Ellie and the Harpmaker: from the no. 1 bestselling Richard & Judy author

by Hazel Prior

__________

‘Wow, what a love story. Uplifting and full of heart. I couldn’t put it down!’
Jo Thomas, author of Late Summer in the Vineyard


Meet Ellie. She’s perfectly happy living her quiet life with her husband, Clive. Happy to wander the Exmoor countryside and write the occasional poem that nobody will read; happy to dream of all the things she hasn't yet managed to do. Or is she?

Meet Dan. He thinks all he needs is the time and space to make harps in his isolated barn on Exmoor. He enjoys being on his own, far away from other people and – crucially – far away from any risk of surprises.

What Ellie and Dan don’t know yet, is that a chance encounter is about to change all of this.


‘A beautiful love song of a story, wonderfully told with a warm heart and much hope’
Phaedra Patrick, author of The Library of Lost and Found

• ISBN10: 1787630919
• ISBN13: 9781787630918
• Publish Date: 2 May 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 23 February 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Bantam Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

While wandering through the woods, Ellie happened upon the Harp Barn and Dan. He was compelled to gift her a harp in order to help her complete a task on her to-do before 40 list, and from there, a friendship was born.

This was a very sweet and charming story. I adored the setting, the harps, and Dan and Ellie.

Both characters seemed sort of lonely. Dan chose to live alone in the woods, making his harps, but Ellie appeared to be stuck in her life. Her husband kept a roof over her head, but his love was conditional and he kept her isolated from others.

The more I learned about Ellie, the more my heart ached for her. She suffered from emotional abuse throughout her life, and was convinced that she didn't deserve better. She would talk herself out of seeing her marriage for what it really was, and constantly put off her wants and desires for those of her husband's. I was very pleased to see Ellie take a chance and begin learning to play the harp in secret, though as the secrets piled up, things got precarious.

Dan was such a big-hearted and wonderful man! He didn't give his love and kindness away willy-nilly, but when he loved someone, he did so with his whole heart. He showed so much kindness to Ellie, and I was happy to see it, because this woman was thirsting for some positive human interaction. His love for his home and his craft was wonderful too, and I really enjoyed learning about both.

Though I would call this book quietly beautiful, the author also threw in some twists and turns to keep us on our toes. I wasn't sure about one of the major reveals, but I ended up really loving the way Prior let it all play out.

Overall: A wonderful story about friendship, seeing yourself through the eyes of others, and opening yourself to new possibilities.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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