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

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Eleanor was inspired to write her debut novel by the objects her toddler collects and treasures – twigs, empty water bottles and wilting daisies. As I have mentioned before, the mystery of what happened to Tim and Chantel is a major driver of Amy's character. Ray does reveal at the end of the story the answer to Amy's burning question 'What happened to Tim and Chantel?', which for me, was a satisfying conclusion to the book.

A truly remarkable book that had me hooked from the start and racing to the end. Beautifully written. -- Jenni Keer, author of THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF LUCY BAKER It was on maternity leave with my second child that I wrote Everything is Beautiful, while my baby daughter had her naps. Do you have a favourite book? If so, what is it? If not, is there a genre or style you prefer? There’s an intriguing mystery at the heart of this emotional but uplifting debut novel’ SUNDAY EXPRESS A wonderful celebration of the power of kindness' Hannah Tovey, author of The Education of Ivy Edwards

About Eleanor Ray

Needless to say she is beyond broken hearted. In their absence she discovers something else ... a need to accrue beautiful little possessions. Mugs, vases, ashtrays, and her porcelain birds among many other carefully selected items. It started with just a few, then a few more, and now she is barely able to navigate her own home. Not really a problem as she never has company. Her possessions won't deceive her like the people she once loved. It's safer with them.

So much goes on, that it is critical as readers, that we wait for the amazing conclusion to tie it all together. Amy has found her best friend for life in Chantel and the love of her life in Tim. They even share a flat together which makes Amy feel warm and happy to have the two people she holds dearest with her always. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. In the midst of this upheaval Amy’s still wondering about the events of 11 years earlier and disappearance of the love of her life.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 long buried, 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? That is until a new family moves in next door and with them two rambunctious little boys. A friendship begins first with the children and then with their father Richard. Richard can see Amy is in pain and he will do whatever it takes to be there for her. I wasn’t sure where Ray was going to go with this part of the storyline. There were a couple of options and I felt they’d either be obvious or anticlimactic. But she takes this somewhere I really didn’t expect. And in all honesty I’m not sure I liked it. I mean, you’d think some intrigue would pique my own but it came from left field so though not predictable, was a little… unsettling.

The stunning debut novel by the winner of the Allen & Unwin Commercial Fiction Prize. If you loved Lessons in Chemistry and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, you will adore Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts. The story starts slowly and I was afraid we'd have to meet every single item in Amy's hoard but that didn't happen. Instead we meet Charles aka Charlie, 8 1/2 years old (almost 9!), the oldest son of Amy's new next door neighbor, Richard. Charles loves Amy from almost the moment he meets her and he's good for Amy, such a smart, insightful little boy, with answers for almost everything. He makes no secret of the fact that he favors Amy over his dad's dreadful, evil girlfriend. This is a sweet story, about how broken hearts can harm us forever, if we don't let go, but also about how broken hearts can be mended if we make room for love. Letting go can make room and this is a lesson that Amy needs to learn. Josie Shapiro's accomplished debut novel has the compulsive forward motion of a world-class race. You don't have to be a runner to get the high, just read this book!' - Kirsten McDougall, She's a KillerI’m giving this four stars. I was surprised by the genre bending sort of storyline and truly appreciate any author willing to write about potentially offensive subject matter. I think Eleanor Ray did a bang up job with Amy Ashton. I would have given it 4.5 had the original title and cover been kept . . . . I used to like to watch those reality shows about hoarders. I'm not sure what the fascination was but I would wonder how these people got to such a point in their lives that their living conditions were unsafe and unsanitary. I liked the character of Amy and loved the descriptions of some of the mixed media artwork that she created in the past. It was very heartening to see the changes in Amy as the story progressed and the ending was perfect. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to a friend. EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL is heart-warming and thought-provoking, a mystery with a difference. It's beautifully constructed around the everyday items its central character hoards, as she slowly uncovers the secrets of her past. I loved it. -- Andrea Mara, author of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL The Missing Treasures of Amy Aston (2021) written by Eleanor Ray, is an uplifting mystery centered around missing persons, the passage of time, and the crushing anxiety and grief of not knowing what might have happened. Ray studied at the University of Edinberg, where she earned a M.A. in English Literature, she lives in London with her husband and two children.

Everything is Beautiful is about an artist who turns to hoarding when her loved ones disappear – because she knows that possessions, unlike people, will never leave her. When a family with two young children move in next door, they discover a clue to her past under her collections that leads her to question what really happened all those years ago. What inspired you to write this book?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? Readers of Carpe Librum will know that I love reading - and watching documentaries - about hoarders. There's something uniquely fascinating to me about the physical manifestation of their grief, personal trauma or mental illness and the appeal of the before/after transformation process and subsequent recovery - albeit rarely achieved - is irresistible. Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray is being compared to Gail Honeyman’s popular 2017 novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I’d also suggest similarities to The Truth and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris and The Cactus by Sarah Haywood. I liked the way this story was told. A chapter from the present day interspersed with chapters from Amy’s past that explain how she ended up where she did as a hoarder. It is easy to empathise with the likeable Amy. Put quite simply, I cared what happened to her and was with her every step of the way. Richard is a great character and Charles is a delight, though sometimes he does sound somewhat older than the child he is. There's an intriguing mystery at the heart of this emotional but uplifting debut novel' SUNDAY EXPRESS

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