Libraries are important to any town, city, or village. One sleepy English village demonstrates just how important the library is to them. A wide variety of residents, regular visitors to the library, use it for various things. A homeschooler checks out books to help with his learning and talks about past events with older patrons. An immigrant learning English ways checks out cookbooks to learn to cook. An elderly man visits to read the papers and to visit with others, even helping a teenage girl with her schoolwork. He also gets June’s help with the computer to send emails to his estranged son. It’s no wonder that village drama erupts when their library is threatened with closure.
Still mourning the loss of her mother eight years ago, June is working at the local library. She once had a dream of moving away and going to college and becoming a writer, but she has convinced herself she is happy with her job and home.
librarygarden.net
June, who has a fear of speaking in public, gets along great with all of the library’s visitors, even the ones who are always complaining. When their library is threatened with closure, June knows how her mom would have reacted to this threat. But June is scared. She wants to be able to stand up for things like her mom used to do. And she is fighting mad that the council has decreed that none of the library’s employees can speak out against the possible closure in any way or even put up ads about opposition meetings.
But June finds her own way to help the situation. And some hilarious things happen along the way.
Women’s fiction is not my normal choice of genres to read. My favorites are horror, mysteries, and thrillers. But this book was awesome! And there was just a bit of mystery in it. I found myself not wanting to put it down because I was enjoying it so much. Lighthearted yet serious, this is a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat yet leaves you feeling great. I recommend reading it while drinking a cup of coffee or your favorite tea.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. If you would like your own copy to read and enjoy, I’ve provided an Amazon link for you below.
Amazon Link: The Last Chance Library
Recommended Article: Confessions of a Part-Time Librarian – Heather Sears
www.studentpulse.com
Favorite Sentences:
You can tell a lot about a person from the library books they borrow.
In her decade working at the library, she’d always managed to avoid taking Rhyme Time, or indeed, any activity where she had to speak in front of a group of people.
She lifted up the paperback and held it to her nose, inhaling the reassuring aroma of aged paper and dust.
With her small piggy eyes, sour expression, and substantial girth, Vera Cox had always reminded June of Aunt Sponge from James and the Giant Peach.
New Words Learned:
bollard – a short post used to divert traffic from an area or road
entre nouse – between us; in confidence
verge – a grass edging such as that by the side of a road or path
About the Author:
Freya Sampson works in television as a creator and executive producer. Her credits include two documentary series for the BBC about the British royal family and a number of factual and entertainment series. She studied history at Cambridge University and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. She lives in London with her husband, two young children, and an antisocial cat. The Last Chance Library is her debut novel.
