The Library by Bella Osborne is a wonderful, endearing story of an unlikely friendship between Tom Harris, an awkward 16 year old and Maggie Mann, a 72 years young pensioner.
Together they find ways to cope with what ever life throws at them.
Tom believes he is invisible, not actually invisible, but someone who is never noticed. His mother died when he was 8, and his Father, Paul, hasn’t coped with her death. Tom is finding it difficult to live with his father, who is now an alcoholic. Tom has plans to go to university, but his dad has plans for him to work at the local dog food factory.
Tom rather likes a girl in his class, he feels as if he turns into an over ripe vegetable when he tries to say hello. He remembers that his mother liked romance novels, so maybe if he reads some romance novels it will help him understand girls!
Tom joins the Compton Mallow Library. It turns out Tom is not invisible in the Library.
Maggie attends the library every Saturday. Not that she minds living alone on her farm on the edge of the village, but she missed company. Attending the library every week for Book Club has become important to her.
Maggie and the rest of the Book Club definitely notice Tom, as any male under the age of 60 is a rare sight in the library!
As Maggie leaves the library, she is mugged and her bag is stolen. Tom rushes to help her. The mugging is the most exciting thing that has happened in years to Maggie.
There is a connection between them and so begins their friendship.
Unfortunately, Maggie has a secret that she hopes Tom never discovers.
When the Compton Mallow Library is to be closed down, Maggie and Tom are right there leading the protest and the fight to keep their favourite space open. After all, it isn’t just a library, but the heart of their community.
The two friends learn so much from each other and their friendship changes both their lives.
Will they be successful in saving the library?
It is a wonderful story of two people whose lives have not been easy. The book is written with a lovely touch of humour and so easy to read.
It is a really enjoyable read. Thank you to head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this book.
ISBN: 9781801100465
Copy courtesy of Head of Zeus
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Library by Bella Osborne You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
Thank you Beauty and Lace, Bella Osbourne and The Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read The Library.
I lived this story, from the introduction of Maggie and Tom to the development and unpeeling of their stories as they deepened their friendship and learnt about each other.
The writing was engaging and I was able to get lost in the town, pictured myself living on Maggie’s farm and cheering for Tom as his pursuit of something more in life became closer to reality for him.
I would love to read more from Bella Osbourne and definitely enjoyed the book as an easy story to get lost in.
Heartwarming and entertaining, The Library by Bella Osborne, an ebook published by Head of Zeus, is a lovely story about the value of friends.
The main characters are an unlikely duo – 16year old Tom, an awkward and insecure teen, and 72 year old Maggie an aging but feisty ‘flower child’ with a heart of gold. Each chapter of the book is told from their alternating points of view, and this works very well. Not only does it gives us both Tom and Maggie’s perspectives it also helps us to understand each of them more fully.
Maggie and Tom meet through the local library and their friendship is a joy to read about as they help each other through some very traumatic times. Both have lost loved ones in the past and are struggling with how to cope in their current situations. In each other they find some much needed comfort…
In fact the local library brings together quite a diverse group, providing both solace and a safe haven for book lovers of all types. So when the library is threatened with imminent closure, many of the regulars like Maggie, as well as newcomers like Tom, rally together to try to save it.
A beautifully written and charming book which touches on some sensitive subjects in a well considered way. I highly recommend The Library.
Young Tom Harris is a high school student, has no friends and has a terribly hard life at home, his mother has passed away and his father is an alcoholic
Maggie lives on a small farm she is a great character in her 70s she is full of life into yoga self defence wearing doc martins and a love of books
They both meet at the local library their friendship develops over time and when life gets too hard for Tom he moves into Maggie’s house on the farm which he absolutely loves helping out and looking after the sheep and chickens
When notice is given that the library is going to close they work together with other locals to save the library
A truly lovely story with surprises throughout the book ( no more spoilers )
I really enjoyed this book
Thanks
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read The Library by Bella Osborne.
At first I didn’t think I would enjoy the story. I thought it was going to be a Young Adult book but I was wrong. The further into the story I got, the more I enjoyed it.
Tom and Maggie are an unlikely duo but once they got together, they find they have a lot in common. They work hard to save the Library from being closed and bring together Tom’s dad and Maggie’s son.
This was a complete charmer of a read, and will absolutely resonate with anyone who loves books and reading, and libraries. When Compton Mallow Library is threatened with closure, teenage Tom and pensioner Maggie sort of accidentally form an unexpected alliance to protest the closure, along with the librarian, the local pub owner, and a girl at Tom’s school he’s madly keen on but can’t figure out how to even talk to properly. Tom’s father’s an alcoholic, and this subject is certainly not skimmed over – there are some very ugly scenes. But along with the love of reading and his unexpected allies at the library, Maggie’s farm provides some unexpected solace and healing for Tom. And, as it turns out, for Maggie, who has more than a few ghosts in her own past. There’s a few twists and turns before the end, so great to read. Sit down with a cup of coffee and simply enjoy.
Thanks so much to Head of Zeus and Beauty&Lace for the review copy!
If you want your heart to feel warm and fuzzy, then read The Library by Bella Osborne. It’s a short review, but there’s nothing else to say. Thank you Beauty and Lace for letting me review this book >:o)
The library by Bella Osborn
Tom is a 17 year old boy living in an unhappy household. His mum passed away when he was 8 and his dad works nights and has become an alcoholic.
Maggie is 72, she is very lonely and lives alone on a farm.
When Tom and Maggie meet in their local library they find they have a lot in common and an unexpected friendship develops.
When the council threatens to close the library down the fight to save it not only brings Maggie and Tom closer but also other members of their community.
I really liked the references to popular novels throughout the book snd the library was a lovely setting.
This is such a charming book with wonderful characters.
I would happily read more books by this author.
Thanks to beauty and lace book club for the opportunity to read this one.
The Library is a lovely story focusing around Tom and his relationship with his father and Maggie who befriends him. To escape from his father’s drinking Tom seeks solace in the local library where he meets Maggie. Events lead to Tom staying with Maggie and helping her on her farm while he attends school and continues his studies. The library is being considered to be closed by the local council so it’s a deadline to keep it open.
Tom and Maggie join ranks with other local community.
Tom and his father over time mend their relationship whole Tom is also focused on his future.
A very likeable story for all genres.
I have just read The Library by Bella Osborne and can 100% say I loved this book! The main characters are Tom – a shy young man and Maggie – an adventurous older lady.
Tom decides to try reading romance novels to give him some confidence to talk to girls and takes himself to the village library to borrow some.
Maggie is lonely and looks forward to the weekly book club at the library for her human interaction. She notices painfully shy Tom when he firsts comes in. But it’s not until an incident outside the library that they speak to each other.
From there the friendship slowly blossoms. Tom is able to help Maggie with some work around her property and Maggie helps Tom when he has issues at home.
The story is written in an easy to read manner that flows well and doesn’t leave you feeling like you going around in circles (or sitting still). I would highly recommend this book to others.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this book.
Sixteen year old Tom and seventy two year old Maggie form an unlikely friendship after a chance encounter. Together they set out to save their local library. Along the way they save each other from past hurts and fill missing voids in each other’s lives.
The Library is a beautifully written story that draws you in, making you want to read “just another chapter” because you need to know what happens next. With just the right amount of humour, and heart, this was a truly enjoyable read that I have already recommended to my neighbour. With a list of potential book club questions at the end, The Library (that has a book club in it) would be a great book club read too.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace, Bella Osbourne and The Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review this book.