Scan barcode
domicspinnwand's review against another edition
5.0
Was für ein nettes Buch - auch wenn es für mich eher 4.5 als die vollen 5 Sterne sind. Irgendjemand hat es mit "Im Freibad" verglichen, das ich letztes Jahr gehört habe, und da würde ich voll zustimmen. Ich liebe ja Bücher über Bücher, und da passt dieses genau dazu, wobei die im Buch enthaltenen Buchtipps schon etwas origineller hätten sein können -zum elfundrölfzigsten Mal Stolz und Vorurteil -naja... Dafür gibt's einige Tipps für Kochbuch-Autoren, das hat frau ja auch nicht überall.
Ansonsten mochte ich das Setting in einer britischen Kleinstadt sehr, und auch die Figuren wachsen einem schnell ans Herz, vor allem die laute, polterige Mrs. B. mochte ich sehr, und natürlich auch Stanley. Die Hauptfigur fand ich teilweise ein bissle nervig-naiv und schnarchig, aber sie macht immerhin eine glaubwürdige Entwicklung durch.
Und auch den Verlauf der Geschichte fand ich gut - ja, es gibt natürlich ein Happy End, aber eben nicht total überzuckert-rosarot, sondern mit einem gehörigen Schuß Realismus. Hat mir also insgesamt sehr gut gefallen, dieses Buch, und ich werde definitiv noch mehr von Freya Sampson lesen!
Ansonsten mochte ich das Setting in einer britischen Kleinstadt sehr, und auch die Figuren wachsen einem schnell ans Herz, vor allem die laute, polterige Mrs. B. mochte ich sehr, und natürlich auch Stanley. Die Hauptfigur fand ich teilweise ein bissle nervig-naiv und schnarchig, aber sie macht immerhin eine glaubwürdige Entwicklung durch.
Und auch den Verlauf der Geschichte fand ich gut - ja, es gibt natürlich ein Happy End, aber eben nicht total überzuckert-rosarot, sondern mit einem gehörigen Schuß Realismus. Hat mir also insgesamt sehr gut gefallen, dieses Buch, und ich werde definitiv noch mehr von Freya Sampson lesen!
librarianinperiwinkle's review against another edition
3.0
June Jones is 28 years old, lives alone, has no friends her own age, and hasn't gone anywhere or done anything since her mother lost her battle with cancer eight years ago. Painfully shy, June loves her job as a library assistant at the village library, where she is surrounded by the friendly whispers of the books on the shelves and the comfort of routines. The job itself is one she stumbled into ten years ago when her mother, one of the librarians on staff, became to ill to work, and the duo needed money to survive. But taking the job--and keeping it--meant foregoing her dream of college and becoming an author. Instead, June daydreams about the secret lives of the patrons and spends her free time reading the classics. Her mother's best friend, Linda, continues to prod June, hoping to convince her to wake up and live a little, but June is content to float through life wrapped in a cocoon of safe familiarity.
That cocoon evaporates the day the news comes out that the county council is considering closing six libraries, including Chalcot Library. June is devastated, and the regulars are up in arms. They form a protest group, FOCL (Friends of Chalcot Library, pronounced Fock All), to resist the closure, but as an employee, Jane is forbidden from participating in any way, including telling anyone why she isn't joining in. Tensions rise, and eventually June musters the courage to rebel by sending anonymous tips to FOCL regarding some underhanded backroom dealings she witnesses. She is encouraged to do this by her old school chum, Alex, the handsome attorney back in town to help with the family's Chinese food restaurant while his dad recovers from hip surgery.
Over time, June emerges from her self-imposed prison of grief and realizes how much she has missed. She also begins to realize just how much she doesn't know about the people she interacts with in the library every day, and how much more there is to their stories. Will it be too little, too late?
What I loved best about this book was that the author correctly identifies June as a library assistant and NOT a librarian. Becoming an actual librarian involves earning a bachelor's degree in any field AND a master's degree in library science. June hasn't been to college at all and therefore cannot be a librarian. Most people who work at libraries are assistants, and not librarians. Doesn't mean June isn't good at her job; it just means her training and experience is different.
I also loved getting to know the quirky characters, despite them each being well-known stereotypes: the homeless man, the brilliant child, the elderly curmudgeon, the outspoken voracious reader who hates all the books, the teenager seeking a quiet place to study, and the recent immigrant trying to make a go of it in her new home. I loved the way June's fantasies merged into Mrs. B's rants or queries from other patrons. I enjoyed watching June take steps into the world and cringed when she crumpled or was crushed by the Mean Girls. And I appreciated that the plot took a few zigs and zags to keep things a bit less predictable. Also June's impromptu scheme to kill two birds with one stone by redirecting Rocky away from the "hen do" and toward the FOCL rally cracked me up.
What I could have done without were the cliches--like her curly hair being pulled into a tight bun, her uber-lonely life with books as her only true friends, or the fact that despite working in a library for TEN YEARS, she seemed to have never read anything written in this century. I get that June's mom dressed her in random stuff from thrift shops, and she was a nerdy kid, but there is simply no way she was that isolated or clueless. Hurt by her best friend's betrayal, yes, but to the point of never ever making another friend? That just feels like the author is belittling the intelligence and social capabilities of readers, which sets my teeth on edge.
I haven't researched the state of British libraries, so I cannot speak to the likelihood of closures like this where over half the council seems oblivious to the obvious benefits to society of having a functional, funded library, or where greedy council members push a nefarious agenda, but it was reminiscent of both The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan and The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy, so maybe it's a trend in the U.K. & Ireland?
Overall this book was a solid 3 stars out of 5 for me. I liked it, but it had serious flaws also. Many thanks to the publisher and to BookBrowse for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, setting (small village in England) is secondary. No sex or violence, but there is some occasional swearing, and grief related to cancer.
That cocoon evaporates the day the news comes out that the county council is considering closing six libraries, including Chalcot Library. June is devastated, and the regulars are up in arms. They form a protest group, FOCL (Friends of Chalcot Library, pronounced Fock All), to resist the closure, but as an employee, Jane is forbidden from participating in any way, including telling anyone why she isn't joining in. Tensions rise, and eventually June musters the courage to rebel by sending anonymous tips to FOCL regarding some underhanded backroom dealings she witnesses. She is encouraged to do this by her old school chum, Alex, the handsome attorney back in town to help with the family's Chinese food restaurant while his dad recovers from hip surgery.
Over time, June emerges from her self-imposed prison of grief and realizes how much she has missed. She also begins to realize just how much she doesn't know about the people she interacts with in the library every day, and how much more there is to their stories. Will it be too little, too late?
What I loved best about this book was that the author correctly identifies June as a library assistant and NOT a librarian. Becoming an actual librarian involves earning a bachelor's degree in any field AND a master's degree in library science. June hasn't been to college at all and therefore cannot be a librarian. Most people who work at libraries are assistants, and not librarians. Doesn't mean June isn't good at her job; it just means her training and experience is different.
I also loved getting to know the quirky characters, despite them each being well-known stereotypes: the homeless man, the brilliant child, the elderly curmudgeon, the outspoken voracious reader who hates all the books, the teenager seeking a quiet place to study, and the recent immigrant trying to make a go of it in her new home. I loved the way June's fantasies merged into Mrs. B's rants or queries from other patrons. I enjoyed watching June take steps into the world and cringed when she crumpled or was crushed by the Mean Girls. And I appreciated that the plot took a few zigs and zags to keep things a bit less predictable. Also June's impromptu scheme to kill two birds with one stone by redirecting Rocky away from the "hen do" and toward the FOCL rally cracked me up.
What I could have done without were the cliches--like her curly hair being pulled into a tight bun, her uber-lonely life with books as her only true friends, or the fact that despite working in a library for TEN YEARS, she seemed to have never read anything written in this century. I get that June's mom dressed her in random stuff from thrift shops, and she was a nerdy kid, but there is simply no way she was that isolated or clueless. Hurt by her best friend's betrayal, yes, but to the point of never ever making another friend? That just feels like the author is belittling the intelligence and social capabilities of readers, which sets my teeth on edge.
I haven't researched the state of British libraries, so I cannot speak to the likelihood of closures like this where over half the council seems oblivious to the obvious benefits to society of having a functional, funded library, or where greedy council members push a nefarious agenda, but it was reminiscent of both The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan and The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy, so maybe it's a trend in the U.K. & Ireland?
Overall this book was a solid 3 stars out of 5 for me. I liked it, but it had serious flaws also. Many thanks to the publisher and to BookBrowse for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, setting (small village in England) is secondary. No sex or violence, but there is some occasional swearing, and grief related to cancer.
gracehbellman's review against another edition
5.0
holy shit this book had me crying so much on a silent bus. absolutely fantastic. i love a book with focus on a mission and this one had it. also one of the first books i wasn’t agitated for social media to be included in haha. please read this.
mariakotso's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
delaneywhitworth's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
bmaddy72's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ava_b0yle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This felt like ‘The Yearbook’ and ‘Funny Story’ combined. I really enjoyed the storyline and all the characters, although I did find it hard to make myself pick up the book at times. I thought June’s relationships with Stanley & Alex were beautiful, but I’m glad it was acknowledged that she was kind of pathetic throughout the book bc I couldn’t ignore that.
itsmycomet's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
This is such a sweet book and had me smiling throughout. I fell in love with the characters (you can't not) and the romance subplot was so cute. I think this book deals with grief well and I was rooting for June right until the end. Stanley dying BROKE MY HEART and I love him sm ♥️
leilithunder_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0