The Library: the uplifting and feelgood page-turner you need to read in 2022

Bella Osborne

Sep 2021 · Head of Zeus Ltd

About this ebook

Two lonely bookworms. An unexpected friendship. A library that needs their help

'A touching story of a friendship between a troubled teenager, a yoga-practising farming woman in her seventies and a local library. A delight!' – Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Fforde

Teenager Tom has always blended into the background of life. After a row with his dad and facing an unhappy future at the dog food factory, he escapes to the library.

Pensioner Maggie has been happily alone with her beloved novels for ten years – at least, that's what she tells herself.

When they meet, they recognise something in each other that will change both their lives for ever.

Then the library comes under threat of closure, and they must join forces to prove that it's not just about books – it's the heart of their community.

They are determined to save it – because some things are worth fighting for.

EVEN MORE PRAISE FOR THE LIBRARY!

'Such a heart-warming and thought-provoking novel! A touching tale of true friendship, overcoming adversity and the genuine joy books can bring to our lives' – Jill Mansell

'A touching tale that will warm your heart and put a smile on your face' – Hazel Prior

'A story that was deeply moving, and ultimately uplifting... Definitely recommended – it was one of my best reads this year' – Janet Gover

'Heart-rending and inspiring in equal measures. A wonderful story. I adored it!' – Celia Anderson

'Beautifully and sensitively written, the characterisation is superb!' – Sue Moorcroft

'Absolutely LOVED IT! It's Bella's best book yet! A glorious heartfelt novel' – Christie Barlow

'The Library is a beautifully uplifting story full of wit, warmth and tender moments, with community at its heart and characters you truly care about' – Cressida McLaughlin

'I absolutely loved this book. Heart-warming with genuine characters, the plot pulled me in and I was rooting for the library every step of the way. A great tonic for the times and highly recommended!' – Talli Roland

'A truly special book, brimming with charm, heartwrenching moments and inspiring characters. The Library is one of those feel-good books that is sure to delight readers' – Carmel Harrington, author of The Moon Over Kilmore Quay

Ratings and reviews

Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒ The Library by Bella Osborne is a sweet book about an unlikely pair who meet at the Library and work together to save it. I really enjoyed this book, and loved the characters and were rooting for them, and the Library during the entire book. Tom is the son of an alcoholic father, and whose mother passed away when he was younger. Tom and his father co-exist in a grubby home where they live without any of the luxuries of life. Tom feels invisible to his father and classmates, until he sees Farah, a beautiful classmate who’s way out of his league, and is currently involved with one of his bullying classmates. Tom goes to the local library to find romance novels so he can better understand his crush and find a way to get to know her better. While at the library, he catches the eye of Maggie, a 72-year-old recluse, who only leaves her home once a week to go to the book club at the library. Tom and Maggie form an unlikely friendship and when the library is threatened with closure, they work together to try and save the village library. The characters of Tom and Maggie are very well developed and I found myself rooting for both of them during the entire book. I liked that Maggie knew how to get through to Tom and help him when his father couldn’t. Her farm, on the outskirts of the village is delightful, with sheep, lambs, and an ornery ram. I found I enjoyed this book much more than I expected, and I really liked the way Tom and Maggie’s relationship developed. The author made me care about these characters and the banter between Maggie and Tom was excellent, especially after they grew to care about each other. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story about a lovely relationship. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The title of this book drew me in first and even though I wasn't entirely sure it was something I'd like I thought I'd try it, and I'm so glad I did. It was such a delightful read about a 16 year teenager, Tom, and a feisty 70-something lady, Maggie, who became friends through their local library and helped each other out. Tom's mother died when he was younger, so it's just him and his Dad now, but his Dad is struggling a lot with finances and life in general, drinking all the time, and not looking after his son at all, the house is a mess and both father and son are fighting all the time, so it's a really unhappy home life for Tom who struggles along on his own most of the time as his Dad works nights, he doesn't like the way his Dad has become, even though he loves him. Maggie lives on her own on a farm, but daily life on the farm is getting harder for her as she gets older, so meeting Tom is a godsend for both of them really. Maggie helps Tom navigate his relationship with his father, feeds him a lot of the time (as there's hardly any food in his house), and gently steers him in the right direction, as he's got a good head on his shoulders, but just needs a bit of encouragement as he's quite shy. Tom in turn helps Maggie around the farm a bit and finds he quite likes it, even though he's not so sure of it initially. Their relationship was like grandson and grandmother, something they both really needed in their lives, even if they didn't realise it. Then their local library, where they meet on a weekly basis, comes under threat of closure and the local book club who use it, start a campaign to keep it open, with Maggie as the ringleader and Tom and others helping out. But then a spanner is thrown in the works when Tom finds out something about Maggie that he doesn't like, their relationship falls apart, and it takes them both a little while to work through things. This book had two such completely different perspectives from both Tom and Maggie but it really worked, I loved both their characters, and there was a really lovely ending. One of my favourite reads.

I adored everything about this brilliantly insightful and thoughtfully written hybrid of women’s fiction, family drama, and coming-of-age genres. The endearing characters were enticingly flawed and their struggles were so compellingly written even those with the coldest of hearts would be drawn to them. The storylines and writing style were easy to follow and I quickly fell into a uniquely absorbing vortex that I was reluctant to leave behind when the pesky tasks of real life intruded. I was fully invested and captivated by the smartly written and perceptive story threads and the cleverness of how the various pieces were melding together while maintaining such evocative, well-honed, and heart-touching scenarios that tapped all the feels with generous helpings of amusing temerity and wry wit. Along with top-shelf entertainment, Ms. Osborne was also provided me with two new additions to my Brit Words and Phrases list with daft ha’p’orth – a foolish person, and shufti – a quick look around. Believe me when I say only a daft ha’p’orth would pass up an opportunity to read this lovely tale.

About the author

Bella Osborne has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel. In 2016, her debut novel, It Started At Sunset Cottage, was shortlisted for the Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year and RNA Joan Hessayon New Writers Award. Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She likes to find the humour in the darker moments of life and weaves these into her stories. Bella believes that writing your own story really is the best fun ever, closely followed by talking, eating chocolate, drinking fizz and planning holidays. She lives in the Midlands, UK with her lovely husband and wonderful daughter, who thankfully, both accept her as she is (with mad morning hair and a penchant for skipping).