmares to find his way back to his ailing lover and their home.
"
On Valentine s Day, two major earthquakes strike San Francisco within the same hour, devastating the city and its primary entry points, sparking fires throughout, and leaving its residents without power, gas, or water.
Among the disparate survivors whose fates will become intertwined are Max, a man who began the day with birthday celebrations tinged with regret; Vashti, a young woman who has already buried three of the people she loved most but cannot forgot Max, the one man who got away; and Gene, a Stanford geologist who knows far too much about the terrifying earthquakes that have damaged this beautiful city and irrevocably changed the course of their lives.
As day turns to night and fires burn across the city, Max and Vashti trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium must confront each other and face the truth about their past, while Gene embarks on a frantic search through the realization of his worst nightmares to find his way back to his ailing lover and their home.
"
350 pages, Hardcover
First published March 22, 2016
62 people are currently reading
3499 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Percer
3 books75 followersElizabeth Percer is the author of the novels All Stories Are Love Stories and An Uncommon Education. She is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and has twice been honored by the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Foundation. She received a BA in English from Wellesley, a PhD in arts education from Stanford University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship for the National Writing Project at UC Berkeley. She lives in California with her husband and three children
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
January 14, 2016
Max knew he still had all those things to say, that they were threatening to let
loose. Was it his imagination or did he hear a change in her breathing? Was there enough space between them to carry such a delicate sound from her to him?
He wanted to reach out and touch the jagged materials that formed the prison around him, but he could not move well enough to even that. He listened again, but no new sounds introduced themselves. Still, it suddenly occurred to him, if he was not sure he heard her, they might not hear rescuers making their way to them from overhead. The thought made him feel hopeful. Though it was a giddy hope, like a drug. He wondered if it was just better to imagine the worst, though that, too, had never been his strong suit. And so he let his words go free,feeling them unravel from within him
even as he spoke."
Max and Vashi, ( each other's most passionate first love), were trapped underneath debris inside the Nob Hill Masonic in San Francisco. It's Valentine's Day....Max's birthday. Two major earthquakes within one hour have befallen. Max's mother lives in a resident care home surrounded by caretakers...but we remember the phone chat Max had with his mother earlier in the story...( we're worried - with Max- he can't get in communication with her).
Frankin has MS. His partner, Gene, is a geologist who works in Palo Alto at Stanford.
Gene and Franklin weren't together during the quakes....yet very together in each other's hearts.
While we focus on key characters...we are trying to imagine the 'enormity' of this earthquake throughout the city....hearing the fire trucks...seeing the smoke...people running hurt looking for help...partial buildings, hollering, the major transportation structures, the number of casualties.....and stealing. I lived here in The Bay Area ...( these visuals are very real to me....having survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake). The author has painted very real situations...(visuals of this catastrophe
and the communion between souls).
Elizabeth Percer's book is emotionally intimate from page one to the very last page.
Her writing is gorgeous:
"Everywhere, the normal boundaries between things blurred indeterminably. Birds soared and called excitingly, a cornucopia of seafood and fresh meat suddenly at their disposal, the air confusing with foreign smells."
I thought about the title of this book..."All Stories are Love Stories"
I'd love to be able to ask Elizabeth to share about what made her choose THIS title?
Here are a few of 'my' thoughts as to why:
This is a 'character' driven story about love, sorrow, forgiveness and healing.
Every type of Love: A mother/son's love, a broken first love, Missing a father's love,
Agreed upon love, A functional healthy non-possesses-love between two men...( but must include multiple sclerosis as part of the package), the pure bliss feelings we've each felt for 'strangers' we meet.
So... Yes... **All** Stories ARE love stories, aren't they?
Thank you HarperCollins, Edelweiss, and Elizabeth Percer
loose. Was it his imagination or did he hear a change in her breathing? Was there enough space between them to carry such a delicate sound from her to him?
He wanted to reach out and touch the jagged materials that formed the prison around him, but he could not move well enough to even that. He listened again, but no new sounds introduced themselves. Still, it suddenly occurred to him, if he was not sure he heard her, they might not hear rescuers making their way to them from overhead. The thought made him feel hopeful. Though it was a giddy hope, like a drug. He wondered if it was just better to imagine the worst, though that, too, had never been his strong suit. And so he let his words go free,feeling them unravel from within him
even as he spoke."
Max and Vashi, ( each other's most passionate first love), were trapped underneath debris inside the Nob Hill Masonic in San Francisco. It's Valentine's Day....Max's birthday. Two major earthquakes within one hour have befallen. Max's mother lives in a resident care home surrounded by caretakers...but we remember the phone chat Max had with his mother earlier in the story...( we're worried - with Max- he can't get in communication with her).
Frankin has MS. His partner, Gene, is a geologist who works in Palo Alto at Stanford.
Gene and Franklin weren't together during the quakes....yet very together in each other's hearts.
While we focus on key characters...we are trying to imagine the 'enormity' of this earthquake throughout the city....hearing the fire trucks...seeing the smoke...people running hurt looking for help...partial buildings, hollering, the major transportation structures, the number of casualties.....and stealing. I lived here in The Bay Area ...( these visuals are very real to me....having survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake). The author has painted very real situations...(visuals of this catastrophe
and the communion between souls).
Elizabeth Percer's book is emotionally intimate from page one to the very last page.
Her writing is gorgeous:
"Everywhere, the normal boundaries between things blurred indeterminably. Birds soared and called excitingly, a cornucopia of seafood and fresh meat suddenly at their disposal, the air confusing with foreign smells."
I thought about the title of this book..."All Stories are Love Stories"
I'd love to be able to ask Elizabeth to share about what made her choose THIS title?
Here are a few of 'my' thoughts as to why:
This is a 'character' driven story about love, sorrow, forgiveness and healing.
Every type of Love: A mother/son's love, a broken first love, Missing a father's love,
Agreed upon love, A functional healthy non-possesses-love between two men...( but must include multiple sclerosis as part of the package), the pure bliss feelings we've each felt for 'strangers' we meet.
So... Yes... **All** Stories ARE love stories, aren't they?
Thank you HarperCollins, Edelweiss, and Elizabeth Percer
April 15, 2016
Please, no more comparisons to Station Eleven. Not even close.
April 23, 2016
Beautifully written, but I just couldn't get into the story. I wish this had been two books; a more compelling love story and a more compelling earthquake story.
March 28, 2016
Summary: I enjoyed most of this book and it did remind me of Station Eleven, but the writing wasn't as beautiful and I dropped a star because of the ending.
"On Valentine’s Day, two major earthquakes strike San Francisco within the same hour, devastating the city and its primary entry points, sparking fires throughout, and leaving its residents without power, gas, or water. Among the disparate survivors whose fates will become intertwined are Max, a man who began the day with birthday celebrations tinged with regret; Vashti, a young woman who has already buried three of the people she loved most . . . but cannot forget Max, the one man who got away; and Gene, a Stanford geologist who knows far too much about the terrifying earthquakes that have damaged this beautiful city and irrevocably changed the course of their lives. As day turns to night and fires burn across the city, Max and Vashti—trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium—must confront each other and face the truth about their past, while Gene embarks on a frantic search through the realization of his worst nightmares to find his way back to his ailing lover and their home." (Source)
The blurbs I read compared this to Station Eleven and while I think the comparison is good, I don't think this book quite lived up to the bar that set. Like Station Eleven, this kicks off with a typical disaster movie plot but then tells a fairly slow paced, character-driven story. The writing was beautiful and the author waxes philosophical, but neither the writing nor the profundity were quite up to Station Eleven standards for me. This was, however, a great look at how everyone expects disasters never to happen to them and at the things we take for granted in our daily lives. As you might expect given the title, it was also very much a love story. I enjoyed the books many different takes on love, from that of siblings to parents and children to couples.
Where the book really lost me was the ending. The ending did two things that are pet peeves of mine and while they're very broad things, they are slightly spoilery so I'll use white font below and you can highlight the lines if you don't mind some spoilers. First, I hate stories of star-crossed lovers and second, I really hate when part of a story or TV show turns out never to have happened. I feel as though I've wasted my time if the story I've invested myself in turns out not to even have happened in the imaginary world of the book or show. Finding out that the book was going to contain these elements at the end made the ending depressing and anticlimactic for me. I've noticed that in general the ending can make or break a book and this one knocked a full star off the rating for me. If you particularly loved Station Eleven and can going into this looking for something similar, but perhaps not quite as well written, I think it would be worth picking up anyway. And, if you checked out my spoilers and know they don't bother you, I'd definitely recommend this.
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
"On Valentine’s Day, two major earthquakes strike San Francisco within the same hour, devastating the city and its primary entry points, sparking fires throughout, and leaving its residents without power, gas, or water. Among the disparate survivors whose fates will become intertwined are Max, a man who began the day with birthday celebrations tinged with regret; Vashti, a young woman who has already buried three of the people she loved most . . . but cannot forget Max, the one man who got away; and Gene, a Stanford geologist who knows far too much about the terrifying earthquakes that have damaged this beautiful city and irrevocably changed the course of their lives. As day turns to night and fires burn across the city, Max and Vashti—trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium—must confront each other and face the truth about their past, while Gene embarks on a frantic search through the realization of his worst nightmares to find his way back to his ailing lover and their home." (Source)
The blurbs I read compared this to Station Eleven and while I think the comparison is good, I don't think this book quite lived up to the bar that set. Like Station Eleven, this kicks off with a typical disaster movie plot but then tells a fairly slow paced, character-driven story. The writing was beautiful and the author waxes philosophical, but neither the writing nor the profundity were quite up to Station Eleven standards for me. This was, however, a great look at how everyone expects disasters never to happen to them and at the things we take for granted in our daily lives. As you might expect given the title, it was also very much a love story. I enjoyed the books many different takes on love, from that of siblings to parents and children to couples.
Where the book really lost me was the ending. The ending did two things that are pet peeves of mine and while they're very broad things, they are slightly spoilery so I'll use white font below and you can highlight the lines if you don't mind some spoilers. First, I hate stories of star-crossed lovers and second, I really hate when part of a story or TV show turns out never to have happened. I feel as though I've wasted my time if the story I've invested myself in turns out not to even have happened in the imaginary world of the book or show. Finding out that the book was going to contain these elements at the end made the ending depressing and anticlimactic for me. I've noticed that in general the ending can make or break a book and this one knocked a full star off the rating for me. If you particularly loved Station Eleven and can going into this looking for something similar, but perhaps not quite as well written, I think it would be worth picking up anyway. And, if you checked out my spoilers and know they don't bother you, I'd definitely recommend this.
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
June 30, 2016
Percer has chosen a terrific backdrop for her story -- modern day San Francisco in the midst of two huge earthquakes. Great potential to explore themes of frailty, change, vulnerability, etc... which she does pretty well. As the title states, this is also love story, several in fact. These were also handled deftly, making for a well-paced, engaging read.
But, in the end, it never quite reached 4stars for me. Percer felt the need to provide too much background so, although we heard on page 1 that we were mere hours from the earthquake, it took 100 pages to get there. She introduces quite a few characters who were never fully developed so I ended up wishing she had either not brought them into the story, or would have given me a little more depth. I also found a lot of repetition of inner-feelings, especially the feeling of regret, which gets old.
Still, I may have gone with 4 stars, had the ending not been all tied up in a neat little bow. I actually groaned out loud.
I'd still recommend it (borrow, not buy), especially for anyone familiar with San Francisco.
But, in the end, it never quite reached 4stars for me. Percer felt the need to provide too much background so, although we heard on page 1 that we were mere hours from the earthquake, it took 100 pages to get there. She introduces quite a few characters who were never fully developed so I ended up wishing she had either not brought them into the story, or would have given me a little more depth. I also found a lot of repetition of inner-feelings, especially the feeling of regret, which gets old.
Still, I may have gone with 4 stars, had the ending not been all tied up in a neat little bow. I actually groaned out loud.
I'd still recommend it (borrow, not buy), especially for anyone familiar with San Francisco.
June 25, 2019
I was well on the way to giving this book four stars, but the ending feels less authentic than, and disconnected from, the rest of the novel. There’s plenty of beautiful prose to be had, and I like a lot of aspects of the story. But I felt like there was plenty to distract from its most compelling characters and relationships, and at least one storyline appears to exist only to narratively make room for an essay on the role of media in modern society.
May 26, 2016
A beautiful and moving book about love and disaster in the aftermath of an earthquake hitting modern day San Francisco. Percer's writing style is so intensely intimate you feel as though you know the characters as real people - such a gift.
April 30, 2020
This was so beautiful and heartbreaking, and, as a Californian who still has family in the Bay Area, spoke straight to my heart. It's rare to find a disaster novel that does such a wonderful job with discussions of humanity and relationships. Percer did that.
February 29, 2024
The last 100 pages could’ve been a book in and of itself and was the best part of the entire story. Great storyline, just not flushed out or written that I could easily get into them.
August 20, 2016
On a given day anything can happen and in Elizabeth Percer's book All Stories Are Love Stories it does. The setting is San Francisco and when one thinks of things falling apart there, one thinks of earthquakes and that would be right. It's a massive one.
I started this book on April 16th and finished it August 16th. At the end I was awash with a depth of feelings and in love with this book. Reflecting back, I'm still greatly moved by the book, but I have to examine why I set it aside as this is not something I easily do. It is told from multiple perspectives and I appreciate that in a book. My problem was the three initial vignettes, even knowing what was to come gave me nothing to want to continue. These were characters I didn't particularly want to get to know, but I'm so glad I picked it back up again. I love these characters, Max and especially Vashti, Gene and Franklin and all the others.
I love how Percer ties those love stories together.
I started this book on April 16th and finished it August 16th. At the end I was awash with a depth of feelings and in love with this book. Reflecting back, I'm still greatly moved by the book, but I have to examine why I set it aside as this is not something I easily do. It is told from multiple perspectives and I appreciate that in a book. My problem was the three initial vignettes, even knowing what was to come gave me nothing to want to continue. These were characters I didn't particularly want to get to know, but I'm so glad I picked it back up again. I love these characters, Max and especially Vashti, Gene and Franklin and all the others.
I love how Percer ties those love stories together.
March 4, 2016
This is an intimate and insightful portrayal of what it is to love and to lose and at the same time, a harrowing portrayal of gorgeous San Francisco in the throes of a very imaginable crisis. Elizabeth Percer is a terrific novelist and I'm so excited to have read this.
March 31, 2016
There are elements of Persuasion in this gripping tale. I might have given this one a 4.5-4.75 if not for an element of the ending. Taking nearly a full point off for that. Grrrrr!
March 6, 2020
Should be titled, "All Stories about San Francisco Are Love Stories."
The writing is lovely, but it was hard to fully understand all of this book as I know very little about San Francisco. This book is a love story to a city and a meditation on how past loves affect us, disguised as a post-disaster novel.
The writing is lovely, but it was hard to fully understand all of this book as I know very little about San Francisco. This book is a love story to a city and a meditation on how past loves affect us, disguised as a post-disaster novel.
August 19, 2020
Just not a fan.
June 14, 2022
Oh, I did NOT see some of the ending coming! My heart...
March 30, 2016
It's Valentine's Day, which just so happens to be Max's birthday. A day that brings to mind all kinds of things, like lost love and the fact that he's been single for an uncomfortable amount of time. And as Max ponders these issues, the woman that got away ponders them as well.
Vashti hasn't seen Max since she left him all those years ago. But she dreams about him. Her certainty that he can't possibly want to see her again keeps her from trying, but this year she's decided maybe it's worth just sneaking a peek at how he's doing.
Meanwhile, Gene, an earthquake researcher at Stanford, and his partner are facing a challenge in their own relationship. It means Gene is almost constantly worried unless he's by Franklin's side. And then the city is rocked by not one but two severe earthquakes later that day. As things in the city deteriorate further, Gene, along with many others, tries frantically to return to the person he loves most.
There's no denying Elizabeth Percer is a massively talented writer. Her characters, both here and in her debut, An Uncommon Education, are so full of depth and development that you can't help but become enthralled by their stories. But for me All Stories Are Love Stories just didn't quite hit the mark.
First, I mentioned Percer's debut, which I reviewed back in 2012. The heroine in that particular story is quite quirky and endearing. And while the characters here in All Stories Are Love Stories have their own endearing qualities, it's that quirkiness in particular that drew me to Percer's previous novel. A quirkiness that's not present in this one, sadly.
Second, I'm not a big fan of character driven stories. I love well developed characters, but I love them in the context of a much more plot focused book than All Stories Are Love Stories turned out to be.
As we all know, though, (mood readers in particular) timing can be a huge issue in reading. Sometimes a book falls prey to the particular time in which you tackle it and that's my third issue here. Through no fault at all of the book, I happen to have just recently spent some time in another San Francisco narrative that kept edging its way back into my consciousness as I was trying to read. And while that other piece was not the same story or even the same quality as Percer's, it inevitably affected my reading greatly.
Now, taking all of that into consideration I have to point out that I've seen glowing reviews of Percer's latest. Mine might actually have been one of them if I'd come to All Stories Are Love Stories at the right time. And given how much I did enjoy An Uncommon Education, I feel really guilty for not loving All Stories Are Love Stories.
This is very much the kind of book that I fully admit is a worthy read and a wonderful read for the right audience. First and foremost the audience that's drawn to more character driven tales :) So if you find that's your cup of tea, I definitely encourage you to check out other reviews of the book. Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it won't hit the spot for you!
Vashti hasn't seen Max since she left him all those years ago. But she dreams about him. Her certainty that he can't possibly want to see her again keeps her from trying, but this year she's decided maybe it's worth just sneaking a peek at how he's doing.
Meanwhile, Gene, an earthquake researcher at Stanford, and his partner are facing a challenge in their own relationship. It means Gene is almost constantly worried unless he's by Franklin's side. And then the city is rocked by not one but two severe earthquakes later that day. As things in the city deteriorate further, Gene, along with many others, tries frantically to return to the person he loves most.
There's no denying Elizabeth Percer is a massively talented writer. Her characters, both here and in her debut, An Uncommon Education, are so full of depth and development that you can't help but become enthralled by their stories. But for me All Stories Are Love Stories just didn't quite hit the mark.
First, I mentioned Percer's debut, which I reviewed back in 2012. The heroine in that particular story is quite quirky and endearing. And while the characters here in All Stories Are Love Stories have their own endearing qualities, it's that quirkiness in particular that drew me to Percer's previous novel. A quirkiness that's not present in this one, sadly.
Second, I'm not a big fan of character driven stories. I love well developed characters, but I love them in the context of a much more plot focused book than All Stories Are Love Stories turned out to be.
As we all know, though, (mood readers in particular) timing can be a huge issue in reading. Sometimes a book falls prey to the particular time in which you tackle it and that's my third issue here. Through no fault at all of the book, I happen to have just recently spent some time in another San Francisco narrative that kept edging its way back into my consciousness as I was trying to read. And while that other piece was not the same story or even the same quality as Percer's, it inevitably affected my reading greatly.
Now, taking all of that into consideration I have to point out that I've seen glowing reviews of Percer's latest. Mine might actually have been one of them if I'd come to All Stories Are Love Stories at the right time. And given how much I did enjoy An Uncommon Education, I feel really guilty for not loving All Stories Are Love Stories.
This is very much the kind of book that I fully admit is a worthy read and a wonderful read for the right audience. First and foremost the audience that's drawn to more character driven tales :) So if you find that's your cup of tea, I definitely encourage you to check out other reviews of the book. Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it won't hit the spot for you!
May 21, 2016
I won this ARC through The Reading Room in exchange for a fair review.
This book chronicles the events surrounding a major earthquake in San Francisco, very similar to the great 1906 earthquake. Max is a 34 year old man, abandoned by his dad and me still mourning a failed relationship from his teens. Vashti is a young Iranian pastry chef who has not known much more than tragedy her entire life. Gene is a geologist who has found his great love in life but is struggling in his professional life.
The narrative jumps between the lives of these 3 characters and how their lives become woven together through tragedy. I As the emotions, lives, and back stories of these characters take center stage, the earthquake is more of a background scenery.
I really liked this book because the character development was phenomenal. Their lives became something I was familiar with, making me feel like I knew them and was rooting for them. Each chapter leaves the reader with questions making it hard to find a place to stop. I felt like I was opening a chest and slowly taking out one layer at a time until the full scope finally came together at the end.
But at the same time, this book is depressing. The author paints of very real picture of family life and how it isn't always perfect. People let us down. Our parents let us down. Life even let's us down. I found myself going over my own life experiences.
If you enjoy emotions and character this is the book for you. I'm glad I read it and would definitely recommend it.
This book chronicles the events surrounding a major earthquake in San Francisco, very similar to the great 1906 earthquake. Max is a 34 year old man, abandoned by his dad and me still mourning a failed relationship from his teens. Vashti is a young Iranian pastry chef who has not known much more than tragedy her entire life. Gene is a geologist who has found his great love in life but is struggling in his professional life.
The narrative jumps between the lives of these 3 characters and how their lives become woven together through tragedy. I As the emotions, lives, and back stories of these characters take center stage, the earthquake is more of a background scenery.
I really liked this book because the character development was phenomenal. Their lives became something I was familiar with, making me feel like I knew them and was rooting for them. Each chapter leaves the reader with questions making it hard to find a place to stop. I felt like I was opening a chest and slowly taking out one layer at a time until the full scope finally came together at the end.
But at the same time, this book is depressing. The author paints of very real picture of family life and how it isn't always perfect. People let us down. Our parents let us down. Life even let's us down. I found myself going over my own life experiences.
If you enjoy emotions and character this is the book for you. I'm glad I read it and would definitely recommend it.
April 30, 2020
I really wanted to like this book, but ultimately didn’t. The novel is really more about San Francisco than it is about the relationships. There’s quite a large cast of characters, when you first think you’re focussing in two love stories of four people. Halfway through a bunch more are added that seem to overtake the story, making it a bit confusing.
On the topic of character, many of them seem to be stereotypical or cliché. Using “Eh” as a response to a question to let the reader know Max’s father is Canadian. Unrealistic and just lazy. The depiction of LGBTQ+ characters doesn’t seem fully realistic and is very much an extreme.
Too much is learned about the characters through strange flashback moments that left me confused as to where I was in the past/present/future or what had even happened in the actual plot leading up to the flashback.
The beginning felt like a (too) cutesy romance book that quickly lost its charm and depth while trying so hard to be charming and deep. As the story ends, many of the new relationships seem rushed and false. The reader doesn’t experience the building of these relationships, contrasting the intensely detailed relationships of the characters at the beginning of the novel. And the final chapter, especially the last paragraph, feels very “writerly” and gratuitous, almost like killing everyone off to make it to the ending.
On the topic of character, many of them seem to be stereotypical or cliché. Using “Eh” as a response to a question to let the reader know Max’s father is Canadian. Unrealistic and just lazy. The depiction of LGBTQ+ characters doesn’t seem fully realistic and is very much an extreme.
Too much is learned about the characters through strange flashback moments that left me confused as to where I was in the past/present/future or what had even happened in the actual plot leading up to the flashback.
The beginning felt like a (too) cutesy romance book that quickly lost its charm and depth while trying so hard to be charming and deep. As the story ends, many of the new relationships seem rushed and false. The reader doesn’t experience the building of these relationships, contrasting the intensely detailed relationships of the characters at the beginning of the novel. And the final chapter, especially the last paragraph, feels very “writerly” and gratuitous, almost like killing everyone off to make it to the ending.
May 7, 2016
I picked up this book because some of the reviews compare it to Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven. I think that's a stretch. Although I enjoyed All Stories Are Love Stories I doubt that it will stay with me in the same way that Station Eleven has. The world of Station Eleven is post-apocalyptic where people are trying to retain and rebuild civilization. This story revolves around a localized disaster (a major earthquake in San Francisco) and its impact of a small core of people. Certainly such a disaster is devastating to the people and the area where it occurs, but we know that the world goes on outside the disaster area and that eventually things will recover within it.
The story lines in All Stories Are Love Stories kept me interested, but left me wanting a bit more detail and development.
The story lines in All Stories Are Love Stories kept me interested, but left me wanting a bit more detail and development.
October 9, 2015
Set against the 24-hour anticipation and realization of a San Francisco earthquake, this novel first introduces us to a fatherless man, a motherless woman, gay lovers, orphans. An unlikely cast of characters whose lives will intersect in unlikely ways.
It didn't surprise me at all when I read, after finishing the book, that Elizabeth Percer is a poet, for her prose borders on poetry and is absolutely delightful to read. I was drawn into this book from the first chapter. She gives enough background for the reader to understand and care about each of these people. I was totally unprepared for the ending.
A warm and fulfilling read that I will not soon forget.
I read this E-ARC courtesy of Edelwelss and the publisher.
It didn't surprise me at all when I read, after finishing the book, that Elizabeth Percer is a poet, for her prose borders on poetry and is absolutely delightful to read. I was drawn into this book from the first chapter. She gives enough background for the reader to understand and care about each of these people. I was totally unprepared for the ending.
A warm and fulfilling read that I will not soon forget.
I read this E-ARC courtesy of Edelwelss and the publisher.
September 14, 2018
Another unsatisfying ending. Is it me?....
I liked the structure of the story at first, every third chapter focusing on someone else, but after the building collapsed, I started losing interest in all the story lines except Gene's. I would have loved another few chapters detailing the characters' reunions with their loved ones, and a scene where the research was revisited, maybe even a dramatic "told you so" when the research was re-evaluated by the faculty. Oh well.
I liked the structure of the story at first, every third chapter focusing on someone else, but after the building collapsed, I started losing interest in all the story lines except Gene's. I would have loved another few chapters detailing the characters' reunions with their loved ones, and a scene where the research was revisited, maybe even a dramatic "told you so" when the research was re-evaluated by the faculty. Oh well.
June 20, 2017
I love love love the title so I jumped right in....and darn it, the title was the strongest part for me. The premise is just so perfect but the character development didn't work for me. For some reason, I could not connect with any of them--was it too long before I met up with the recurring characters that I forgot about their unique personalities? Or were they not unique/strong enough. Or again, was it me?
February 25, 2018
The plot in this book had so much potential, and yet the actual story was slow, the characters were unconvincing and one-dimensional, and the writing was banal, boring, and unoriginal. I forced myself to finish the book, thinking that at least towards the end it would get better. It didn't. I didn't really care about any of the characters. There were a few pages in the book that intrigued me, but other than that, I wasted my time.
It's not the worst book, but it isn't worth it.
It's not the worst book, but it isn't worth it.
June 20, 2016
The title says it all. This is a disaster story, but not like an action story or a dystopian story. It's a love story, and love finds its way into every page, every character and their relationship with the people and the world around them. I loved it. Quite a random find on the New Releases in my library's E-Book catalog.
November 18, 2019
Half of this novel was a solid 4, but once the earthquake transpired, it became bogged down in backstories. The ending was entirely disappointing; I felt cheated between the two reunions: one turned out never to have transpired, and the one I had been anticipating transpired off-screen. Finally, a quibble: What 34 year old has a Will? That was too tidy.
December 7, 2015
Story of the people trapped in the Masonic Auditorium after a major earthquake. Sad intertwining tales.
May 4, 2016
I enjoyed Elizabeth Percer's first novel, but it took me a while to get into it. I got into this one right away, but it felt front heavy. I wanted more after the earthquake hit.
July 3, 2016
probably a 3.3, good characters, good setting, didn't completely work for me.
February 10, 2022
I liked the overall message and the characters. I felt like the max and his mother relationship kind of fell off. It was hard to get into and a little confusing at times of who’s story we were in.
May 17, 2024
I just loved the feelings evoked by the plot being set in SF, lots of lyrical writing. Not the best plot, but overall good book
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