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

  • By: Eleanor Ray
  • Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
  • Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (70 ratings)
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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

By: Eleanor Ray
Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
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Summary

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

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

What listeners say about Everything is Beautiful: 'the most uplifting book of the year' Good Housekeeping

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Nice story, that's about it sorry!

Found the story too simplistic, easy to predict story ahead, bit depressing, not very heartwarming!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Worth sticking with

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.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

Truly lovely book, the narrator really brought the book alive. thoroughly recommend this book title.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

don't know why I listened to the end.

boring and simplic .An interesting subject but the characters seemed to be either nice or bad with very little depth.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A heartwarming ending

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.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not particularly uplifting

Simplistic. Not particularly well written. Overuse of “said” was really annoying in the narration. ( didn’t notice it when I was reading it myself) Not inspired to read anything else by same author.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

wouldn't really recommend

like earlier reviewers, I found it simplistic + clangingly obvious. There were some insightful moments bit not enough to save it from dullness.
None of the characters had any depth and there are many missed opportunities to add some real mystery or interest.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Boring with underdeveloped characters

Someone said this was a bit like eleanor oliphant and it was a massive disappointment on that basis. Bland and lacking real characters and any real suspense.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great book

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing performance, beautiful story

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!

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