Catalogue

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Title:	Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts
Authors:	Shapiro, Josie
Genre:	Fiction: New Zealand
Pages:	285
Year:	2023
Language:	English
Description:	When Mickey Bloom sights the finish line for the Auckland Marathon, it is a case of 'everything is beautiful, and everything hurts.' As a child Mickey's astonishing running ability transformed her life, but it came at a huge cost. Now years down the track, she is ready to rediscover the joy running gave her. From a difficult childhood to competing as an elite athlete and beyond, this is a page-turning, heart-pounding story of ambition and sacrifice and being seen for who you really are.
Categories:	Fiction NZ, Contemporary, Gender Issues, Medical/Health, Relationships, Social commentary/perspectives, Uplifting, Larger font, 2025 Titles

Reviews

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By: CHCH 317		2025-06-30 14:52:36

The group found this book absorbing, particularly how it portrayed the life of an elite sports person. The relationships within the main character's family and her coaching circle dominated her life. Her journey to be able to compete finally in the Auckland marathon was an interesting path, showing how physical and mental aspects are both significant.

By: INVER 001		2025-06-25 11:45:31

Our members really enjoyed this book as many identified with the demands of high performance sport (either themselves or family members). Mickey's family dynamics provided much discussion and we were all relieved that she managed to navigate a seemingly successful path in the end!

By: WELL 046		2025-05-08 15:03:36

Everyone read and enjoyed this book - especially the lyrical descriptions of running - and learned from it. Some found the early part of the book a little wooden, but generally admired the style and structure centred on the race. One person would have liked a more certain ending, but others thought that it was appropriate to leave it to the reader's imagination.

By: WHANGA 005		2025-02-26 16:52:19

We all enjoyed this book. We loved being able to recognize familiar places where she was running. The alternative past and present in each chapter enhanced the story. Many of us are not runners and felt we got a better understanding of what it must be like to love it, while the runner recognised the highs and lows. We loved Philippa the coach and all decided that Mickey won the marathon. Some of us felt we would not have picked this book off the shelf for ourselves and were very happy it was on our list.

By: PUKEKO 001		2024-12-04 22:05:48

Most of us enjoyed this book and found it an easy read. The familiar surroundings made it more enjoyable. We liked the structure of the story with the race juxtaposed against the background.

By: TAUR 059		2024-10-12 16:53:00

Mixed feelings from readers. All found it an easy read, most enjoyed familiar, relatable geography. Some felt too much detail about running, began to get repetitive. Some could not relate to the protagonist which affected their enjoyment of the book. Some heavy topics raised in book but not enough time/depth given to them.

By: DUNED 002		2024-08-29 10:17:53

We all enjoyed this book. We discussed Mickey's treatment by male coaches and how abuse is not uncommon. We talked at great length on her problem reading (dyslexia?) and how our education has taken a long time to cater to various learning difficulties. We discussed struggles with our own children.

By: AUCK 406		2024-04-29 09:21:12

It's unanimous - we LOVED the book.

By: AUCK 339		2024-04-29 09:20:37

We really enjoyed the Auckland landmarks.