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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
The characters made me want to keep reading! I'm love a small coastal town! I look forward to the rest of the books in the series!
That was lovely! Over the last couple of years I have discovered an affinity for Irish writers. [a:Emma Donoghue|23613|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1591714728p2/23613.jpg] and [a:Sally Rooney|15860970|Sally Rooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1534007127p2/15860970.jpg] especially. I will be adding [a:Felicity Hayes-McCoy|1313225|Felicity Hayes-McCoy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1669721696p2/1313225.jpg] to that list and I'm delighted to see she has quite a few books.
The location of this book, a fictional area of Ireland invented on a napkin by the author, is as much a character as any of the people. [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] is the best at using locations as characters, but Hayes-McCoy does a gorgeous job of that here. I want to visit. The advantage McCoy has over King is that her setting is not evil in the slightest. It is, however, tight knit and charming.
The main character, Hanna, is pretty unlikable to begin with. She's a librarian which should make me love her, but she is crotchety. Yes, crotchety, despite her relative youth. She doesn't think libraries should be fun and is - GASP - thoroughly opposed to book clubs meeting in the library. Having run an in-person book club at a local library for over a decade, this broke my heart a little. Hanna feels libraries are for books and that is all. I feel libraries are for books, of course, but even more importantly, for the people who will read those books.
The library should be a hub of activity. Not only book clubs, but computers with access to those who would otherwise not have it, lessons and classes, social groups, art, society. Everything. Libraries are funded by communities, and as such, should serve those communities. Thankfully, Hanna comes to realize this.
This story is essentially about a woman learning to be herself again, but also about a community learning to be its new self. A community coming together for all the things I mentioned and so much more. As a species, we are stronger together, and the support of those around us only increases our ability to do what needs to be done. Wo/Man is not an island. There are people who convince themselves they need no one, and I'm sure they feel content with this. They're wrong. While there is nothing wrong with solitude, after all, we may read alone, there is a deep yearning for companionship in every person. We read alone, but we understand better when we discuss. That's just a fact.
There was a small thread of romance in the book, but it is very small, and in no way overshadows the real story and I quite enjoyed that!
The location of this book, a fictional area of Ireland invented on a napkin by the author, is as much a character as any of the people. [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] is the best at using locations as characters, but Hayes-McCoy does a gorgeous job of that here. I want to visit. The advantage McCoy has over King is that her setting is not evil in the slightest. It is, however, tight knit and charming.
The main character, Hanna, is pretty unlikable to begin with. She's a librarian which should make me love her, but she is crotchety. Yes, crotchety, despite her relative youth. She doesn't think libraries should be fun and is - GASP - thoroughly opposed to book clubs meeting in the library. Having run an in-person book club at a local library for over a decade, this broke my heart a little. Hanna feels libraries are for books and that is all. I feel libraries are for books, of course, but even more importantly, for the people who will read those books.
The library should be a hub of activity. Not only book clubs, but computers with access to those who would otherwise not have it, lessons and classes, social groups, art, society. Everything. Libraries are funded by communities, and as such, should serve those communities. Thankfully, Hanna comes to realize this.
This story is essentially about a woman learning to be herself again, but also about a community learning to be its new self. A community coming together for all the things I mentioned and so much more. As a species, we are stronger together, and the support of those around us only increases our ability to do what needs to be done. Wo/Man is not an island. There are people who convince themselves they need no one, and I'm sure they feel content with this. They're wrong. While there is nothing wrong with solitude, after all, we may read alone, there is a deep yearning for companionship in every person. We read alone, but we understand better when we discuss. That's just a fact.
There was a small thread of romance in the book, but it is very small, and in no way overshadows the real story and I quite enjoyed that!
It’s an OK book. There’s something about it that makes it not so enjoyable to read. It does bring the new concept for the library position in the society nowadays.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
I'd say 3.5 stars. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Took awhile to warm up to Hanna. It's kind of interesting that has she developed more throughout the book that I started to like her. My favorite character is Fury. He had me laughing so much!
I started this book during National Library Week in part to honor libraries, and in part because it was part of the local library display celebrating the occasion. It started a bit slow for me - I couldn't quite tell what obstacle or "goal" the protagonist was working toward. It was a lot of character introduction and back-story development. But near the final third of the book the plot really took off. The characters were well drawn by that point. And the creative community building that brought life into this Irish peninsula was delightful. I will look forward to other forthcoming books in this series.
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This book wasn't bad, it just was very boring to me. Nothing really happened, there was no drama, there was no major romance, no urgency to the conflict... just not my style. If you're looking for a pleasant read about a charming town and a (reasonably disgruntled and honestly unlikeable [in my opinion]) recently divorced mom, go for it, but it is a very slow pace and very low stakes.
Set in an [imaginary] rural peninsula in Western Ireland, Hayes-Mccoy here introduces the people and stories to be told in her Finfarran Peninsula series. In fact, it doesn't really get off the ground until the final third, at which point its true charm has gripped hold and I am ready to continue reading the series.
While told from several perspectives, here we are primarily behind that of Hanna, the divorced middle-aged librarian of the village library and county bookmobike. Hanna hides behind high stone walls of bitterness, shame, disillusion, fear, and anger. This in fact is one of the problems at first because you just want Hanna to 'get over herself' already! But there are sufficient glimpses of a different person lurking underneath, and occasional cracks in the walls that make it possible to stick with her. Plus the community really does grow on you, as does the 'save-the-library' to save the town plotline.
Bonus: the library at the center is housed in a former convent, something that is very creatively and critically interwoven into the story. And this serves to meet one of the 2019 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge prompts. I slotted it into ATY 2019 #16 multiple perspectives too.
While told from several perspectives, here we are primarily behind that of Hanna, the divorced middle-aged librarian of the village library and county bookmobike. Hanna hides behind high stone walls of bitterness, shame, disillusion, fear, and anger. This in fact is one of the problems at first because you just want Hanna to 'get over herself' already! But there are sufficient glimpses of a different person lurking underneath, and occasional cracks in the walls that make it possible to stick with her. Plus the community really does grow on you, as does the 'save-the-library' to save the town plotline.
Bonus: the library at the center is housed in a former convent, something that is very creatively and critically interwoven into the story. And this serves to meet one of the 2019 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge prompts. I slotted it into ATY 2019 #16 multiple perspectives too.