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A review by what_heather_loves
The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
"'Many of you already know how I stumbled across the Museum of Ordinary People. Like so many others who have come through its doors, I was struggling with the grief of losing someone I loved and trying to find a home for an object that was so much more than the sum of its parts...[it is]...about and for ordinary men and women like you and me, and the extraordinary lives they lead...'"
In her early thirties, Jess is grieving the recent death of her beloved mum, who brought her up alone, to breast cancer. Determinedly clearing her childhood home, a terraced house in Northampton, alone, she wants to keep so many of her mum's belongings, but doesn't have space in her minimalist London apartment with boyfriend Guy; so she only keeps an old set of encyclopedias that encouraged her love of learning. Jess approaches a Peckham-based house clearance firm and discovers it also houses a secret museum of sorts, set up by the former owner, to store those belongings people couldn't keep but couldn't bear to throw away, which excites Jess, who studied to be a museum curator yet works as a receptionist. The new owner, Alex, who has unexpectedly inherited the Museum, agrees to give Jess six months to set up a museum. It's a huge undertaking. Will she do it and will it succeed?
Jess is a really likeable protagonist, grieving and suffering a controlling boyfriend, but has the support of childhood best friend, Luce, her university tutor and new friends Alex, Paul and Dec at the museum. The reader has Jess's 'then' (clearing her mum's house) and 'now' (curating the museum) narratives, to provide context. This charming tale combines cast of engaging, supporting characters and a love interest with a race against time to build a unique museum, despite obstacles in her ways that will celebrate the lives of those they loved. I am fascinated by the concept of a museum for ordinary people, have always been more interested in what my school history teacher called 'small people history', 2hich encouraged me to read history at university. This is a charming,comforting and uplifting tale about following your heart, that comes highly recommended.
In her early thirties, Jess is grieving the recent death of her beloved mum, who brought her up alone, to breast cancer. Determinedly clearing her childhood home, a terraced house in Northampton, alone, she wants to keep so many of her mum's belongings, but doesn't have space in her minimalist London apartment with boyfriend Guy; so she only keeps an old set of encyclopedias that encouraged her love of learning. Jess approaches a Peckham-based house clearance firm and discovers it also houses a secret museum of sorts, set up by the former owner, to store those belongings people couldn't keep but couldn't bear to throw away, which excites Jess, who studied to be a museum curator yet works as a receptionist. The new owner, Alex, who has unexpectedly inherited the Museum, agrees to give Jess six months to set up a museum. It's a huge undertaking. Will she do it and will it succeed?
Jess is a really likeable protagonist, grieving and suffering a controlling boyfriend, but has the support of childhood best friend, Luce, her university tutor and new friends Alex, Paul and Dec at the museum. The reader has Jess's 'then' (clearing her mum's house) and 'now' (curating the museum) narratives, to provide context. This charming tale combines cast of engaging, supporting characters and a love interest with a race against time to build a unique museum, despite obstacles in her ways that will celebrate the lives of those they loved. I am fascinated by the concept of a museum for ordinary people, have always been more interested in what my school history teacher called 'small people history', 2hich encouraged me to read history at university. This is a charming,comforting and uplifting tale about following your heart, that comes highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cancer