Funny title for a book, I know. This book was lying in my car when I picked up my 13-year-old grandson from school. He immediately snapped a photo of the book with his cellphone and sent it off to a friend, laughing as he did so. Who doesn’t know how to read a book?
Author Monica Wood wrote this delightful and charming novel about second chances, unlikely friendships and the life-changing power of sharing stories. Set in a rural town in Maine, the book has three fantastic primary fictional characters you will root for throughout.
Harriet is a retired English teacher who leads a women’s book club in a women’s prison near Portland, Maine. Violet is an inmate about to be released. She was a member of Harriet’s book club and soon to be a neighbor outside the prison walls. Frank, Harriet’s new friend, is a handyman at the local bookstore and was married to the woman Violet killed in a drunk driving accident.
When the three of them encounter each other one morning in the bookstore, their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways. The guts of this novel reveal a raw, honest discussion about books and how they address diverse topics in life, including redemption, forgiveness, starting over and the power of books to change our lives.
Wood does an excellent job developing the characters in this novel, drawing us in as readers with her in-depth conversations among all the characters. While we, as readers, recognize these are fictional beings, we can identify with how they struggle with issues of identity as well as finding their own voice and place in the world.
A bonus to the book is an African grey parrot named Ollie, used in lab research where Violet is employed. The novel explores the parrot’s intelligence and ability to interact with humans. Interestingly, the author draws inspiration from the real-life research of Dr. Irene Pepperberg and her work with Alex the African grey parrot.
This novel earned a five-star rating. Pick up this book at Wild Geese Bookshop, wildgeesebookshop.com, or at any Johnson County Public Library, online at pageafterpage.org.
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