Ellie and the Harp Maker by Hazel Prior

Ellie and the Harp Maker by Hazel Prior – 288 pages

ARC courtesy of Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Blurb:

In the rolling hills of beautiful Exmoor, there’s a barn. And in that barn, you’ll find Dan. He’s a maker of exquisite harps – but not a great maker of conversation. He’s content in his own company, quietly working and away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right.
But one day, a cherry-socked woman stumbles across his barn and the conversation flows a little more easily than usual. She says her name’s Ellie, a housewife, alone, out on her daily walk and, though she doesn’t say this, she looks sad. He wants to make her feel better, so he gives her one of his harps, made of cherry wood.
And before they know it, this simple act of kindness puts them on the path to friendship, big secrets, pet pheasants and, most importantly, true love.

My Review: 3.5 stars

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Ellie and the Harp Maker was a lyrical, almost fairytale like current day story of a friendship that slowly blossoms into something more. Reminiscent of The Rosie Project or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, yet utterly unique at its core.

This book shows, never tells, how a friendship between a married woman and a very quirky harp maker develops through time. Through Dan the harp maker’s point of view, Ellie starts to realize how much her husband has kept her sheltered in a wifely box. And the opposite is true as well; through Ellie’s eyes, Dan begin to grasp so much about himself, as if he is suddenly relearning who he is.

The story allows the reader to feel the innocence and simplicity of how and why these two are meant to be together. Both of them accept each other’s oddities and idisosyncrisies as well as their merits and strengths because they are just friends; simply a woman learning to play the harp at his studio. The harp, its own character, is an instrument I didn’t know much about nor paid much attention to. The author, a harpest herself, has endowed this instrument with magic and sounds that touch the soul. She showed the reader how each harp is a work of art, each with individual temperment and nuance. Crafting that sense of detail never once felt over-bearing…it was just enough for good story-telling.

The ARC that I received had a chair and music stand on the cover. It was fine, but now that I’ve seen the official cover, I’m happy that it was changed. The new one, bearing a pheasant on its cover is more meaningful to the storyline and added a touch of whimsy.

This is a short and touching debut that will fill your heart with all the feels.

Quotes I liked:

But something is not right. Not at all. I would like very much to make it right, but I don’t know how. I have no idea what a man is supposed to do under these circumstances. I am made of the wrong ingredients.”

“I thank her profusely. I was very enthusiastic because nobody has ever, ever given me seven jars of jam before. Let alone ones with checked blue-and-white hats.