The Lonely Hearts Book Club
by Lucy Gilmore
Buy on AmazonSloane Parker lives a small, contained life as a librarian in her small, contained town. She never thinks of herself as lonely…but still she looks forward to that time every day when old curmudgeon Arthur McLachlan comes to browse the shelves and cheerfully insult her. Their sparring is such a highlight of Sloane's day that when Arthur doesn't show up one morning, she's instantly concerned. And then another day passes, and another. Anxious, Sloane tracks the old man down only to discover him all but bedridden...and desperately struggling to hide how happy he is to see her. Wanting to bring more cheer into Arthur's gloomy life, Sloane creates an impromptu book club.…
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"It’s a classic trope: Sweet woman meets grumpy man, and after a series of twists and turns, they realize how much they need each other. You probably have an idea where this is going, but you’re probably only halfway right. Sloane is a young librarian who gets into daily arguments about books with an old curmudgeon named Arthur. When Arthur stops coming around the library for a few days, Sloane risks her job by looking up his address to track him down. When she gets there, she finds him bedridden and alone. Wanting to keep a close eye on him, she starts a book club with him and a few other misfits, much to his chagrin. It turns out they all need each other, but for different reasons. And if you think you know what happens, that doesn’t take away from the journey of this sweet story."
NPR Books We Love — 2023 · apps.npr.org