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A review by twellz
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
4.0
The Reading List is set in present-day Wembley, London. The main characters are: Mukesh Patel (a 70ish retired widower) & Aleisha (a 17-year-old library clerk). They meet at the Harrow Road Library. Mukesh is mourning the death of wife, Naina, who was an avid reader. He wants to reconnect with his granddaughter (also an avid reader) so he picks up The Time Traveler’s Wife, the last book his wife checked out from the library before her death. The librarian, Aleisha is not a reader & spends most of her time caring for her chronically depressed mother. She doesn’t yet understand what a privilege it is to work at the Harrow Road Library.
I loved both Mukesh and Aleisha, and the side characters you meet throughout. They each had something really difficult in their lives to overcome, so to escape from the reality of life, they embark on a “Reading List” found tucked into a library book. You’ll hear snippets & see parallels from the books: To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved and A Suitable Boy. The way the author depicts grief was really well done & reminded me of my Dad who is still coping with the loss of his wife, Denise. You can watch Mukesh & Aleisha grow & learn to adapt to their new worlds.
The Reading List reaffirms the power of books & libraries and the beauty of genuine friendship. For me, it explains perfectly why I love to read & don’t watch much TV. Side note: it does help if you have read the book list that they parallel.
I loved both Mukesh and Aleisha, and the side characters you meet throughout. They each had something really difficult in their lives to overcome, so to escape from the reality of life, they embark on a “Reading List” found tucked into a library book. You’ll hear snippets & see parallels from the books: To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved and A Suitable Boy. The way the author depicts grief was really well done & reminded me of my Dad who is still coping with the loss of his wife, Denise. You can watch Mukesh & Aleisha grow & learn to adapt to their new worlds.
The Reading List reaffirms the power of books & libraries and the beauty of genuine friendship. For me, it explains perfectly why I love to read & don’t watch much TV. Side note: it does help if you have read the book list that they parallel.