Peggy of the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

In my gradual reread of Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s long Chalet School series, I’ve reached the one originally numbered 22, ‘Peggy of the Chalet School’.  I can remember reading a hardback edition of this as a young teenager, when I found my mother’s collection on my grandmother’s shelves.

I liked the book very much when I was younger, and was then a bit disappointed when I read it as an adult in Armada paperback edition. I understand that although there are some cuts, they’re minor and thus make no different to the story; but even minor cuts can make the action happen a bit too fast, and may lose some conversations or other activities that help build characterisation.

And it’s the characters that make me continue reading - and rereading - this series. The storylines, such as they are, tend to be a bit predictable and sometimes repetitive. But the people change, and Elinor M Brent-Dyer created some believable, likeable folk - even if she did sometimes forget how old they were, or who they were friendly with, over the course of the series. I have a hardback edition now; I don’t recall when I acquired it, but that’s the one I’ve been reading this time. 

The last time I read this book was in 2011, but although I'd forgotten a lot of the detail, I recalled the outline of the story. 

Peggy Bettany is the main character in this book; oldest daughter of Dick and Mollie Bettany, she’s just turned 16. We meet her visiting some new folk, recently arrived in the area. Polly is around Peggy’s age and Lala (Alice) a couple of years younger. They have been rather running wild and are not at all respectful of their mother, so their father has insisted they go to boarding school. After talking to Peggy they ask if they can go to the Chalet School, which is currently located on a small island off the Welsh coast. 

Peggy escorts Polly and Lala on the long train journey to the school, as well as her own young sisters Bride and Maeve. And it’s something of a chapter of accidents. Two purses are lost, a train is delayed, and then a porter, trying to be helpful, pushes them onto the wrong train.  There Peggy meets a helpful girl around her age, which begins a sequence with a somewhat unlikely coincidence… 

Finally at school, Peggy is given an unexpected honour, and arouses the jealousy of Eilunedd, a girl in what’s known as the ‘special sixth’, a class specialising in just one or two subjects rather than taking everything. Eilunedd is the kind of person who broods and bears grudges, and although it takes her a while, she does something quite unpleasant towards the end of term. 

Meanwhile Polly has quite a hard time settling into school and following the rules. Lala, more easygoing, makes friends and doesn’t have any problems despite being with rather younger girls. Then a talent of Polly’s is discovered and discussed, and she gradually realises that school isn’t so bad after all.  Polly and Lala don’t have all that much of a story other than at the beginning; but then the book is mainly about Peggy rather than the new girls.

It’s not the greatest of the books, but I like Peggy, and her friends, and I liked it better on reading this time than I did before. Hardbacks of this are quite rare now, and the 'Girls Gone By' full edition is out of print and quite expensive second-hand. Armada paperback versions are sometimes found inexpensively in charity shops, and certainly worth having if you don't have access to a full edition.

Intended originally for teenagers, this seems to appeal more to adults like me who recall the series with nostalgia from our youth. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

You're made for a God-sized dream (by Holley Gerth)

(Amazon UK link)

Having very much appreciated Holley Gerth’s book ‘The powerful purpose of Introverts’, which I read earlier this year, I decided to try one of her other books. I was able to order ‘You’re made for a God-sized dream’ from World of Books online, and a friend brought it out to Cyprus for me. 

I started reading the book in the middle of June, with just a few pages each day since it needed quite a bit of internal processing. The premise of the book is that we all have dreams, planted in our minds and souls by God, which are intended uniquely for each of us. These dreams, when brought to reality, will help us grow and mature, and there may be many of them in the course of someone’s life. 

I was a bit cynical at first, but soon understood that these dreams don’t have to be huge, or world-changing. The adjective ‘God-sized’ is rather misleading, in my view, since God is infinite, and most of the dreams discussed in this book are quite small, in global terms. I would have preferred the adjective ‘God-given’. And when I thought of it in those terms, I realised that yes, over the course of my six decades, I’ve had many dreams which, in retrospect, probably were divinely inspired. 

A dream I had from childhood, for instance, was to learn a particular kind of country dancing; I would listen to the music on my old record-player, and long to be able to dance. When I was eleven, my dream began to be realised at my secondary school, and I continued this dancing, eventually teaching it myself, for nearly a decade.  Having said that, another dream - to be a professional ballet dancer - was not realised. I was very disappointed at times, but am pretty sure in retrospect that a career in ballet would not have suited me. 

When I was about sixteen, I didn’t have much ambition at all; all I wanted was to be a wife and mother. I followed other people’s advice, and acquired A-levels and then a university degree, but they all felt a bit irrelevant. I got a job and was fairly good at it, but it was never my passion. Far more significant was getting married while I was still at university and, six years later, having my first baby. I revelled in motherhood and home education, but lost sight of other dreams so that the ‘empty nest’ was, at first devastating.

Other projects have materialised, over the years, which I think were probably God-given, including reviewing all the books I read on this blog… and eventually publishing a book about home education. Now, I’m trying to find out what I’m meant to do (if anything) beyond looking after the house and a few other small things. So the book was very timely. 

Some of it feels a bit ‘American’, and there are some images using fancy cursive handwriting which I found very difficult to read. But overall, I thought this was an excellent book. It’s encouraging, it’s personal, it shares anecdotes about the author’s life, and the lives of many people she’s worked with. It explains what blockages we are likely to experience, and it reminds us, too, that God loves us anyway. We’re uniquely made for our ‘calling’, whether big or small in the world’s eyes, and that we’ll be our best selves if we follow it. But we’re loved no matter what. 

There are indications about how we can tell whether a dream is ‘God-sized’ (in the author’s terms) or just our own wishes; suggestions about how to confirm this, and many other different aspects of exploring who we are, and how to be our best selves. Although aimed at women, there’s no reason why the contents of this book shouldn’t also apply to men. 

There are questions for what the author calls ‘going deeper’ at the end of each chapter. I did consider downloading the free printable workbook, but decided against it. Maybe I’ll do so when I read the book again, as I expect to do in another five or six years.  

Definitely recommended, if you’re interested in exploring who you are, in God’s eyes, and what he might have put in your mind or heart. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

A Breath of Fresh Air (by Erica James)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s been quite a while since I re-read my collection of novels by Erica James; she’s quite a prolific author, and I have all twenty-four of her books. I first came across her writing twenty-three years ago and liked her style right from the start. Having finished rereading the books by Robin Pilcher, I decided to embark on a gradual re-read of Erica James’ books. 

‘A Breath of Fresh Air’ was her first published novel; I read it in 2000 and re-read it in 2008. Fifteen years on I’d entirely forgotten what it was about - and was hooked on the story almost immediately.

Charlotte is the main character. We learn in the first chapter that she’s been married to Peter for eight years, and in that time has lived in several countries. Her husband is a high-flying businessman whose job has taken him around the world - and Charlotte has gone with him. Initially eager to support him, she’s realised that she has become a poor second-best to his work. He is fond of her, and doesn’t understand why she longs for permanence and close friends, rather than luxurious flats and prestigious work events.

So she finally plucks up the courage to ask him for a divorce. It’s quite a dramatic start to the first chapter, which ends in an even more dramatic way. I’m not sure if I’d remembered subconsciously what was coming or whether it was cleverly foreshadowed or somewhat predictable. But even though I was half expecting something of the sort, it still gave me a jolt as the chapter ended.

The action then moves to the small village of Hulme Welford, where Charlotte has bought a cottage in need of some maintenance and care. It’s next door to her sister Hilary, and not far from her parents. Hilary is her younger sister, but highly organised, and wants to take Charlotte under her wing. So she cleans the cottage, and buys groceries and cleaning products. She then meets her sister at the airport. 

All of which is fine; but Charlotte is exhausted and stressed and wondering whether she’s made the right decision to return to her childhood village. She’s not happy when she learns that Hilary has also organised a ‘welcome back’ dinner party, not just for the family, but to introduce her to some of her neighbours, including Alex, a man who is renting the ‘granny flat’ attached to Charlotte’s new home...

It’s mainly a character-based book, and Erica James has quite a gift of characterisation. I felt for Charlotte, I also felt a lot of sympathy for Hilary who tries to make order out of chaos, while looking after her husband and two young children. Their mother is a bit of a shadowy character, but their father is delightful - a retired GP who adores his daughters and often feels at a loose end. 

Alex is likeable too; generous, helpful and slow to take offence. But their other neighbours, Derek and Cindy, really don’t fit into the village; they run several health spas, and have painted their home bright pink. Derek is a womaniser, although it’s hard to see why anyone finds him attractive; Cindy is rather snobbish. They have two teenagers, Barry - an academic - and Tiffany, who clashes with her parents at every moment. 

And then there’s Mrs Braithwaite, who likes to gossip, stir up strife, and generally boss people around. She’s a bit of a caricature - as are Derek and Cindy - but it doesn’t much matter. And even they turn out to have some depth, as the novel progresses.

The story is about Charlotte settling into the neighbourhood, coming to terms with her past, and forming new relationships. That part is straightforward and somewhat predictable; but it’s very well handled. The book doesn’t really look at a lot of serious issues, and the forays into characters’ pasts are fairly lightweight, but I found myself engrossed and finished it in just a couple of days.

I suppose it’s not the kind of novel that would stand out nowadays; it’s fairly standard women’s fiction from the start of the century. But I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading 'A Breath of Fresh Air', and would recommend it to anyone wanting a light read with believable main characters and an entirely satisfactory ending.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

Molly Fox's Birthday (by Deirdre Madden)

(Amazon UK link)

I’d never heard of Deirdre Madden, but when I spotted her novel ‘Molly Fox’s Birthday’ on a church bookstall, I was intrigued. The blurb on the back appealed, and there was a sticker on the front saying it had been short-listed for an award. So I paid my 50 cents and put it on my to-be-read shelf.

A year and eight months later, I picked it up to read. I wanted something fairly light-weight, and at first this seemed to fulfil my wishes nicely. The narrator is a woman of about forty, whose name we never learn. We meet her waking up on the longest day of the year, wondering at first where she is. Then she remembers, she’s in Ireland house-sitting for her close friend Molly Fox, who is in the United States. 

Molly, we soon learn, is an acclaimed actress, one of the few who truly seems to become the person she is playing. She likes theatre best, and the narrator is a playwright; indeed, they met, twenty years earlier, when Molly was one of the principal characters in a play written by the narrator - and it was a tremendous success. 

Most of the novel is introspective, taking place in the past. It’s written without chapters, although there are some section endings as the tale returns to the present day, or moves to a different memory. For the whole novel takes place over the course of just one day. 

The narrator recalls fondly her close friendship with Andrew, whom she met at university and who is now known as a TV presenter. She thinks about her brother Tom who is a Catholic priest. She contrasts her own chaotic but happy background with several siblings, mostly getting along, with Molly’s more difficult childhood. 

We never meet Molly, but we learn a lot about her: initially from the perspective of her close friend, but also from other characters who emerge. Molly never wants her birthday celebrated or even remembered, but her brother Fergus likes to mark it in some way, as do one or two other people who come into the narrator’s life briefly in the ‘present’ part of the novel, after being recalled in some detail in the past.

I found the style a bit frustrating at first, with so much reminiscing, and I kept wondering when the story was going to begin. But the writing is beautifully done, and I found myself more and more drawn into the story, even as I realised that there wasn’t going to be any real plot or movement. It’s entirely character-based, and while I might have found it dull twenty years ago, I found myself intrigued by the gentle revelations, thinking about what reality might be, and how we present ourselves to our families and friends.

I thought it very clever that the narrator, whose is the only mind we get into, is faceless and nameless, while Molly Fox, who is in New York, and has no viewpoint, feels like the main character.  

I guess this is ‘literary’ fiction, something I’ve only started to appreciate in the past few years, so hesitate to recommend it too strongly as many readers don’t appreciate this kind of novel. The only other writer I know of who produces this kind of observant, introspective writing that’s entirely about the different people is Anne Tyler, but in Molly Fox’s Birthday I didn’t find the satire or gentle humour that sometimes crops up in Tyler’s books. 

Nonetheless, I liked this book; if you want something different and like character-based books without much plot, this is a good one to try. It’s quite short - fewer than 230 pages - and very well written. I doubt if I’ll read it again, and don’t suppose I will remember the people for long, but I’m glad I read it. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

The Second Husband (by Louise Candlish)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m glad I decided to re-read my collection of Louise Candlish novels, over the past couple of years, at a rate of about one every couple of months. Her earlier novels weren’t as dark or tense as her more recent ones, and on the whole I like them better. I’ve just finished ‘The Second Husband’, which I first read in 2016; naturally, I had entirely forgotten the storyline. 

The front cover gives a hint of what the novel is about, but I suspect I might have guessed anyway although the denouement doesn’t come until around half-way through. The main protagonist is a thirty-nine year old divorced woman called Kate. She works for a charity, and has two children: Roxy who is 17, and Matt who is 9. Her estranged husband Alastair is married to someone called Victoria and she hasn’t entirely forgiven him although they try to be fairly amicable for the sake of the children.

Kate is struggling for money, although Alastair gives generous child support, so he suggests she take in a lodger. After initial reluctance, she and the children manage to divide her top-floor flat so as to give a small one-bedroomed apartment next door. We see her hesitating about which of the possible tenants to choose; eventually she decides on Davis, a rather personal man in his early forties, who is a private teacher and coach. He seems ideal: he’s friendly, charming to everyone, and pays his rent on time.

Most of Kate’s stress is caused by Roxy, who hangs out with a girl called Marianne, barely wanting to speak to her mother. Roxy has suddenly adopted revealing clothes, heavy make-up, and an eye-rolling attitude, reminding her mother that at 17 there are many things she can do, without necessarily needing permission. Kate finds it hard, seeing her beautiful, affectionate little girl turn into a moody teenager, and tries perhaps too hard to find out what’s going on in her life.

Davis gradually becomes friendly with Kate, and gets along very well with both Roxy and Matt. He starts coaching Roxy in French, and is regularly invited to dinner. It’s all quite platonic, until Kate realises that she’s starting to fall for him…

The writing is excellent, the characterisation entirely believable, and I quite liked Kate. I think my favourite character is Matt; he’s uncomplicated and trusting, and many of the events of the book go right over his head. I liked Kate’s sister Tash, too; she’s disorganised and Kate thinks of her as little more than a teenager, but although they’re very different, Tash is very fond of the family. 

In the second half of the book, after Kate has made a shocking discovery - and while I’d guessed what it might be, I had entirely forgotten how she found out, and what the consequence would be - the pace gets a bit faster. The action moves outside the small community atmosphere in London, and I found myself liking Kate even more, as she berates herself, and second-guesses many decisions. Yet she keeps going; her love for her family and determination to care for them feels real, and while I was never moved to tears, I found some of the writing quite tense, even if not along the ‘thriller’ lines of some of the author’s later books. 

I thought the situation was very well-handled; at times the style reminded me of the novels by Libby Purves, as quite difficult issues are covered sensitively. The storyline could have been sordid but was somehow lifted out of that. There are some thought-provoking discussions related to how adults perceive teens, and vice versa; and how far parents can go in protecting their children, even if almost adults, from the choices they make. 

Recommended if you like this author’s work, or similar hard-hitting women’s fiction. Although if you prefer Louise Candlish’s more recent thrillers, this might seem a bit tame by comparison. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

Spring comes to Nettleford (by Malcolm Saville)

(Amazon UK link)

Having recently re-read Malcolm Saville’s two children’s books ‘All Summer Through’ and ‘Christmas at Nettleford’, I decided to read the third in the series, ‘Spring Comes to Nettleford’, before I forget entirely who the children in the story were. I didn’t find the first two books all that exciting, and didn’t like them as much as the better-known ‘Lone Pine’ series, but the characterisation is good and I was interested to know what this book would involve. 

The first book seemed to focus primarily on Paul and Sally, who live over a bookshop, and the second mainly featured Elizabeth, daughter of the Nettleford vicar, so it made sense that this one begins with Jimmy, the fourth of the ‘Owlers’ club, whose father is an ironmonger. The book was first published in 1964, apparently, so I assume the series is set in the early 1960s. 

The children are all about eleven or twelve, and have a lot of freedom to go out and about. Jimmy has a new bike of which he’s very proud, so he takes his bike on a train ride, and then explores. He discovers what seems to be a farm track leading into a forest, and meets a girl called Margaret, about his age, who has fallen off her pony. 

Margaret is an interesting addition to the story - she has a dramatic imagination and a way with words, and is also quite lonely. She has wealthy parents who play golf all day - and she’s more-or-less neglected through the day, though her parents are quite strict (and a bit snobbish). 

The story involves some bird-watching, some camping - including borrowing a caravan - some unpleasant bullies, and some potentially illegal activity. However it’s all quite tame; and while I was interested in the children, whose personalities are quite distinct, I didn’t find the story particularly appealing. I suppose I don’t care enough about the potential theft of eggs from rare birds, although I realise it’s quite a serious issue. 

The ending is a bit abrupt and doesn’t seem to tie up all the ends; I don’t know if this book is abridged in the Armada paperback version which I have; I know some of the Lone Pine ones were significantly shortened. But those usually lost some of the conversation and characterisation, rather than any of the storyline. So perhaps it does end suddenly with something of an anti-climax, and - hopefully - peace for the rest of the camping trip. 

I’m pleased to have re-read this book, as well as the other two, but don’t now feel any strong inclination to try to acquire ‘The Secret of Buzzard Scar’, which is apparently the fourth in the series. Apparently it isn’t even set in Nettleford, and only involves three of the children. 

I’d recommend ‘Spring Comes to Nettleford’ in a low-key way if you’ve read the earlier two in the series, or have a child of about 8-12 who likes this kind of book. But it’s not one I’ll be rushing to read again in a few years. This book is long out of print but occasionally found second-hand or in charity shops. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

Regency Buck (by Georgette Heyer)

(Amazon UK link)

I re-read most of my Georgette Heyer novels regularly, sometimes changing my preferences as I discover new ways of looking at a novel I hadn’t been too keen on - or, occasionally, being less than impressed by one which I used to count as a favourite. I hadn’t read ‘Regency Buck’ since 2018 and noted that I had given it three (or possibly three-and-a-half) stars rather than the usual four to five in my personal rating. But I couldn’t remember what it was about, so approached it with an open mind.

Judith Taverner is the heroine of this novel, which starts towards the end of 1811. She’s tall, attractive, intelligent, and wealthy. She is also feisty with a strong will and little concern for what anyone might think. She and her brother Perry are travelling to London when we first meet them, wanting to meet their new guardian, Lord Worth. He was a friend - or, at least, a good acquaintance - of their somewhat irascible father. They have never met him, but he has full charge of their inheritance until they come of age. 

Once I’d started I did recall the broad outline. It would be a spoiler to say much more about the story; suffice it to say that Lord Worth is not what they were expecting - and he clashes almost immediately with Judith.  Her brother Perry is quieter and generally more amiable, although he’s looking forward to doing all the things young men of his age do in this era, such as gambling extensively and watching fights, both from boxers and (worse) cockfights. 

Apparently this was the first of Georgette Hyer’s ‘Regency’ novels set in the period when there was a Prince Regent in the UK rather than a reigning monarch. This is perhaps why there’s so much historical detail about the royal family, and events around the era; there’s also a great deal of description of the rather garish palace at Brighton which, later in the book, Judith and Perry visit.  

As with most of the Heyer novels, once I’d started it was quite hard to put down, and I found myself reading a chapter or two at every odd moment. It’s quite an exciting book with a cleverly-written plot. Instead of being primarily a romance story, there’s also a crime/mystery/thriller thread that runs through. And it’s so well done that, even though I remembered the outcome I found myself wondering if I’d remembered wrongly: it’s not until near the end that all is revealed and we discover who the villain of the story really is. 

And yet, it’s still not one of my favourites. I found the historical detail a bit tedious and skimmed several passages of description. There’s also a driving race, in the latter half of the book, which is described in detail; perhaps it would be of interest to people who know the places concerned, but although I’m sure it was authentic (Heyer was excellent at historical detail) it didn’t much add to the story. Worst of all were the detailed descriptions of fights, including one early in the book that might have put me off entirely if it were a different author. 

I also found the ‘hero’ rather overbearing and arrogant; Heyer has a few of this kind of hero, but I didn’t find him at all appealing, so the romantic part, while inevitable, didn’t move me at all. 

However the characterisation is very good, with some amusing scenes - Heyer was a master in showing rather than telling, and I very much appreciate her use of language. I also liked the fact that Beau Brummel (a real person) appears as a character in the book, rather than being referred to in passing. No doubt i’ll read this again in another five or six years, but I wouldn’t recommend this as an introduction to Heyer, unless you appreciate a lot of historical detail and description. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

The clicking of Cuthbert (by PG Wodehouse)

(Amazon UK link)

I’ve liked PG Wodehouse’s writing, off and on, for about fifty years. My father introduced me to the ‘Jeeves’ books one summer, and I read most of them, followed by the 'Blandings Castle' books. But my parents didn’t have the Wodehouse short story collections, so I didn’t know that most of them existed until, browsing Project Gutenberg one day, I came across several Wodehouse books, out of copyright, free to download.

I’ve had many of these on my Kindle, kept for times when I’m travelling. One of them is ‘The Clicking of Cuthbert’, a book which I don’t recall ever having read before. It turns out to be a collection of golf-related stories, most of them supposedly narrated by the ‘Oldest Member’ of a golf club, usually to some disgruntled young man who’s having trouble either with his golfing, or with his love life. 

They’re dated - obviously! - and would be considered sexist if published today. But Wodehouse used caricatures for humour, and while most of his girls are fluffy and a bit silly, there are some who excel on the golf course, or who manage to help a nervous or miserable young man. And, to be fair, he’s just as negative about some of the men he describes. The book is really ‘golfist’ more than anything else, with non-golfers seen as unfortunate, seriously lacking in something important. 

You don’t have to be a golfer to read this book - I’m not, although I have relatives who play. I don’t know one golf club from another, nor what it means to ‘halve’ a hole, but I have the general idea of driving from a tee and hoping not to get a ball in the rough, or in a lake. I love the way Wodehouse writes, and his use of language in general is excellent. 

None of the stories is particularly memorable - which is, perhaps, why it’s not a book I’ve come across elsewhere. However it was easy reading for a flight; with short stories it’s quite convenient to read one, then put the Kindle down for a while.  I didn’t need to remember characters from previous chapters, and it didn’t much matter that many of the golfing terms were a mystery to me as I could get the general effect.  

There’s humour in some of the writing which, I think, would come across much better if read aloud to someone else who understands the satire and lengthy explanations that are all too easy to skim when reading to oneself. Some of the people are delightfully caricatured and I did smile once or twice, but there was nothing that made me chuckle aloud. 

I finished it this morning, and wa a bit surprised that the final chapter was rather different from the others, involving an ancient King who was introduced to ‘Gowf’ by a Scotsman employed as one of his gardeners. It’s mildly amusing, but probably would be perceived as racist if published today. 

Not a bad read if you like Wodehouse and don’t mind short stories about golf - but not if you’re likely to become annoyed at his many apparently condescending references to the ‘gentler sex’.  Still available free to download from Gutenberg, or in paperback form from Amazon and elsewhere. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

Found in a Bookshop (by Stephanie Butland)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s over five years since I read Stephanie Butland’s novel ‘Lost for Words’. I had no idea what to expect, but liked it very much. So when a Facebook friend mentioned that she had just read a sequel, ‘Found in a Bookshop’, I went straight to Amazon, intending to add it to my wishlist. But the Kindle edition was available for just 99p, and we were just a few days away from flying to the UK. So I made the purchase, and then read over half the book on the flight, finishing it a few days later. 

Although this book features some of the same characters as ‘Lost for Words’, including Loveday as a viewpoint character, it stands alone. Just as well, since I’d forgotten the majority of the plot in the past five years. Loveday owns the bookshop where she has worked for years, and employs a young woman called Kelly.

This is probably the first book I’ve read that’s set during the Covid19 pandemic years. There are many references made to lockdowns, and the problems small shops experienced when customers could no longer visit or browse their shelves. As such, it’s the kind of book that will be considered ‘social history’ in the future; having lived through it myself, albeit in a different country (and not a shop owner), I felt it was accurate, reflecting how ordinary people coped - or didn’t cope. There are some losses of significant people due to Covid, which is also realistic.

But the main plot is about how the bookshop is going to survive, and whether Kelly will lose her job. Loveday is quite concerned at the start of the book. She also misses the camaraderie of her staff and regular customers. They already have some mail order customers, and Kelly proposes updating the website, and using social media, although Loveday is a bit reluctant. Kelly also comes up with the idea of a ‘book pharmacy’, prescribing books to help people as they deal with problems, whether or not related to the pandemic.

There are a lot of minor characters in this, some of them appearing in just one short section as they get in touch to ask for advice; we see the emails or letters, and also the responses. It could have felt a bit contrived, as so many books are listed and recommended, but somehow it works. I gave up trying to keep track of all the people, and it didn’t much matter; the important ones appear again and it isn’t hard to recall who they are. As the book progresses, so does the gradual release of lockdown rules. 

There are quite a few issues covered, and it’s quite clever the way that they’re introduced via the ‘book pharmacy’. For instance there’s an elderly couple, retired from teaching, one of them terminally ill. There’s also a family where the father is a paramedic who decides to isolate from his wife and children. There’s a woman who’s just escaped from an abusive husband…and there’s a moody teenager who takes what seems to be an irrational dislike to Kelly. 

While a tad informal, I thought the writing very good, as is the characterisation even with so many people. I was a bit surprised at what appear to be authorial asides about books and reading, but it works - as do the short chapters and the book recommendations. Most of the threads are tied up nicely by the end, albeit with some difficult, sometimes tragic events along the way. 

I suppose it’s ironic that I read this on my Kindle, since the emphasis is very much on reading real books - mostly second-hand, previously loved, with the different smells and feelings associated with different styles of book. But it worked very well as a flight book - it’s an engaging story with people who got under my skin. Yet with the short chapters I could easily put it down if I needed a break, or something to eat. 

I would recommend this if you like issue-laden contemporary women’s fiction and don’t mind a large number of book recommendations. Probably best if you’ve already read ‘Lost for Words’, but it’s not necessary.  

(The Kindle version is no longer on special offer, so the Amazon link above is to the paperback edition of this book).

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews