Staff Picks:

Check out these book reviews from staff members of the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library.  The books (with review cards) can be found on the Fireplace Mantel near the front desk at Graves Library. Come on in for a visit and check them out!

lettersfrom

Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole

This is the perfect book for an afternoon read with a cup of tea at hand. It is a love story, told through letters written during WWI, between a young poetess on the Isle of Skye and a young American with whom friendship blossoms into an impossible relationship. Years later as WWII approaches, the daughter of the poetess discovers the letters and begins a search to find out what happened during those years about which her mother has remained so secretive.

But the book is so much more- a look into the life on a barren, secluded island, the trials of long distance relationships, secrecy and what it does to people, how narrowness of vision can be so debilitating. This is not great literature, but it is a good and pretty well written first novel.

bookmans

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett

This interesting book is actually three stories woven together: one, the trail of a book from the 16th century onward; another, the development of Peter Bryerly, the protagonist, into antiquarian bookman and confident young married man; and last, the reemergence of both the disconsolate young widower Peter and of the book into the light.

Lovett does a very good job moving from one story to another. The only glitch I found was a bit of difficulty with the language of the earliest bits, but, as your ear gets attuned to Shakespeare when listening to him being read, so your eye becomes accustomed to the words and tempo of the 16the century language. So the issue is a short lived one and disappears entirely as the centuries progress.  A thoroughly enjoyable book!

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About Graves Library

I am a public library located in southern Maine. I am open 42 hours per week and serve over 6,000 patrons. The Library collaborates with others to meet the needs of the entire community for education, information, recreation, and communication. Residents of the towns of Kennebunkport, Kennebunk, Cape Porpoise, Wells, or Arundel, Maine (including general area) are welcome to a free Library Card. Non-Residents are also welcome to a temporary card for a fee of $20.00 (deposit). At the end of the stay, the non-resident may request their deposit be returned as long as the account is clear of any fines and all materials have been safely returned to the Library.
This entry was posted in 2014, Book Review, Staff Picks. Bookmark the permalink.

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