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kristi518 's review for:
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
by Katarina Bivald
I found this to be just a so-so read. I liked the premise of the story and the two main characters were totally relatable in their love of books. However, the story fell flat of my expectations and left me feeling a bit disappointed at the end.
Sara and Amy, the two main characters of the book, were instantly kindred spirits. They loved books and I enjoyed the way the author wrote Amy's character in the form of letters to Sara that described the town and its quirky occupants and mentioned some of the books they had read or should read. The other members of the town were easy to like and relate to as well. There weren't a lot of them either which made it easy to keep them straight in my mind while reading.
The author did a great job of portraying the small town. Considering she is Swedish I thought she was spot on in her descriptions of the town and its occupants. It was easy to visualize the town and so easy to relate to the idea of everyone knowing everyone else's business.
The reason I gave this book two stars instead of three is it seemed just too long to me. I have no problem reading long books but this book lost itself somewhere in the second half. During the first half, I really enjoyed the way the author mentioned the titles of numerous books (and a favorite of mine, Anne of Green Gables), but during the second half it became tedious. Added to that a second storyline suddenly popping up and it just found it a bit too much. The characters were no longer quirky in a fun way and the down on its luck town was a bit annoying, too. I think with a bit of good editing this book would have stayed just as fun to read during the second half as the first.
Even though I wouldn't recommend this book, if you like books about books, bookstores, and small towns you may enjoy this one.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion, which I have given.
Sara and Amy, the two main characters of the book, were instantly kindred spirits. They loved books and I enjoyed the way the author wrote Amy's character in the form of letters to Sara that described the town and its quirky occupants and mentioned some of the books they had read or should read. The other members of the town were easy to like and relate to as well. There weren't a lot of them either which made it easy to keep them straight in my mind while reading.
The author did a great job of portraying the small town. Considering she is Swedish I thought she was spot on in her descriptions of the town and its occupants. It was easy to visualize the town and so easy to relate to the idea of everyone knowing everyone else's business.
The reason I gave this book two stars instead of three is it seemed just too long to me. I have no problem reading long books but this book lost itself somewhere in the second half. During the first half, I really enjoyed the way the author mentioned the titles of numerous books (and a favorite of mine, Anne of Green Gables), but during the second half it became tedious. Added to that a second storyline suddenly popping up and it just found it a bit too much. The characters were no longer quirky in a fun way and the down on its luck town was a bit annoying, too. I think with a bit of good editing this book would have stayed just as fun to read during the second half as the first.
Even though I wouldn't recommend this book, if you like books about books, bookstores, and small towns you may enjoy this one.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion, which I have given.