Sara, a Swedish girl, arrives in Iowa
expecting to be met by her friend Amy. They have been writing to each other about their first love, books. Sara is excited to meet her friend
and continue their discussions in person, but Amy doesn't show up.
Sara gets a ride to Broken Wheel, the town where Amy lives, only to
discover that she has died.
The town has a
dilemma. Sara is there but she has no host. Being the kind of town it
is, they decide to become a collective host. Providing free food and
transportation is nice, but Sara feels uncomfortable taking
advantage. Her inspiration is to start a bookshop using Amy's books.
The townspeople
rally to help her and one especially draws her attention. Tom, Amy's
nephew, professes no interest in her and she him, but things could
change.
The town of Broken
Wheel is unusual. It is practically a ghost town, but the few
remaining residents help each other survive. The town is filled
quirky characters from George, an alcoholic, who becomes Sara's
chauffeur to Carolyn who feels obliged to keep the town running
smoothly. I thought the author did a good job creating a variety of
characters, but not letting any of the minor characters take over
Sara's story.
Books fill the
story. Amy's letters are fully of recommendations of what to read.
This can be a bit heavy handed at times, but the book discussions
serve to enrich Sara's character. She loves the books so much you're
tempted to try her suggestions if you haven't already read the books.
If you like old
fashioned boy meets girl romance with no sexual antics, you'll enjoy
this book. The romance, however, is almost a subplot. The real story is how the
town of Broken Wheel survives and takes care of it's own.
I reviewed this book
for Net Galley.
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