fiction
Violet is 22 years old and was just released from almost two years in prison. She coincidentally runs into the woman who volunteers as the manager of the book club for the prisoners. This relationship outside of jail becomes pivotal for Violet’s post-incarceration life.
What a joy! I must admit that the summary of this book didn’t sound overly appealing to me but I was pleasantly surprised! Violet, Harriet, and Frank were all so endearing. I love a good “second chances” story and How to Read a Book hooked me. The secondary story about research into avian intelligence, particularly African grey parrots, was also extremely interesting.
I made time to listen to this feel-good novel. Some sensitive topics were handled well. While the Monica Wood didn’t sugar coat things, she also didn’t sensationalize these topics. The circumstances felt authentic. I thought her points were made in a thought-provoking way.
I’m not thrilled about the title of this novel. While we do learn Harriet’s advice on how to read a book, I don’t view books, or how to read them, as the main focus of Violet’s story depicted in this novel. Rather, this title makes it just another one of those “book/library-titled” novels whose names all run together. What a shame.
The audiobook was fabulous with Eileen Stevens as the narrator. She has a wonderful vocal repertoire and is a terrific voice actor. She even voiced talking parrots! Even though she could’ve really wowed me if she’d actually sung the songs in the story, I still give her an A+.
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