The Reading Room

by Ruth Hamilton

Leanne Chalmers has made a career for herself presenting her own style of home decorating and design on the nation's screens. That was her past life, at least. For now Leanne has been forced to start again as Lily, leaving her name, job, and marriage behind. No one in the Lancashire village of Eagleton has a clue about Lily, save that she's come up from the South West with her best friend and a small child. But it’s hard to lead a solitary existence in a small place, and Lily and Babs are swiftly embraced by some of the local characters: Mike, the Catholic priest, who the girls can't help noticing is easy on the eye; Eve, a Liverpudlian, who has a big mouth but a heart of gold; the hairdressers Paul and Maurice; and Dave and his love, Philly, both shy yet determined not to be cowed by Dave’s mother, the domineering matriarch of the village. Soon, Lily's new life is full of promise and as she joins Dave's reading room, a shop come café and library, she begins to relax. But then Eve is wounded in a burglary, and suddenly, Lily is afraid that her secret is out: her husband Clive may have discovered where she is, and, having left her for dead before, is now out to kill her.

Genres: Family Saga, Fiction

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ruth Hamilton was one of North West England's most popular writers. She was the bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including Spinning Jenny, The Bells of Scotland Road, Mulligan's Yard, Mersey View and That Liverpool Girl. She was born in Bolton, which is the setting for many of her novels, and spent most of her life in Lancashire.

(source: http://www.panmacmillan.com/author/ru...)

Reviews

[Tracey- Jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

sadly a very boring read. trouble is I can never not finish a book.

[L Barlow · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the style of writing annoying. The characters are flimsy and don't so much converse as bat witty banter back and forth. The storyline was mediocre and I couldn't believe in the characters. Sometimes the writing was clunky. There was a lot of emphasis on where the people were from. They would be referred to as "the Liverpool woman" etc. I realise that this author has published many, many books and people love them but this just wasn't meaty enough for me. I later googled Ruth Hamilton and found she wrote scripts for soap operas and it all became clear - it reads more like a soap script, lots of dialogue and a plot light enough to be resolved in one 30 minute episode.

[Sara Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite sure why the title of this book is The Reading Room as nothing really happened there? The premise was good if a little predictable, but it was never developed, and there was no tension as everything got resolved easily. Not the worst book I’ve read but not far from it.

[Doris G]

The tag for this book could be the same as for "The Missing Wife": Woman runs from violent ex and is saved by the village folk. Making allowances for the genre, it was an enjoyable read. At the start, I found the Who's Who a bit much to take in, but then I really felt involved with the characters. The puzzle pieces fell together a bit too neatly to be believable -- the central characters having mutually complementary jobs and talents that save one or other person from lesser or bigger harm or troubles at just the right time -- but overall the information about why Leanne/Lily is in hiding was revealed at about the right pace to keep me reading. And yes, maybe this kind of book has predictable plots, but the detail was still sufficiently unexpected and gave me an enjoyable afternoon, and I liked that over the course of the story several people rethought their priorities in life and moved from habits of misery to being valued members of the community. And unlike in "The Elephant Girl", I found the good guy who's involved in little illegal dealings no less believable than the other characters. Yes, ok, it's all a bit smoother than real life, but what's wrong with a feelgood book? I'd love it if in real life women who suffer domestic violence could find a bunch of friends like Leanne/Lily did. Maybe stories like this could inspire more actual people to become those friends? Here's hoping.

[R · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book desperately, desperately needed an Editor. The story was ok, although it was a bit too easy. The story and characters have the potential to be interesting, but only if the writing had been better and better edited.
An example: 'She didn't believe the words she had just framed and expelled.' What? Just say 'the words she said.' And every second sentence is written like this, which is tiresome and gets in the way of telling the story. There is information completely unrelated to the story and the situation plonked into the text. Why? To make the author sound like she knows stuff? I don't know. Also, it gets preachy in places, like she's trying to convert the reader about certain points.
I rarely give negative reviews but this one made me so angry. I struggled to finish the book, and only because I hate leaving books unfinished. Read only if you can get over this kind of writing.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book.
There were some really quirky characters that added some comic relief to the stress of constant dread and fear that would sneak in to rob Lily of joy and hope as her painful past crept close. Thankfully, many in the village gathered round her to not only encourage and support her but to help her chose life over fear. So much happened in such a short time, which seemed a bit far fetched, but the good that came out of the bad in the long run was wonderful for the entire community.
Kind of reminded me of Karon's Mitford series with the omniscient perspective. I love being able to get a feeling for not just the action, but what is going on in people's heads and hearts.
Well written!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story put me in mind of Maeve Binchy mixed with Gillian Flynn.

There is a lovely village in Lancashire that has welcomed two women and one little girl who are fleeing a tragedy. Their pasts are slowly revealed while the lives of the village inhabitants are explored.

The venomous old lady who watches from her upstairs window has left her long-suffering son in sole charge of The Reading Room. Two gay hairdressers entertain the locals, while the modern priest attempts to get everyone involved in a theatre production.

What with villains running around, a hero canine and a surprise pregnancy and wedding, this was a fun read.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at our library sale , a large print edition , and I am so glad I did . A great story about women forced to start a new life in another town in Lancashire . They are well accepted in the village and they begin to relax and believe they can move on from past events .It is a nicely constructed book with strong characters and a modern theme. It will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys family life and small communities. I have not read anything by Ruth Hamilton before but I will be looking for further work by her.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this, although I think it is wrongly titled. It doesn't focus much on the Reading Room. The characters are warm and appealing, and it is a lovely story, despite the awful tragedy. A very good read. 😁🚨📖

[Nisha Muchhala · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story could've been amazing. But the lack of backstory and background makes it hard to follow and the characters are more two-dimensional than they should have been.

[Maxine Purdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is light and frothy, completely predictable and lacked depth of characterisation. The whole story left me cold and it was just all too easy.

[Fionna Cairney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book in the end was a little boring to start with but in the end a good story with some very quirky characters

[Rowlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read.

[John]

Good book

Well written, really enjoyed the story line, justice will prevail. Heart warming beautiful setting and descriptions will be reading more from this auth or.

[Chiquita Moston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous with believable characters

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reading Room is a bookstore/cafe in a little village near Bolton, which is in Lancashire. The book tells the stories of a group of villagers most of whom live and work in the centre of the village in little shops or, in one case, the parish Catholic priest as well.

Leanne has run from a life that nearly ended in her death and is living in the village and running a flower shop and going by the name Lily. Her best friend and her friend's daughter are there as well. Nobody knows their past.

There's Dave, who runs the bookshop and his dominating mother, Enid, who sits by the window in the flat over the shop and watches the comings and goings with an eagle eye. Philly, a plain but kind woman, helps him in the bookstore. There's Eve and her husband originally from Liverpool. They're quite lively. Father Mike is good looking and may be headed for his own life change. Paul and Maurice run the salon together with their lodger Sally but things aren't as they seem there, either.

It's light, easy reading, likeable characters, dislikeable ones, it's fairly predictable as well. The nasty that Lily/Leanne is running from comes back after her of course and there's a happy ending for all, also expected. I liked the book, it was nicely written, and i found the characters engaging.

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was slow to start, it is very 'English' as it's set in an English village. Everyone knows everyone, the typical characters - nosy neighbours, a priest and religious citizens. But the story evolves and becomes engaging and interesting. New people join town but they are running from a terrible past, they shake up the village. The priest falls in love, the daggy son finds his other half and even the disable dog becomes a hero. I ended up enjoying this book. Predictable but enjoyable .

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book based on a small town of locals and they lives and interactions that revolve around them. Perfect read for the wet rainy weather experienced here in Auckland. Found the plot captivating and was hooked from the first page.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

A light read to enjoy on a lovely day off. I found the writing trite and timelines confused. Still managed to shed a tear and smile.

[A.B. Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars

Read my review here:
http://abshepherdsreinventedreader.bl...

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit more modern than I often read but even so a very good story.

[Michelle Ohara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story, really enjoyed it

[Megan Ratcliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read from RH. Just live her books.

[Macklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have fallen in love with this town's reading room. I want one just like it.

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reads like a script for a made-for-tv movie. Although it touches on some fairly heavy topics it still has a light feel to it.