Review: The Book of Beginnings

Title: The Book of Beginnings

Author: Sally Page

Publisher: 28th September 2023 by HarperCollins UK

Pages: 384 pages

Genre: contemporary fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

From the author of the phenomenal bestseller The Keeper of Stories, comes the next uplifting story of how the most unexpected friendships are forged in the most unlikely of places . . .

Jo Sorsby knows she is hiding from her past when she steps in to look after her uncle’s stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble notes with fountain pens and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from the life she has left behind.

Yet far from home, Jo feels adrift . . .

When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian struggling to write his first book, she realises that she isn’t alone.

It’s the beginning of a friendship that can transform Jo’s life . . . if only she can let them in.

My Thoughts

Following on from Sally’s sensational book, The Keeper of Stories (which I just adored) comes another heartfelt and endearing tale about friendships and new beginnings.

‘It also occurs to her that when you feel most in need of new friends, is often the time when you feel least capable of making them.’

This book is a gentle story around the themes of friendship, loneliness and a search for meaning. Yet, at its heart, it's all about forms of friendship - new friends, lost friends, reconnecting with friends, finding friends in unexpected places. It’s about what it takes to both develop and maintain those friendships particularly when people may be feeling sad or alone. How it is important to see others, reach out to others and trust others especially in the world we face today. This book is like a warm drink on a cold night and will more than likely remind you to check up on your very own friends. 

‘You have made me feel that I should do things differently in my life. That I should be braver. I cannot thank you enough for what I hope isn’t presumptuous to call our friendship.’

There is also a story within this story. The trips to the Highgate Cemetery are both eventful and enlightening. Interesting inclusions of facts and imagined conversations between historical figures found in the cemetery help to highlight a range of topics as well. Sally undertook a substantial amount of research on this. 

‘I think of it sometimes; all over the earth there are these unacknowledged love stories, making the world a better place. I personally think it is one of humanity’s best-kept secrets.’

The Book of Beginnings is a slow, gentle read that delves deep into all aspects of friendships with moments of loneliness and grief components that can accompany it at varying stages. Not quite in the same league as The Keeper of Stories but still a solid read. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.