The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
Registered by GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 1/14/2020
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I got this softcover at a local thrift shop for another release copy.
The story's unusual in that it's mostly set in a very small - and on the point of dying - town in Iowa, while the author is Swedish! Her main character seems to be something of an author-avatar, a young Swedish woman whose correspondence with a woman from Broken Wheel, Iowa leads her to plan a lengthy visit. But when she arrives she gets shocking news about her friend Amy and must decide what to do next... (Amy's letters were among my favorite parts of the book, and which are presented in between the chapters of Sara's narrative, filling in the histories of some of the characters Sara - and we - have just met.)
The story's inspired by 84, Charing Cross Road and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - the author admits as much in her notes, and the character Sara refers to them as well. While I liked both of those better than this one, "Broken Wheel" has plenty of charming scenes for book-lovers - such as the time when Sara, caught up in a book, sat near the window reading for hours, while the townsfolk gradually assembled to place bets on how long she'd sit there without noticing them. I get lost in books too, though I *think* I'd notice a crowd forming at my window!
There's also the way she sets up the not-really-a-business bookshop in town, with her own categories, from "SEX, GUNS and VIOLENCE" to "UNHAPPY ENDINGS" to "HAPPY ENDINGS WHEN YOU NEED THEM". And I was happy to see the many books and authors that were recommended, shared, and discussed among the characters - not least being Sara's fondness for Terry Pratchett!
The story has some elements that didn't ring true to me, and I did get a bit weary of the "will they marry to get a visa even though they're really in love but haven't realized it yet" subplot, but overall it's a nice addition to the books-for-book-lovers shelves.
The story's unusual in that it's mostly set in a very small - and on the point of dying - town in Iowa, while the author is Swedish! Her main character seems to be something of an author-avatar, a young Swedish woman whose correspondence with a woman from Broken Wheel, Iowa leads her to plan a lengthy visit. But when she arrives she gets shocking news about her friend Amy and must decide what to do next... (Amy's letters were among my favorite parts of the book, and which are presented in between the chapters of Sara's narrative, filling in the histories of some of the characters Sara - and we - have just met.)
The story's inspired by 84, Charing Cross Road and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - the author admits as much in her notes, and the character Sara refers to them as well. While I liked both of those better than this one, "Broken Wheel" has plenty of charming scenes for book-lovers - such as the time when Sara, caught up in a book, sat near the window reading for hours, while the townsfolk gradually assembled to place bets on how long she'd sit there without noticing them. I get lost in books too, though I *think* I'd notice a crowd forming at my window!
There's also the way she sets up the not-really-a-business bookshop in town, with her own categories, from "SEX, GUNS and VIOLENCE" to "UNHAPPY ENDINGS" to "HAPPY ENDINGS WHEN YOU NEED THEM". And I was happy to see the many books and authors that were recommended, shared, and discussed among the characters - not least being Sara's fondness for Terry Pratchett!
The story has some elements that didn't ring true to me, and I did get a bit weary of the "will they marry to get a visa even though they're really in love but haven't realized it yet" subplot, but overall it's a nice addition to the books-for-book-lovers shelves.
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Little Free Library, Mast Rd. in Goffstown, New Hampshire USA on Friday, January 24, 2020
Released 4 yrs ago (1/24/2020 UTC) at Little Free Library, Mast Rd. in Goffstown, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it! (The LFL was out of action for some time due to major construction in the original park, but now the building is done and the new park, though tiny, features a memorial, bench, historical-site marker - and the refurbished LFL!)
[See other recent releases in NH here.]
[See other recent releases in NH here.]