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Everything Love Is
From the author of The Night Rainbow: a poignant, mysterious and unforgettable story of love, and of the happy endings we conceive for ourselves.
Baptiste Molino has devoted his life to other people’s happiness. Moored on his houseboat on the edge of Toulouse, he helps his clients navigate the waters of contentment, yet remains careful never to make waves of his own.
Baptiste is more concerned with his past than his future: particularly the mysterious circumstances of his birth and the identity of his birth mother. But Sophie, the young waitress in his local bar, believes it is time for Baptiste to rediscover passion and leads him into the world on his doorstep he has long tried to avoid.
However, it is Baptiste’s new client who may end up being the one to change his perspective. Elegant and enigmatic, Amandine Rousseau is fast becoming a puzzle he longs to solve. As tensions rise on the streets of the city, Baptiste’s determination to avoid both the highs and lows of love begins to waver. And when his mother’s legacy finally reveals itself, he finds himself torn between pursuing his own happiness and safeguarding that of the one he loves.
Baptiste Molino has devoted his life to other people’s happiness. Moored on his houseboat on the edge of Toulouse, he helps his clients navigate the waters of contentment, yet remains careful never to make waves of his own.
Baptiste is more concerned with his past than his future: particularly the mysterious circumstances of his birth and the identity of his birth mother. But Sophie, the young waitress in his local bar, believes it is time for Baptiste to rediscover passion and leads him into the world on his doorstep he has long tried to avoid.
However, it is Baptiste’s new client who may end up being the one to change his perspective. Elegant and enigmatic, Amandine Rousseau is fast becoming a puzzle he longs to solve. As tensions rise on the streets of the city, Baptiste’s determination to avoid both the highs and lows of love begins to waver. And when his mother’s legacy finally reveals itself, he finds himself torn between pursuing his own happiness and safeguarding that of the one he loves.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2016
21 people are currently reading
1249 people want to read
About the author
Claire King
4 books155 followersClaire King's debut novel, The Night Rainbow, was met with critical acclaim.
Her prize winning short fiction has been published online and in print including The New Scientist, The Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology and Writers Forum magazine.
She lives with her family in the Cotswolds.
Her prize winning short fiction has been published online and in print including The New Scientist, The Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology and Writers Forum magazine.
She lives with her family in the Cotswolds.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
September 24, 2016
This is a heartbreaking and life affirming story that asks and engages with the deepest notions of what love is. Claire King has captured the subtle and moving onset of dementia and what it means for Baptiste who is experiencing it and Amandine who loves him. Baptiste lives on the tethered barge that is Candice. He tethers his life to what he can handle - the finite notes of a piano, the bare minimum of possessions, his clients whom he counsels on how to be happy and his meals at a local inn. Baptiste begins to really live life and embrace love when he untethers Candice to go on journey where he learns to trust his love.
For a man who can help others find happiness, he mostly struggles to incorporate love. He has a new client who he is falling in love with but cannot quite connect with subconscious hints that there is something just out of reach. Books, photos and strangers are an unsettling experience. Loving Baptiste is a demanding and soul destroying ask. Despite all that stands between them, Baptiste and Amandine do secure a happiness enriching togetherness. It is the mark of the strength of character and the love between them that they can negotiate the troubled waters of the future for as long as possible. The condition of dementia creates the perfect milieu for a twist or two in the novel.
Claire King has stitched together an immersive, artistic and impressionistic picture of dementia. It is also a beautifully written exposition of what love can be when walls are crumbling all around. The descriptions and prose are poetic and idyllic. An idyll though that carries its own growing threats. The seasons feature largely in the book as a mirror of life changes. It does not give the nitty gritty travails of dementia on a daily basis but it does lift the spirits about what can otherwise be a deeply traumatising experience for sufferer, and for their family and friends. Many grateful thanks to Bloomsbury, the publishers for a copy of the book.
For a man who can help others find happiness, he mostly struggles to incorporate love. He has a new client who he is falling in love with but cannot quite connect with subconscious hints that there is something just out of reach. Books, photos and strangers are an unsettling experience. Loving Baptiste is a demanding and soul destroying ask. Despite all that stands between them, Baptiste and Amandine do secure a happiness enriching togetherness. It is the mark of the strength of character and the love between them that they can negotiate the troubled waters of the future for as long as possible. The condition of dementia creates the perfect milieu for a twist or two in the novel.
Claire King has stitched together an immersive, artistic and impressionistic picture of dementia. It is also a beautifully written exposition of what love can be when walls are crumbling all around. The descriptions and prose are poetic and idyllic. An idyll though that carries its own growing threats. The seasons feature largely in the book as a mirror of life changes. It does not give the nitty gritty travails of dementia on a daily basis but it does lift the spirits about what can otherwise be a deeply traumatising experience for sufferer, and for their family and friends. Many grateful thanks to Bloomsbury, the publishers for a copy of the book.
December 22, 2016
This is one of those books that the less said the better, so as not to ruin it for future readers. So I will just say that the story and the meaning of the story creeps up on you slowly., Baptiste, is a wonderful character, wish the secondary lead would have been as fleshed out. The prose, the descriptions, the details are gorgeous. This book has some of the most beautiful descriptions of love I have ever encountered. The love necessary for a successful marriage, love between a mother and child and love between a child and his parents. Absolutely phenomenal.
So a beautiful story, bittersweet, meaningful and one that slowly reveals itself.
ARC from Netgalley.
So a beautiful story, bittersweet, meaningful and one that slowly reveals itself.
ARC from Netgalley.
September 24, 2016
I'm finding it difficult to write a review for this without giving away things that anyone who reads this should discover for themselves, so apologies if this seems a little vague. This is one of those quiet novels that I love to read. It's introspective and the depth of the characters is wonderfully rendered. Baptiste Molino was adopted minutes after he was born and lived a comfortable life in the French countryside with a man and woman who raise him and provide a loving home. Years later he is a therapist, living on a house boat in Toulouse helping people to find what it is that will make them happy. Ironically, he's not even sure what it is that will make him happy. Love perhaps , but then he's not sure what love really means. This is a story of how Baptiste discovers what it means to love and to be loved unconditionally.
More than anything else I want to say that the writing is beautiful, so poetic. I can't pretend I wasn't confused at first with the two narratives - Baptiste's and a another person, who at first I didn't know. Still, there was always something about Baptiste Molino and his story that drew me in. But then my confusion gave way to a devastatingly clear understanding of what was happening. As in The Night Rainbow King keeps something from us for a while, slowly unfolding the startling truth that breaks your heart but yet brings everything together. You can find more details in some other reviews, but I would prefer to just leave it here by saying that I was so deeply moved by this story and that I highly recommend it.
Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this advance copy.
June 18, 2024
Narrated by two main characters, “Everything Love is” provides two feelings/opinions/ideas of what love is and how our memories define our love. Each chapter is headed by a bird: a kingfisher and a common barn owl. It’s obvious after a couple of chapters that the Kingfisher is Baptiste Molino. Baptiste is a French therapist who helps his clients find personal happiness. Yet Baptiste has neglected his own search.
Who the common barn owl is, is a bit of a mystery. This reader had a couple of contenders for the identity, and the true identity isn’t revealed until toward the end.
Going back to the storyline, the story opens with a new client who stirs Baptiste, opens Baptiste in a new way. Baptiste struggles with his own ideas of happiness and contentment while trying to help his new client, Amandine.
Author Claire King explores love, life, commitment, and family. This is a novel of meditations, observations, and ideas. It’s a love story and memories and the stories we tell ourselves. It’s a beautiful yet sad story.
Who the common barn owl is, is a bit of a mystery. This reader had a couple of contenders for the identity, and the true identity isn’t revealed until toward the end.
Going back to the storyline, the story opens with a new client who stirs Baptiste, opens Baptiste in a new way. Baptiste struggles with his own ideas of happiness and contentment while trying to help his new client, Amandine.
Author Claire King explores love, life, commitment, and family. This is a novel of meditations, observations, and ideas. It’s a love story and memories and the stories we tell ourselves. It’s a beautiful yet sad story.
December 6, 2016
NOW AVAILABLE!!
4.5 Stars
Baptiste Molino enters life on the move, as though that should speak of the man he will someday become. Baptiste is delivered by a midwife on the same train as Baptiste’s birth mother, and is adopted within moments of his birth.
His adoptive parents were older, and lived in the countryside of France. An idyllic childhood surrounded by his parents doting on the child they never thought they’d have.
As Baptiste slowly feels himself slipping into the feelings of love, or perhaps just the tender beginnings of such, but before he can completely allow himself to succumb to the feeling, he denies himself the reality of this feeling. He can’t even bring himself to believe that what he is feeling might be love – perhaps an attraction, but she’s a beautiful woman, an undeniable fact. He’s a psychiatrist and she’s his client. Therefore, in his logical approach, he cannot acknowledge that he’s falling in love. While Baptiste feels, his attachment to those feelings seems as ephemeral as the connection of Candice, his houseboat, to the dock. One lift of the tether, let it go, and it can go anywhere. The thing is, he never does. One examination of his feelings and he’s down the rabbit hole looking for the way out.
At the same time he’s drawn to the youthful exuberance of the Sophie who works at the inn where he dines most every meal. He’s protective of her, wants the best for her, but she’s really the only one he finds that he can talk to. Oh, he has his clients, of course, he talks to them, but not about himself, or his feelings or even in the non-detached way he views her. She’s a friend who provides comfort. He appreciates her. She listens.
I found myself feeling lost in the beginning of this story, confused, not seeing where this was going, but then… it all begins to come together – as though focusing the lens on a camera, it begins to become clearer. The message becomes clearer, as well.
This is, of course, above all, a story about love, not what I’d call a “love story.” Those may end after a period of time – or not. This is a story about what love requires of us, and what we demand from love. Love from parents for a child, or a child for their parents, a parent for a sick child, a spouse for their failing partner, or a grown child for their failing parent. And then there is the love born of friendship or romance which can also have a caring side beyond the physical side, a love that sees you through the days, beyond the daily wearing down of life.
Lovely prose, wonderfully drawn characters. This was a very sweetly poignant, emotional read for me. I haven’t yet been able to bring myself to begin another story; I’m just not ready to leave them behind right now.
Pub Date: 6 Dec 2016
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Bloomsbury USA, NetGalley and author Claire King.
4.5 Stars
Baptiste Molino enters life on the move, as though that should speak of the man he will someday become. Baptiste is delivered by a midwife on the same train as Baptiste’s birth mother, and is adopted within moments of his birth.
His adoptive parents were older, and lived in the countryside of France. An idyllic childhood surrounded by his parents doting on the child they never thought they’d have.
As Baptiste slowly feels himself slipping into the feelings of love, or perhaps just the tender beginnings of such, but before he can completely allow himself to succumb to the feeling, he denies himself the reality of this feeling. He can’t even bring himself to believe that what he is feeling might be love – perhaps an attraction, but she’s a beautiful woman, an undeniable fact. He’s a psychiatrist and she’s his client. Therefore, in his logical approach, he cannot acknowledge that he’s falling in love. While Baptiste feels, his attachment to those feelings seems as ephemeral as the connection of Candice, his houseboat, to the dock. One lift of the tether, let it go, and it can go anywhere. The thing is, he never does. One examination of his feelings and he’s down the rabbit hole looking for the way out.
At the same time he’s drawn to the youthful exuberance of the Sophie who works at the inn where he dines most every meal. He’s protective of her, wants the best for her, but she’s really the only one he finds that he can talk to. Oh, he has his clients, of course, he talks to them, but not about himself, or his feelings or even in the non-detached way he views her. She’s a friend who provides comfort. He appreciates her. She listens.
I found myself feeling lost in the beginning of this story, confused, not seeing where this was going, but then… it all begins to come together – as though focusing the lens on a camera, it begins to become clearer. The message becomes clearer, as well.
This is, of course, above all, a story about love, not what I’d call a “love story.” Those may end after a period of time – or not. This is a story about what love requires of us, and what we demand from love. Love from parents for a child, or a child for their parents, a parent for a sick child, a spouse for their failing partner, or a grown child for their failing parent. And then there is the love born of friendship or romance which can also have a caring side beyond the physical side, a love that sees you through the days, beyond the daily wearing down of life.
Lovely prose, wonderfully drawn characters. This was a very sweetly poignant, emotional read for me. I haven’t yet been able to bring myself to begin another story; I’m just not ready to leave them behind right now.
Pub Date: 6 Dec 2016
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Bloomsbury USA, NetGalley and author Claire King.
November 16, 2016
3.5 stars. Everything Love Is was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but ultimately more positive than negative. I can’t say very much about the story without ruining the effect. So I’ll limit my review to a few impressions and themes. I really liked the way Everything Love Is is told. The narrative strands are parts of a puzzle that slowly comes together. It’s a tricky puzzle and time periods and perspectives feel like they don’t quite match up, but by the end everything comes together really powerfully. The setting in southern France is lovely, and King has created an original multilayered story. What made this one a mixed bag is that I didn’t always find the two main characters -- who take turns narrating the story – one of which I can’t even identify without ruining the effect – entirely believable. It is hard to imagine real people living the way they do or making the choices they made. Oddly, some of the secondary characters had far more reality for me. Still, a very creative story dealing with important themes of love and loyalty and loss and sacrifice. And the end is pretty special. I really can’t say more without spoiling the effect. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
October 10, 2016
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this advanced copy.
I found this story of Baptiste very confusing till about 100 pages in, and then throughout the rest of the story we find out more about him.
This is of course, above all, a story of love.
I cannot say much about Baptiste's circumstances without giving much of the story away, but it is very sad and you will not forget these characters.
I found this story of Baptiste very confusing till about 100 pages in, and then throughout the rest of the story we find out more about him.
This is of course, above all, a story of love.
I cannot say much about Baptiste's circumstances without giving much of the story away, but it is very sad and you will not forget these characters.
January 26, 2025
This book was beautifully written, but I honestly think I didn't really understand it at all. The book is sort of a wafting experience, that I'm not sure pulls together. Its really about the writing and the experience of being in it. I cannot pull together more than that.
August 30, 2016
“But no one ever ends at the ending. After the lovers kiss and the last page is turned, their lives barrel on messily towards the grave and maintaining some kind of happy ending is an ongoing battle. If you don’t keep that in mind, happiness will slip through your fingers like water.”
Baptiste is a therapist who lives on a houseboat (named Candice, who is a character as much as the living breathing people), which charmed me because isn’t there something about houseboats and water that would soothe most people rather than stuffy offices? He helps others, he lives a life of contentment until Amandine steps on Candice. Soon the patient is asking questions and opening his heart, shaking up his simple, routine life. One rich with clients and his cafe, his boat. We know he was born on a train as the story opens, and it’s heartbreaking for both child and mother what happens. He knows so little about his birth mother, and while he is lucky to have loving parents who took him in, there has always been a hunger, a wanting for the past. “When you have such sparse information, too much weight is given to the little you have.” To then wonder about the small things, what was her favorite color? Her personality like? All the little things so many of us that know our parents take for granted, a void for Baptiste.
Sophie is his wonderful young friend, but who is she? What is she to him? Young men are jealous of Sophie and Baptiste’s intimate relationship. It’s strange how she mothers him in her own way too. Misunderstandings could just as much be a title, such a human thing to misinterpret the situations in our friends and strangers lives, in our own. The person anchored in his hungry heart is Amandine, who wants more than simple love. She wants connection, and that isn’t the easiest thing for anyone to find in such a world greedy for what passes as happiness. Is allowing ourselves to be consumed by one person the real path to genuine love? Merging souls so deeply that we don’t know where one begins and the other ends? Amandine is intense, mysterious but she is also frustratingly complex. Something is happening to Baptiste, there is so much confusion circling his life, people wrong about who he loves, about his relationships with others. None worse than the slippage of his own memories and mind. People seem to disappear as much as some memories fade. How do we hold on to people we love when love migrates? How do we find the bravery to chose love when illness is chasing us, shortening our days, stealing who we are?
The story quietly renders the heart to open, and bleed slowly with so much sadness amidst love, endings within beginnings. Real love isn’t the formula in typical love stories- not family love nor romantic love. We are all twisted up in misunderstandings, the confusion of our choices, our missteps, how the whims of fate alters how we chose to go forward. You cannot truly love any person or thing without exposing yourself to the elements of grief, loss. Everything we feel, hold dear is temporary. Love is sacred because it is fragile, you jump on the creature’s back with no idea where you will go and how it will end, if you will be discarded, wounded, eaten by it. So many of us try to play it safe and make choices ‘for the better of our beloved’ and what damage we do. Love is waking to the possibility of catastrophic wounds everyday knowing anything can happen to your children, your partner, your family and friends.
King’s writing is gorgeous and though the story can confuse with who is doing the telling, once the reader finds a quiet place to sink in, they will begin to figure out which character is narrating as it changes. I feel tender after finishing the novel, happy and sorry for everyone, though it is fiction- these are realistic circumstances. Well done.
Publication Date in the USA: December 6, 2016
Bloomsbury USA (my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/)
Baptiste is a therapist who lives on a houseboat (named Candice, who is a character as much as the living breathing people), which charmed me because isn’t there something about houseboats and water that would soothe most people rather than stuffy offices? He helps others, he lives a life of contentment until Amandine steps on Candice. Soon the patient is asking questions and opening his heart, shaking up his simple, routine life. One rich with clients and his cafe, his boat. We know he was born on a train as the story opens, and it’s heartbreaking for both child and mother what happens. He knows so little about his birth mother, and while he is lucky to have loving parents who took him in, there has always been a hunger, a wanting for the past. “When you have such sparse information, too much weight is given to the little you have.” To then wonder about the small things, what was her favorite color? Her personality like? All the little things so many of us that know our parents take for granted, a void for Baptiste.
Sophie is his wonderful young friend, but who is she? What is she to him? Young men are jealous of Sophie and Baptiste’s intimate relationship. It’s strange how she mothers him in her own way too. Misunderstandings could just as much be a title, such a human thing to misinterpret the situations in our friends and strangers lives, in our own. The person anchored in his hungry heart is Amandine, who wants more than simple love. She wants connection, and that isn’t the easiest thing for anyone to find in such a world greedy for what passes as happiness. Is allowing ourselves to be consumed by one person the real path to genuine love? Merging souls so deeply that we don’t know where one begins and the other ends? Amandine is intense, mysterious but she is also frustratingly complex. Something is happening to Baptiste, there is so much confusion circling his life, people wrong about who he loves, about his relationships with others. None worse than the slippage of his own memories and mind. People seem to disappear as much as some memories fade. How do we hold on to people we love when love migrates? How do we find the bravery to chose love when illness is chasing us, shortening our days, stealing who we are?
The story quietly renders the heart to open, and bleed slowly with so much sadness amidst love, endings within beginnings. Real love isn’t the formula in typical love stories- not family love nor romantic love. We are all twisted up in misunderstandings, the confusion of our choices, our missteps, how the whims of fate alters how we chose to go forward. You cannot truly love any person or thing without exposing yourself to the elements of grief, loss. Everything we feel, hold dear is temporary. Love is sacred because it is fragile, you jump on the creature’s back with no idea where you will go and how it will end, if you will be discarded, wounded, eaten by it. So many of us try to play it safe and make choices ‘for the better of our beloved’ and what damage we do. Love is waking to the possibility of catastrophic wounds everyday knowing anything can happen to your children, your partner, your family and friends.
King’s writing is gorgeous and though the story can confuse with who is doing the telling, once the reader finds a quiet place to sink in, they will begin to figure out which character is narrating as it changes. I feel tender after finishing the novel, happy and sorry for everyone, though it is fiction- these are realistic circumstances. Well done.
Publication Date in the USA: December 6, 2016
Bloomsbury USA (my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/)
August 24, 2016
Claire King visited our local bookstore and so that is how Everything Love Is came to my attention. It is a challenging read as the story is told through the lenses of different points in time and two narrators, and the first part of the book is especially a little confusing. Persevere and the depth of the writing and the tale becomes clear. This is one of those books where when I finished it, I went back to the beginning and read over chapters with a new perspective. Several days after finishing the book, my mind is still mulling over aspects of it. Some really lovely writing, and some beautifully wrought passages that are full of emotion and deep human experience. Although you may question whether the manuscript needed an editor who would reign in the confusion little, overall I think it's good as it is and I am pleased to have had the experience of reading it.
December 22, 2016
Baptiste lives on a houseboat near Toulouse. He's a therapist and helps people to find themselves again. Only he might be lost himself as well. He doesn't know exactly where he came from. He was born in a train and was adopted afterwards. He has loving parents, but the past keeps intriguing him. He usually eats at a café where he becomes friends with Sophie, who works there. There's a strong connection between them and she might lead him to the path he should follow.
While she could have been his daughter people believe there's something between Sophie and Baptiste. There is a connection, but not the one they think there is. Baptiste is in love with Amandine, a woman who stepped into his practice one day. She confuses Baptiste and he doesn't know how to handle his feelings, but maybe there will be a future for them. Will Baptiste be able to find his way while he's destined to be lost forever?
Everything Love Is is a beautiful story. I read this book with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, it's bittersweet, it's gorgeous, it's sad and it's hopeful. It's a book filled with contrasts and enigmas and that's one of the things I immediately loved about it. Baptiste is a kind man. He's lonely sometimes, but he enjoys simple pleasures like living on his houseboat and having a good meal. Sophie tries to show him that there's more to life. She's young, but she's wise and she's a passionate and vibrant person. Amandine is mysterious and she's a presence, a woman who should be noticed. I loved her patience and her caring nature. She's stylish, educated and very much dow- to-earth. The main characters of Everything Love Is are interesting, they're characters that should be cherished and they instantly stole my heart.
Claire King's stunning writing makes her stories special. I love the way she describes France, it makes me feel at home. The scenery is as much part of the story as the characters and that's a fantastic skill. Everything Love Is is an absolute must-read. It's one of the most amazing books I've read in a very long time. Baptiste's story is extraordinary, he's a main character to remember and his story is something I would love to read again and again.
The fantastic drawings in Everything Love Is are adding to the character of the book and are making this book even more unique. I love the elegance of the design, which perfectly suits the story. The whole package enchanted me straight away. The drawings make the story even more colorful and they add to the numerous moving emotional layers. Claire King has written a brilliant graceful novel filled with love and tenderness, it's a real treasure.
While she could have been his daughter people believe there's something between Sophie and Baptiste. There is a connection, but not the one they think there is. Baptiste is in love with Amandine, a woman who stepped into his practice one day. She confuses Baptiste and he doesn't know how to handle his feelings, but maybe there will be a future for them. Will Baptiste be able to find his way while he's destined to be lost forever?
Everything Love Is is a beautiful story. I read this book with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, it's bittersweet, it's gorgeous, it's sad and it's hopeful. It's a book filled with contrasts and enigmas and that's one of the things I immediately loved about it. Baptiste is a kind man. He's lonely sometimes, but he enjoys simple pleasures like living on his houseboat and having a good meal. Sophie tries to show him that there's more to life. She's young, but she's wise and she's a passionate and vibrant person. Amandine is mysterious and she's a presence, a woman who should be noticed. I loved her patience and her caring nature. She's stylish, educated and very much dow- to-earth. The main characters of Everything Love Is are interesting, they're characters that should be cherished and they instantly stole my heart.
Claire King's stunning writing makes her stories special. I love the way she describes France, it makes me feel at home. The scenery is as much part of the story as the characters and that's a fantastic skill. Everything Love Is is an absolute must-read. It's one of the most amazing books I've read in a very long time. Baptiste's story is extraordinary, he's a main character to remember and his story is something I would love to read again and again.
The fantastic drawings in Everything Love Is are adding to the character of the book and are making this book even more unique. I love the elegance of the design, which perfectly suits the story. The whole package enchanted me straight away. The drawings make the story even more colorful and they add to the numerous moving emotional layers. Claire King has written a brilliant graceful novel filled with love and tenderness, it's a real treasure.
July 26, 2016
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review. And I will be buying a copy of the hardback as the cover is so stunning!!
After devouring and falling in love with The Night Rainbow, her previous book, I was excited and a little nervous to read this.... I need not have worried!! A powerful, beautiful book that left me feeling inspired and reflective!
The story opens on a train as a woman on her own gives birth to a boy, with the help of a midwife who happens to be on the carriage, but she is unable to speak the language and unfortunately passes away during childbirth. The midwife has been unable to have children of her own and sees this child as a blessing and raises him.
We then follow the story of Baptiste as he lives on a canal boat, helping others to understand themselves through therapy, while struggling to understand his place in the world and forever focusing on the past and who he really is. He soon becomes obsessed with a client called Amandine and he struggles to get a handle on him, and she ends up asking him the questions which makes him think more about where he came from, and why some people are forever striving to find happiness, while others can be happy with very little.
I did find the narrative a little confusing to begin with as it did feel a little disjointed, but then it all seemed to click into place and the beauty of the language used and thoughts conveyed were a dream to read.
I found it to be really thought provoking in the subjects discussed and so insightful as more is revealed of Baptiste and the struggles he began to face with his health and how those around him dealt with that.
A stunner of a book!!
After devouring and falling in love with The Night Rainbow, her previous book, I was excited and a little nervous to read this.... I need not have worried!! A powerful, beautiful book that left me feeling inspired and reflective!
The story opens on a train as a woman on her own gives birth to a boy, with the help of a midwife who happens to be on the carriage, but she is unable to speak the language and unfortunately passes away during childbirth. The midwife has been unable to have children of her own and sees this child as a blessing and raises him.
We then follow the story of Baptiste as he lives on a canal boat, helping others to understand themselves through therapy, while struggling to understand his place in the world and forever focusing on the past and who he really is. He soon becomes obsessed with a client called Amandine and he struggles to get a handle on him, and she ends up asking him the questions which makes him think more about where he came from, and why some people are forever striving to find happiness, while others can be happy with very little.
I did find the narrative a little confusing to begin with as it did feel a little disjointed, but then it all seemed to click into place and the beauty of the language used and thoughts conveyed were a dream to read.
I found it to be really thought provoking in the subjects discussed and so insightful as more is revealed of Baptiste and the struggles he began to face with his health and how those around him dealt with that.
A stunner of a book!!
February 6, 2017
My complete review is available on the Washington Independent Review of Books
July 20, 2016
Dislcaimer: We received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley courtesy of the publisher (Bloomsbury)
Why we chose it: There was something about the synopsis of this book that intrigued us.
Review: Baptiste Milano is a Kingfisher. He sees through the calm surfaces of the water to the currents below and is able to pick out all the tiny bodies of the fish that swim. Metaphorically Baptiste Milano is a Kingfisher, really he's a man on a houseboat on the edge of Toulouse. He sees through the surface emotions and problems through to the whirlwind underneath as he's able to decipher what you really want and need in life.
He's a part of life and yet almost entirely secluded from it.
The book opens of a train that's heading towards Toulouse long before we know Baptiste living as the man in the houseboat. From the get go we realised that changes in time and narrative would be regular occurences. Unfortunately for a while we didn't quite know who was talking or from what point in time they were talking from which was incredibly frustrating.
Eventually, however the confusion stopped.
We were able to differentiate between the narratives and laugh at Sophie. The wonderful waitress who would on occasion draw a picture for a customer. It was amusing and insightful. It's how we know Baptiste is a Kingfisher. We were able to be intrigued by the hidden gem that is Amandine Rousseau. Mostly though we were able to focus on Baptiste and his life told from his point of you and that of another who we didn't know for a time.
He is the fulcrum which the entire novel rotates around. His current time in which he likes to visit the bar Sophie works at and attempt to dissect Amandine and a future one where things have changed drastically. The questions he needed answering are the questions that we know we'd likely pursue if we were in the same position. "Where did I come from?" "Who did I come from?" While we don't remember them being phrased like that, you can feel them saturating every word written by Claire King.
And her words are beautiful. There's no other way to describe them. In our previous blog post where we reviewed Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven we said we didn't usually read books that were both contemporary and a romance. That was true then and will likely always be true. The reason we're bringing it up is because this book felt more like a contemporary novel and a novel that truly explored it's title.
Everything Love Is. Both it's good and bad aspects - they weren't shied away, but neither did they take up too much room and leave the book lacking motion. Yes, there were some problems with pacing. We felt that and from what we've seen others have too, but you shouldn't down this novel because of that. You need to persevere and everything will just fit and work perfectly. You'll be glad you continued on, finished the book.
We know we were even if we had to come back to it because it's a gem that slowly uncovers itself and shines.
To conclude, Everything Love Is by Claire King is not what one initially expects, but what one should expect from a novel with such a title.
Thank you all for reading and of course thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for allowing us to read this book
Arkon, Annie and a creator.
arkonandannie.wordpress.com
Why we chose it: There was something about the synopsis of this book that intrigued us.
Review: Baptiste Milano is a Kingfisher. He sees through the calm surfaces of the water to the currents below and is able to pick out all the tiny bodies of the fish that swim. Metaphorically Baptiste Milano is a Kingfisher, really he's a man on a houseboat on the edge of Toulouse. He sees through the surface emotions and problems through to the whirlwind underneath as he's able to decipher what you really want and need in life.
He's a part of life and yet almost entirely secluded from it.
The book opens of a train that's heading towards Toulouse long before we know Baptiste living as the man in the houseboat. From the get go we realised that changes in time and narrative would be regular occurences. Unfortunately for a while we didn't quite know who was talking or from what point in time they were talking from which was incredibly frustrating.
Eventually, however the confusion stopped.
We were able to differentiate between the narratives and laugh at Sophie. The wonderful waitress who would on occasion draw a picture for a customer. It was amusing and insightful. It's how we know Baptiste is a Kingfisher. We were able to be intrigued by the hidden gem that is Amandine Rousseau. Mostly though we were able to focus on Baptiste and his life told from his point of you and that of another who we didn't know for a time.
He is the fulcrum which the entire novel rotates around. His current time in which he likes to visit the bar Sophie works at and attempt to dissect Amandine and a future one where things have changed drastically. The questions he needed answering are the questions that we know we'd likely pursue if we were in the same position. "Where did I come from?" "Who did I come from?" While we don't remember them being phrased like that, you can feel them saturating every word written by Claire King.
And her words are beautiful. There's no other way to describe them. In our previous blog post where we reviewed Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven we said we didn't usually read books that were both contemporary and a romance. That was true then and will likely always be true. The reason we're bringing it up is because this book felt more like a contemporary novel and a novel that truly explored it's title.
Everything Love Is. Both it's good and bad aspects - they weren't shied away, but neither did they take up too much room and leave the book lacking motion. Yes, there were some problems with pacing. We felt that and from what we've seen others have too, but you shouldn't down this novel because of that. You need to persevere and everything will just fit and work perfectly. You'll be glad you continued on, finished the book.
We know we were even if we had to come back to it because it's a gem that slowly uncovers itself and shines.
To conclude, Everything Love Is by Claire King is not what one initially expects, but what one should expect from a novel with such a title.
Thank you all for reading and of course thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for allowing us to read this book
Arkon, Annie and a creator.
arkonandannie.wordpress.com
November 15, 2016
A wondrous symphony of colours, perfumes and feelings...
Characters who don’t know what they are, who don’t know what they want. Great literature is full of them – think Hamlet, think Beatrice and Benedict – and their search for answers to the questions they ask provides constant fascination for the reader who is prepared to enter into their world and try to understand them.
To do that, of course, demands a certain effort. But why should a reader not be prepared to make an effort? The French novelist André Gide said, ‘Tough luck for the lazy reader, that’s not the sort of reader I want!’ But sometimes, as here, the effort is indisputably worth while. Baptiste Molino is a therapist, and a therapist’s insights do not come to him ready-made, they come in bits and bobs, in scraps which he has to piece together like a patchwork quilt, and so it was with me when I read Everything Love Is.
Be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster ride; how could it be otherwise in a novel bearing such a title? Be prepared too for the different points of view, so essential for a true understanding of love. And don't ignore the delightful little kingfishers and owls placed at the head of every little chapter – they are there to help you find your way…
This is a beautifully written and beautifully crafted book. I cannot recommend it enough!
Characters who don’t know what they are, who don’t know what they want. Great literature is full of them – think Hamlet, think Beatrice and Benedict – and their search for answers to the questions they ask provides constant fascination for the reader who is prepared to enter into their world and try to understand them.
To do that, of course, demands a certain effort. But why should a reader not be prepared to make an effort? The French novelist André Gide said, ‘Tough luck for the lazy reader, that’s not the sort of reader I want!’ But sometimes, as here, the effort is indisputably worth while. Baptiste Molino is a therapist, and a therapist’s insights do not come to him ready-made, they come in bits and bobs, in scraps which he has to piece together like a patchwork quilt, and so it was with me when I read Everything Love Is.
Be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster ride; how could it be otherwise in a novel bearing such a title? Be prepared too for the different points of view, so essential for a true understanding of love. And don't ignore the delightful little kingfishers and owls placed at the head of every little chapter – they are there to help you find your way…
This is a beautifully written and beautifully crafted book. I cannot recommend it enough!
November 15, 2016
I absolutely LOVED this book. I read and loved this author's debut but this book... Wow! A masterpiece. Every word beautiful, every passage poetry. From the title, which is just perfect, to the beautiful depictions of birds at the beginning of each chapter, to the awe-inspiring writing, this book is a treasure. I will be re-reading this amazing story to pick up any nuance I have missed and to savour again the stunning prose. A sensitive, lovely and emotional read - one that will stay with me for a very long time.
A few of the lines I absolutely loved:
'We are made of nothing but elements and the stories they hold: the stories we have told ourselves and the stories we have been told.'
'At that moment, my eyes were at the waist of a vast hourglass, the infinite universe expanding out and away from me in one direction, and, in the other, the explosion of galaxies in my mind. Every grain of sand could be a star. Every grain a memory. This is why we hold stories so dearly. This is why we cling to gods.'
'Winter is the sharp smell of snow and soups that simmer so long that everything around takes on their warmth. Summer is the smoke-tang of charring meat. Spring smells yellow-green, a fresh salad of scents that rise and fall like a wind-blown veil. Autumn smells of wet earth, red wine and burning wood.'
'As if we had half the time we need to live before we die.'
'...sunbeam crow's feet and the deeply etched valleys of long gone smiles.'
A few of the lines I absolutely loved:
'We are made of nothing but elements and the stories they hold: the stories we have told ourselves and the stories we have been told.'
'At that moment, my eyes were at the waist of a vast hourglass, the infinite universe expanding out and away from me in one direction, and, in the other, the explosion of galaxies in my mind. Every grain of sand could be a star. Every grain a memory. This is why we hold stories so dearly. This is why we cling to gods.'
'Winter is the sharp smell of snow and soups that simmer so long that everything around takes on their warmth. Summer is the smoke-tang of charring meat. Spring smells yellow-green, a fresh salad of scents that rise and fall like a wind-blown veil. Autumn smells of wet earth, red wine and burning wood.'
'As if we had half the time we need to live before we die.'
'...sunbeam crow's feet and the deeply etched valleys of long gone smiles.'
November 7, 2024
If you are struggling to understand the first half of this book, read this partial spoiler:
I wish I had known this from the beginning because then I could have appreciated King's message far sooner than the veiled narrative she chose. Other than this, it would have been a 5 star.
This a remarkable story of love. King demonstrates that Love is more than a feeling and so much more than the outward emotion portrayed in movies and shows. Instead, Love is the way we treat someone, especially someone whom we know so absolutely. Love is doing what is best for our loved one, even at the detriment of our own good.
I don't think I'll be able to look at a houseboat moored on a canal without picturing Baptiste at the piano and Amandine sitting in the Louis XV chair in her green shoes. The writing is beautiful, laden with imagery and heightened perception. Once I understood the mysterious premise, I truly looked forward to my intimate sessions with this book.
I wish I had known this from the beginning because then I could have appreciated King's message far sooner than the veiled narrative she chose. Other than this, it would have been a 5 star.
This a remarkable story of love. King demonstrates that Love is more than a feeling and so much more than the outward emotion portrayed in movies and shows. Instead, Love is the way we treat someone, especially someone whom we know so absolutely. Love is doing what is best for our loved one, even at the detriment of our own good.
I don't think I'll be able to look at a houseboat moored on a canal without picturing Baptiste at the piano and Amandine sitting in the Louis XV chair in her green shoes. The writing is beautiful, laden with imagery and heightened perception. Once I understood the mysterious premise, I truly looked forward to my intimate sessions with this book.
March 29, 2017
This one is hard to review without giving away any of the twists and turns. The book is about the progression of dementia and how it not only affects the person who has it, but also the people around him. It is about loving people you know you will eventually forget, and allowing them to love you.
It was well written, heartfelt and reminiscent of similar things that have happened to people in my own life.
It was well written, heartfelt and reminiscent of similar things that have happened to people in my own life.
September 10, 2022
An audio book, the book was recommended to me by a friend but I couldn’t find a hard copy so listened instead. It did take me a few chapters to get into it but once ‘captured’ I thoroughly enjoyed this very moving story. It wasn’t difficult to fathom either what was going to happen or the ultimate outcome but the descriptive text was delightful. Made we wish we had perused our one time idea of living on a narrow boat.
July 26, 2021
how could a book be so achingly beautiful and poetic??!?! a masterpiece indeed
October 26, 2016
Novel set in TOULOUSE (What is love?)
Baptiste lives on a houseboat near Toulouse, and loves his job of helping clients to explore what happiness means to them and bring it back into their lives. His friends live nearby, his parents a short drive away and he is happy with his world.
Then he meets a new client, Amadine, who is looking for something, but Baptiste can’t quite work out what it is. And so the story starts.
The story takes us back to Baptiste’s birth, how he came to be living on a houseboat, into unrest on the streets of Toulouse, to sunny days on the Canal du Midi and to Amadine.
This is a book to read, savour and think about, it is absolutely not a romantic romp through candle-lit dinners etc. There many interesting lines, such as “Love is like a garden, you have to put your mind to it and you have to grow it”; each reader will be able to take something from this book.
There are no chapter numbers, instead there is either a picture of a kingfisher or an owl heading each chapter. It is important to notice these – I didn’t and this led to some early confusion reading it.
I loved the beginning of this book, the thoughtful nature of the prose, the glimpses into life on a canal and the beautiful writing style. In the middle I got bored, wasn’t really following what was going on and got very close to giving up with the book. Thank goodness I carried on, as suddenly everything started coming together and it turned into a very strong, thought provoking and gripping book. By the end of the book I realised how the middle section was essential, and absolutely right for the book. It drew the reader in as the story led towards a dramatic change in direction.
This is one of very few books that I want to immediately re-read, as a second reading (when all has become clear) will make the confusing bit in the middle a great read. So please, please keep reading this book; do not give up when/if you become lost and bored – it is worth it in the end. So worth reading that I have given it a 5* rating, even though I was close to chucking it in the bin half way through!
I read the paperback version; the cover is beautiful and the print style lovely. A book I shall treasure not only for the story, but also the book itself. Thank you TripFiction.com (and Claire King!)
Note: I read this book without knowing anything about it. I’m disappointed to see that some reviews give away the key point of the story; that would have ruined the whole book for me. So just buy it, read it, mutter darkly about me in the middle, and then finish it and thank me for telling you to persevere with it.
Baptiste lives on a houseboat near Toulouse, and loves his job of helping clients to explore what happiness means to them and bring it back into their lives. His friends live nearby, his parents a short drive away and he is happy with his world.
Then he meets a new client, Amadine, who is looking for something, but Baptiste can’t quite work out what it is. And so the story starts.
The story takes us back to Baptiste’s birth, how he came to be living on a houseboat, into unrest on the streets of Toulouse, to sunny days on the Canal du Midi and to Amadine.
This is a book to read, savour and think about, it is absolutely not a romantic romp through candle-lit dinners etc. There many interesting lines, such as “Love is like a garden, you have to put your mind to it and you have to grow it”; each reader will be able to take something from this book.
There are no chapter numbers, instead there is either a picture of a kingfisher or an owl heading each chapter. It is important to notice these – I didn’t and this led to some early confusion reading it.
I loved the beginning of this book, the thoughtful nature of the prose, the glimpses into life on a canal and the beautiful writing style. In the middle I got bored, wasn’t really following what was going on and got very close to giving up with the book. Thank goodness I carried on, as suddenly everything started coming together and it turned into a very strong, thought provoking and gripping book. By the end of the book I realised how the middle section was essential, and absolutely right for the book. It drew the reader in as the story led towards a dramatic change in direction.
This is one of very few books that I want to immediately re-read, as a second reading (when all has become clear) will make the confusing bit in the middle a great read. So please, please keep reading this book; do not give up when/if you become lost and bored – it is worth it in the end. So worth reading that I have given it a 5* rating, even though I was close to chucking it in the bin half way through!
I read the paperback version; the cover is beautiful and the print style lovely. A book I shall treasure not only for the story, but also the book itself. Thank you TripFiction.com (and Claire King!)
Note: I read this book without knowing anything about it. I’m disappointed to see that some reviews give away the key point of the story; that would have ruined the whole book for me. So just buy it, read it, mutter darkly about me in the middle, and then finish it and thank me for telling you to persevere with it.
July 28, 2016
Everything Love Is begins with the birth of the lead character Baptiste. His delivery into the world was traumatic and violent, and those six pages, set in May 1968 on a train travelling through the French countryside are the most wonderful opening to a beautifully written and fascinating story of love and hope mixed with bitter sadness and loss.
Many years later, adult Baptiste is living on a houseboat called Candace, just outside of Toulouse. He's a carer, a fixer, a man who tries to help the clients that visit him, he helps them to find happiness, whilst all the time he is struggling with his own inner peace.
Baptiste's friend Sophie, who works in the local bar and ensures that he eats, and cares deeply for him, calls him a kingfisher. The author's gift for lyrical, musical, sensuous words are displayed in the passage where Amandine explains her reasoning;
"When most creatures look down at the canal, they see themselves reflected within in. But not the kingfisher. He sees straight through the surface to everything that lies beneath. That's what you do with people. Most of us only ever see the surface of others, or else our own reflection. But for you it's as though the surface isn't there. That's how you help people."
The first one hundred pages of Everything Love Is is challenging, there are voices that contribute to the story that don't seem to fit properly; an anonymous character, who is very close to Baptiste, but who baffled me at first. And then, the reader realises, and the story takes another dimension. It's almost like driving a new car; you know that you love it, but initially you are not quite sure where everything is, and then one day, it becomes comfortable and smooth and as simple as breathing.
Claire King's writing reminds me of Joanne Harris' Chocolat, not just the exquisitely described small French town setting, but the elegant and seductive prose alongside her vibrant and wonderfully constructed characters.
Beautifully crafted, Everything Love Is really is a study of love and longing. The author delicately handles the progressive decline of Baptiste as he searches for answers about his beginnings.
A novel to savour and absorb, and remember.
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December 20, 2016Baptiste lives a quiet life. He has his work. He has his houseboat. He has his nightly routine of walking to the local pub for dinner. He has his piano to keep him company. He is a man who stops to smell the roses and definitely does not sweat the small stuff. In fact, many would consider his life idyllic. It takes the entrance of an equally mysterious female client to set him on the path of getting out of his comfort zone and explore the wider world.
Everything Love Is is the story of Baptiste’s entrance into a larger world. He is set in his ways and does not handle crowds well, yet he recognizes wisdom in his friends’ pleas to get involved and meet new people. In many ways, his involvement in Sophie’s politics and his enchantment with his new client are a rebirth for him, as he sheds his old identity, rediscovers just who he is, and finally sets aside the haunting mystery of his mother’s journey before his birth and her death.
What makes Everything Love Is so powerful is the emotional connection you feel with Baptiste. He is a simple man with simple needs, and you get to know him intimately. He is the type of character that brings out your protective nature because he is a gentle giant that harms no one and does not deserve harm in return. His successes become your successes and his losses are equally yours.
Ms. King achieves this astonishing connection with her lyrical writing. Her sentences are highly evocative, enticing all of your senses and placing you into the heartbeat of any scene. You may never experience Toulouse in real life, but Ms. King brings Baptiste’s world to such exacting life that you experience it through her writing. In short, her writing is breathtaking, taking a simple story and making it a masterpiece.
Claire King writes basic stories. They are not exciting or flashy; there is no suspense or plot twist that keeps you guessing. However, her stories are anything but boring or simple. They incorporate the essence of humanity and capture the human experience with emotional precision. Plus, her prose is enough to make you stop and weep. Everything Love Is is a powerful testament to her storytelling skill and well worth the emotional anguish.
Everything Love Is is the story of Baptiste’s entrance into a larger world. He is set in his ways and does not handle crowds well, yet he recognizes wisdom in his friends’ pleas to get involved and meet new people. In many ways, his involvement in Sophie’s politics and his enchantment with his new client are a rebirth for him, as he sheds his old identity, rediscovers just who he is, and finally sets aside the haunting mystery of his mother’s journey before his birth and her death.
What makes Everything Love Is so powerful is the emotional connection you feel with Baptiste. He is a simple man with simple needs, and you get to know him intimately. He is the type of character that brings out your protective nature because he is a gentle giant that harms no one and does not deserve harm in return. His successes become your successes and his losses are equally yours.
Ms. King achieves this astonishing connection with her lyrical writing. Her sentences are highly evocative, enticing all of your senses and placing you into the heartbeat of any scene. You may never experience Toulouse in real life, but Ms. King brings Baptiste’s world to such exacting life that you experience it through her writing. In short, her writing is breathtaking, taking a simple story and making it a masterpiece.
Claire King writes basic stories. They are not exciting or flashy; there is no suspense or plot twist that keeps you guessing. However, her stories are anything but boring or simple. They incorporate the essence of humanity and capture the human experience with emotional precision. Plus, her prose is enough to make you stop and weep. Everything Love Is is a powerful testament to her storytelling skill and well worth the emotional anguish.
August 18, 2016
*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
I don’t really know where to start this review, because I really struggled with it. It got to a point, where I was ready to give up on it, but I didn’t. I guess I still had that little spark of curiosity in me.
The book was very confusing for me from the start. It’s not clear who is actually talking and yes I have to agree with the other reviews I have read, the confusion vanishes eventually, but that didn’t cut it for me. Suddenly everything clear and the story moves along, but somehow I was still not hooked. I probably expected a very different story after reading the blurb and that didn’t make it easier.
I found it hard to connect to the characters. Baptiste, Amandine and Sophie all have their story to tell and of course they are also linked, but I just didn’t get into the story at all. The story moved very slowly for me and I felt like nothing important happened.
I’m glad I finished it though, because that little spark of curiosity wanted to know what happens to the characters and I have to say that the last 100 pages were way more exciting than the rest of the book. It has a powerful message behind it, sadly I just couldn’t connect to it.
The title is actually perfect for this story, it really covers everything love is and shows us the good and the bad sides.
I don’t really know where to start this review, because I really struggled with it. It got to a point, where I was ready to give up on it, but I didn’t. I guess I still had that little spark of curiosity in me.
The book was very confusing for me from the start. It’s not clear who is actually talking and yes I have to agree with the other reviews I have read, the confusion vanishes eventually, but that didn’t cut it for me. Suddenly everything clear and the story moves along, but somehow I was still not hooked. I probably expected a very different story after reading the blurb and that didn’t make it easier.
I found it hard to connect to the characters. Baptiste, Amandine and Sophie all have their story to tell and of course they are also linked, but I just didn’t get into the story at all. The story moved very slowly for me and I felt like nothing important happened.
I’m glad I finished it though, because that little spark of curiosity wanted to know what happens to the characters and I have to say that the last 100 pages were way more exciting than the rest of the book. It has a powerful message behind it, sadly I just couldn’t connect to it.
The title is actually perfect for this story, it really covers everything love is and shows us the good and the bad sides.
August 15, 2016
Set on and around the Canal du Midi in France, this extraordinarily moving book explores the relationships that the central character, Baptiste, has with the various people in his life, from the mother who died giving birth to him, to his adoptive parents, the waitress in a nearby cafe, clients who come into his life seeking happiness or love, and the other members of the community of people living on houseboats near his own. The story starts slowly and is a little confusing at first, but once you are drawn into the narrative, the reason for this becomes clearer and you find yourself captivated by the superb writing and observations about the natural world and the nature of love that the different characters express, which really resonated with me. I'm not going to talk about the plot - that is something I think the readers should have the pleasure of discovering for themselves, but it is not a standard "boy meets girl" tale. It takes a much broader, deeper look at what love really is, other than mere romance, and succeeded in stirring the heart of even this hardened cynic!
May 4, 2016
The title is very appropriate for the story. Initially, I thought it was a love story. Well, it kind of is. But not in a romantic way that I expected it to be. It is... what everything love is.
I thought I was reading in three perspectives but eventually I realized that I was not. You will slowly get to the point where you realize what's really happening. Honestly, I was very confused while reading the first hundred pages. Yes, that far and still confused. But I persevered. It was confusing, yes, but I was curious. You know something is happening and you can't fully grasp it yet. But you can feel it. You're just waiting for it to blow up to your face. And there it was. Confusion vanished. The whole story revolves around this plot twist that I have to be this vague to avoid spoiling anything.
It is a slow burning read but stay with it. I almost gave up. Good thing I didn't because the next hundred pages until the end was...I don't know how to express it. Let's just say I have a first-hand experience like this one. And it is hard. It is heart-breaking. It is love.
I thought I was reading in three perspectives but eventually I realized that I was not. You will slowly get to the point where you realize what's really happening. Honestly, I was very confused while reading the first hundred pages. Yes, that far and still confused. But I persevered. It was confusing, yes, but I was curious. You know something is happening and you can't fully grasp it yet. But you can feel it. You're just waiting for it to blow up to your face. And there it was. Confusion vanished. The whole story revolves around this plot twist that I have to be this vague to avoid spoiling anything.
It is a slow burning read but stay with it. I almost gave up. Good thing I didn't because the next hundred pages until the end was...I don't know how to express it. Let's just say I have a first-hand experience like this one. And it is hard. It is heart-breaking. It is love.
November 26, 2016
This is a gorgeous book, with language which will take your breath away. There is an underlying and constant flow and swell in this book, the tangible, briny ocean, the lulling, oily canal, the claret swirled in glasses in the cafe. There are mists over Paris, there is unrest in the streets and yet, amidst it all and the ballast holding it together against the uncertainties, is love. Love in all its forms. This book could be sad but the writing is so glorious, the tiny minutiae of our existences and emotions evoked so true that you put the book down with a sigh and carry on with your own life. For that is what we do. This is a fabulous read, hugely recommended, especially if you revel in words and the vast possibilities of how to use them to best effect.
August 12, 2016
An emotional & heart-wrenching read. Claire King brings out the emotions of those enduring Dementia and how it affects those around them .... It is a tear-jerker but a book worth reading to know more about Dementia and how to help and understand those enduring this mind-crippling condition.
You feel for the characters and cry with them! You feel for Baptiste & Amandine. I was gutted, emotionally thrown off and felt weary even after completing the book.
**I was kindly provided an ARC by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc through Net Galley.
You feel for the characters and cry with them! You feel for Baptiste & Amandine. I was gutted, emotionally thrown off and felt weary even after completing the book.
**I was kindly provided an ARC by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc through Net Galley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2016
The book opens in 1968 with a woman who dies while giving birth on a train; the passenger who assists her claims the child for herself. It then switches to the narrative of Baptiste Molino, a therapist living on a houseboat moored on the edge of Toulouse. He is with his a new client Amandine Rousseau who has visited him because she has heard he makes people happy. "I don't believe anyone else can make you happy," is his gentle, considered reply, "But you can be helped to find your own way there." Amandine wants to feel alive, to fall in love.
And from this point, the thoughtful, benevolent, compassionate Baptiste who spends his time helping his clients to navigate through their own stormy waters- never making waves of his own - is entranced by the enigmatic Amandine. For the first time he finds himself unable to "see" into a client, unable to "solve" her problem and identify what it is she needs.
As well as his work, Baptiste is also searching for the identity of his birth mother. A woman who has left no clues behind except a violin, a wooden statue and a word inked into the skin of her arm.
We are also introduced to Sophie, a young waitress at the local bar. She and Baptiste are close and "after hours of dealing with doubt and hesitation her unshakeable self assurance was like a cold shower at the end of a hot day." They "recognised something in each other that fit like salt on butter or lemon on fish." Sophie wants to help Baptiste rediscover love and passion, to explore the world rather than hiding behind his clients; to find more meaning in his life rather than helping others search for meaning in their lives.
There is some beautiful imagery and metaphor in this book - in fact it is swimming in it. I loved the comparison of Baptiste with a kingfisher. Unlike other creatures who only see themselves when they look into water, the kingfisher sees right down below the surface to everything that is beneath. "This," Sophie observes, "is what you do with people." There are some recurrent images about birds ("Flocks of little black notes migrating like starlings across the page", "Words fluttered as though caged in my mind. I didn't know which ones to set free.") and of course, the numerous references and descriptions of water are essential given the placement of the houseboat and the themes of freedom, memory, life, exploration, adventure and time.
Baptiste is very philosophical and reflective. I liked how his nights are full of ideas as he tries to process his sessions with his clients: "In the slow drift into sleep when the mind softens and unravels, intuition speaks.....dawn will decide if they make sense." The writing feels quite hypnotic - heightened by the closeness of water and the sense of floating on soft waves and a continuous gentle rocking. The language is creative and metaphors are used by the characters and the author to explore the idea of love.
There are some fantastic allegories for love. Baptiste's mother asks him if he thinks love is like a butterfly, "that you have to catch....no, love is like a garden, you have to put your mind to it and grow it." Different characters have different experiences of love to share with him. Baptiste's friend Etienne says love has make him happy, yet miserable, changed him for the better and for the worse. Amandine says love is "spending your waking hours being terrified of losing what is most precious to you." This is a novel about love - and everything love is. It is a love story but not in the conventional sense. It is up to Baptiste to discover love and all its happiness, pain, joy and sorrow.
The relationships between the characters is very well written. These are people with a deep understanding of each other. A gentleness with each other. A connection with each other. Baptiste's parents give him excellent counsel and so does the youthful and aspirational Sophie.
There is also the interjection of an anonymous voice between Baptiste's chapters and to be honest, I spent a while wondering whether I had missed something vital as I wasn't completely sure who the voice belonged to and how it fitted in with the story. However, keep going and all becomes very clear, and when it does, the novel becomes something much more powerful and poignant. My relationship with the characters became more involved and I was caught up in the sadness of the plot. I think King's deliberate technique to make the reader feel like they aren't fully grasping the unfolding of events, the chronology or how the pieces of the jigsaw fit together is effective. It works well because of the author's exploration of memory, loss, confusion and love. Her writing about memory is powerful and there is some very compelling descriptions.
There is a dream like quality to this slow, considered novel. The french location adds a little more mystique and I definitely was reminded of novels such as "The Red Notebook" , "The Reader on the 6.27" and "The Little Paris Bookshop." King's writing is comparable to Joanne Harris and Maggie O'Farrell.
I must say, it took me a while to get into it but once I did, I was very touched by it and feel like it will be one of those "hidden gems". I would recommend this book - don't overlook it or give up, it's hugely rewarding and I think one I will still be thinking about for days to come. It's a read to take your time with and savour. I leave you with one final quote which illustrates King's use of metaphor:
"When travelling by train, no matter how set you are on your destination, it only takes one set of points to switch and you are veering off in an entirely new direction."
Thus is life.
My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel in return for a fair and honest review.
And from this point, the thoughtful, benevolent, compassionate Baptiste who spends his time helping his clients to navigate through their own stormy waters- never making waves of his own - is entranced by the enigmatic Amandine. For the first time he finds himself unable to "see" into a client, unable to "solve" her problem and identify what it is she needs.
As well as his work, Baptiste is also searching for the identity of his birth mother. A woman who has left no clues behind except a violin, a wooden statue and a word inked into the skin of her arm.
We are also introduced to Sophie, a young waitress at the local bar. She and Baptiste are close and "after hours of dealing with doubt and hesitation her unshakeable self assurance was like a cold shower at the end of a hot day." They "recognised something in each other that fit like salt on butter or lemon on fish." Sophie wants to help Baptiste rediscover love and passion, to explore the world rather than hiding behind his clients; to find more meaning in his life rather than helping others search for meaning in their lives.
There is some beautiful imagery and metaphor in this book - in fact it is swimming in it. I loved the comparison of Baptiste with a kingfisher. Unlike other creatures who only see themselves when they look into water, the kingfisher sees right down below the surface to everything that is beneath. "This," Sophie observes, "is what you do with people." There are some recurrent images about birds ("Flocks of little black notes migrating like starlings across the page", "Words fluttered as though caged in my mind. I didn't know which ones to set free.") and of course, the numerous references and descriptions of water are essential given the placement of the houseboat and the themes of freedom, memory, life, exploration, adventure and time.
Baptiste is very philosophical and reflective. I liked how his nights are full of ideas as he tries to process his sessions with his clients: "In the slow drift into sleep when the mind softens and unravels, intuition speaks.....dawn will decide if they make sense." The writing feels quite hypnotic - heightened by the closeness of water and the sense of floating on soft waves and a continuous gentle rocking. The language is creative and metaphors are used by the characters and the author to explore the idea of love.
There are some fantastic allegories for love. Baptiste's mother asks him if he thinks love is like a butterfly, "that you have to catch....no, love is like a garden, you have to put your mind to it and grow it." Different characters have different experiences of love to share with him. Baptiste's friend Etienne says love has make him happy, yet miserable, changed him for the better and for the worse. Amandine says love is "spending your waking hours being terrified of losing what is most precious to you." This is a novel about love - and everything love is. It is a love story but not in the conventional sense. It is up to Baptiste to discover love and all its happiness, pain, joy and sorrow.
The relationships between the characters is very well written. These are people with a deep understanding of each other. A gentleness with each other. A connection with each other. Baptiste's parents give him excellent counsel and so does the youthful and aspirational Sophie.
There is also the interjection of an anonymous voice between Baptiste's chapters and to be honest, I spent a while wondering whether I had missed something vital as I wasn't completely sure who the voice belonged to and how it fitted in with the story. However, keep going and all becomes very clear, and when it does, the novel becomes something much more powerful and poignant. My relationship with the characters became more involved and I was caught up in the sadness of the plot. I think King's deliberate technique to make the reader feel like they aren't fully grasping the unfolding of events, the chronology or how the pieces of the jigsaw fit together is effective. It works well because of the author's exploration of memory, loss, confusion and love. Her writing about memory is powerful and there is some very compelling descriptions.
There is a dream like quality to this slow, considered novel. The french location adds a little more mystique and I definitely was reminded of novels such as "The Red Notebook" , "The Reader on the 6.27" and "The Little Paris Bookshop." King's writing is comparable to Joanne Harris and Maggie O'Farrell.
I must say, it took me a while to get into it but once I did, I was very touched by it and feel like it will be one of those "hidden gems". I would recommend this book - don't overlook it or give up, it's hugely rewarding and I think one I will still be thinking about for days to come. It's a read to take your time with and savour. I leave you with one final quote which illustrates King's use of metaphor:
"When travelling by train, no matter how set you are on your destination, it only takes one set of points to switch and you are veering off in an entirely new direction."
Thus is life.
My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel in return for a fair and honest review.
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February 7, 2018I found it incredibly hard to give this book a rating. I LOVED 'The Night Rainbow' when I fell in love with Claire King's writing style. The same beautiful imagery, colouring and tender detail is here in this book, too. In fact, reading it is like entering into a place where time slows down - like taking a languorous trip on a canal barge, in fact!
But the hard part for me was the story itself. I found it confusing during the first section to have chapters which seemed to come from an unidentified voice (other than under the heading of 'the owl'). I know this is explained much later in the book and we then find out the reason why, but it just didn't work for me. The whole gradual reveal of dementia didn't work for me either, sadly. It didn't quite hang together and the storyline never felt strong enough as a vehicle for it. Maybe I'm used to stories with more movement and pace? 'Everything Love Is' feels very much a static reflection on love and nostalgia, albeit touching in parts. Sadly, it didn't reach out to me or captivate me in the way the first book did...
But the hard part for me was the story itself. I found it confusing during the first section to have chapters which seemed to come from an unidentified voice (other than under the heading of 'the owl'). I know this is explained much later in the book and we then find out the reason why, but it just didn't work for me. The whole gradual reveal of dementia didn't work for me either, sadly. It didn't quite hang together and the storyline never felt strong enough as a vehicle for it. Maybe I'm used to stories with more movement and pace? 'Everything Love Is' feels very much a static reflection on love and nostalgia, albeit touching in parts. Sadly, it didn't reach out to me or captivate me in the way the first book did...
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