Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Pages: 288 pages
Published: June 2024
Published: June 2024
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood was the monthly selection for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. The relatively short story is a poignant one that touches on the themes of grief, friendship, redemption, and not necessarily how to read a book but how to a live a meaningful life. The protagonist, Violet, a young woman convicted of a deadly crime is released from prison. At a crossroads in her life, she develops a friendship with Harriet, the retired schoolteacher who facilitated the prison book club program in which Violet participated. While Violet is trying to figure out her life outside of prison, Harriet is trying to figure out what her life will look like in her third act. Both women’s lives collide with Frank’s, the widow and victim of Violet’s crime. Over the course of the nearly 300 page novel, Wood presents a thoughtful, honest story of friendship and what it means to live a worthy life.
I completed this novel in just a few days. The pace is fast, and the plot is engaging. Because a portion of the book is centered around the prison book club and the local, independent bookstore, there is quite a bit of book chatter and recommended titles throughout the reading. The author also does a beautiful job of presenting points for reader reflection in beautifully composed sentences. And as a lover and collector of words, I enjoyed those parts of the book the most!
“Amazon is the devil,” Harried informed not only Baker but whoever might be listening. She slid her credit card across the counter. “The Nazis worked with more subtlety.” - p. 20
Was this the fate of adults on the threshold of their dotage? To be turned into children by children? - p.37
A squawk of laughter came loose from On High, and Frank suddenly hated all young people, who thought they knew all things and in fact knew only some things. - p. 53
Women left prison physically diminished, but in Violet that diminishment seemed of a different order, as if the part of God that is said to dwell in all creatures had flown from her, only to perch somewhere nearby, awaiting reentry. -p. 82
Perhaps it’s an oddity of human nature to judge women more harshly. Or maybe we expect so little of men, their transgressions don’t register the same. - p. 150
Apologies require acceptance … But as I understand it, forgiveness flows in one direction only. - p. 177
The writer writes the words. The given reader reads the words. And the book, the unique and unrepeatable book, doesn’t exist until the given reader meets the writer on the page. - p. 235
Even the least eventful life holds an avalanche of stories. Any one of mine would give you a fair impression of who I was and how I lived. But the one I chose—the one that now composes this epitaph—isn’t a story at all. It’s what Harriet would call the meanwhile, the important thing that was happening while the rest of the story moved along. My name was Violet Powell. I took a life. I lived and died. Meanwhile, I was loved. - p. 273
Recommendation: This is my first Monica Wood read, and I found that she packs an emotional punch in an efficient number of pages. I think she is an author I would read again, perhaps even returning to this particular story when I need something that reads like a cup of warm cocoa tastes on a cold winter night.
Until next time ... Read on!
Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.
Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.
