When All is Said & Done

by Neale Daniher

[bumblingbookworm]

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

I came across this at my local library and decided to read it on a whim - I'm a huge AFL fan, and have always known of Neale Daniher the player/coach, the Daniher family, and Neale's diagnosis in more recent years.  This is Neale's story of his life and is as much a letter to his future grandchildren and family who won't know him as it is to the general community.  This had a sad undercurrent at times, and it did make me cry more than once, but ultimately I found this to be an uplifting and motivating tale, which I understand is characteristic of Neale Daniher.  It was full of humour, philosophical, yet down to earth.

There were a few things I didn't enjoy - the flow was at times disrupted (starting an anecdote, then going to something else which wasn't always connected, then coming back to the anecdote) and I found this a bit difficult to read.  I also understand that someone coming to terms with their prognosis would have reflected on life and the lessons learned along the way, but the platitudes were numerous and it became a bit much after a while.  These were small complaints, however, and the story Neale shares of his life is well worth the read.  You don't have to be a lover of AFL to read this book, and I hope it's shared far and wide.