Publication Date: 28th March 2023
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
3 Stars
One Liner: Good premise but slow (and needs better execution towards the end)
Sloane Parker is a librarian in a small town and lives a simple life. She doesn’t have many friends despite being a friendly and kindhearted person. When Sloane meets Arthur McLachlan, an old and rude patron of the library, their sparing becomes the highlight of her day (and maybe even his).
One day Arthur doesn’t turn up as usual. Days pass on, but he doesn’t visit the library. Sloane is worried and decides to visit him (ignoring her boss’ warnings). When she finds him ill but grudgingly happy to see her, Sloane knows she needs to help him. Maybe it’s her chance to help herself too. Arthur’s neighbor is only too delighted to pitch in.
Soon, they start an odd book club that grows bigger, as more people with different personalities come together. Each of them needs to heal, and, as a group, they might make it happen.
The story comes in the first person POV of the main characters- Sloane, Maisey, Mateo, Greg, and Arthur.
What I Like:
The premise is heartwarming. Imagine good-hearted people who suffer from loneliness due to various reasons come together to help and support each other. It’s a novel concept.
Given the characters, there are enough references to other books and quotes from these. Though I’m not much of a highlighter myself, I know people who love to highlight bits that touch their hearts (or mind).
Using the first-person POV for each of the main characters works to a good extent. I could get a glimpse into who they are and what holds them back. However… (more in the next section)
The book also blends everyday issues and major life decisions to add depth to the characters. Some of it works well.
There are bits and pieces of lighthearted scenes that make the book a little easy to read. Maisey sure brightens up the book club.
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
The pacing is super slow. Moreover, this is the kind of book one cannot speed-read. A few things are stretched too much, and the ending is compressed. There isn’t an epilogue either (I deserve it after reading about so much heartache!).
Maisey’s POV is probably the best. It’s not perfect, but I could feel for her and understand the situation with her teen daughter Bella. Greg’s POV is the second best. I thought Mateo’s would be just as great, but somehow, ended up liking Lincoln more.
Now, Brett is Sloane’s fiancé and chiropractor. Going by the standard trope, he is initially presented as a snobbish guy with an overbearing family. And we have Sloane, who thinks they can give her the kind of comfort she wants. However, towards the end, Brett really isn’t a jerk. He is just another guy with some flaws. In fact, the climax puts him in a better light than Sloane. He handles it far better than she does. I’m not sure that’s what is supposed to happen.
I went to skim through a few reviews after drafting mine and saw references to Ove. Well, for me, this is a half-successful attempt to create an Ove-like character in Arthur. With Arthur’s POV towards the end of the book, I expected something truly emotional. But let’s just say it was disappointing. The POV started strong, but soon I lost interest and wanted the book to be over.
To summarize, The Lonely Hearts Book Club is a decent book dealing with topics like grief, loneliness, friendships, and finding your tribe. It could have been a lot better but ends up more as an average read.
Thank you, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, for the eARC.
#NetGalley
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P.S.: Would a book lover use precious copies as a makeshift step to hold rotting stairs at home? Wouldn't the books get damaged? Though books are considered god in my culture, I know it's not the same everywhere. But book lovers are supposed to take better care of their copies irrespective of the rest.
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