The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins – Audio
Book Blurb:
Sarah Dove is no ordinary bookworm. To her, books have always been more than just objects: they live, they breathe, and sometimes they even speak. When Sarah grows up to become the librarian in her quaint Southern town of Dove Pond, her gift helps place every book in the hands of the perfect reader. Recently, however, the books have been whispering about something out of the ordinary: the arrival of a displaced city girl named Grace Wheeler.
If the books are right, Grace could be the savior that Dove Pond desperately needs. The problem is, Grace wants little to do with the town or its quirky residents—Sarah chief among them. It takes a bit of urging, and the help of an especially wise book, but Grace ultimately embraces the challenge to rescue her charmed new community. In her quest, she discovers the tantalizing promise of new love, the deep strength that comes from having a true friend, and the power of finding just the right book.
My Review: 4 stars
The Book Charmer is a truly a love letter to books and small-town charm. The story shows the influence and power a book can bring to the reader. This book had been on my TBR list and when it showed up on audio, I knew it would be my next listen.
Living during the pandemic and taking the stay at home order seriously, I’ve been trying to escape into entertaining, light books that bring me joy as I read. This one hit the mark for my request. Woven into this story are sister relationships, mother/daughter issues, letting your guard down, the foster system, dementia, magic, a blossoming romance, PTSD and small-town ups and downs.
All the characters were drawn distinctly and although there were many, I never had a problem keeping track of who was who. I loved Trav and how his tough exterior began to shed, Sarah the friendly and feisty librarian and Daisy, who was caught in an adult world and grew up too fast. The main protagonist Grace has such naivety regarding common sense issues, it grated on me. Fortunately, the author allowed her to grow into a better person after her move to Dove Pond.
If you like books by Sarah Allison Allen or Alice Hoffman’s contemporary novels, you’ll for sure want to read this!
Quotes I liked:
When it’s a memory, you already know the outcome so it’s easy to think it was an easier time. Looking forward is much more uncertain, and is more complicated. But I don’t think it is. Not really.”
“Love can’t cure a broken heart, but it can hold the two sides together while they heal.”
“Don’t you think that’s the beauty of a book? It can take you places you can’t visit on your own, lets you meet people and see things you can’t in real life.”
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