The Library: the uplifting and feelgood page-turner you need to read in 2023!

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I love to read books with characters of many ages, especially if a older character (over 70 years old) is included as a main focus. That is the case with this story, as Maggie, 72 years and Tom, a teenager meet and develop a very special friendship that both of them need badly. A story that was deeply moving, and ultimately uplifting... Definitely recommended - it was one of my best reads this year' -- Janet Gover Tom and his father have lived alone since his mother died when he was a child. With his father working shifts trying to make ends meet, they don’t see much of each other and live a very humble lifestyle with a quiet routine. I absolutely loved this book. Heart-warming with genuine characters, the plot pulled me in and I was rooting for the library every step of the way. A great tonic for the times and highly recommended!' – Talli Roland

ABOUT 'THE LIBRARY': Two different generations. Two unusual people. Thrown together to save their local library.For a lonely, socially awkward teen, this book shows how life can get better. We see Tom slowly becoming more confident, even though it does remain quite the struggle. We watch as he learns to stand up for himself in so many ways. I am not going to breathe another word about the trajectory of the story, but so taken was I with The Library‘s overarching themes of friendship and land ownership that I’ve sought out a few other uplifting books with farming in the mix.

A story that was deeply moving, and ultimately uplifting ... Definitely recommended - it was one of my best reads this year' -- Janet Gover So, just to clarify, I LOVED this book. Tom and Maggie were delightful, their story made me both laugh and cry.Even someone as socially awkward as sixteen year old Tom can find a sense of equilibrium just entering the quiet, calming space of his local library. He can be comfortably invisible here whilst still interacting in social activities. Out of necessity, Tom rediscovers reading, something he used to enjoy with his mum. He also discovers the library. Where he meets Maggie. They each set out to prove that the library isn't just about books - it's the heart of their community.

Bob Mortimer wins 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex Maggie and Tom meet at the library after Tom's dad smashes his x-box which seems like a tragedy at the time but which is probably the best thing that ever happened to him, because he starts reading again, something he hasn't done since his mum died. Now for the book: At the heart of it, it’s less about saving the village library, though that’s the plot device that introduces characters and moves events along, but more about the unlikely friendship between Tom, a 16-year-old socially awkward boy who lost his mother, and Maggie, a spunky, independent 72-year old widow who lost her son. These are two people who, each in their own way, desperately need the other. Genres: Contemporary, Family & Relationships, Fiction, Fiction / General, Fiction / Women, Great Britain, Small Town & Rural, Women The Library is a beautifully uplifting story full of wit, warmth and tender moments, with community at its heart and characters you truly care about' - Cressida McLaughlinTom is watching his once happy dad, Paul, spiral downward into alcoholism and debt, increasingly neglecting his duties as a father while pressuring Tom to give up his university dream to get a factory job. Maggie is maintaining a sheep farm by herself and dealing with the isolation and loneliness that can come with age and circumstance. She also has a secret from her past involving her son - the mystery of which plays throughout the story. Tom and Maggie find each other through the library, but their friendship grows as Maggie becomes a defacto mother to Tom during the worst of his father’s decline. Such a heart-warming and thought-provoking novel! A touching tale of true friendship, overcoming adversity and the genuine joy books can bring to our lives' - Jill Mansell Maggie has been happily alone for ten years, at least this is what she tells herself. When Tom comes to her rescue after a library meeting, never did she imagine a friendship that could change her life. As Maggie helps Tom navigate the best way to ask out Farrah, Tom helps Maggie realize the mistakes of her past won’t define her future. Tom Harris is 16 and about to sit his GCSEs, he’s invisible and likes it that way. His mum died when he was in year two and now it’s just him and his dad and he’s spiralling down so their home is not a happy place. Tom likes Farah Shah, she is a popular girl, out of his league but he decides one day to go to the library in the hope of clapping eyes on her. When Tom‘s dad ‘kills his Xbox’ the library and books becomes his solace. Maggie is 72, she is a pivotal member of the library book club and a mugging on her way home from the club brings Tom to her rescue and thus begins a burgeoning across the age divide friendship and a fight to save the library from closure.

The main characters, Tom and Maggie, are both keeping secrets from themselves and the world. These secrets lie at the heart of the story, despite them being at such different stages of life, they are both afraid to confront what is right in front of them. Tom and Maggie are existing in their lives, not really ‘living’, simply waking up and living the routine they are accustom too through their circumstances. Maggie attends book club at the library every Saturday, as a means of getting out and having social interaction. Tom never goes to the library, until a row with his dad forces him there. Maggie is fascinated by the young boy who becomes hooked on romance novels (but won’t admit it), and Tom is drawn to the warmth and stable presence Maggie provides.This book covers some serious issues, loneliness, bullying, grief and alcoholism. Bella writes with knowledge and empathy. The reader is dragged through some very raw reality, but the light balances the shade in this story. Christine the librarian has received word that their library may soon be closed. So there is the fight for the library that both of them are involved in, but that is almost second place in this story. A touching story of a friendship between a troubled teenager, a yoga-practising farming woman in her seventies and a local library. A delight' -- Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Fforde Overall, I really liked the story and if you’re looking for a new character duo to love, you just might love Maggie and Tom! But when the library comes under threat of closure, it’s up to Tom and Maggie to rally the community and save the library!