Will I love All the Beauty in the World?

This book touched my soul.

Years ago, when I worked as an art museum lecturer, I often wandered the galleries before they opened to the public. The author recreated that magical experience for me—those exquisite moments of solitude and solace when the paintings opened up and quietly shared their mysteries.

As I read, I felt I was in the museum with the author, gazing at those works, and absorbing their timeless wisdom.

As its title implies, this was the most beautiful book I read this year! Besides being a heartfelt memoir, All the Beauty in the World brings to life the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bringley weaves together three diverse elements so that they all make sense: his love and grief for his brother, the solace he finds in art and contemplative thought, and the down-to-earth life of a security guard.

The glimpse into the world of art took me back to my university years when I majored in art history. The varied personalities and global origins of Bringley’s fellow… show more.

Anyone who has grappled with grief from losing a loved one will empathize with this story. Yes, it's an inside look at security at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but it's also a meditation on life and death. Definitely not a combo you usually find. After his brother's death shakes his world, the author steps back from his (typical) life track and goes to work as a museum security guard. The book is a kind of diary of his tenure and his musings on artwork and the people he encounters. But more than that, the book tracks the author's coming… show more.

Patrick Brinkley brings us to his side as he regards countless treasures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We learn to study and see the works through freshly-educated eyes.

In this poignant memoir, a young man, grieving after his brother’s death, trades a coveted position at The New Yorker for a ten-year stint as a museum guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Usually, I’m not a big reader of memoirs. However, Patrick Bringley’s insider look at the Met, its staff, and the artworks he grew to love brought me to tears. You see, for me, museums are cathedrals, and cathedrals are museums. Both provide soul-healing peace and a belief in greatness beyond my humble existence. 

Bringley’s reading of the audiobook felt as satisfying as roaming a great… show more.