Review: The Telephone Box Library

You know those books that leave you with the most wonderful comforting feeling? The Telephone Box Library was one of those books for me. Rachael Lucas' novel was absolutely delightful. I know I use that word an awful lot but it's the best word to describe my feelings on this book.

Here's the synopsis:

Books. Wine. Secrets. You'll find them all at the telephone box library . . .

The Cotswolds: the perfect retreat for a stressed-out teacher. And Lucy has found just the right cottage for a bargain rent. All she has to do is keep an eye on Bunty, her extremely feisty ninety-something neighbour . . .

With her West Highland terrier Hamish at her side, Lucy plans to relax and read up on the women of nearby Bletchley Park. But the villagers of Little Maudley have other ideas, and she finds herself caught up in the campaign to turn a dilapidated telephone box into a volunteer-run library.

Along the way, she makes friends with treehouse designer Sam, and finds herself falling for the charms of village life. And it seems Bunty has a special connection to Bletchley and the telephone box, one that she's kept secret for decades . . .

Now, I have a feeling this book came along for me at just the right time. I still think it's a really good book but circumstances made it that I was seeking a comforting read and I found it in this book. Circumstances being that I started - and finished - reading it the day after I was supposed to be starting a new job. But because of my quick trip to Scotland at the beginning of March and having to isolate because of COVID-19, I wasn't able to work until the following week. It was a really, really stressful time (it's all been stressful, let's be real) and I hoped this book would whisk me away to a quaint English village with a good story. And it did.

I will say there was far less wine involved than I expected based on the synopsis, but there were definitely books and secrets. Of course, Lucy definitely had a glass or two with the new friends she made in the tiny hamlet which was fun to read. She really had to come out of her city-life shell and embrace the quirks of the small town. Which, as you may expect, can be more easily accomplished with a glass of wine.

Oh, and the telephone box library! How cute is that idea? I loved how it kind of snowballed from one throw away idea to a full village project. It also shows a little bit how tiny towns are suffering when it comes to schools and libraries. It's one of those little takeaways from novels you don't always expect but is very important.

This wasn't a historical fiction by any means but I appreciated that Lucas took the time to shine a light on an interesting, and important, part of history and WWII, in particular. I think we all have an idea of Bletchley Park in our head and to see this side of things through Bunty's past was really lovely. 

The Telephone Box Library is a novel that's full of a lot of little, wonderful moments. Rachael Lucas tells the story of a town and a woman trying to find her place in it when life has hit her really hard. It's not groundbreaking but it's such a great read for when you need a break from the world and want to get lost in a place where everyone knows everyone and underneath the gossip is a lot of love.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*