I'm on vacation this week, and my goal is to joyfully read every day (after I complete my to-do lists). I'm starting off my vacation reads with this delightful novel I discovered at B&N last week.
The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander reminds me of novels by Katie Fforde. It's definitely a gentle read that wraps you in comfort. Small English village? Check. Likeable characters? Check. Books? Check. Potential romance? Check.
Jess Metcalfe has recently lost her job as librarian, and is a bit lost. Her grandmother Mimi has died and left her cottage to Jess, but Jess knows there's nothing left for her in the place she's grown up. A random drive around the country finds her in the small village of Middlemass, and in front of Ivy Cottage. It's for sale! Huzzah! It's a bit rundown, but the basic bones are there--not to mention the beautiful garden and the odd red phone box just outside the front gate. Jess takes a chance and buys the cottage. It's her dream to live in a small village, be part of the community, and have a cottage where she can grow a garden and live happily ever after.
There is the problem of finding a job, eventually. Jess has enough money to last through the summer, then she's got to find a job. As she settles in, she meets Diana, an elderly woman who loves gin & tonics; next door neighbor Aidan and his daughter Maisie, and young mom Becky. She also decides to make the old phone box a little library with the boxes of books her grandmother Mimi left her. Those books are childhood favorites of Jess, and favorites of Mimi.
What begins as a whim of a library ends up bringing villagers together, healing hurts, and creating a community center in a village that has slowly lost itself over the years. Will Jess find her happy life after all?
This novel was such a comforting read. Issues pop up, of course, but they are resolved with some strategic thinking and enthusiasm. Jess is a quiet force who makes magic in this small village. She's someone who doesn't think she can do much, but everything she does makes a huge impact.
Book lovers will, of course, devour this novel about the power of books to connect and comfort. Aidan is properly hot and perfect romance material. I so hope there's more to come from the village of Middlemass.
Rating: 4/6 for a novel about a lost young woman who finds her home in a struggling village, and creates the most delightful little library in a red phone box.
Available in trade paperback, audio book, and e-book.
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