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katejones's review
2.0
The book supposedly takes place in 1984, but it seemed to be well before that.
Everyone is very self absorbed.
Aloma and Orren move to farm where Orren grew up after his family apparently dies in some horrible accident
(and unless my audiobook was abridged they didn't really explain in much detail what happened, other than they died).
Aloma plays piano (but somehow won't just get someone to tune the old one in Orren's house..), and it takes her a long time to adjust to the move.
She plays for the church to earn some money, and mainly to flirt with Bell.
And then in the end she marries Orren after all and settles for the same 'blah' life she's had on the farm since the move.
Not much happened in between, so for me the book was a bit long.
The book is written from Aloma's point of view and none of the other characters grow beyond their name and occasionally what they're doing (eg, Orren works hard).
Everyone is very self absorbed.
Aloma and Orren move to farm where Orren grew up after his family apparently dies in some horrible accident
(and unless my audiobook was abridged they didn't really explain in much detail what happened, other than they died).
Aloma plays piano (but somehow won't just get someone to tune the old one in Orren's house..), and it takes her a long time to adjust to the move.
She plays for the church to earn some money, and mainly to flirt with Bell.
And then in the end she marries Orren after all and settles for the same 'blah' life she's had on the farm since the move.
Not much happened in between, so for me the book was a bit long.
The book is written from Aloma's point of view and none of the other characters grow beyond their name and occasionally what they're doing (eg, Orren works hard).
nathanstrem's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
readingwithsammi's review
1.0
I read this book on a train through the country which was fairly appropriate for the story. I bought it from the dollar store, so I did not have very high expectations for it. It is indeed a simple book, and to me it was nothing special.
It was a book that left me feeling "empty" but not in a strong emotionally "empty" way, but a bland just no emotion towards it way. However, I can see how people could be moved by it if they identify with Aloma's emotions.
It was a book that left me feeling "empty" but not in a strong emotionally "empty" way, but a bland just no emotion towards it way. However, I can see how people could be moved by it if they identify with Aloma's emotions.
katealane's review
4.0
A very quiet book - wonderfully written. Some will probably dislike it because it's emphasis is not in the plot but in the descriptions and the overall feeling portrayed. I really enjoyed it.
robinhigdon's review
5.0
First Time Kentucky writer produces a wonderfully written book about a young couple's struggles on a rural tobacco farm. The book has excellent prose, vivid characterization and descriptions. It reminded me in style to John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. There is a lot of depth to this book
candority's review against another edition
2.0
I found this book... forgettable? It tells the story of Aloma, a young women who finds herself living on an isolated tobacco farm with her lover, Orren, who recently inherited the farm following his family’s death in a tragic accident. Aloma struggles to come to terms with her new life, her relationship with Orren (who is distant at best), and her friendship with the young preacher at the church she plays piano for.
While it was well-written, I found the story too slow and lacking in any driving plot and events. Ask me in a week what it was about, and I doubt I’ll be able to tell you...
While it was well-written, I found the story too slow and lacking in any driving plot and events. Ask me in a week what it was about, and I doubt I’ll be able to tell you...
williamc's review against another edition
5.0
Lyric and moving without reaching for sympathy, "All the Living" is a brief, starkly poetic novel that explores the longing, hopes, and hard-won endurance of unmarried couple, Alona and Orren, as they struggle on an inherited Kentucky tobacco farm. Because the themes of grasping ambition and whetstone labor are presented with crystalline authenticity, the few scenes of naked hope and incautious love arrive like revelations -- as unexpectedly joyful as Alona's hands at the piano. This is a wonderful first novel that never drops a note.
liloud0626's review against another edition
5.0
Gorgeous writing and sense of place. Where does one belong when one has never belonged anywhere before?