I Love the Whole World!

I Love the Whole World! is the kind of book you lovingly dog-ear and re-read and push into the hands of all your friends, insisting they must read it immediately. Leslie McDonald is the unexpectedly joyous hero you need right now: finding pleasure and awe in new adventures, desert art and plates of Las Vegas breakfast pancakes. Victoria Hannan’s writing glitters and fizzes and leaves the reader with an afterglow. This is a book to come alive to.

Kate Mildenhall

So funny and delightful and poignant.

Benjamin Law

Bursting with curiosity, colour and sheer jubilation. As a reader this book was an unexpected relief. I didn't realise how much I needed this novel until I read it. Leslie's exuberance is contagious, and her story is a reminder of all the good that still exists in the world.

Alley Pascoe, Australian Women's Weekly

I Love The Whole World! is a novel of huge tenderness and humour that feels wildly, brilliantly, alive – an ode to the necessity and vibrancy of rediscovering the versions of ourselves that we can lose sight of. Reading it was a truly joyous experience.

Sophie Mackintosh

Leslie is the hero of the story, and her delight in the world is contagious. Sunnier atmospheres can be hard to pull off without losing momentum, or sliding into the saccharine, but Hannan succeeds, and the result is a joy to read.

Adalya Nash Hussein, Books + Publishing

I sympathised for poor, damaged Lesley and cheered every tentative step she took, enjoying her excitement and celebrating as she grew in confidence. Her lovely story reminds readers to make the most of the life we have and how, no matter what’s happened in our past, it’s never too late to start again.

Melinda Woledge, Good Reading magazine

I could talk about the sense of joy and wonder this book restores to its protagonist (and its readers) all day long.

Jaclyn Crupi

A warm hug of joy and inspiration ... Those who enjoy the writing of Toni Jordan or Alice Munro will love this novel for its use of pathos and humour.

Chris Gordon, Readings Magazine

A playful and unexpected midlife coming-of-age story that makes a compelling case for curiosity, earnestness and remaining open to wonder. In an era when fiction often signals seriousness and intelligence through irony and carefully articulated unhappiness, I Love the Whole World! feels like a buoyant inversion of literary expectations. By the final page, Hannan has made a persuasive case for remaining open to wonder as a radical act – and earned her exuberant title.

Rachael Mead, IN Daily SA

Leslie is adorable and author Victoria Hannan has us share in her newfound spirit of adventure and joy.

Linda Jaivin, The Saturday Paper