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THE BOOK OF BEGINNINGS, ENGLISH, PAPER BACK
by Page, Sally
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10
- 0008612870
- ISBN 13
- 9780008612870
- Seller
-
New Delhi, India
3 Copies Available from This Seller
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About This Item
HARPER COLLINS. Paperback. New. BRAND NEW, Well Packed, Usually ships in 1-2 business days, Buy with confidence Excellent Quality, Service 100% Customer satisfaction guaranteed!
Reviews
On Mar 18 2024, CloggieDownunder said:
"I have often thought we spend too much time obsessing about finding, "the one", and we forget that a best friend can be a lifelong love. There is a fundamental truth, comfort and joy in having a best friend."
The Book Of Beginnings is the second novel by British author, Sally Page. Heartbroken when she realises her boyfriend of six years doesn't love her, thirty-nine-year-old Jo Sorsby sees her mother's request as an opportunity to avoid James and his new girlfriend in Northumberland. Jo's Uncle Wilbur has gone into respite care, and his hardware-cum-stationery shop in a little alleyway off Highgate High Street needs a caretaker.
Taylor's Supplies is where Jo would spend a few wonderful weeks each summer during her childhood, and was the source of her passion for stationery, so being there brings back fond memories. Living in the flat above the shop, the next few weeks see Jo meeting the tattooed optometrist and the Spanish tattooist whose shops share the alleyway. And if one of them is extremely attractive, well, she reminds herself that she's not in the market for romance. Is she? And anyway, her time in the shop is temporary…
Encounters with quirky customers are interesting: the notes they write when testing her fountain pens prompt discussion and are worthy of her pinboard. A friendless schoolboy who loves fountain pens and chess, a policeman unhappy with his handwriting, a beautiful young woman recalling an Italian penfriend: Jo manages to helpfully direct their course. One enthusiast advises her on inks.
But it's some of the regular or repeat customers, of which there are increasingly more, who have her truly intrigued. Soberly dressed Malcolm Buswell knows her from her childhood visits, buys and fills notebooks, and is writing a book, but remains reticent about the subject matter.
Ruth Hamilton is a vicar mysteriously absent from her parish whose remarks are perceptive and astute, and something she says spurs Jo on to try to repair the disconnect with her best friend by taking up one of her fountain pens, selecting the right paper, and writing a proper letter. Is she seeking forgiveness for something she tries to avoid thinking about?
As the story progresses, firm friendships form and Jo finds herself going for a December swim at Hampstead swimming ponds to commemorate a Spitfire Girl, contributing to an intriguing literary project and, eventually reconnecting with her best friend. The new friendships have profound effects on each of them, allowing them to reveal their troubling secrets.
Eventually, "Jo knows what it is that Ruth brings to people. What she carries as a precious gift, along with her bottle of wine, to the sick, the dying, the bereaved, the frightened. It is not her belief in God. It is hope." Will Jo lose these precious new relationships when her stint at Taylor's ends?
There's plenty of wisdom and insight in this tale, but also a good dose of humour. Always direct, Reverend Ruth occasionally comes out with delightful surprises: "'On the way here, I walked behind a young man smoking a really powerful spliff. I was so annoyed,' she says. 'He went so quickly that I had to walk really, really fast to keep up with him.' She breathes in deeply, smiling, 'And now,' she concludes, with a sway from one foot to the other, 'I'm feeling rather mellow.'" Funny, moving, heart-warming.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK.
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Details
- Bookseller
- OVERSEAS BOOKSTORE
(IN)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 9780008612870
- Title
- THE BOOK OF BEGINNINGS, ENGLISH, PAPER BACK
- Author
- Page, Sally
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 3
- ISBN 10
- 0008612870
- ISBN 13
- 9780008612870
- Publisher
- HARPER COLLINS
- Keywords
- THE BOOK OF BEGINNINGS, Page, Sally, HARPER COLLINS, 9780008612870
Terms of Sale
OVERSEAS BOOKSTORE
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About the Seller
OVERSEAS BOOKSTORE
Biblio member since 2021
New Delhi
About OVERSEAS BOOKSTORE
OVERSEAS BOOKSTORE is an independent bookstore open for 10 years. We sell on the internet to locations across the world. The basis for the bookstore is simple. It's all about passion for reading and finding new books. We wrap carefully and ship all orders the same day or the next business day.
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- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...