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The Book of Beginnings
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By Sally Page
avg rating
4 reviews
From the author of the phenomenal bestseller The Keeper of Stories, comes an utterly beautiful and charming novel full of mystery and secrets waiting to be uncovered…
‘Filled with compassion and insight . . . a true ode to friendship’ HAZEL PRIOR ‘Masterful storytelling’ CELIA ANDERSON ‘A powerful ode to friendship’ Fabulous Her new chapter starts now… Jo Sorsby is hiding from her past when she agrees to run her uncle’s beloved stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble little notes and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from her bruised heart. When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian still finding himself, she suddenly realizes she isn’t alone. They each have a story that can transform Jo’s life… if only she can let them in. The perfect gift for book lovers, The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Bookshop in this gorgeous novel about secrets, second chances and finding friendship in the most unlikely places. Netgalley reviewers LOVE The Book of Beginnings! ‘Another extraordinary read by the author of The Keeper of Stories’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What a gem of a book!’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Everything about the story moved me’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I am in awe of Sally Page’s writing’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘So refreshingly original’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘You just have to read it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A read cover-to-cover-in-one-sitting book that gives all the feels’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wonderful, just wonderful’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ TweetReviews
This book tells the story of Jo who is struggling after a relationship break up, whilst moving to London to look after her uncle’s stationery shop when he is taken ill. Is she running away from old issues or embracing a time for new beginnings? Jo slowly settles into the London shop, helped by her passion for stationery, and through her eyes we slowly get to know her neighbours and her customers, especially in the snippets they write out when testing out her fountain pens, which she carefully pins on her noticeboard.
Two customers in particular, elderly writer/purchaser of notebooks Malcolm and personable vicar Ruth prove to be fascinating characters with whom Jo develops an unlikely friendship. They find they have more in common than they think, all experiencing loneliness and in their own ways running away from things they cannot face. The strength in the book lies in the interactions between these three characters who are well-observed and empathetically portrayed. Some of the other characters in the book are possibly less well-developed. At times elements of the book appear slightly contrived, but overall it is an interesting and charming depiction of people trying to come to terms with their pasts and who eventually share their secrets so they can find a way forward and work out where their future lies.
The book of beginnings proved a popular choice for our book group, universally liked and rated 4 or 5 stars by most of our members. Whilst we noticed different details, the themes of friendship and family were strong and thought-provoking and most of us appreciated a book with a happy ending. In fact I would have been quite shocked if this had not been the case as from the start I had the impression that in the end all would be well for Jo. Other likable characters were developed, although perhaps we did not learn as much about them as we might have expected to. Whilst the book is about characters finding their places in the world, the physical places were also important, from the rural farm to the bustling city and the unobtrusive row of small shops to the ornate and peaceful cemetery.
Our reading group was lucky enough to be gifted copies of this in return for book reviews. The first two members to read the book finished it and immediately ordered the author's first book! I found this book so comforting, it was like sitting on the comfiest chair, squishiest slippers on and pulling the softest blanket around me. The book whispered along but with each page you were eager to find out much more about the life stories of the main characters, and in doing so, hoping they all got the futures they deserved (and that you wished them to have). The book was particularly lovely as I was reading it during the colder months and the book finishes in the run up to and over the Christmas period. I finished the book very happy. Thank you! Off to buy Sally Page's first book;-)
This turned out to be one of our book club’s favourites books of the year.
It’s a gentle story of love and friendship and how ordinary people come to understand themselves, their strengths and their place in the world.
The story has poignancy and humour and the central characters are people we’d be happy to invite along to our book club for a cozy chat.
It’s refreshing to read a book where the characters genuinely seem to be decent people.
We also learned about the residents of Highgate Cemetery which was something of a surprise but perfectly suited the tone of the book.
An easy read but a page turner non the less.
