All This Heavenly Glory

by Elizabeth Crane

Her life marked by such challenges as a best friend's betrayal, substance abuse, and the slow death of a parent, Charlotte Anne Byers navigates the turbulent waters of her career and the dating scene while working with an opera house children's choir.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Book Club, Contemporary

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2005

About the author

Elizabeth Crane is the author of two novels We Only Know So Much (now a major motion picture) and The History of Great Things (Harper Perennial) and four collections of short stories: When the Messenger Is Hot and All This Heavenly Glory (Little, Brown) and You Must Be This Happy to Enter (Akashic Books), and Turf (Counterpoint). Her work has been adapted for the stage by Steppenwolf Theater and featured on NPR's Selected Shorts. She is a winner of the Chicago Public Library 21st Century Award.

Reviews

[Misa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Elizabeth Crane as a short-story writer is great. Elizabeth Crane as a novelist is a big old mess. I knew we were off to a bad start when the first chapter read like something I would have written for a creative writing class in college. "All This Heavenly Glory" seemed ostensibly like something I would relate to, but I just couldn't get over how awkward and rambling and self-conscious it was (I know, you are probably all thinking that it sounds EXACTLY like something I should have related to). Somewhere around the middle I realized I was skimming it the way I would skim, say, an old Good Housekeeping magazine in the dentist's reception area. I felt like I owed it to Elizabeth Crane to see it through, but maybe my warm feelings toward her would have been better preserved if I had just given up. At any rate, I can't recommend it to anyone over the age of 23.

[Isaiah Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s bad but there were parts i enjoyed. Not enough to save the book though. Some parts are funny

[Tobie Ann Lutonsky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can a book be too wordy?! I feel this book is. It just seems to go on and on and on. I feel like I'm listening to my 10 year old son tell me every detail about his dreams. Can't even make myself finish it.

[BarbC]

Uneven.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are more tightly coupled than those in When The Messenger is Hot -- in fact, Glory might even be a novel. Each story/chapter deals with the life of Charlotte Anne Byers, who is probably mostly Elizabeth Crane: New Yorker, transplanted to Chicago, former alcoholic, divorced parents, opera singer mother who dies of cancer, hapless in matters of romance ... These are also the characteristics shared by the protagonist(s) in When the Messenger.

This time, the writing style is even more conversational, even babbling. The sentences run on and on and on, winding through clauses and past commas, sometimes for pages and pages. Proving that I am not unable to appreciate a rambling, discursive style. Although I do think Messenger packed more punch, but that might just be because I read it first.

Notable/Quotable
Charlotte is the sort of person who's inclined to feel guilty imagining so much as a kiss between her and someone who's already involved, the sort of person who can't really even manage a fantasy about a movie star who might be married, much as she finds, let's say, Andy Garcia to be worth imagnining, Charlotte is the sort of person who will have to get Andy Garcia divorced, within the fantasy but having nothing to do with having met her, he has to be divorced prior to having met her in order for her to think about kissing him, and so Charlotte tends to find it easier to just fantasize about celebrities she knows are single than to go to all that trouble.

For one thing, she hadn't exactly chosen a field; although she has since childhood imagined picking up her Oscar, the category has never been determined. There was some thought that by the time she grew up they would give out Oscars for Best Novel (and that by then she would have written one), or that maybe she would just get some kind of honorary Oscar for her distinctive life observations made in everyday conversations, or the occasional letter.

Russell made a comment to Charlotte about how she struck him as being really kind of healthy, in an emotional way, which wasn't completely surprising -- she knew she was fairly adroit at making people think she had it going on in that way (which gets into another whole thing about whether that was really a useful trait, which in fact she was pretty sure it wasn't, considering that maybe she could actually get some help from people, if she were willing to admit she needed any).

But people seem to think it's better to say, It's not you. I don't know why anyone would think that's useful, because so often it is you, and if they would only admit that is it you, and if they could further explain in exactly what way it is you, it seem to me like they would ultimately be doing you a service ...

[Marcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did not go over well with my book club. I think I was the only one who actually read the whole thing. I surmise that the style of writing and lack of an obvious plot line was frustrating for the other clubbers. I also found myself having to stop and take a breath while I was reading many of the passages. It was an exhausting read for me due to Ms. Crane's writing style and copious use of semi-colons, parentheses, and brackets, but I found that I identified with Charlotte in several ways. Probably because she and I seemed to be of the same generation. When she referenced Wacky Packs - those crazy collectible stickers from the late '70's/early '80's - I totally related. My little brother collected those and I think even had several adhered to his bedroom door, as did Charlotte's kid brother in Iowa. Also, the pop culture references did not escape me. But, overall, this was probably not a good book club pick.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longest sentences in current fiction (the quote I give you below is not representative of the whole). Henry James would be intrigued. They leave you breathless. This time, all the stories about the same heroine, but jumping around in time/place/etc. Very relevant to a 30-something female, you feel like Crane's been listening to your inner thoughts: Why did career have to imply only one thing? Why did goals seem to imply an end? What happens if you meet all your goals? Do you like, shoot off into space or something and burst into a worldwide fireworks display announcing goal completion and then cease to exist? What if she became completely disenchanted with anything remoately related to art or entertainment and suddenly became obsessed with backgammon? What if the CIA called and the CIA said, We have a job that we think only you can do? What if she stumbled into Baskin Robbins one day and felt a calling?"

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

She's a good writer and it's funny if you haven't read her other stuff. Otherwise, you have to wonder if she ever tires of writing about herself. She has a "voice" but why must it always be the same character? Neurotic, attractive, artsy girl crippled by self-doubt and bad decision-making wends her way through a series of bad boyfriends to ultimately find some sort of confidence in herself. Not only do her protagonists have the same biographical details but the same personality, the same rambling manner of speech that doesn't stop for a period and takes full use of parentheses though oddly not semicolons; at least she writes what she knows. Ultimately I think she's just not a good enough writer to make up for it. It's still relateable, somewhat like reading someone's journal, and it's charming, good for when you want something easy.

[Natalie Shawver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlotte Ann Byers was a real pistol. Never hesitating to give her opinion on a topic--and never staying on that topic for very long--was her forte. In All This Heavenly Glory, I traveled through her life from elementary school to mid-40s, always with a sharp tongue and humor in tow. I enjoyed reading Charlotte's outlook on relationships, careers and life; but, ultimately, the book felt like a giant run-on sentence for me. No real structure, and no real point. Perhaps she did grow as a person and character over the course of the 200+ pages, but it just felt like she was as witty on page 1 as she was on page 227. For whatever reason, this book wasn't a quick read for me--it took much longer than I thought it would, perhaps all the stream of consciousness writing that she did. In the end, nothing horrible, but nothing life-altering, either.

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, I thought this was a book of short stories so it wasn't until the third story that I realized it was a novel of chapters taken out of sequence (from the character aging young to old). It's best to read this quickly because of the back-and-forth stories to remember "oh, that was the girlfriend she was complaining about before, in the future" type of remembering.

I think it would be very hard not to read this quickly because of Crane's writing style--very long run-on sentences. I kept reading quicker and quicker trying to get to that period (finally!) and take a breath.

Charlotte, the main character here, was born roughly the same time I was, so the references brought back memories. (Seriously, no one would pick Danny Partridge over Keith let alone Reuben!) Without those touchstones I don't know if it would have kept my interest long.

[gwen g · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to pinpoint exactly why I liked this book so much -- maybe partly because it was a break from all the heavy, heavy stuff I've been reading recently, and this didn't take itself seriously, and it was one of the first "funny" books I've read recently that truly was funny. Sometimes laugh-out-loud-on-the-bus funny.

Charlotte is a really recognizable character, and she is written self-consciously in these interconnected stories. But there was just something fresh and wonderful about her voice, and I feel like Elizabeth Crane is playful without being frivolous. She really has a story to tell -- or, more accurately, a character to tell. Her first novel is definitely going on my to-read list.

[Mary Harrison]

I really enjoyed this book. For the most part I loved Elizabeth Cranes writing & the run on sentances! Very conversational. I think that many girls/women will be able to relate. I relted to a lot of it. Sometimes the run on sentances became old .... have to admit I skipped a few paragraphs that I thought weren't adding anything.



I also have to admit that I loved her connection to Chicago. "... someplace that might be home, someplace like let's just say Chicago, which has been haunting her like an old boyfriend ever since she left"



All in all a good book and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book in June when I was preparing for a week-long vacation...and I finally got around to reading it two weeks ago. That being said, I found this book to be worth the wait! It could probably fall in the 'chick lit' category, but I think it's chick lit with a brain. The main character is certainly easy to identify with, and the timeline of the book (alternating between past tense and present tense with each chapter) kept me very interested. I would recommend this book to any girl who wants a lightish read

[Risa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Just ... No. There are times when I read a short story collection and I think, "This really wanted to be a novel, but the author couldn't quite figure out how to make it all hang together, so s/he punted and just said, 'Well, then ... Short Story Collection it is!" This book has the opposite feel: "I'm just going to throw a bunch of spaghetti at the wall and call it a Novel. Novels sell better than short story collections."

Maybe her agent made her do it. If so, I wish she'd have put up more of a fight.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

All This Heavenly Glory by Elizabeth Crane was a terrific book. Growing up in NY myself it brought back some memories of my life there too. Although Charlotte Ann Byers the main character had a very different upbringing, I felt that I could relate to her. Although, I am generally not a fan of short stories, this book kept my attention because it spanned over the main characters life from 6-40 years of age. A very entertaining read and highly recommended.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting into this story because it is stream-of-conscience writing. The first chapter is one long thought and sentence, I almost put it down after that. But, I powered through and liked it by the time I got toward the middle. The character is quirky and honest and struggles. Who doesn't relate to that!?

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to get into the swing of this book, which is a bunch of different stories all about the same character, Charlotte Anne, who ranges from 9 to 40-something throughout the course of the book. Excellent writing, funny, quirky, hopeful -- I really enjoyed it and it made me want to read Crane's other book.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough one to get through. There were only a few of the stories that I really liked (fantastic stories) I read one of them several times because I loved it so much. She has a particular tone in her writing that halfway through the book started to bore me. On the other hand she is clever and her stories perspective unique. I am on the fence with this one.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first the stream-of-consciousness style was a little difficult ot read, but midway through the first story (different episodes from the same character's life) I got into it. It's as if Charlotte Ann Byers is having a conversation with the reader. I loved her and really wanted her to "get it together"; she's a very real, funny and sympathetic character. I laughed, I cried (a little)....

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

All throughout the book, I thought I was only going to give it 2 stars, maybe 3 at best. It was okay, not terrible but not particularly great.
But the ending, oh, the ending. The last chapter really resonated with me, I still think about it even though I read the book nearly 8 months ago. I rate the ending itself about a million stars.

[stillme · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I opened this, I thought it was short stories, but the stories ended up being more like not-so-continuous chapter. It was really quite enjoyable to read. I liked the main character a lot, especially as a child.

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes a little too absorbed with sounding like a confessional for the sake of pity, overall the book succeeds well and there are some good moments that are without affectation and whose power grows the more you consider them.

[Jillain Foreman · Rating 1 out of 5]

i don't know...maybe i'm not deep enough...or hip enough...or maybe my life isn't as messed up as everyone elses (who would have thought that????) this book did NOTHING for me...i'm amazed i finished it...i kept thinking it would get better...it didn't.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Possibly the worst book I've ever read. The writing style is annoying, the main character not likable, and the plot nonexistent. Reads like a too long text message. Only finished it because it was a book club selection! Our whole group really disliked this book.

[Elisa]

The journal of a classic over-thinker. I related so strongly -- I wondered if maybe I'd written it. Weird to hear someone talking so openly about the fellowship though. She and Augusten Burroughs should get together and spawn crazy, sick, brilliant babies.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh... I wanted to like it, as at times I found the main character highly relatable. But at the end of the day I just couldn't get past her writing style. Too repetitive, too many run-ons, and at times too hard to follow/incomprehensible.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

hilarious!

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's official. i'm addicted to Elizabeth's writing.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time round was even more glorious.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason, this book just spoke to me. I loved it. I especially enjoyed the train of thought, running on and on sections. It was funny and touching.