The Library
There seems to be no shortage of books lately about the threat of closure to a beloved community library - this is one of two I have right now. Unfortunately, it’s a reflection of the real-life threat to public libraries, so if I take nothing else away from this book, it’ll be a reminder of how grateful I am to have an awesome community library where I live and to continue to support it!
Now for the book: At the heart of it, it’s less about saving the village library, though that’s the plot device that introduces characters and moves events along, but more about the unlikely friendship between Tom, a 16-year-old socially awkward boy who lost his mother, and Maggie, a spunky, independent 72-year old widow who lost her son. These are two people who, each in their own way, desperately need the other.
Tom is watching his once happy dad, Paul, spiral downward into alcoholism and debt, increasingly neglecting his duties as a father while pressuring Tom to give up his university dream to get a factory job. Maggie is maintaining a sheep farm by herself and dealing with the isolation and loneliness that can come with age and circumstance. She also has a secret from her past involving her son - the mystery of which plays throughout the story. Tom and Maggie find each other through the library, but their friendship grows as Maggie becomes a defacto mother to Tom during the worst of his father’s decline.
Despite the heavy topics, it’s a sweet story, and I loved Maggie and Tom’s friendship. Honestly, anyone would be lucky to have someone like Maggie in their corner. Where the story suffered a bit for me was in sheer length. Because of the more leisurely pace of the story, 384 pages started to feel unnecessarily long at some point, and the resolution of the threat to the library faded in and out of the story until the last chapters. The story of Paul’s alcoholism and the negative effects on Tom was really tough to stomach, but that may have been more personally triggering for me, than being a problem with the book.
Overall, I really liked the story and if you’re looking for a new character duo to love, you just might love Maggie and Tom!
★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)
Thanks to Aria & Aries, Netgalley and author Bella Osborne for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It's due for publication Sept. 2, 2021
Now for the book: At the heart of it, it’s less about saving the village library, though that’s the plot device that introduces characters and moves events along, but more about the unlikely friendship between Tom, a 16-year-old socially awkward boy who lost his mother, and Maggie, a spunky, independent 72-year old widow who lost her son. These are two people who, each in their own way, desperately need the other.
Tom is watching his once happy dad, Paul, spiral downward into alcoholism and debt, increasingly neglecting his duties as a father while pressuring Tom to give up his university dream to get a factory job. Maggie is maintaining a sheep farm by herself and dealing with the isolation and loneliness that can come with age and circumstance. She also has a secret from her past involving her son - the mystery of which plays throughout the story. Tom and Maggie find each other through the library, but their friendship grows as Maggie becomes a defacto mother to Tom during the worst of his father’s decline.
Despite the heavy topics, it’s a sweet story, and I loved Maggie and Tom’s friendship. Honestly, anyone would be lucky to have someone like Maggie in their corner. Where the story suffered a bit for me was in sheer length. Because of the more leisurely pace of the story, 384 pages started to feel unnecessarily long at some point, and the resolution of the threat to the library faded in and out of the story until the last chapters. The story of Paul’s alcoholism and the negative effects on Tom was really tough to stomach, but that may have been more personally triggering for me, than being a problem with the book.
Overall, I really liked the story and if you’re looking for a new character duo to love, you just might love Maggie and Tom!
★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)
Thanks to Aria & Aries, Netgalley and author Bella Osborne for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It's due for publication Sept. 2, 2021
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