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    All That We Carried
    All That We Carried
    All That We Carried
    Audiobook9 hours

    All That We Carried

    Written by Erin Bartels

    Narrated by Lori Gardner

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The most treacherous terrain is found within

    Ten years ago, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a hiking trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. They haven't seen each other since the
    funeral. Olivia coped with the loss by plunging herself into law school, work, and a materialist view of the world—what you see is what you get, and that's all you
    get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an online life coaching business around her DIY spirituality—a little of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.

    Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
    In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward is the one way they had never considered.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 5, 2021
    ISBN9781705015780
    All That We Carried
    Author

    Erin Bartels

    Erin Bartels writes character-driven fiction for curious people. Her readers know to expect that each of her novels will tell a unique story about fallible characters so tangible that it's hard to believe they are not real people. Whether urban, rural, or somewhere in between, her settings come alive with carefully crafted details that engage all the senses and transport the reader to a singular time and place. And her themes of reckoning with the past, improving the present, and looking with hope to the future leave her readers with a sense of peace and possibility. Erin is the author of We Hope for Better Things, The Words between Us, All That We Carried, The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water, and Everything Is Just Beginning. A two-time Christy finalist and winner of two 2020 WFWA Star Awards and two Michigan Notable Book Awards, Erin has been a publishing professional for more than twenty years. After eighteen years in Lansing, Michigan, Erin and her family are busy enjoying the simple blessings of a less urban life in a small town outside the capital city. You can find her online at ErinBartels.com, on Facebook @ErinBartelsAuthor, and on Instagram @erinbartelswrites.

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    Reviews for All That We Carried

    4/5

    73 ratings23 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This was a great story! It is the story of two sisters dealing with their past. It didn't sound too exciting, but it was recommended to me so I decided to try it and couldn't put it down! I loved the descriptions of Michigan's upper peninsula.
    • 5/5
      Love Erin’s Books & the audio versions have excellent narrators. High quality.

      I listened to part of this book on a trip. I was so engrossed in the story I barely remember the drive!

      This is a great story of families dealing with tragedy and finding healing in the process.
    • 5/5
      This is the first book I have read by this author. I'm really looking forward to the next book I read.
      This book has a great message. She's wonderful at understanding peoples personalities. The characters are really believable. The descriptions of scenery are lovely.
      She's definitely been hiking. At least it sounds first hand to me. Brings back many memories.
    • 4/5
      My mother and I both read this books as we have gone backpacking at some point in our life. She related to it a bit more than I did, as one trip did it for me. Olivia and Melanie, estranged since their parents deaths, seem to think a hike in the Porcupine Mountains near Lake Superior, would be a great way to reconnect. The items carried in their packs reflects the differences in the sisters and how they try to connect. Olivia has the map and each site clearly marked for their nightly stop and her cans of food to be consumed at each spot. Melanie, meanwhile, brings vegetables and salad greens to eat, and faithfully records their hike to be uploaded to her vlog when she gets home. After several mishaps and a fortuitous meeting with another person out fishing on the river, the sisters grow closer. And, when they urgently need him after one sister falls off a cliff, he reappears. No one else seems to have seen him, and they both are puzzled about who he really is. As this book is in the Christian genre, you can decide for yourself if he is an angel or just a very helpful man who seems to show up at the right time.
    • 4/5
      This novel introduces us to sisters Melanie and Olivia who are struggling with grief, loss and deep personal and interpersonal conflicts that make themselves clearer as the story unfolds. The sisters attempt to bond over a hiking trip, a long overdue reunion taking place a decade after the traumatic death of their parents. Along the way, history, childhood patterns and memories surface and help bring the sisters and their struggles alive. The sisterly dynamics, in fact, were my favorite component of the book - ringing clear and true, with each sister, new-age Melanie and rational lawyer Olivia, totally engaging and compelling in her own way, as well as in the context of her sisterhood.Without giving any spoilers away, the challenges that Melanie and Olivia face on this journey, both physical and emotional, uncover deep themes, including spirituality, death, and the meaning of life. Through the events that unfold, the author’s handling of these themes, tricky at the best of times, is skillful, raising questions and possibilities that tug at the heart strings, while leaving it to the reader to come to final conclusions.Four very well-deserved stars. I would be interested in reading more from this author. A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Revell, and the author for an advance review copy of this book.
    • 4/5
      Two sisters who have been virtually estranged from each other for ten years due to the death of their parents in an accident at the hands of a childhood friend try to reconnect over a week long backpacking trip in the wilderness of UP Michigan. It is a lovely story of forgiveness, spiritual and emotional growth, and basically growing up (at 30ish albeit;) I really, really enjoyed this book. The writing is beautiful and so well describes the beauty of being in nature - the good, the bad and the ugly. (Blisters, mosquitos, dirty hair, sore muscles etc.) The author did a great job of getting into each sisters characters heads. I felt I knew these women and the conversations and arguments they had with each other during their adventure rang true. I also loved the humor the author treated her characters with. My favorite line from Olivia the elder, more pragmatic sister... " Arguing with Melanie was like trying to play tennis with a Golden Retriever". Ha! That cracked me up no end:) I highly recommend this book. It is beautifully written and has a wonderful message. I would definitely read more from this author.
    • 3/5
      I liked the book somewhat but it seemed to drag in some areas. I wanted to like the characters but I began to realize they weren’t well developed. The book isn’t all bad. There are some really good moments with the sisters hiking. I enjoyed reading about their journey but was hoping for more in depth all out sharing . Both sisters are having a difficult time with the loss of their parents and think going on a hiking trip will help them communicate. The few times I have gone hiking all I could do was concentrate on not falling and trying to have enough energy to get to a resting spot. The story does have some faith elements in the story which are good but not clear. While the story has sone emotional moments, I wanted more than surface feelings. I’ve read other books by the author that have been a hit, but for me this one lacked the impact of a clear message. I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads Blogging Program. The review is my own opinion.
    • 5/5
      All That we Carried, by Erin Bartels, is a powerful story of two sisters who have not kept in touch since their parents' tragic deaths ten years ago. Now they are hiking along the Upper Peninsula and Melanie hopes to restore their relationship. Olivia continues to treat Melanie as a younger sister that she feels need to be taken care of. Yet, it was Olivia who went back to her life following her parents' death while Melanie stayed to clean out their home and deal with things that needed to be dealt with. Melanie was able to forgive while Olivia hung on tight to her bitterness. This is a powerful story about dealing with death, grief and thoughts on religious beliefs. This story also shows the tension and feelings that sisters often feel towards each other. I really enjoyed reading this story and seeing how the sisters worked together. I especially enjoyed the guest appearance of the fisherman who was there to help the sisters out whenever they found them selves in danger, whether it be from getting lost or hurt. For me, this character was there for the sister just like Jesus is there for all of us. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this ebook which I received from Revell Publishing through NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
    • 3/5
      All That We Carried is the first book that I have read by Erin Bartels. The author’s descriptive writing allows the reader to visualize the scenes especially the Porcupine Mountains and the beautiful waterfalls. The author created realistic characters. Melanie and Olivia Greene are as different as two sisters can be. Olivia is a prosecutor who is detail oriented and a planner while Melanie is a life coach and blogger. Melanie embraces a variety of spiritual and religious concepts and practices which baffles Olivia. The sisters bickering was realistic (speaking as someone who has bickered with her own sister). The trip was stressful with both sisters holding grudges (which leads to squabbling). The story is well-written, but it is slow paced (courtesy of the detail-oriented writing). We get to see things from each sister’s perspective (it alternates point-of-view between Melanie and Olivia). Melanie and Olivia get a chance to discuss their religious beliefs and if they believe in God. Their hike through the mountains is a metaphorical representation of the obstacles in their relationship. You wonder if they can resolve their conflicts before they finish their journey. I thought the ending was anticlimactic. There could have been a better wrap-up. Forgiveness is one of the main themes in the book. Olivia has yet to forgive the man who killed their parents. Her bitterness is holding her back. The story has a parable quality to it with Josh who I believe is meant to be Jesus. The get a little guidance during their journey from a kind man. All That We Carried was not what I expected. My journey through All That We Carried was not enjoyable. I found myself bored, frustrated, and annoyed. I have heard good things about Erin Bartels previous novels, though, I will check them out. While All That We Carried did not work for me, I suggest you obtain a sample to check it out for yourself.
    • 4/5
      ARC, Complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review; Olivia and Melanie have been estranged since their parent's car accident. Melanie forgave the man who caused the accident, and Olivia cut her sister off and let her sister handle everything to do wtih the house and estate. At Melanie's urging, the sisters go on a camping trip in the Porcupine Mountains, which does not go well. I liked the map the author included in the front, so you could follow along where they made wrong turns, the waterfalls and the camp sites. A few flashbacks throughout the story gave the background over their childhood, as well as more about the identity of Justin, the man who caused the accident, who was a family friend. The story ended in a good place with the epilogue being Olivia, the bitter one, three years later post cancer treatment and starting a day hike in a different preserve.
    • 5/5
      Olivia and Melanie have been alienated from one another for 10 years, ever since the tragic death of their parents. Melanie suggests they go on a hike, something they did as children. Olivia hesitantly agrees. This was some hike, it was a weeklong! I just thought I had been hiking. I see now it was just long walks in the woods! Melanie had hoped to renew their broken relationship.The interaction, and communication (or lack of it) between the two sisters was so real! Olivia is controlling, bossy, and OCD planning. Melanie is impulsive and light hearted, totally opposite of her older sister. Their differences were even greater than that and are tested on this trip. The destination was the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan. The trails they would take are remote and rugged. Can you imagine going on a venture like this with a family member you have not seen in a decade!? The time and the unresolved grief had created many issues in their lives they did not even recognize they had. As you can imagine away from civilization with just the two of them, each was faced with deep introspection of their life, beliefs, values, and things they had buried deep within themselves years ago. I felt the frustration they experienced with each other. The struggle wasn’t just physical as it would be with such a grueling journey, it was also emotional. There were unexpected surprises and drama along the way. I enjoyed the description of the scenery, it was fantastic! It made me want to go look for pictures on the internet. I saw a great lesson in how we cannot run from our painful experiences and not gave them affect our future in ways we never imagined. A beautiful story of unresolved grief, forgiveness, and fresh starts. I received this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have stated are my own.
    • 4/5
      Fdfgghh I predict that ALL THAT WE CARRIED will be one of the winners of the Michigan Notable Books award in 2022. This book not only tells the story of two sisters on a hiking trip in the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, it does a great job of describing the beauty and the dangers of that wilderness.Olivia and Melanie have been estranged for 10 years. They are attempting to reconcile on this hiking/camping trip. Neither is from the UP or familiar with the area they are hiking. So I knew right away that they were asking for trouble.And trouble they sure do find right from their first night. But they find themselves a guardian angel. At least that’s what I decided he must be.Olivia and Melanie cautiously befriend a fisherman. He’s mysterious from the get-go; he knows their names before they introduce themselves.At that point, I thought that ALL THAT WE CARRIED would turn out to be a thriller. But, no, it is not. Still, that fisherman remains mysterious right to the very end.I hope someone in Hollywood runs across ALL THAT WE CARRIED. It would make a great movie, especially if they film it on location, in the wilderness of the UP. In a movie, I would concentrate less on the reconciliation and more on the mysterious fisherman.
    • 3/5
      This is the second book by Erin Bartels that I have read. Somehow I missed one. I enjoy her books a lot. She has a unique way of putting words on paper that draw you into the story. This book is no exception.The characters in the story were well drawn out and believable. The story-line was one that many can relate to, family strife. It also deals with the grief and the personal, spiritual journeys of the two sisters in the book. The story flowed well and it kept my interest throughout. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but there are two areas I am disappointed in. One, this is a Christian book but there was very little about God in the book. I felt there was a very large area/room for improvement in this area. There are two Christians mentioned in the story and neither one tells their beliefs. The story makes you believe they may have been spoken but it's not told in the story so anyone reading the book and struggling will not know the way to true salvation in this book. The second thing I did not like was the ending. There were too many unanswered questions. I believe you will enjoy the book as a good read, but don't expect to be satisfied that this is a Christian book. If you don't like books that may come across as "preachy" you will enjoy this book.I was given a copy of this book through the Revell Reads program. This review is my own opinion and not colored by the fact the book was gifted to me. I give this book a solid 3 out of 5-star review.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed reading All That We Carried by Erin Bartels. Between the beautiful imagery, flowing prose, and character development, the novel held my attention from beginning to end. This story of two sisters wrestling with themselves and each other held plenty of emotional and relational drama. As the sisters struggle to relate to each another, both women undergo deep character development. Their mutually painful pasts and candid arguing prod them both to grapple individually with their own spirituality. Their spiritual issues, questions, and doubts are on full display throughout the novel. I liked that both characters asked hard, lingering questions. I’d say this is the most “Christian” of Erin Bartels’ books, but neither of the main characters are Christian, so perhaps I should describe it as an honest, candid story full of spiritual searching.I recommend All That We Carried by Erin Bartels to readers who enjoy novels with deep character development, honest spiritual struggles, and intense examining of relationships. This novel falls solidly into the women’s fiction category. Five stars!Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this story of two sisters with very different approaches to life. While I couldn’t relate to either character, the book presented some interesting perspectives and was well written. I think that this story will generate widely different reactions from different readers. It presents some interesting ethical situations and spiritual beliefs that will create some controversy from different parties. While I enjoyed the book overall, I felt that the ending left me with some unanswered questions. Reader received a complimentary copy from Librarything early reviewers.
    • 3/5
      Two sisters, estranged since their parents' accidental death ten years earlier, embark on a backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This is a book about faith, thinly veiled Christian faith. Melanie is a life coach who believes in all spiritual disciplines. Olivia who is a prosecuting attorney does not believe in God. Melanie has instigated this trip in the hopes that she and Olivia will come to some reconciliation. Olivia, the older sister and the planner has taken control of the logistics of the trip. It isn't very long that things begin to go wrong. A missed turn on the trail the first day puts them behind schedule to make it to their first campsite. They meet a fisherman named Joshua (Jesus' name in Hebrew is Yeshua...translates as Joshua in English). He offers to let them share his campsite and his food along with some sage advice. When they awake in the morning he is gone. They bicker a lot, fueled by the things that make them very different people and their different reactions to their parents' death. After Melanie falls into a river and most of her gear is soaked, they again meet Joshua. And so it goes...calamity, saved by the mysterious Joshua.The story does a wonderful job of portraying this lovely, wild area of Michigan. The author clearly knows the setting for this story. The metaphors get a little thick sometimes: p. 160 "Melanie and been so close.....As close as to a breakthrough as Explorers Falls was to being an actual waterfall. To Melanie it just looked like someone was draining their pool down the driveway for the cold months." A good editor would have cleaned that up. It is also clear that she is preaching a gospel story here. It's clear that the author has a simple faith that she uses as a major vehicle in this novel. It lacks a certain maturity and nuance. In both writing and in faith, it is more effective to show what you want to say that to just tell it. I much prefer William Kent Krueger's approach to faith in [Ordinary Grace] I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program of Librarything.
    • 4/5
      ...it was clear that if God was real, he was after her.~from All That We Carried by Erin BartelsIs life a series of random accidents, or is there a plan? If there is a god, why does God permit evil? Or does this god punish us? Or, lead us to be better? Are people basically self-centered, and therefor evil, and if so, can they change--be saved? And if people can change, can we forgive them?Sisters Olivia and Melanie have been estranged since the deaths of their parents in a car accident. They were never similar, and their response to the tragedy sent them reeling in different directions. Melanie dropped out of school to settle the estate while Olivia returned to the University of Michigan. When Melanie forgave the man who caused the accident, Olivia was furious and cut her off.As a lawyer in Lansing, MI, Olivia knows the evil side of humanity. She is controlled, repressed, and a perfectionist. Failure isn't in her vocabulary. When she isn't good at something, she gave it up.Melanie's blog and YouTube videos turned into a career as a listener and life coach, helping people. Now its time to help herself and bridge the chasm between her sister and herself. She proposes an October hike in the Porcupine Mountains, a natural park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where bear and cougar still roam, home to the remaining stand of hardwood and hemlock forest between the Rockies and the Appalachians.Olivia plans the trip in detail; Melanie ignores the advice and is ill prepared. For anything can, and will, happen on the rugged, lonely trails.Bartels not only references the Michigan landmarks that are the background to the action--she makes them come to life.In 2019, my brother and his girlfriend hiked in the Porcupines. They spent a year to prepare, every week hiking longer, harder, with backpacks and food. I knew these sisters were in for trouble from the start! Even Olivia, for all her preparedness, since she already was suffering from hip pain.Melanie has something she need to tell Olivia, but she needs to tear down the wall between them. The hike doesn't bring them closer. Olivia has shouldered responsibility for them both, her bossy big-sister side dominating.One thing that surprised my brother and his companion was the elevations they had to climb, the rocks and roots. Luckily, they did not suffer any accidents. Unlike Bartel's sisters who end up fleeing a forest fire, resulting in an accident.All That We Carried has so many wonderful aspects. It's almost a travel guide. It is an adventure story and a family drama. It is a psychological study of the burdens people take upon themselves.At its heart is the struggle with spiritual matters, the nature of God, the question of evil in the world, the randomness or providential nature of life, universal questions we ask as communities and individuals. It is the rare person who can embrace the mystery of life, avoiding anger, despair, or fear.I loved the Michigan references throughout the book! On the first page, I recognized "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod", the towers from the old Lansing electric plant whose blinking lights always told me I was almost home during our nine years in Lansing.There is overt God-talk, and a mysterious character who shows up providentially. Melanie is challenged over her incorporation of all faiths into her belief system. But the changes in the characters arise out of their shared experience and conversations, their journey not over, but they have set foot on the right trail.I agree that this is Bartel's most mature work so far.I read and reviewed Bartel's previous novels We Hope for Better Things and The Words Between Us.I received an ARC from the publisher through LibraryThing and a galley from NetGalley. (I also pre-purchased a copy of the book.) My review is fair and unbiased.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this story of two sisters, Olivia and Melanie, trying to reconnect on a challenging hike. After the parents' death in a car accident ten years earlier, the sisters dealt with their grief in very different ways, causing them to drift apart. Olivia became a lawyer and largely severed ties with her family and her best friend, Justin, who was involved in the fatal accident. Melanie dealt with packing up her parents' belongings, dropped out of school, and looked to spirituality for solace. Now, she has something important to tell Olivia and has invited her on a three-day hike. It's a good read because of the excellent character development; I could identify, at various times, with both of the sisters. Issues get largely resolved...but not perfectly...like real life.
    • 5/5
      The title of this book tells so much about the story, whether we are talking about grief or the gear we are going to use and take as we do a long hike.Olivia the older sister, has dealt with her grief by cutting off her remaining family, but for ten years? In that time she has focused her life on her career as a lawyer.Younger sister Melanie, appears to be an accomplished blogger, and has a big heart, she doesn't want to hurt anyone or anything, to the point of her diet. She is a vegan because, well she may end up eating family or friend, she also believes in reincarnation!Watch for the twist that happen here, and you will be scratching your head and wonder if it is a God thing or that person is really real. I loved all of the twist and turns, and even the sister bickering, and surprises abound, and gifts, even if they don't look like a real present they are gifts!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed reading this book. It was much more than a simple tale of two sisters attempting to reconcile their opposite tendencies. They are both dealing with a major tragedy that has pushed them further apart and forged their peculiar ways of looking at the world. And it is time to unpack this and other hurts and misconceptions along the way.The older sister, who admits she deals with the worst of humanity every day in the criminal courts, describes her sister as living in a world of rainbows and unicorns in her self-help, motivational business. They clash as they deal with life and death situations in a difficult hiking trip—the adventure plot. But the book is much more than that, with deep explorations into the sisters’ views of spirituality and major questions about life. Some nuggets are “You should never be afraid to do the right thing.”, “What sends you into fight or flight mode?,” and what is the point of expecting things to be fair in life? Helpers appear along the way in the sisters’ journey, who help them navigate their hiking path and life.I enjoyed this thought-provoking novel and look forward to reading more from Erin Bartels.
    • 4/5
      I received All That We Carried as an Advanced Readers Copy it will be out January 2021. I realized that this is the second book I’ve read by Erin Bartels and that I liked it as much as the first. Her writing takes me on journeys that change the way I look at people. This story is about two sisters who have been estranged for years, and the younger sister wants to reconnect and heal. Her idea is to backpack in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the older sister puts her off as long as she can and then gives in reluctantly. They have two completely different lifestyles, and both have been dealing with their parents deaths,10 years before, by different means. This hiking trip will stretch them to the limit physically and emotionally. If you have a sister like I do, or have had a falling out with someone you were close to read this book. Sometimes “the only way to it is through it.”
    • 4/5
      I won this as an ARC from LibraryThings Early Reviewers page in October.This is first from this author that I've read and I really enjoyed it! Really weird is a couple months ago I read another book that talked about this bridge going to the Upper Peninsula near Manistique, and how some travelers go all the way around to avoid going over the bridge. Anyway, some reasons I loved this was the description of the hike and the forest was so well done I felt like I was there. I liked how the characters weren't always likable and not perfect. The story line moved right along with some twist I didn't see coming at the end.
    • 5/5
      I have been a big fan of this author since I read her first book. All That We Carried is her third book and she just keeps getting better and better. This wonderful book made me laugh and cry and pray for a good outcome for the sisters. Plus the setting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is so well described that I felt like I was there and even got a bit chilly as the sisters were standing on the shore of Lake Superior.Ten years ago two sisters, Olivia and Melanie, became estranged after the death of their parents. They had always been close but they handled their grief very differently and there was no common ground between them. Olivia went to law school and became independent. She only saw the world in black and white with no middle ground - either something or someone was good or evil. Melanie dropped out of college and started doing life coaching. Unlike her sister, she saw the world in shades of grey and felt that whatever made you happy was the right thing to do. As different as the two sisters have become, when Melanie reaches out to her sister and asks her to go on a camping trip to try to resolve the differences between the two of them, Olivia agrees - reluctantly. They plan a hike in the isolated wilderness of the Porcupine Mountains in the UP of Michigan and are faced with situations that will either make their relationship better or totally destroy it.I loved this book. The sisters were so well written and I was quickly invested in their lives and prayed that they would be able to put the past behind them and be real sisters again. The book made me laugh and it made me cry, it scared me (BEARS!!) and gave me things to think about more deeply. Erin Bartels continues on her winning streak of writing fantastic novels.