"Alison McGhee's is a novel of simple explanations, simple movement, and Faulkner's favorite, most ferocious question: Can we ever really know one another?"--Los Angeles Times "McGhee has written a lovely and successful third novel. She brilliantly captures the close but guarded ties between residents of a grieving small town, and delivers dialogue with the uncommon and impressive mix of precision, poignancy, and believability." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "McGhee is a beautiful writer, especially in her sense of place and her precision in describing characters." --Twin Cities Pioneer Press "McGhee, author of the critically acclaimed novel Shadow Baby, portrays in spare and beautiful prose a setting and community that recall the cold, hard landscapes of Richard Russo's fiction." --Book Page Was It Beautiful? is a powerful and tender portrayal of loss and renewal at midlife. With singular grace and humor, Alison McGhee pays loving attention to the details of life in the Adirondacks and to the small kindnesses and idiosyncrasies that make each member of a community precious and unique.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Terribly disappointed...:
I desperately wanted to enjoy this book. I had loved "Rainlight", and enjoyed seeing a few of the characters from the author's previous novel come alive again, later on in their own stories. However, both the protagonist and prose were very difficult to "read" (metaphorically and literally), and left me just hoping the novel would progress. It simply didn't. This was a confusing and disappointed book, told by an author I truly admire.
Was It Beautiful? Book Review:
The story was slow and not very interesting in the beginning two-thirds of the book. I kept waiting for something more to happen. It ended with an attempt to make you contemplate life's greatest mysteries. Overall, this was a good read.
BEAUTIFUL AND UPLIFTING:
WAS IT BEAUTIFUL? Yes,this was a beautiful book. Anyone who has ever lost anyone they love should read this book. When you loose someone you love, you feel so alone in the world. You feel as if you are the only person who is suffering and sad and alone. Yet, you are not, you are not. This book is another winner by Alison McGhee. I love her writing, her style, her wisdom and her slick little way of bringing former characters from previous books into the story line. She is quite the gifted... more info
absolutely perfect:
WAS IT BEAUTIFUL? is the story of William T. Jones' unbearable grief at the loss of his son, and how the people in his small town watch over him to help keep him from slipping into a gaping hole of madness. Though the story that unravels here is profoundly sad, the way the people in William T's life come to his aid is just as profoundly uplifting. This story gives new meaning to the saying 'You reap what you sow.' The book jacket says this "...is a tender portrayal of loss and renewal at midlife."... more info
