All the Good Things
Published on 1. June 2017
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-0-241-27575-7 (ISBN)
Description
What if you did a very bad thing... but that wasn't the end of the story
'An extremely moving, emotional rollercoaster of a debut novel' 5* Goodreads review
Twenty-one year old Beth is in prison. The thing she did is so bad she doesn't deserve ever to feel good again.
But her counsellor, Erika, won't give up on her. She asks Beth to make a list of all the good things in her life. So Beth starts to write down her story, from sharing silences with Foster Dad No. 1, to flirting in the Odeon on Orange Wednesdays, to the very first time she sniffed her baby's head.
But at the end of her story, Beth must confront the bad thing.
What is the truth hiding behind her crime? And does anyone - even a 100% bad person - deserve a chance to be good?
All the Good Things is a story about redemption and hope for fans of Nathan Filer, Stephen Kelman and Emma Healey
Heartfelt, heartbreaking, and genuinely joyous (Francis Spufford, author of 'Golden Hill')
Compassionate and beautifully written (Carys Bray, author of 'The Museum of You')
I raced through this beautiful novel, which oscillates between pain and hope, anger and joy. An important novel which celebrates the fact that good things exist inside every person, no matter how ignored or hidden. (Sarah Butler, author of 'Ten Things I've Learned About Love' and 'Before the Fire')
A heartbreaking, vital and seamless insight into a life that might otherwise be ignored or judged. The voice of Bethany is perfect - compelling, whip-smart and deeply affecting. (Emma Jane Unsworth, author of 'Animals')
If I could have given this book six stars I could. . So beautifully written and so insightful (5* Goodreads review)
In this profoundly moving but surprisingly funny debut novel, Clare Fisher has given voice to people on the fringes of society, people with a story like any of us (5* Netgalley review)
This empathetic beautiful story will have you bawling your eyes out (5* Goodreads review)
'All The Good Things' is a well written and heartbreaking novel (5* Goodreads review)
Utterly riveting, cunningly written and bursting full of character (4* Netgalley review)
This really is a wonderful debut... a beautiful story about social exclusion, the vulnerability of women and girls, and the unfortunate ones who fall through the cracks (4* Goodreads review)
'All The Good Things' by Clare Fisher is a highly charged emotional read that just grabs you right in the heart (4* Goodreads review)
[This] novel will challenge preconceptions about the kind of people who end up in care; the kind of people who end up in prison; the kind of people who do terrible things (4* Goodreads review)
'An extremely moving, emotional rollercoaster of a debut novel' 5* Goodreads review
Twenty-one year old Beth is in prison. The thing she did is so bad she doesn't deserve ever to feel good again.
But her counsellor, Erika, won't give up on her. She asks Beth to make a list of all the good things in her life. So Beth starts to write down her story, from sharing silences with Foster Dad No. 1, to flirting in the Odeon on Orange Wednesdays, to the very first time she sniffed her baby's head.
But at the end of her story, Beth must confront the bad thing.
What is the truth hiding behind her crime? And does anyone - even a 100% bad person - deserve a chance to be good?
All the Good Things is a story about redemption and hope for fans of Nathan Filer, Stephen Kelman and Emma Healey
Heartfelt, heartbreaking, and genuinely joyous (Francis Spufford, author of 'Golden Hill')
Compassionate and beautifully written (Carys Bray, author of 'The Museum of You')
I raced through this beautiful novel, which oscillates between pain and hope, anger and joy. An important novel which celebrates the fact that good things exist inside every person, no matter how ignored or hidden. (Sarah Butler, author of 'Ten Things I've Learned About Love' and 'Before the Fire')
A heartbreaking, vital and seamless insight into a life that might otherwise be ignored or judged. The voice of Bethany is perfect - compelling, whip-smart and deeply affecting. (Emma Jane Unsworth, author of 'Animals')
If I could have given this book six stars I could. . So beautifully written and so insightful (5* Goodreads review)
In this profoundly moving but surprisingly funny debut novel, Clare Fisher has given voice to people on the fringes of society, people with a story like any of us (5* Netgalley review)
This empathetic beautiful story will have you bawling your eyes out (5* Goodreads review)
'All The Good Things' is a well written and heartbreaking novel (5* Goodreads review)
Utterly riveting, cunningly written and bursting full of character (4* Netgalley review)
This really is a wonderful debut... a beautiful story about social exclusion, the vulnerability of women and girls, and the unfortunate ones who fall through the cracks (4* Goodreads review)
'All The Good Things' by Clare Fisher is a highly charged emotional read that just grabs you right in the heart (4* Goodreads review)
[This] novel will challenge preconceptions about the kind of people who end up in care; the kind of people who end up in prison; the kind of people who do terrible things (4* Goodreads review)
Reviews / Votes
Heartfelt, heartbreaking, and genuinely joyous -- Francis Spufford, author of 'Golden Hill' Compassionate and beautifully written -- Carys Bray, author of A Song For Issy Bradley A funny and hopeful story... Clare writes with compassion and insight -- Kit de Waal, bestselling author of 'My Name is Leon' I raced through this beautiful novel, which oscillates between pain and hope, anger and joy. An important novel which celebrates the fact that good things exist inside every person, no matter how ignored or hidden. -- Sarah Butler, author of 'Ten Things I've Learned About Love' and 'Before the Fire' A heartbreaking, vital and seamless insight into a life that might otherwise be ignored or judged. The voice of Bethany is perfect - compelling, whip-smart and deeply affecting. -- Emma Jane Unsworth, author of 'Animals' Clare Fisher's novel addresses poverty, fear, and desperation. The protagonist, Beth, must fight for every good thing in her life. She has grown up in foster care and has no friends or family to protect her when she moves London. In many ways, it is a novel about loneliness and isolation. Yet throughout there is an indomitable love. It is a book that burns with compassion, both Beth's and Fisher's. The reader is left with the desire to find whatever resources of empathy they have and to live with greater kindness. -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You A moving, compassionate account of someone struggling hard for redemption * Sunday Times * A sparky and unsettling debut * Guardian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 206 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
318 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-27575-7 (9780241275757)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Clare Fisher
All the Good Things
E-Book
06/2017
1st Edition
Penguin Books Ltd
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Clare Fisher was born in Tooting, south London in 1987. After accidentally getting obsessed with writing fiction when she should have been studying for a BA in History at the University of Oxford, Clare completed an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and now works as a bookseller in Leeds. An avid observer of the diverse area of south London in which she grew up, Clare's writing is inspired by her long-standing interest in social exclusion and the particular ways in which it affects vulnerable women and girls. All The Good Things is her first novel.