Author: Phaedra Patrick
Date/year published: 2022
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: e-pub, read on Kindle, borrowed from local library through Libby
Why did I choose to read it: This book was on my TBR list for a while, mostly because the cover and words “book people” in the title intrigued me. Then when I read the description, I moved it up my TBR list.
Synopsis: Liv, a wife, mother of two, maid, and book lover who dreams of being a writer, lands a job housekeeping for her favorite reclusive author, Essie Starling. But when Essie dies suddenly, Liv learns Essie’s will stipulates that Liv finish her last book. As she begins writing, Liv learns things about herself, her relationships with her family, and the connection between her and Essie, the deceased author.
Thoughts:
The Messy Lives of Book People took me by surprise. Part mystery – how and why did Essie die? Why Liv? – part chic lit, I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read with interesting supporting characters. Liv grew, faced her own shortcomings, delt with her family’s financial troubles and empty-ish nest, as her relationship with Essie progressed. The scenes were well written, easy to visualize, and the dialog flowed well. Plus, I enjoyed the premise – I mean, seriously?! What would you do if your favorite author died and their last wish was that you finish their final manuscript? You’d be overwhelmed, too.
But it irked me, a lot. I almost didn’t bother finishing it. There’s a life-changing event in Liv’s childhood that shaped the rest of Liv’s life (that’s why it’s called life-changing, after all). This event plays a role in the twist, and, speaking as someone who experienced a very similar event, I found it unbelievable that she could ruminate on the event so often, but not know the date or even time of year in which it occurred. This made the twist easy for me to see coming.
However, criticizing the book for this feels unjust. Grief is a strange thing. Everyone handles grief differently, time changes it, and I’m fairly certain many people block parts of their trauma. Authors are required to write about many, many, things about which they may not be experts or have experienced – it’s the nature of telling a great story. They use research, personal experience, and the experiences of people they know. It is possible that Patrick felt the omission of the date, or general season, of the event in Liv’s memory was plausible. Who knows, for some people, maybe it is.
I realize this is a wishy-washy review. It was very hard to write without revealing spoilers. For that I apologize.
Would I re-read or recommend it?
Reread? Probably not.
Recommend? Depends on the person. I think, like me, some of my friends may see the twist coming and loose interest pretty quickly, despite the entertaining bits.
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