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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
It was adorable and fun y. But so frustrating to be dangled along. I just wanted to yell st them.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is a cute story with You've Got Mail vibes and a lot of Emily Dickinson poetry and history. While some parts of the plot were rather predictable, I enjoyed the letter-writing and the positive family relationships. It did make me laugh that when someone who has been tied to her family's bookstore for seven years without a day off decides to take a break, she retreats to a boring secluded manor less than an hour from home instead of going literally anywhere else! To each their own, though. The romance is slow to develop and very sweet.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perfectly fun and adequate chick lit romance, especially for the cottagecore fans. Clearly the final new name for the bookstore was the working title / pitch for this novel in the first place (I thought of it myself partway through, except that she was failing unlike the French Cooking memoir).
But listen, there were quite a few accuracy/immersion stumbling blocks I had with this setting and main character.
But listen, there were quite a few accuracy/immersion stumbling blocks I had with this setting and main character.
- Dickinson did not attend Amherst college, but Mt Holyoke, about a modern half-hour south.
- Amherst wasn't even coëd until 190 years later.
- When was this written? Certainly before the recent TV series. Pretty sure the conversation about Emily Dickinson's love interests -- in the greater Northampton region for goodness' sake -- currently includes her sister-in-law Susan.
- Michael at the bookstore was gay. Maybe Paul too. Why do non-queer novels sometimes have this blind spot?
- Again, when written or how old is the author? The house has gas and electric and running hot water, but the protagonist never once addresses or tries to listen to radio, recordings, or downloaded music or podcasts.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Have you watched You've Got Mail? Main female character has a book store, both main characters don't get along at first, there is some deception then they start to become friends. There are anonymous emails between the main characters and of course the main male character has a dog. Throw in some family drama, self-realization and a blind date where the female hopes it is the male and you've got the gist of this book.
If you are looking for an easy read where the outcome is very predictable then you will enjoy this book.
If you are looking for an easy read where the outcome is very predictable then you will enjoy this book.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like Julie & Julia but with lots of gay erasure
I don’t get why this author keeps bringing up known or highly suspected gay relationships between literary icons and never acknowledging that they were queer? It’s gotta be deliberate and is terrible gay erasure. I can’t tell if the author is trying to allude to it but is too cowardly to say it outright or if she’s actively trying to rewrite known history. Either way, in the current reality where many are trying to squash LGBTQ voices and also their very existence, this is really gross for me.
That being said the story outside of the gay erasure was mediocre and kept introducing new conflicts. The hero was a liar who kept lying and then found new ways to lie and the heroine had brains slightly smarter than a bag of rocks.
As happens in so many women’s fiction or contemporary romance (and I don’t know which this one was trying to be), the conflicts were blown way out of proportion, easily resolved and depended very heavily on miscommunication and character stupidity. All of the conflicts kept dropping up and then amounting to nothing made this feel way too long, frustrating and ultimately pointless.
All this soul searching for Emma to end up exactly where she was. Blah.
I don’t get why this author keeps bringing up known or highly suspected gay relationships between literary icons and never acknowledging that they were queer? It’s gotta be deliberate and is terrible gay erasure. I can’t tell if the author is trying to allude to it but is too cowardly to say it outright or if she’s actively trying to rewrite known history. Either way, in the current reality where many are trying to squash LGBTQ voices and also their very existence, this is really gross for me.
That being said the story outside of the gay erasure was mediocre and kept introducing new conflicts. The hero was a liar who kept lying and then found new ways to lie and the heroine had brains slightly smarter than a bag of rocks.
As happens in so many women’s fiction or contemporary romance (and I don’t know which this one was trying to be), the conflicts were blown way out of proportion, easily resolved and depended very heavily on miscommunication and character stupidity. All of the conflicts kept dropping up and then amounting to nothing made this feel way too long, frustrating and ultimately pointless.
All this soul searching for Emma to end up exactly where she was. Blah.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
lighthearted
medium-paced