The Old Book

by E.J. Williams

Bradley Johnson stands outside an antique book shop in Cambridge, England. Weighed down by life’s expectation, he trudges through each day, detached from his father and siblings: drifting further from his wife and the person he once was.
Gordon Andrews was the former head of English at Cambridge, and now the proud owner of an Antique bookshop. He shares his residence with his Canadian granddaughter Alex, a vibrant young woman and a student at Magdalene College.
The elderly bookstore owner has done his best to move on from a life dotted with sadness, but by chance he meets Bradley, and their families intertwine across two countries to raise secrets from the past.
Success as a Sydney-based lawyer has given Gabi Johnson everything she needs, except the courage to face her father as her true self. Outwardly confident, she is the person that holds the Johnsons together by the barest thread, her strength drawn from her mother Emily, the woman she always wanted to be.
The death of their father brings the siblings together in Australia for the funeral, but the passing of Robert senior is only the vehicle that moves the middles-aged Johnsons towards reconciling their pasts and confronting what they have become.

181 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2020

About the author

Author, E. J. Williams writes fictional stories about family; exploring the individual, while portraying the functional and dysfunctional within normal, everyday settings.
"Weakest Moments" and,"The Old Book", are two contemporary novels that are both moving and confronting, depicting the many faces of the modern family.

Reviews

[Kristina Aziz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely has a hook

The title is intriguing. The first chapter is wonderful and takes place in an old bookshop. Then the entire thing devolves into family drama. The author does have a penchant for settings--if you're a description kind of person, you'll love this book. But it isn't really about an old book. It's about old feuds and old people dying.

I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway

[Amy White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful read

'The Old Book' starts in Cambridge England in a beautiful opening scene and explores the relationships between family members still coming to terms with loss of their mother. I found the characters to have have depth, which brought a sense of emotion that was relateable to life. The story moves to Australia, and a few extra characters had me checking, but it is at this point that more is revealed about each person, which made the story intriguing. Overall a very good read.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won The Old Book as part of a Kindle Giveaway. It's a lovely story of how one object - a book - brings back memories and shows how 2 people can be more interconnected than they know. What I liked most was the way the author handled how the siblings handled their father's death. The passing of a parent seems to either make families closer or to tear them apart. It's nice to see the former rather than the latter for a change. A feel good story right when we need one. Read it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Old Book” tells the story of estranged siblings coming together at their father’s funeral. The two middle aged brothers and sister are questioning their past and future. I found the relationships interesting but occasionally became distracted by the many characters, families, friends, and changing point of view.

[Lyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story line but would have liked a little more at the end. A familiar tale of estranged family members coming together at the funeral of the patriarch and how an inheritance can change lives. I enjoyed the style of the author who paints delightful scenes, but found the changing of characters a little distracting at first. All in all an nice read.

[Jane Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book (The Old Book). The struggles between family members as they deal with the past and the present was given depth by the writers development of each character. A good story teller, who keeps an element of intrigue below the surface.

[Katrina Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my normal style (and I started it forever ago and had to restart it!) but I won this in a giveaway and gave it a try. It was a engaging read about a family and the dysfunction that we all have.

[Florence Fales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good beginning not so good ending.

The story is about a married man learning that his estranged father passed away. His marriage is slowly deteriorating. His daughter wants to go away to France with her boyfriend. Her parents say no. Bradley goes into a bookstore. Gordon owns it. Bradley asks Gordon of he can repair a book for him. It was Bradley's mothers.
Bradley leaves to go to Australia. He meets up with his brother Rob and Sister Gabi. The book was destroyed when Bradley and Rob had a fight. They all go to the funeral. Gabi is in charge of telling the boys what their father left them. Rob got the Farm in Australia and Bradley got money.
Bradley and his wife Karen divorce. Karen goes back to school. Their daughter lives with her dad. Bradley goes to France with Gordon.
All the people in the story are brought together. That's it. End of story.
I felt like there should have been more to story instead it was a prologue that left you wanting more