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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“You wouldn’t deny a man a book any more than you would deny him water.”
This is a book that I have so many feelings about and they’re so difficult to put into words. It touched a lot of pieces of me and opened up a lot of reminders of my own grief and loss from the few years passed, from the people I loved and had to let go. And this book was as gentle as it was harsh and as healing as it was destructive—in all the ways that one could need.
Lonely Hearts Book Club is a story about Sloane, a neighborhood librarian who argues and wages literary war with a grumpy old man named Arthur. When he suddenly stops showing up to the library, Sloane risks everything in her life in order to make sure that Arthur is safe and happy. And in doing so starts a book club that ushers herself and many other characters on a journey not only through literature but also through loss and toward the hope of healing and wholeness.
LHBC is told in several points of view. The story starts with Sloane, then we have points of view from all our other main characters—Maisey, a single mom and “psychic”; Mateo, a fellow librarian and home health nurse; Greg, a computer technician returned to his childhood home and estranged family after the loss of his mother; and, of course, our beloved little literary curmudgeon, Arthur. Each of these points of view had a unique perspective on grief and loss, but also a very different voice and view on literary analysis and stories. Which was a really unique approach if I do say so myself.
My only real struggle with this book is that I struggled with the changing points of view. Just when I was really beginning to get invested in each person’s inner turmoil and on the brink of finding out what they were going to do to solve the issue, suddenly we were vaulting into another person’s point of view. And I wish I could’ve spent more time with everyone. This back and forth in points of view also led to an unfortunate feeling in the ending of having a lot of loose ends in terms of plot and character arcs. Was the ending the resolution for Sloane and Arthur that we needed? Yes. But I was also left with so many questions about the others that I still wanted more. (Part of the issue may also be that I wasn’t ready to leave this story and the characters in it, but that’s a me problem.)
So, overall, this was a really solid story. As said, I’ve had liked to see things more conclusive in the ending chapters and I’d have LOVED to spend more time in the various points of view and conflicts that each character was struggling with. But I also feel like this book was an answer to something that I needed inside of myself and it’s one that I could see myself reading and rereading, coming back to again and again. Which is part of the reason why, even with its plausible “faults,” I still hold it in high regard. Because the characters in it were beautiful and familiar and people that I wanted to know myself, reflections of what one can hope their life would be like and their friendships would be like when one has endured loss. They’re the sort of people who make you laugh even when you’re hurting, the sort of people who remind you that even in your loneliness and the feelings of emptiness left behind by your loss, there is hope and there is love and there is light.
(4.5, rounded to 5.)
This is a book that I have so many feelings about and they’re so difficult to put into words. It touched a lot of pieces of me and opened up a lot of reminders of my own grief and loss from the few years passed, from the people I loved and had to let go. And this book was as gentle as it was harsh and as healing as it was destructive—in all the ways that one could need.
Lonely Hearts Book Club is a story about Sloane, a neighborhood librarian who argues and wages literary war with a grumpy old man named Arthur. When he suddenly stops showing up to the library, Sloane risks everything in her life in order to make sure that Arthur is safe and happy. And in doing so starts a book club that ushers herself and many other characters on a journey not only through literature but also through loss and toward the hope of healing and wholeness.
LHBC is told in several points of view. The story starts with Sloane, then we have points of view from all our other main characters—Maisey, a single mom and “psychic”; Mateo, a fellow librarian and home health nurse; Greg, a computer technician returned to his childhood home and estranged family after the loss of his mother; and, of course, our beloved little literary curmudgeon, Arthur. Each of these points of view had a unique perspective on grief and loss, but also a very different voice and view on literary analysis and stories. Which was a really unique approach if I do say so myself.
My only real struggle with this book is that I struggled with the changing points of view. Just when I was really beginning to get invested in each person’s inner turmoil and on the brink of finding out what they were going to do to solve the issue, suddenly we were vaulting into another person’s point of view. And I wish I could’ve spent more time with everyone. This back and forth in points of view also led to an unfortunate feeling in the ending of having a lot of loose ends in terms of plot and character arcs. Was the ending the resolution for Sloane and Arthur that we needed? Yes. But I was also left with so many questions about the others that I still wanted more. (Part of the issue may also be that I wasn’t ready to leave this story and the characters in it, but that’s a me problem.)
So, overall, this was a really solid story. As said, I’ve had liked to see things more conclusive in the ending chapters and I’d have LOVED to spend more time in the various points of view and conflicts that each character was struggling with. But I also feel like this book was an answer to something that I needed inside of myself and it’s one that I could see myself reading and rereading, coming back to again and again. Which is part of the reason why, even with its plausible “faults,” I still hold it in high regard. Because the characters in it were beautiful and familiar and people that I wanted to know myself, reflections of what one can hope their life would be like and their friendships would be like when one has endured loss. They’re the sort of people who make you laugh even when you’re hurting, the sort of people who remind you that even in your loneliness and the feelings of emptiness left behind by your loss, there is hope and there is love and there is light.
(4.5, rounded to 5.)
A sweet book about people's hearts changing in response to each other. Not earth shattering but a nice break from murder, mayhem and dysfunction.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I absolutely loved the unlikely friendships and the growth we got to see our main characters go through. It was definitely a heartwarming feel good book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so i was NOT expecting the direction this book would go. even before starting this book, i assumed that 'yep the 2 main guy and girl characters are going to end up together blah blah', that nonsense because with a title like that how can i not assume it was going to be a romcom. i loved being proved wrong, CAN MORE BOOKS PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG. even Arthur called me out on this. all these lonely people going through their own shit in their lives but then finding each other, not only providing companionship with each other, but they learn so much about how to live their lives from each other. i'm really glad it all ended in platonic love and that's really what made Sloan stay. MAN do i love found family tropes.