The Littlest Library: A Novel

by Poppy Alexander

Overview

A heartwarming literary-themed novel about a woman who turns an ordinary red phone box into the littlest library in England and brings together a struggling town.

A little red telephone box full of stories, a chance to change her life...

Jess Metcalf is perfectly content with her quiet, predictable life. But when her beloved grandmother passes away and she loses her job at the local library, Jess’ life is turned upside down.

Determined to pick up the pieces, Jess decides it’s time for a new beginning. Unable to part with her grandmother’s cherished books, she packs them all up and moves to a tiny cottage in the English countryside. To her surprise, Jess discovers that she’s now the owner of an old red phone box that was left on the property. Missing her job at the local library, Jess decides to give back to her new community—using her grandmother’s collection to turn the ordinary phone box into the littlest library in England.

It’s not long before the books are borrowed and begin to work their literary magic—bringing the villagers together... and managing to draw Jess’ grumpy but handsome neighbor out of his shell.

Maybe it’s finally time for Jess to follow her heart, let go of her old life, and make the village her home? But will she be able to take the leap? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063216938
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	177,327
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Poppy Alexander wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying, and a bit of journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends, and life in her West Sussex village (think The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks), where she lives with her husband, children, and various other pets.

Editorial Reviews

★ 06/01/2022

Jess Metcalf and her grandmother were always a team. Losing her parents at age four meant Mimi became Jess's sole caregiver and confidante. When Mimi dies, 32-year-old Jess is jobless, alone, and ready to make some changes in her life. She puts her house on the market, then drives until she runs out of gas, ending up in the small English town of Middlemass. There she finds the perfect cottage; what she doesn't expect is the grouchy, very handsome neighbor Aidan, with whom she has a contentious first encounter. Nevertheless, Jess purchases the cottage and attends a rousing meeting with the town council concerning the phone box in her front yard, where she agrees to start a lending library, using the books she and Mimi collected. New friends, new kittens, and a new house give Jess newfound confidence, but will this bliss last? Or like everything in her life, will it all come crashing down? VERDICT Alexander's second novel (following 25 Days 'Til Christmas) is a fun, sassy jaunt. Readers will love Middlemass and the sweet people who live there.—Jane Blue

Library Journal

2022-04-27
After a bereavement, a young Englishwoman moves to a small village and figures out what she wants from life.

Jess Metcalfe has been contentedly floating through life, working at the local library, living with her beloved grandmother Mimi, and having regular video chats with her best friend, Hannah, who’s moved to New Zealand. In what seems like an instant, however, Mimi dies, the library closes, and Jess doesn’t know what to do with herself. On a whim, she buys a little cottage in the Devon village of Middlemass and finds herself with a daunting renovation ahead of her and an iconic—and abandoned—red telephone box that she's now responsible for out front. After attending a town meeting foisted on her by Aidan Foxworthy, her cute, single-dad neighbor, Jess finds herself setting up a tiny lending library inside the phone booth and watching as it slowly brings the whole community together. This is a novel about a village, and Alexander has created a group of colorful characters who each have their own charm—from Becky the harried mom to Diana the stylish retiree, Joan and Muriel the sniping neighbors (and possibly sisters?), and of course Aidan the attractive neighbor. While Jess is connected to everyone, the other character' stories mostly happen off the page, so a large part of the novel consists of villagers telling Jess what happened to them slightly earlier. Even during scenes where Jess is present, the reader is often simply told that she gave a speech and it was touching rather than being shown the speech itself. All this auxiliary plot leaves little time to dive into Jess’ main problem, which seems to come out of nowhere (as well as being something she should have foreseen from the start). Nevertheless, the book does charm, especially in its descriptions of the village.

A pleasant dramedy for people who want to retire to the country.

Kirkus Reviews

Listeners will never doubt that British narrator Karen Cass belongs in the Devonshire village of Middlemass and will feel as welcomed there as out-of-work librarian Jess Metcalf does. When Jess finds herself starting over after losing her beloved grandmother, she has no idea that her new cottage will offer the opportunity to create a library in the phone box on the property. This is a heartwarming story of the villagers forming connections with both the library’s books and with Jess herself. Cass’s facility with accents brings to life the variety of people in the village while allowing listeners to enjoy Jess’s friendships with her nosy neighbors and her wistful longing for the divorced father next door. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Listeners will never doubt that British narrator Karen Cass belongs in the Devonshire village of Middlemass and will feel as welcomed there as out-of-work librarian Jess Metcalf does. When Jess finds herself starting over after losing her beloved grandmother, she has no idea that her new cottage will offer the opportunity to create a library in the phone box on the property. This is a heartwarming story of the villagers forming connections with both the library’s books and with Jess herself. Cass’s facility with accents brings to life the variety of people in the village while allowing listeners to enjoy Jess’s friendships with her nosy neighbors and her wistful longing for the divorced father next door. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile