The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

Feeling in the need of a twee book I remembered a review by Sarah on The Book of Beginnings. I’d commented that I loved books about book shops but I’d not read one before about stationary shops, so I wanted to give it a read.

First about the Book.

The Blurb

Her new chapter starts now…

Jo Sorsby is hiding from her past when she agrees to run her uncle’s beloved stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble little notes and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from her bruised heart.

When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian still finding himself, she suddenly realizes she isn’t alone.

They each have a story that can transform Jo’s life… if only she can let them in.

My Review of the Book of Beginnings

I actually enjoyed this book, sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the usual kind of books I read and I must admit, as self-proclaimed non romantic, a little romance doesn’t hurt sometimes.

This book doesn’t start with romance it starts with a break up. Jo has just split up with James and moved to London to look after her uncle Wilber’s shop in a small alleyway.

She ends up making friends and allies, while we start to find out her story. She forgets about James eventually, but is wary about letting anyone else into her life.

While building up her uncles mish mash shop into more of a stationary store she finds it becomes more popular. She talks about fountain pens so often that I’ve decided I want one and some stationary. I don’t know who I’ll write to though. I have a lot of note books, maybe I’ll just do some research like Malcolm the older man she meets who buys lots of notebooks. She finds out that he is writing his book and visits Highgate Cemetery to do his research. I love his idea for a book, what would the ghosts of the cemetery talk about if they met up on Christmas Eve.

She also meets the ‘runaway vicar’ Ruth who is full of good advice and surprisingly humorous. And she meets the local optician, Eric the Viking, and the tattoo artist Lando, who have shops in the same alleyway.

As Jo finds out more about the people she meets and the friendships she makes, she also learns more about herself.

The ending is kind of predictable, but that doesn’t matter. There are not many surprises, well maybe apart from Ruth’s story, but that doesn’t matter either. It’s a sweet read that I like to call a pallet cleanser before I get back into the murder or fantasy that I usually read.

There is a follow on book, which I may or may not read.

Do you sometimes take a break from the usual types of books you read?

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