SPOILER WARNING - I tried really hard not to spoil this book for any potential reader but there may still be some things that can be considered to be spoilers so please read with caution. If you want to go into this blind, read it yourself and come back to read the post afterward!
Let’s talk about the Vintage Bookshop of Memories, have you read it? It’s a story written by Elizabeth Holland about a young lady named Prue who, due to unfortunate circumstances, has to return to her hometown of Ivy Hatch in Somerset to tie up some loose ends and in doing so, makes some bold decisions and ends up learning more about herself and her family than she had ever anticipated. It’s a fairly short story consisting of 204 pages and that was something I really liked about it. My type (on paper) in books usually tends to drift more towards the slow burners but this time I wanted something different to be my next read. I wanted a book that was relaxing to read, with easy to follow plot points, lots of exposition, and scene-setting. So I picked this up in the hope that I would find all of those things and be swept away fairly quickly. This book delivered on all of that. I managed to read this book in a total of 1 and a half days which, even by my fast reading standards, is quite impressive but I would say that this is a testament to how much I enjoyed the process of reading this book. As soon as I had the time to sit down and read this, I immediately felt peaceful. A sense of calm would wash over me so that I could block out the stresses of my day to day. I don’t know if that was what Elizabeth was going for but if it was then she succeeded. There are some things that I do need to address in this review - nothing major or hugely off-putting but things that my brain commented on whilst reading which lead me to believe that yours will too.
As this is the Vintage Bookshop of Memories, you would expect to see the word and theme of ‘Vintage’ pop up quite a few times but as the book progressed, it started to feel like I was seeing it every few pages. Prue likes vintage things. Prue works in an auction house selling vintage things. Prue dresses in vintage clothing. Prue’s grandmother has a very old-fashioned way of thinking. Prue has a vintage car etc. It just started to feel like the author was looking for ways to incorporate this theme and whilst I can appreciate that this was intentional to tie in with the name of her book, it started to feel repetitive. So expect to see this come up a lot. 2. Unresolved tensions The last thing I want to talk to you about is the unresolved tensions that I noticed in this book. It’s made very clear from the off-set that there is a lot of uneasiness surrounding Prue’s return to the village. In particular, she has some nasty encounters with another male character but this...never really comes to anything. There’s no closure on this particular plot point and I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed because I would have liked to see some kind of resolution for Prue’s sake. However, having said these things, I still think this is a good read and well worth your time if you are someone looking for an uncomplicated, light-hearted and, whimsical story. There are so many things about this book that I liked that outweigh any potential negatives that were flagged up in my brain. So I am going to give you three examples of things I liked about this book to get your reading taste buds tingling -
Without spoiling any of the plot of the book, there are these heartfelt diary entries written from the perspective of Prue’s mother and they add a very wholesome and personal touch to the story. I have said this before in reference to another one of my reads but there is a quality that I find very endearing and that is when you can feel the words that are being written and the sentiment behind them. I loved reading from the point of view of Prue’s mother (in a particular part of her life when she is experiencing certain things for the first time) because it was very believable. The diary entries were a good plot device to use for the story she wanted to tell and I appreciated that. 2. This book is an escapist heaven If you are looking to escape to a different time and place then this is the book for you. The one thing I adored about this book, above everything else, was its ability to transport me somewhere else. The descriptions she gave were very vivid in my mind so I could picture each and every scene as if I were there myself or had been there in the past. I find it very rare nowadays for a book to transport me anywhere because of a lack of detail when it comes to scene-setting but this book did not suffer from that. Far from it. It was filled with delightful descriptions, beautiful back-drops, and awe-inspiring atmospheric writing. 3. Prue herself I like Prue. I learned a lot about her from reading this book and I never found her to be too tedious or pretentious or desperate to establish herself as an individual. Sure, some things are mentioned in the book that do set her apart from other protagonists, but for the most part, Prue seems like a realistic, interesting, and fun character. I enjoyed going on the journey with her because she was likeable and pragmatic (overall) and brave. She has to face a lot of things on her own and I like that the author explored this theme of her turning a new page in her life. I think that Prue was the kind of character I needed when I read about her. I needed a character that was ballsy enough to stand up for herself but also learns from the people around her, take responsibility that was handed to her, and turn the situation into an exciting prospect. She has a lot of qualities that I wish I could have. So the aching question on everyone’s minds, would I recommend this book? The answer is that I would. I would recommend this to those who are looking for a new read but they are not sure what specifically they are looking for because I feel like this book fills the boots of a lot of genres and ticks most boxes. I would recommend this book to those of you who like a mystery but also like romance. I would recommend this to those of you who want something to read after work to chill out. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it but Elizabeth won me over so go pick it up if you get a chance to and send her a tweet to let her know you did! I guarantee she’d love to hear from you. I also love to hear from you so let me know your thoughts as well. Much love to all of you as always! The Writing Community’s biggest fan - Hannah Writes.
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AuthorNot much to say here that you haven't seen already! I am hoping to post a review once a fortnight on a Saturday so stay tuned! Archives
January 2022
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