Chelsea
Written on Aug 16, 2016
The International Bestseller
Sara is 28 and has never been outside Sweden – except in the (many) books she reads. When her elderly penfriend Amy invites her to come and visit her in Broken Wheel, Iowa, Sara decides it’s time. But when she arrives, there’s a twist waiting for her – Amy has died. Finding herself utterly alone in a dead woman’s house in the middle of nowhere was not the holiday Sara had in mind.
But Sara discovers she is not exactly alone. For here in this town so broken it’s almost beyond repair are all the people she’s come to know through Amy’s letters: poor George, fierce Grace, buttoned-up Caroline and Amy’s guarded nephew Tom.
Sara quickly realises that Broken Wheel is in desperate need of some adventure, a dose of self-help and perhaps a little romance, too. In short, this is a town in need of a bookshop.
- ISBN10 0701189061
- ISBN13 9780701189068
- Publish Date 18 June 2015
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 26 July 2016
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Vintage Publishing
- Imprint Chatto & Windus
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 384
- Language English
Reviews
Joséphine
Written on Apr 14, 2016
MurderByDeath
Written on Apr 1, 2016
I have a lot of thoughts about this book, all swirling around in my head avoiding cohesiveness.
This is not a gripping or exciting book and it isn't a faced-paced one either. This is a slow moving book and I suspect it's appeal is going to be limited to those readers who have more than a little bit of the characters inside themselves.
I'm one of those readers; as much as my RL friends would say I'm outspoken and intolerant of crap, a lot of me shares a lot with the Broken Wheel characters, or I have at some point in my life. So while I can't say this book emotionally moved me or cause me to think Profound Thoughts, I did connect with it and enjoy the story.
3 things that nagged at me:
1. As lovely as the idea of sharing/selling Amy's books might be, all I could think about was "who inherited those books, and are they ok with you liquidating the estate?!?" I'm assuming it's Tom, since no other relatives are ever mentioned, but never once is it brought up. What's the Swedish word for probate?
2. They misspelled Jane Austen's Sanditon (Sandition).
3. I forgot the third thing, dammit. Obviously something huge.
On a side note, my copy is a UK edition, so the translation from the original Swedish used UK words and idioms, which I thought was kind of funny for a story set in the middle of corn-field Iowa.
All in all, a book I enjoyed.
Beth C.
Written on Jan 18, 2016
Some books are like a roller-coaster ride, constantly in motion. Others are like a country amble, where things just move at their own pace and are much more relaxed. 'The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend' is in the second category. It's a lovely tribute to all things books, but also to love, friendship, and the power of change.
This would be a perfect book for a rainy day, snuggled under a blanket with a cup of tea, and maybe even a fire in the fireplace. Nothing forced or rushed, but simply a lovely story to enjoy while relaxing away from other cares. It's the kind of story that can find a home with just about any book lover, regardless of their preferred genre. Well worth the read!
Lianne
Written on Jul 23, 2015
From the all-things-books vantage point, this book was a delight. You can almost play a little game with all of the titles that the book mentions–which ones you’ve read, which ones you recognise–not to mention some terrific new recommendations to check out (I’ve never been interested in picking up Henry David Thoreau’s Walden until now). And we book readers & lovers can definitely relate with some of Sara and Amy’s sentiments about books and reading and everything about it (love that Sara has a suitcase of books and carries a book with her everywhere and can sit for hours just reading–we all know this). Their penpal friendship, spanning oceans, and their bond over books is such a terrific highlight, and having Amy’s letters interject between chapters is a wonderful way of bringing the character to the fold even though she is no longer present amongst the other characters.
The story itself was interesting enough, especially when focusing on Sara’s journey in discovering Broken Wheel and making her way through it and the quirky collection of inhabitants that live in the small town. However, the subplots concerning some of their romances didn’t quite interest me as much as Sara’s story; so much so that I think if some of their stories had been trimmed or not touched on at all, the overall novel might’ve been tighter :3
Speaking of romances, I’m not sure what to make of Sara and Tom’s odd relationship. It has all of the makings of a romance that I’d enjoy–opposites attract/surprise to find them falling for the other, obvious obstacles along the way, the town trying to play matchmaker and the two aren’t so game, etc–and yet it felt like something was missing. Tom’s quite the foil against Sara’s character: he’s definitely not a reader, he’s very serious and doesn’t seem to relax much, he was actually quite the Mr. Darcy when Sara first met him with a extra shot or two of Mr. Knightley’s grumpiness. I think it has to do with the way the scenes play out; there’s just not enough moments between them to convey a softer edge to Tom’s personality–or more to his personality at all–to convince me that maybe their relationship will work or for me to root for them entirely.
Overall, I enjoyed The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommends. From the perspective of everything books, it was a delightful read that other book lovers will sure to understand and relate to. The rest of the story was all right, namely from Sara’s story, but I didn’t quite connect with the other inhabitants enough to quite as enjoy their respective subplots. The overall story does take a turn for Green Card but otherwise it was still an enjoyable read.
Final rating: 3.5/5
Terri M. LeBlanc
Written on Jul 11, 2015
Sara was my favorite part of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. She reminded me of myself. A young woman waiting for life to sweep her off her feet, taking comfort in her books and trying desperately to overcome her introvert ways to connect with others.
Sara was also a bookworm so the book is swimming with quotes about reading and books. I wished that the eARC was not a PDF so I could have more easily highlighted my favorites and referenced them later.
Sara creates a bit of a revolution in the small town of Broken Wheel. The fallout of her arrival is somewhat predictable, but enjoyable. There’s an easy way with Bivald’s writing that allows you to be carried along with the story—smiling, laughing and frowning—along with the characters. There’s a little bit of everyone in the characters that populate Broken Wheel. And taking a break from my heavier reads is welcome adventure a couple times a year.
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend will appeal to a wide range of readers. This could qualify as a summer beach read. Bookworms will appreciate Amy’s and Sara’s love of books and their reverence for the written word. Lovers of romance will enjoy Sara’s journey and Caroline’s adventures. I suspect most readers will want to find Broken Wheel and spend a few hours in Amy’s Bookstore talking with Sara, Tom and George. I know that I do.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews