Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
While this book features several points of view, for some reason, it was hard for me to get Sloane out of my head. I had to keep reminding myself which section I was in and try to see the story from that pov.
Sloane is a librarian, who is known for her “only skill—was how good I was at being inoffensive.” (Ch 1) She gets along with everyone and doesn’t get destroyed by grumpy Mr. Arthur McLachlan who makes everyone else cry and stay away. She keeps trying to make him see the lighter side of things. When he becomes home bound, she can’t help but check on him, even if it means losing her job.
As she cares for him, a little community comes together, along with its own bookclub. I liked her other book The Library of Borrowed Hearts) better, but if you want to try a found family / grumpy-sunshine friendship story, lots of people have liked this one.
“Banning books from the public? What’s next? Shutting down food pantries? Painting the rainbows out of the sky?”c h 1
“And if a certain grouchy someone with wire-rimmed glasses, a gold-tipped cane, and a hole where his heart should be thought that made me naive, so be it. Other people could have their big and bright lives.
I could make do with much less.” Ch 3
“I’d always thought that grief turned people inward, forced them to clutch their memories around them like a cloak against a gathering storm, but the opposite was true. The moment my mom had closed her eyes for the last time, it was as if I’d been plugged into some vast network of other people’s pain.” Ch 23
“They couldn’t just walk away in the middle of a book. They wouldn’t. No matter how strong the provocation. Or how terrible the man.” Ch 28
Sloane is a librarian, who is known for her “only skill—was how good I was at being inoffensive.” (Ch 1) She gets along with everyone and doesn’t get destroyed by grumpy Mr. Arthur McLachlan who makes everyone else cry and stay away. She keeps trying to make him see the lighter side of things. When he becomes home bound, she can’t help but check on him, even if it means losing her job.
As she cares for him, a little community comes together, along with its own bookclub. I liked her other book The Library of Borrowed Hearts) better, but if you want to try a found family / grumpy-sunshine friendship story, lots of people have liked this one.
“Banning books from the public? What’s next? Shutting down food pantries? Painting the rainbows out of the sky?”c h 1
“And if a certain grouchy someone with wire-rimmed glasses, a gold-tipped cane, and a hole where his heart should be thought that made me naive, so be it. Other people could have their big and bright lives.
I could make do with much less.” Ch 3
“I’d always thought that grief turned people inward, forced them to clutch their memories around them like a cloak against a gathering storm, but the opposite was true. The moment my mom had closed her eyes for the last time, it was as if I’d been plugged into some vast network of other people’s pain.” Ch 23
“They couldn’t just walk away in the middle of a book. They wouldn’t. No matter how strong the provocation. Or how terrible the man.” Ch 28
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Started a 2, ended a 3.5. Heartwarming with quirky characters, all of whom are lonely in their own way and find a chosen family of sorts with one another. The book's narration shifts from character to character, which I initially found jarring, but ultimately think worked well. I also appreciate a book about the ways literature can bring people together and help them find perspective and meaning in their own lives.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 | Why was this the sweetest, heart-wrenching story of simply just good community? The title is kinda deceiving, but in a good way. Five people coming together because of similar walks through loneliness and fear of failure and/or success. They had each others backs even when the other may not have wanted it. Even in such short time of knowing one another, they knew what each individual needed to hear. The ending!!! The last 3 chapters, easily a 5/5, just a slow beginning.
I really enjoyed the story and it was a page turner for me. The ending was a bit unbelievable but sweet.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
LETS TALK ABOUT PLATONIC LOVE!!
FOUND FAMILY!!
I violently and passionately adore this book.
There are so many aspects I can't touch upon fully without writing a full report (in what world would I have time for that) but I'll try my best.
Having it the chapters be in multiple perspectives works perfectly for the theme of the book. It allows the reader to see the character building from several different perspectives and such.
please read this book if you love found family, lonely people finding a home, and just pure love.
I need to read this in print to see if I missed anything in the audiobook. This book is such a gem!!
lowkey spoilers:
I loved the infusion of Anne of Green Gables into the story (what can I say I have a soft spot in curmudgeon old people that just don't know how to communicate). Anne of Green Gables shows a wholesome example of pure platonic love and I remember myself thinking early in the book that Arthur and Sloane were kindred spirits!! I can't organize my thoughts because I just have so many.
I now need to read all of the books mentioned in this novel (yes, including the monstrous The Count Of Monte Cristo).
FOUND FAMILY!!
I violently and passionately adore this book.
There are so many aspects I can't touch upon fully without writing a full report (in what world would I have time for that) but I'll try my best.
Having it the chapters be in multiple perspectives works perfectly for the theme of the book. It allows the reader to see the character building from several different perspectives and such.
please read this book if you love found family, lonely people finding a home, and just pure love.
I need to read this in print to see if I missed anything in the audiobook. This book is such a gem!!
lowkey spoilers:
I loved the infusion of Anne of Green Gables into the story (what can I say I have a soft spot in curmudgeon old people that just don't know how to communicate). Anne of Green Gables shows a wholesome example of pure platonic love and I remember myself thinking early in the book that Arthur and Sloane were kindred spirits!! I can't organize my thoughts because I just have so many.
I now need to read all of the books mentioned in this novel (yes, including the monstrous The Count Of Monte Cristo).