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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
This was a nice, but rather unremarkable story. Even though it’s set in Ireland, I kept thinking that Hannah is so old-school and not at all what modern librarians and libraries strive for, but I do like how she came to see the value of the library as a community place.
While the title is tempting to a librarian like me, the book fell short. The premise is amazing but I couldn't get on board with any of the characters, especially the curmudgeon divorced and bitter librarian. Stuck living with her mother after she caught her husband cheating on her, she resorted to being the local public librarian even though she felt it was beneath her. Now that her daughter has moved out and her father has died she is restless and eager to move away from her mother. She got no money out of her ex-husband so she takes up a loan to restore her old aunts derelict cottage on the outskirts of the village. While working on her new project, her job and her small community are threatened. It's up to her to finally give a damn for once and come up with a plan to save the library at the edge of the world. This book has all the right elements,: small Irish town, cute little library, a cottage in need of some TLC, and some zany characters but it's still missing something. A meh, read.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This just wasn't for me. I found it boring and tedious. The audiobook was pleasant to listen to, though.
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Read 2/28/2018
This story was very slow to capture my interest, but I persevered. By the end, I did enjoy it more, but the ending was quite lackluster, IMO. This is not my favorite genre, so that I finished is a big accomplishment!
This story was very slow to capture my interest, but I persevered. By the end, I did enjoy it more, but the ending was quite lackluster, IMO. This is not my favorite genre, so that I finished is a big accomplishment!
“It seemed to him that half the fun of a library was stumbling on treasures by chance...”
Given how I found this novel accidentally, I think the quote above is apt. I wasn’t looking for another book about libraries, but this one found me. I am not sorry.
The plot is nothing new. There is an unhappy bookmobile librarian, a community that has lost its center and then there is the threat from the local government. Hayes-McCoy takes some shop-worn ideas and makes them her own. While I was reading I was having a good time. I wanted the good guys to win and of course they did.
This was not a romance, but it satisfied my desire for a happily ever after. Given the world we are living in this book is a win.
Given how I found this novel accidentally, I think the quote above is apt. I wasn’t looking for another book about libraries, but this one found me. I am not sorry.
The plot is nothing new. There is an unhappy bookmobile librarian, a community that has lost its center and then there is the threat from the local government. Hayes-McCoy takes some shop-worn ideas and makes them her own. While I was reading I was having a good time. I wanted the good guys to win and of course they did.
This was not a romance, but it satisfied my desire for a happily ever after. Given the world we are living in this book is a win.
Added this book to The 100 Club—books I read about 100 pages of and decided to set aside. The beginning was incredibly slow, and I found that I couldn’t sympathize with the main character, whose troubles were brought on by her own foolishness and pride. Not for me.
The setting was diverting. And the writing was on par with what I’ve come to expect from novels of this type.
The setting was diverting. And the writing was on par with what I’ve come to expect from novels of this type.
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was fine. Calm and sweet and a good pairing with a heavier book. I wanted more library mobile, but loved the curmudgeons.
DNF - abandoned!! As a librarian I wanted to like this book, but she was a stereotypical librarian shushing people and not wanting to help them. Got about 1/3 of the way through and decided I didn't like the characters, there were too many storylines, and this wasn't a good librarian portrayal. Buh bye! Life's too short to read bad books.