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Title details for With Love from London by Sarah Jio - Available

With Love from London

A Novel

by Sarah Jio
Gabrielle Glaister
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
When a woman inherits her estranged mother’s bookstore in London’s Primrose Hill, she finds herself thrust into the pages of a new story—hers—filled with long-held family secrets, the possibility of new love, and, perhaps, the single greatest challenge of her life.
When Valentina Baker was only eleven years old, her mother, Eloise, unexpectedly fled to her native London, leaving Val and her father on their own in California. Now a librarian in her thirties, fresh out of a failed marriage and still at odds with her mother’s abandonment, Val feels disenchanted with her life.
In a bittersweet twist of fate, she receives word that Eloise has died, leaving Val the deed to her mother’s Primrose Hill apartment and the Book Garden, the storied bookshop she opened almost two decades prior. Though the news is devastating, Val jumps at the chance for a new beginning and jets across the Atlantic, hoping to learn who her mother truly was while mourning the relationship they never had.
As Val begins to piece together Eloise’s life in the U.K., she finds herself falling in love with the pastel-colored third-floor flat and the cozy, treasure-filled bookshop, soon realizing that her mother’s life was much more complicated than she ever imagined. When Val stumbles across a series of intriguing notes left in a beloved old novel, she sets out to locate the book’s mysterious former owner, though her efforts are challenged from the start, as is the Book Garden’s future. In order to save the store from financial ruin and preserve her mother’s legacy, she must rally its eccentric staff and journey deep into her mother’s secrets. With Love from London is a story about healing and loss, revealing the emotional, relatable truths about love, family, and forgiveness.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 8, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593400494
      • File size: 329308 KB
      • Duration: 11:26:03

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 3, 2022
      Jio (All the Flowers in Paris) unfurls an extraordinary and heartfelt tale that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. When divorced librarian Valentina “Val” Baker inherits a London bookstore from her late estranged mother, Eloise, she leaves Seattle for a fresh start in England. Val has always been told that Eloise abandoned her when she was 12, but as the story—which toggles between Val’s present and Eloise’s past—evolves, both Val and the reader learn the story she grew up believing was a lie. As a young woman, Eloise was caught in a love triangle and only accepted a proposal from Frank, Val’s father, whom she did not love, because she was pregnant. After a miscarriage, the pair had Val, but Frank’s jealousy destroyed any chance Val and Eloise had of a relationship. Val discovers this history via a scavenger hunt her mother has set up for her through clues left in all her favorite books—and along the way she finds a love of her own. Jio’s expert characterization makes Eloise’s heartbreak, sacrifice, and love for her daughter palpable, and her masterful plotting will keep readers guessing until the end. This is sure to tug on readers’ heartstrings. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Brittany Pressley and Gabrielle Glaister alternate the narration of this heartwarming novel about family, friendship, and forgiveness. In her introduction, Jio states she wants to create a "cozy place" for listeners, and both narrators help realize this ambition. Pressley portrays Valentina, a recently divorced 30-something Seattle librarian who comes to London when she inherits a charming bookstore from her estranged mother, Eloise. Pressley's range is impressive as she navigates Valentina's conflicting emotions; ages her timbre for Eloise's best friend, Millie; and deepens her intonation for Valentina's competing love interests, Daniel and Eric. While listeners might benefit from a more definitive backstory on Eloise, Glaister effectively employs a careful intonation and cadence to depict her and deftly shifts tones and accents to portray supporting characters. M.J. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2022

      In Jio's (Flowers in Paris) newest, a librarian, a bookstore, and mother-daughter relationships take center stage. Valentina's journey is familiar, yet delightful, as she leaves a life dedicated to an undeserving person to a life dedicated to herself. Along the way she discovers why her mother, Eloise, abandoned her. Book lovers will especially enjoy the way reading is integral to Valentina's and Eloise's lives, and librarians may particularly love the demonstrations of readers' advisory skills tucked around their missions to start and save a bookstore. Aside from the bookstore plot, both women learn to find the power to follow their dreams--and perhaps find love along the way. Narrators Gabrielle Glaister and Brittany Pressley are pleasant and voice their main characters convincingly and sympathetically. Unfortunately, moving between point-of-view chapters makes it seem as if the past in the novel moves at a much slower pace than the present, since the narrators perform at noticeably different speeds. Additionally, both narrators voiced characters with accents in a manner that seemed off. VERDICT The book focus will delight, as will themes of healing and forgiveness.--Matthew Galloway

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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