How to Read a Book

Monica Wood

The title is catchy, but this is not actually a book about how to read! It’s a heartwarming novel about forgiveness, second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of books.

The author, Monica Wood, brings a prison, a bookstore, and a science lab to life in such a way that we can easily picture ourselves in each location, but the greatest strength of this book is character development. We are immediately drawn into the lives of the three main characters. Violet Powell is a 22-year-old from rural Maine who is released from prison after serving 22 months for a drunk-driving accident that killed an older kindergarten teacher. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist who works part time as a bookstore handyman, has yet to come to terms with the complications of his marriage to the woman who died in the crash. Widow, Harriet Larson, is a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club. A chance encounter between these three becomes life-changing for each of them.

The characters are believable and imperfect, just like the rest of us! When Violet enters into an illicit affair with her much older employer, my first thought was “How stupid!” until I thought about how vulnerable she was and remembered some of the incredibly idiotic decisions that I made at a similar age.

This was a feel-good book, but also thought provoking. Now I have Monica Wood’s memoir, When We Were the Kennedys, on my Kindle, ready to read on our upcoming trip, but more about that in future posts!

And as a totally unrelated aside, many thanks to those of you who made donations to my Hoofing It fundraiser for neuroendocrine cancer research after reading my last post. Your generosity is very much appreciated!