Everything is Beautiful: 'the most uplifting book of the year' Good Housekeeping cover art

Everything is Beautiful: 'the most uplifting book of the year' Good Housekeeping

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

When Amy Ashton's world fell apart 11 years ago, she started a collection.

Just a few keepsakes of happier times: some honeysuckle to remind herself of the boy she loved, a chipped china bird, an old terracotta pot.... Things that others might throw away, but to Amy, represent a life that could have been.

Now her house is overflowing with the objects she loves - soon there'll be no room for Amy at all. But when a family move in next door, a chance discovery unearths a mystery, and Amy's carefully curated life begins to unravel. If she can find the courage to face her past, might the future she thought she'd lost still be hers for the taking?

Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant and The Keeper of Lost Things, this exquisitely told, uplifting novel shows us that however hopeless things might feel, beauty can be found in the most unexpected of places

©2021 Eleanor Ray (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK Clean & Wholesome Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Comedy Feel-Good

Critic reviews

"This book took hold of me and wouldn't let me go until I turned the final page." (Beth O'Leary)

"Funny, tender and uplifting." (BBC Radio 4)

"Beautifully written and thought-provoking." (Katie Fforde)

"This is one of those books you just want to gulp down in one." (Good Housekeeping)

All stars
Most relevant
By the title I expected some uplifting story but it’s not that at all. Very disappointing and I couldn’t finish it.

Not a happy story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The characters come alive in this expertly narrated story. The twists and turns are gentle but at the same time, interesting and enrich the story. This is my second time of listening and won't be the last. If you're looking for an insight into the pain of loss, listen to this book.

A heartwarming ending

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book was great, I enjoyed hearing about the hoarding and how this began. I thought the interaction between the neighbors was great. The story, how awful when people just disappear and you don't know why. I thought all the elements had been written well and I would read more by this author.

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a lovely book. I cried and laughed listening. Beautiful story and characters. The frustration with the hoarding and the need to know what happened kept me on my toes!

amazing performance, beautiful story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
At first I thought I would have to return this as through no fault of the narrator there is an irritating repetitive use of the word SAID which must occur hundreds of times. It makes the book feel like a Janet and John reader and interrupts the story line throughout. The reader speaks separately the characters voices so you don’t need the attribution. Altogether the story could be cut by a third but I did enjoy it more and more as the explanations unfolded. Amy became a real person as did Richard, Rachel, Nina too but best of all were the two little boys Daniel and Charles who I fell in love with. Very rewarding all round and a story you go on thinking about after.

Worth sticking with

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews