Tag Archives: William Morrow

Book Review: Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop, by Jenny Colgan

In 2019, I won a copy of Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop, by Jenny Colgan through Goodreads. But I didn’t receive it until almost Christmas day. By which point, I was well and truly swamped and didn’t get around to reading it. (And last year we had kitchen construction this time of year, so I didn’t do much Christmas reading.) As a result, the book waited for this Christmas season to get read. But that made it perfect for my 2021 Christmas reading challenge.

Rosie Hopkins is looking forward to Christmas in the little Derbyshire village of Lipton, buried under a thick blanket of snow. Her sweetshop is festooned with striped candy canes, large tempting piles of Turkish Delight, crinkling selection boxes and happy, sticky children. She’s going to be spending it with her boyfriend, Stephen, and her family, flying in from Australia. She can’t wait. But when a tragedy strikes at the heart of their little community, all of Rosie’s plans for the future seem to be blown apart. Can she build a life in Lipton? And is what’s best for the sweetshop also what’s best for Rosie?

Since this has been on my TBR for a while, I forgot that it is second in a series when I picked it up to read. So, I ended up reading it on it’s own. I felt the lack of having read book one, but not enough to really reduce my enjoyment of this book. So, it functions ok as a stand alone.

I liked Rosie a lot. I liked Stephen too. I liked Moray and the other quirky members of the village. I disliked pretty much all of both Rosie and Stephen’s families (excepts Lilian). I was horrified that no one said anything about Rosie’s mother’s appalling behavior in mortifying her daughter and almost driving the man she loves away by boorishly pushing a too delicate situation. Similarly, that Stephen’s mother was such an unmitigated bitch until her sudden and unbelievable shift in demeanor was hard to forgive. That these behaviors were allowed to simply exist without censure infuriated me and made Rosie feel like a pushover.

Outside of that big issue, I thought this a sweet, easily readable little love story and would read another Colgan book.

Other Reviews:

Why Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop Wasn’t What I Expected

Review: Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop by Jenny Colgan (audio)

Audiobook Review: Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop by Jenny Colgan

Come back tomorrow, when I’ll be reviewing Smokin’ How Cowboy Christmas, by Kim Redford.

Book Review of Marilla of Green Gables, by Sarah McCoy

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I won a copy of Sarah McCoy‘s Marilla of Green Gables through Goodreads. I then took it to book club with me and the group chose it as our November book.

Description:
Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved mother has dies in childbirth, and Marilla suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew and father, Hugh.

In Avonlea—a small, tight-knit farming town on a remote island—life holds few options for farm girls. Her one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth “Izzy” Johnson, her mother’s sister, who managed to escape from Avonlea to the bustling city of St. Catharines. An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy’s talent as a seamstress has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.

Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. Joining the Ladies Aid Society, she raises funds for an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America. Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness—Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another. She soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition—jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her dearest John Blythe. Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.

Review:
I devoured this, but had a mixed reaction to it. I loved Anne of Green Gables when I read it as a teen. It would be difficult for this book to compare. I admit that up front. Having said that, I think that if I hadn’t been invested in Mathew and Marilla from their association to Anne, I’d have been bored to tears by this book. As it was, I appreciated the stellar writing and thought McCoy gave Marilla an unexpected history, but never truly lost myself in it.

Mathew and Marilla are quite characters. That’s established canon. They feel deeply, but express little. And essentially that’s where this fell down for me. This book follows 40 or so years of Marilla’s life and we finish the book not really knowing anything more about her than when we started. She’s emotionally stunted and unwilling to go after what she wants. Does she do something heroic once in her life? Sure, but mostly that’s just arranging for someone else to do all the work. I suppose I had hoped for a bit more than 300 pages of Marilla’s stoic navel gazing.

I rated it highly though, because disappointed in it or not, it’s beautifully written.

Book Review of The Keeper of Lost Things, by Ruth Hogan

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I bought a copy of Ruth Hogan‘s The Keeper of Lost Things.

Description from Goodreads:
Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles—Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.

Bone china cup and saucer—

Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.

Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.

As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?

Review:
You guys, I’m not a weeper, but there were several points during The Keeper of Lost Things that made me tear up and one that made me sob. (The last nursing home scene, for those who have or will read it. OMG, be strong my breaking heart!)

Yes, I disliked a few of the side stories and I would have like a little more resolution on a few point. (How did the wife die? How did Laura make up for the final horrible things she said to Freddie?) But more important than any small niggles I had was how much the book made me feel. I frequently chuckled and awed and, yes, cried. To me, this is the mark of a wonderful book.

I also really liked the characters, even Portia (Ok, like is a strong word, but I appreciated Portia.), and I thought the writing was beautiful, quaintly English and easy to read. I look forward to reading more of Hogan’s work and I have to thank my bookclub for picking this book for our monthly read. I doubt I’d have read it otherwise.