Patrick Bringley

(recommended to me by Hennie)

This turned out to be somewhat different to what I was expected, more due to my expectations rathe rather my friend's recommendation.

It is written by Bringley, previously in his first post college position as an employee of the much vaunted New Yorker magazine, whose slightly older much beloved brother died of a chance medical issue.

Not being able to understand the world that surrounds him, bringley throws in his job and soon thereafter is employed as a Museum Guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, a job that entails the guards standing around in various rooms within the museum for hours a day, sometimes with little interaction with others and when interaction with the public does occur, it could be quite bizarre or demeaning. so quite a come down on one view.

Bringley writes of his interaction with the exhibits but much more of the interaction with his fellow guards and those in managerial positions and the public.

Over time Bringley returns to the world, reconciling himself with is brother's death. It is moving and beautifully written.

But it was not what I thought I would be reading. Particularly as the book has an associated APP where one can access photos of the various exhibits that Bringley references in his commentary, I thought I would be hearing much more of Bringley's interaction with the exhibits, his first reactions, what he learnt from them, his disappointments etc.

That is, much like David Denby's "Great Books", in which the long term movie critic, reviewer and essayist of the New York magazine, The New Yorker amongst other magazines, being uncomfortable as to his life with the media bubble, went back to Columbia University and undertook classics courses focussed on everything from the Bible, Homer, Rousseau through Austen, Marx, Nietzsche, Conrad and Woolf, amongst others. My recollection of that book was that it was a much greater interaction between reader and text, but always in the context of what it meant to Denby in his then time (particularly given he had done the same courses at the same University as an undergraduate more than20 years earlier).

In contrast, Bringley's encounter with the MMA's exhibits are more tangential, as opposed to either Denby's interactions with the texts in question or Bringley's interactions with the people (fellow guards, management, the public he came in contact with in his capacity as a guard) that surrounded him which seemed to be deeper and more influential on Bringley.

This is not a criticism. rather an explanation of why I have rated All the Beauty a little lower than I might otherwise have done so. And a reason why potential readers may wish to put greater weight on the higher rating reviewers that accompany this review on LibraryThing.

Big Ship

13/11/2024… (more)

This book book has deservedly gained praise from any number of reviews, both from folks like us here on GoodReads and from major newspapers. I'm writing this review three days after T*ump won his second term as President, and this book is exactly the sort of think one needs to nurture the soul. Its gentle pacing and reflective voice leave the reader feeling fresh and revitalized. If you enjoy musuems, enjoy are, or enjoy reads that feel a bit like a quiet spa weekend between book covers, you will love this title.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the Publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.… (more)

All the Beauty in the World, Patrick Bringley, author and narrator
This book was a joy to read and listen to because although some authors are not the best choice to read their own books, this author was the best choice. He was a narrator par excellence, and the same goes for his storytelling. His explanations and descriptions of the art world brought me into the Metropolitan Museum alongside him. As he traveled around the world in the galleries, inhaling each exhibit, as a guard, so did I.
Just a young man, newly graduated from college, he landed a great job opportunity at the New Yorker Magazine. His life was on a trajectory to success. As people have been known to say, man plans, G-d laughs. At work, Patrick was beginning to feel like a cog in the wheel, doing his job, but growing lazy. He felt as if he was not bringing anything valuable to the table that would make his work outstanding. Then, Patrick's beloved brother Tom, not quite two years older than he, fell gravely ill. Tom was the "smart one", working in the field of science. Even so, he could not save himself. At the age of 27, after a valiant and courageous battle, Tom died. Patrick was devastated.
Filled with grief and disappointment, he left his job at the magazine and applied for and got a job as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a place where he believed he could embrace his grief and experience the loneliness he desired in order to heal. He moved from gallery to gallery, exhibit to exhibit and brought each painting to life for the reader. He filled his life with the lives of the artists. He spoke with such genuine feeling about every one of them and seemed to understand the psyche of the artists he referenced, so that I, as the reader, felt I was also intimately acquainted with their reasons for painting and their artistic style. He took me on a tour of the world and of art history that was different than any I have experienced before. It was like walking alongside Patrick and the artist on the same plane and in the same time. The tidbits of information he offered were invaluable.
Patrick remained at the museum for a decade. After five years, he married Tara and two children followed. They brought contentment to his life and removed his need to continue to embrace loneliness. He was more able to deal with his loss and his grief. Another 5 years passed and he finally moved on. The museum had been the perfect place for Bringley to lose himself and live vicariously through the lives of the artists and the visitors. Some of the artists were obscure to me, some were well-known, but every one he offered up was interesting and successful and his descriptions of every painting was enlightening. It was simply a pure pleasure to learn about, and bear witness to, the life and work that brought him so much pleasure and solace. The job demanded nothing from him that he couldn’t give and he gave all he could give to the guardianship of the treasures housed there. Today, Bringley engages in public speaking and also leads some private art tours. I cannot imagine a more a wonderful guide. I felt as if I was standing next to Patrick, the guard, telling me what I could do and what I could not, as I read, He enriched my experience with his every word and thought concerning the paintings and the museum.
The reader will travel through the corridors and the galleries with him, and thus also through history and the entire world. His love and appreciation of the art world that guided him through his grief and his growth, his marriage and fatherhood is gently revealed. His is a very relatable journey, and it is one of the most beautiful tours of the Met, the reader will ever encounter. Every sentence contained a message, a fact, a story about the author, artist, the museum, and life. The experience was enriching; the information priceless.
This is a tender story about a young man as he embraced his loneliness and his grief, and for a decade, traveled through the world of art to relieve his pain and rebuild his spirit. As he breathes life into the museum, he brings his own life back to the center and appreciates everything around him more.… (more)