It takes a village...
Cloverdale is known for its winding roads, undulating hills and colourful cottages, and more recently, its Library of Shared Things. Need a ladder, a hedge trimmer or a waffle-maker? You can borrow it from the Library of Shared Things.
Single dad Adam is doing a good job of raising his daughter, Zoe, whilst burying his past and moving forwards. When he agrees to run a mending workshop at the Library, new friendships start to blossom.
Jennifer is a volunteer at the Library. When her younger sister Isla moves back to Cloverdale after their mother dies, Jennifer finds herself wondering whether Isla is hiding something.
And when Adam's daughter Zoe makes a startling discovery, it's time for the people at the Library of Shared Things to pull together and help one family with its biggest challenge of all.
Many thanks to Orion via NetGalley for my copy of The Little Village Library to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The cover of The Little Village Library suggests that Helen Rolfe's new book, which is also the first book that I have read by this author, was going to be another one of those lovely relaxing reads centred around a village. I love this type of story and never get sick of reading them. The title is gorgeous and the minute I saw this, combined with the cover, I knew I had to read it. What I wasn't bargaining for was that this was a real serious read with important issues at its centre. Honestly, I was expecting, a light, frothy and easy read that would make me feel all warm and cosy inside and that the community spirit would shine through in abundance with an added dash of romance thrown in for good measure. Yes, there is the community spirit coming through as the Library of Shared Things is a new initiative to bring this about once again but to be truthful this was a much darker read than I had expected and I think others will feel the same time too.
Despite the opening few pages being tense, emotional and intriguing where someone is talking about being frightened and having bottled everything up for so long and is now on the verge of spilling all, it did take me until around the half way point to really get stuck into the plot and the themes which were coming to the fore. I found in the first half that nothing much really happened and there was so much repetition. We were told endlessly that one of the main characters Adam and his young family were hiding something and in a similar way one of the main female protagonists had something which had occurred in her past and affected her relationships with several people today. I could tell from the very good writing that this was all going on and I just feel we didn't need to be endlessly reminded of it instead I wished the story would have just gotten going allowing for earlier development of the characters and perhaps actually telling us in a more definitive way what was actually wrong with people. Perhaps a little bit more editing in the beginning would have allowed for smoother development in the initial stages of the book. Pushing this issue aside, once I reached the midway point I thought things took a turn for the better and I became more interested and invested as to the eventual outcome for all involved. When little snippets started to reveal themselves and people's actions and opinions began to make more sense, I found the empathy and understanding I had for them growing.
Adam and his young family are settling into the village of Cloverdale and have bought one of the beautiful cottages that can be found dotted throughout. Previous to this they lived in London and prior to that they resided in Australia. Adam's two children Zac aged 9 and Zoe aged 14 have experienced significant changes in their already short lives and now their father hopes that things can settle down and the past can be put to bed whilst a comfortable and positive future will be built. Buying the cottage Adam believes will give the small family unit a sense of permanency. But from the outset, I could see that Adam was always on edge. On one hand he did mix well with the residents of the village and took every opportunity possible to visit the Library of Shared Things as established by Jennifer. He wanted not to remain on the outskirts hiding away as he has been doing that for too long but yet on the other hand he was wary of revealing too much too soon and even though a problem shared is a problem halved he seemed reluctant to reveal his true state of affairs.
I couldn't quite put my finger on what actually was going on with Adam and, like one other character in particular, I was jumping to all sorts of conclusions. I suppose living in a small rural village everyone wants to know everyone else’s business and they don't take the time to let the person open up of their own accord. I felt Adam needed to be more honest and let people form their own judgements on what he had to say. I think being so closed and secretive only increased speculation and really daughter Zoe was old enough to know the truth. She was a young girl going through a time when so many transitions and changes occur that she should have been given more credit for how she would handle things than she was. Adam and his family certainly provided an intriguing aspect to the overall story and like Viola who initially came across as a busybody I was desperate to know just what made Adam tick and why the need to be overly cautious about every aspect of his family's life.
The other main character is Jennifer who to me was really at a crossroads in her life. Events in the past had made her retreat into herself in terms of what she wanted to do professionally with her life. She has enjoyed rearing her family but now she feels as if her marriage to David has reached a stalemate and they do not communicate on the issues that definitely need talking about. Jennifer wasn't happy and the problems she has with herself and her relationship manifests themselves in the relationship she has with her sister Isla who has recently returned to the village after travelling for some time. Their parents are now both passed away and Isla is renovating their house. To me, it seemed like Jennifer was jealous of Isla as everything she had wished for her own life Isla seemed to have. Deep down Jennifer was hurting emotionally and mentally, the scars of events of the past still throbbed and she was fearful of taking steps forward or admitting things out in the open for fear of the reaction of others.
Jennifer had hurt those around through careless actions and even now as she feels stirrings to get out there in the world and perhaps do something for herself in terms of work there is that reluctance to venture forward. But we all learn from past hurts and devastating experiences and if we didn't we wouldn't be the people we are in the present. But I did wish she would cast aside the way she felt towards Isla because the characteristics she was displaying towards her weren't very nice. Isla herself may have put on a bright and happy front but deep down she had her own traumas to deal with. The same could be said for her relationship with ex best friend Viola.
I thought Viola must have done something truly awful for the pair to barely even speak to each other anymore. Yes, when that aspect of revelation came I thought OK Jennifer I am with you on this one, your stance is entirely justified. Through Jennifer's establishment of the Library of Shared Things, a place where people can come and rent out things that may be only needed once or twice, a community spirit and a sense of unity slowly returns to the village. Jennifer's idea becomes the catalyst for change in many peoples lives and it spurs them on to stop hiding and to be who they want to be with no secrets or lies. But will everyone be happy with what information emerges and can they cope with the fallout?
Helen Rolfe writes contemporary women's fiction and I can say having finished The Little Village Library that she has certainly brought a more modern slant to this genre. The fact that she wasn't afraid to present an issue that always gets shoved under the carpet and not talked about as if it doesn't happen because it certainly does. This book will make you more aware and sensitive to something which is going on all around the world and people will sit up and take notice. The author has woven a good story about friendships, secrets and community. All three elements are here and each have a significant role to play in the overall plot of this book.
The majority of the characters have to face up to the realities of what they have been hiding. They need to push their fears away and confront what has been eating away at them or else emotions and mysteries will fester away and perhaps lead to devastating consequences for their emotional well-being. Overall, this was a good read once I felt I finally got really into it. I would be interested to see how Helen's other books compare to this one in terms of the themes and issues raised and I wonder will she continue to venture in this direction with her future books. A collection of novellas is to be published as a full length book later in the summer and again the cover of The Little Cottage in Lantern Square appeals to me so I will give it a go when it is published.
All book titles in bold are Amazon UK Affiliate links which will earn me a few pence if anyone clicks through and makes a purchase - any money earned will go towards buying books or gifts for giveaways.
Oh I was looking for a light-hearted read for holidays. Like you said cover and title suggest it.
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