What a wonderful find! The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore is heartwarming, heartbreaking, humorous, and filled with literary quotes and dWhat a wonderful find! The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore is heartwarming, heartbreaking, humorous, and filled with literary quotes and discussions. Sloane Parker lives and works as a librarian in a small northwestern Idaho town. While she doesn’t think of herself as lonely, she looks forward each day to cranky Arthur McLachlan’s arrival to browse the shelves and insult her. When he doesn’t show up for several days, she tracks him down. He's had health problems, is still cranky, but struggles to hide how happy he is to see her. To cheer him up, she starts a book club and others slowly join the club.
Told from multiple points of view, but sequential in time, the story flowed well. Sloane generally is kind and understanding, shy, somewhat controlled, and loves being a librarian. However, she verbally spars and banters with Arthur. Arthur is somewhat uncontrolled and angry, upbraiding everyone. The other members of the book club have distinct personalities. Additionally, they have been living somewhat isolated and contained lives. Readers get a good feeling for each of them.
I was immediately pulled into the story line. I enjoyed learning each character’s backstory and how it affects them today. Additionally, it was wonderful to see how they change and grow as the story unfolds. Themes include grief, anger, and despair over the loss of a loved one as well as friendship, loneliness, family, found family, affection, hope, and optimism.
Overall, this was an entertaining, heartwarming, and engaging story of lonely misfits finding each other. It pulls on the emotions and heartstrings at times. I would love to read more from this author.
SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Lucy Gilmore provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for March 28, 2023. ------------------------------------------ My 4.49 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon....more
In Bernice Runs Away by Talya Tate Boerner, readers meet Bernice Bryd Hart, an 81-year-old widow living on her own in Savage Crossing, Arkansas. SIn Bernice Runs Away by Talya Tate Boerner, readers meet Bernice Bryd Hart, an 81-year-old widow living on her own in Savage Crossing, Arkansas. She’s been a widow for 20 years and lost a son when he was 18 in a car accident. Her daughter, Sarah and her husband Stewart live in Atlanta. They want Bernice to move into a carriage house they’re building on their property for her.
However, Bernice isn’t willing to lose her independence yet. However, she is using the decluttering book that Sarah gave her. With help from a friend, Marlene, Bernice makes good progress on organizing, donating, and trashing things that have accumulated. Bernice finds a picture of her first love, John Robert Marvel. They met at Lake Norfork in Mountain Home, Arkansas one summer. This is also the vacation spot she, Max, and their children visited for many years.
Bernice decides to run away and rents a cottage at the lake. She packs up her car, Miss Fiona, with things that bring her joy, including her cat, Dolly. What follows is a heartwarming and delightful story of Bernice as she thinks about and experiences love, family, friendship, second chances, forgiveness, change, and much more. Readers experience Bernice’s adventure with her. With some humor, unsteadiness, and determination, Bernice works through what she wants to do with her life and how she wants to live it. Will it be what you expected?
Overall, this engaging and heart-felt novel kept me entertained.
I received a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was October 1, 2022.
----------------------------------------- My 3.81 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon....more
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