Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This painfully beautiful story of love and loss from Page (Mornings with Rosemary) is an emotional tour de force. Six months after her American husband Joe Carter's death from cancer, London book editor Matilda "Tilly" Nightingale copes by throwing herself into her work. She then receives an unexpected call from bookseller Alfie, who informs her that before Joe died, he selected 12 books, one for each month of the year, for her to pick up at Alfie's shop. Each book also contains a handwritten note from Joe to Tilly. The notes encourage her to begin living again, inspiring her to travel to Paris, try camping in the wilderness, and learn how to cook. As the months pass, she and Alfie become close friends. But when Tilly's mother-in-law asks her to come to Connecticut for a visit and the lease on Alfie's store is canceled, the two must decide what the future will hold. Page crafts a taut plot and makes her characters achingly real; readers will be crying in some places, laughing in others, yet always in thrall to the story. This heartbreaking tale is sure to find a wide audience. Agent: Robert Caskie, Robert Caskie Ltd. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Page's second novel (after Mornings with Rosemary) is a beautifully crafted tribute to books, booksellers, and the transformative power of reading. Tilly Nightingale's world was shattered when her fiancé, Joe, received a terminal cancer diagnosis. The couple married quickly and quietly and spent nine tender months together before he passed away. Now Tilly is adrift, clinging to an uninspiring job and struggling to navigate her grief. Six months after Joe's death, Tilly receives a call from a local bookseller, about a birthday gift Joe arranged before his passing. In a final act of love, he carefully chose 12 books for Tilly, to be delivered one by one on the first of each month for the next year. For Tilly, a lifelong reader who hasn't touched a book since Joe's diagnosis, this posthumous gift becomes exactly what she needs. Month by month, Joe's selections guide her through the landscape of grief and back to her passion for reading. These books become Tilly's companions on a journey of healing, leading her toward new adventures, unexpected friendships, and eventually the possibility of loving again. VERDICT Readers of all kinds will be captivated by this tender exploration of loss, healing, and the enduring connections that books create.--Stacy Alesi
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A widow receives a year's worth of books from her late husband and learns to live again in the process. Matilda "Tilly" Nightingale always loved reading. It was her constant as a child, it led to her job as an editor in London, and she even met her beloved husband, Joe Carter, in a bookstore. But when Joe is diagnosed with cancer, Tilly stops reading altogether. After Joe dies, Tilly finds herself going through the motions at work and at home--until she gets a call from a local bookstore owner, Alfie Lane, saying he has a special gift for her from Joe. It's a copy ofMatilda by Roald Dahl, the classic children's book about a girl who loves to read, and a letter from Joe. Before he died, he'd visited Alfie at Book Lane and set up a year of books for Tilly--one for each month, each with some sort of instruction or encouragement. Even though Tilly has no intention of getting back into reading, she finds herself drawn to the pages and the bookstore. Soon, the monthly books are encouraging her to cook, travel, and see a horizon beyond the pure grief she's been living with. As the bookstore becomes a second home, Alfie becomes a treasured friend. Page creates a cozy world that shimmers with whimsy even as she delicately explores grief. It's easy to understand why Tilly is reticent to open up her life, but that makes it all the more satisfying when she learns to let people in--whether those people are her family members or new friends. Alfie faces his own challenges in owning a bookstore, and the scenes in Book Lane are delightfully reminiscent ofYou've Got Mail. The novel serves as a reminder that books have the power to shape lives, and, as Tilly puts it, "Adventures are waiting for you. It's time to open the page." The perfect cozy read for book lovers, sure to break and heal hearts. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
