Reviewed by Emma Crowley
It's only the beginning of her story...
Jess Metcalf is perfectly happy with her quiet, predictable life - it's just the way she likes it. But when her beloved grandmother passes away and she loses her job at the local library, her life is turned upside-down.
Packing up her grandmother's books, she moves to a tiny cottage in a charming country village. To her surprise, Jess finds herself the owner of an old red telephone box, too - and she soon turns it into the littlest library around!
It's not long before the books are borrowed and begin to work their magic - somehow, they seem to be bringing the villagers together once more...
Maybe it's finally time for Jess to follow her heart and find a place to call home?
Many thanks to Orion via NetGalley for my copy of The Littlest Library to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
I’ve waited patiently for a new book from Poppy Alexander having adored her debut 25 Days in December back in 2018 and finally a new story has arrived. The Littlest Library didn’t disappoint in the slightest and it was just the most gorgeous read from start to finish. Yes, the premise for the book may have been familiar and I had read a book with similar themes last year but that didn’t matter at all as I soaked up every minute of this wonderful read and was gutted when I reached the end.
Poppy Alexander has a lovely, relaxed writing style that draws you in from page one. You feel straight at ease and I could picture the little village of Middlesmass and its diverse cast of characters so clearly in my head. So much so that I wish it was real so I could move there to get away from everything and of course to utilise the little red telephone box that plays such a pivotal part in turning around the life of our main character Jess and the residents. That’s thanks to her kindness, caring and her willingness to bring about change and really that was all down to her grandmother Mimi. Although it doesn’t always come easily to Jess.
When we first meet Jess she has just been let go from her job as a librarian. It’s the only job that she has ever known and she questions why she wasn’t a bit more brave in her role and aimed a little higher for promotion and self development within it. But she has to push that aside as changes are afoot in her life. Her beloved grandmother, Mimi, has passed away. She has raised her ever since her parents were killed in a car crash when she was very young.
Mimi was everything to Jess and now she feels alone and adrift. It has been a year of crushing losses but pastures new beckon whether she wishes them to or not. Her life so far has been boring, safe and predictable. She knows she needs to change things up a bit. Deep within her, she has she the drive and will power to make this happen especially as until now Mimi has always been by her side. But she is not at her best and she questions her ability to bring about these much needed changes.
A stark terror engulfs her as she has the deepest of fears when it comes to change and who could blame her given her devastating loss when she was so young. She feels that impending disaster always waits her around every corner so when she goes for a drive when viewings are occurring at Mimi’s house and stumbles across the village of Middlemass, and more so the neglected Ivy Cottage, little does she realise her life is about to alter. Will the addition of several boxes of books packed up by Mimi, which Jess read throughout her childhood and which meant so much to her, prove the catalyst for change or will she continue to run and evade happiness?
Middlemass as a setting was just picture postcard perfect. The most beautiful little village deep in the English countryside that you would see in a drama series and it’s one where everyone knows everyone’s business. But Middlemass similar to Jess is struggling too. The community spirit is not as evident as it once was and there has been many businesses that have closed down including the local post office. Something about the village and Ivy Cottage is calling Jess and before she knows it she has bought the cottage and sets about renovating it. An unfortunate incident where her car breaks down at a crossroads leads to her meeting enigmatic Aidan, whose grandfather once owned the cottage.
Aidan and Jess from the first encounter really rub each other up the wrong way. Sparks fly between them and not initially in the romantic sense. He seems brusque and aloof as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Conversations between the pair are minimal and when Jess needs help with unwanted visitors in the cottage it’s like he is doing her a favour only because he was asked not because he wanted to. I thought deep down there had to have been something more going on with Aidan and we never really got deep within his heart and mind until much later in the book. As Jess forms a friendship with his daughter Maisie, it’s clear she wants to scratch beneath the surface and help Aidan but does he want help from a newcomer to the village and what actually can Jess do to help a situation that can be quite common amongst families today?
That’s Jess all round when she arrives in Middlemass. In the beginning, she doesn’t comprehend that perhaps something drew her to the village. That she is there for a reason and through helping others and reigniting that community spirit and sense of working together with one common purpose in mind that really in turn she was healing herself. She had an awful lot to come to terms with. She needed to reconcile with her past in order to enjoy and embrace what life was offering her in the present but was she ready to do that? Can Middlemass work its magic on her and can she do the same for the village? She never fully feels at ease within the village and it’s not because she wasn’t welcomed. Meeting Becky, a harassed mother of three, a friendship is struck up. I loved the way Becky’s story was explored and I’m sure many people will identify with it. The members of the parish council were a great bunch and Diana became almost like a confidant of Jess’ as they share many gins and try to put the world to rights.
But what of the library of the title? An old red telephone box just outside Ivy Cottage that has been used for less than welcome things recently divides the village on its future use. But Jess’ inspired by the collection of books boxed up by Mimi transforms and updates it and the littlest library is formed. I love love when books are featured within a book and all the titles mentioned that people start to borrow and which meant something to Jess start to work their magic. It becomes a focus for Jess, one that she didn’t realise she needed, and it helps her through her mourning of Mimi as important words are found written by her within the covers of the books. Through sharing her books and her life memories with the community this becomes Jess’ gift to them. It’s like a thank you for Middlemass taking her to their heart. Though renovating the cottage and running the library, is Jess daring to seek the happiness that she has feared to let in for so long believing disaster will only strike? If this is successful will she be willing to let in some love and romance too or is that just too far beyond the realms of possibility?
Alongside the main story of Jess, there were lots of little subplots involving the various residents of the village. I thought they all moulded in perfectly with the overall plot and never detracted from Jess and her worries but also the increasing ambition and confidence she was starting to feel with the success of the library. The others strands of the story were funny and heart warming and seeing Jess become more involved and herself not understanding just how much good she was doing. Well, I wanted to shake those doubts out of her. A lot of the time she was contemplating leaving the village especially if she couldn’t get work as her funds had almost run out. But she had done so much good for the village through little inspiring ways and of course the biggest of all the library, that to lose her would be detrimental to the village. I wanted her to lose those niggling feelings and come to comprehend that she had true worth and value. That she was an incredible asset to the village and one person in the village could see this. Don’t let her brilliant work become undone because she wasn’t willing to always take the risks needed. She could when she wanted to and she just needed to go with that feeling when it arose. As I was reading, I was fervently hoping that this would all change for her.
The library intervenes in people’s lives in the most unexpected and positive ways and it becomes a catalyst for healing and reviving the community and tugs at Jess’ heartstrings. Jess finds new friends that bring comfort and cohesion and ones you could rely on in times of need. I really hoped that things would turn out ok for Jess but there was a few rocky patches to get through first.
The Littlest Library is a gem of a read and a book that reminded me just how much I love reading. With such a picturesque location, it’s a captivating read and has such dynamic brilliant characters. You’ll be rooting for a positive outcome for all involved. The books mentioned within that are borrowed from the library will also have you making a little list of books to read in the future. My only problem is now that I will have to wait again for a new book from Poppy Alexander and I hope the this will arrive be sooner rather than later.
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