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annettenis 's review for:
The Memory Library
by Kate Storey
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Memory Library by Kate Storey is an impressive debut and one that will really resonate with book lovers everywhere.
For forty two years Sally has been building a library for her daughter Ella, carefully choosing and inscribing a special volume each year, which is added to the library on Ella's birthday. Sadly because of a falling out following the death of Sally's husband, Ella's beloved Dad , for over twenty years Sally has not been able to give Ella her gift. Instead Ella is living her life on the other side of the world, in Australia where she is married and raising a daughter of her own. Her only contact with her mother is superficial, quick emails and hurried phone calls, occasional photos sent online, and that is the way Ella likes it, She is too busy with her career and her life to worry about what is happening with the woman she feels betrayed both her and her father all those years before. When an unfortunate accident results in Sally being injured and incapacitated Ella somewhat reluctantly agreeing to go home to England and help out , though she dreads leaving her family and her work behind. It is only when she arrives that she learns of the existence of the library, and by then it is too late as it has been destroyed, along with much of her mother's house by a flooding incident, At first Ella struggles with being forced to spend so much time with Sally and their fractious relationship is not helped by Sally's need for independence nor indeed the more serious health issue she has been hiding, but as Ella begins to see the place that Sally has built for herself in the local community and the vibrant and often unexpected group of friends she has collected , she begins to see that there is more to her mother than she ever realised, and that maybe there is a lesson or two she could still learn from her.
This really is a character driven novel and I found myself loving almost all of the characters, obviously Sally and Ella were wonderful but there is a full cast of fun and funny secondary characters that really help to bring the community to life, with my personal favourites being Jakub the librarian and Nathan, the fashion and design student living next door to Sally. I loved how books played a really important part of the story too, as someone who gravitates to books about books this was right up my alley and I think that fans of books like The Reading List by Sarah Nisha Adams will find a lot to like about this book, with its similar themes of found family. While the book is definitely sweet, it does not shy away from difficult topics, nor does the author give her characters an easy out from the mistakes they have made, but this means that there is a real sense of character growth over the course of the book, which is always something I enjoy in my reads.
This book feels like a warm hug from one of your favourite people, it is so full of heart . I am not going to lie, there are some truly sad moments but the overall feeling is one of hope and the message of love, growth and acceptance is a powerful one.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own .
For forty two years Sally has been building a library for her daughter Ella, carefully choosing and inscribing a special volume each year, which is added to the library on Ella's birthday. Sadly because of a falling out following the death of Sally's husband, Ella's beloved Dad , for over twenty years Sally has not been able to give Ella her gift. Instead Ella is living her life on the other side of the world, in Australia where she is married and raising a daughter of her own. Her only contact with her mother is superficial, quick emails and hurried phone calls, occasional photos sent online, and that is the way Ella likes it, She is too busy with her career and her life to worry about what is happening with the woman she feels betrayed both her and her father all those years before. When an unfortunate accident results in Sally being injured and incapacitated Ella somewhat reluctantly agreeing to go home to England and help out , though she dreads leaving her family and her work behind. It is only when she arrives that she learns of the existence of the library, and by then it is too late as it has been destroyed, along with much of her mother's house by a flooding incident, At first Ella struggles with being forced to spend so much time with Sally and their fractious relationship is not helped by Sally's need for independence nor indeed the more serious health issue she has been hiding, but as Ella begins to see the place that Sally has built for herself in the local community and the vibrant and often unexpected group of friends she has collected , she begins to see that there is more to her mother than she ever realised, and that maybe there is a lesson or two she could still learn from her.
This really is a character driven novel and I found myself loving almost all of the characters, obviously Sally and Ella were wonderful but there is a full cast of fun and funny secondary characters that really help to bring the community to life, with my personal favourites being Jakub the librarian and Nathan, the fashion and design student living next door to Sally. I loved how books played a really important part of the story too, as someone who gravitates to books about books this was right up my alley and I think that fans of books like The Reading List by Sarah Nisha Adams will find a lot to like about this book, with its similar themes of found family. While the book is definitely sweet, it does not shy away from difficult topics, nor does the author give her characters an easy out from the mistakes they have made, but this means that there is a real sense of character growth over the course of the book, which is always something I enjoy in my reads.
This book feels like a warm hug from one of your favourite people, it is so full of heart . I am not going to lie, there are some truly sad moments but the overall feeling is one of hope and the message of love, growth and acceptance is a powerful one.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own .