Review: The Book Charmer

Book written by Karen Hawkins, published 2019.

The Dove family has always been special. Not only were they the founders of the idyllic town of Dove Pond, North Carolina, there’s also an inexplicable sort of magic that runs in the family. Throughout the town’s history, whenever Dove Pond faced disaster, a Dove daughter was there to mysteriously save the town from ruin. This time around, that destiny seems to fall to the town librarian, Sarah Dove.

The books speak to Sarah, almost like they have souls of their own, reaching out to touch hers. This special gift means that Sarah can serve the members of her community in ways no one else can: She knows which books each of her neighbors needs and they often prove helpful in unexpected ways. Sarah knows that something is wrong in her town—the books have told her that much—but Sarah isn’t sure exactly what’s wrong or how she can help. Her only hint is that the family that just moved in down the street is the key.

Grace Wheeler has many reasons to be angry. After her sister’s death and her foster mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, circumstances demanded that Grace leave her dream job in Charlotte, pack up her mother and her eight-year-old niece, and move to Dove Pond of all places. Grace is determined to only stay in Dove Pond for a year, as she isn’t fond of her new job as Town Clerk, the community gossip, her rickety old rental house, or her new neighbor, Travis Parker. Grace isn’t even fond of Sarah Dove, who might be the kindest person in town, but is also strangely determined that Dove Pond needs Grace as much as she needs it. When Grace receives a book from Sarah, she is mildly curious at best, but still refuses to believe what the rest of the town says about Sarah’s gift. But Sarah knows her books, and she believes that this one just might inspire Grace to help her save Dove Pond.

I wholeheartedly recommend this one to anybody that enjoys movies like Collateral Beauty. I bought it right after the first time I read it, and it’s one of my favorites now. It’s a story that centers around community and family and is a beautiful testament to how those two concepts can be one and the same. I had expected more magic and mystery from this one but was pleasantly surprised by how realistic the story was. There is a touch of magic in Sarah’s gift and the way she can read the town, but all of the characters deal with real-world problems that are terrifying to face in the every day. That subtle touch of something fantastic is what makes the story truly enjoyable in the face of so much hardship and uncertainty. It really is a simple, mesmerizing, heartfelt read, and I know all of my fellow bookworms will love it in some way or another. (Trust me on this one.😉)

This book is pretty clean. Minor profanity and some discussion about drug overdose, but there’s no violence or steamy romance. It’s definitely an appropriate read for young adults, but it will probably be more enjoyable for audiences nineteen and older simply due to the content.

Brace yourselves, here come the spoilers.

"You don't tell books what to do. They tell you."

One of my favorite things about this story is the pacing. The whole plot takes place over a few months, which felt like a realistic timeframe for Grace to acclimate to Dove Pond and develop a love for it. Plotlines that extend over a few months can sometimes feel slow and dragged out, but I didn’t feel that way with The Book Charmer. I didn’t feel that the story was slow or boring because I knew that every chapter was important. Everything I read had a purpose that moved the characters and the plot forward. Hawkins also wrote each scene in such a way that nothing felt rushed—not even the scene where Daisy, Linda, and Mama G disappear during the rainstorm. Hawkins allowed her characters plenty of time to breathe and work out their thoughts, giving the reader plenty of space to observe how the characters learn and grow. By the end of the book, I felt comfortable with the development of each character, but I could still see that they had more to do. Of course, I still have questions about how some of the details turn out, but I can leave Dove Pond knowing that the people I’ve watched and adored are going to be okay no matter what else comes, and that’s a pretty good happily ever after.

One of those details I want to know more about is Sarah and Blake! Their romance is definitely not as important to the story as Grace and Trav’s, but that’s what makes it suspenseful! I want to know just how badly Sarah humiliated herself, and I want to know if the pair of them will make it work! I’ve seen enough to make me think that they have a chance if they can just get out of their own way, but I still want to see it for myself. There is another Dove Pond book after this one; maybe there will be some closure for me there.

That being said, I do admire Grace and Trav’s relationship. I appreciated that Hawkins focused on developing the pair’s emotional and mental connection and kept their physical interaction minimal. (I don’t often see that in books geared toward an adult audience, so it was a breath of fresh air for me.) The emotional and mental connection was very soft-spoken to me, which I thought was unique to Hawkins’ story. Trav and Grace don’t open up to each other very deeply in conversation. They do talk a little bit, and they learn that the other is educated, sassy, and genuine, but a lot of their bonding comes from Trav’s acts of service. Trav can anticipate Mama G’s needs and can act on them without being asked. Grace watches how Trav interacts with her family, admires his gentleness, and even learns from his patience. They come closer together by quietly observing and communicating without words. It’s a whole new kind of wholesome relationship for me to obsess over, and I love it!

I honestly wish books spoke to me the way they speak to Sarah. It would be fun to be a little book fairy and drop off books to people who really need them, whether they think they need them or not. But I guess I’ll have to be content with my lot. It is pretty great, letting the books speak to me the way they do and sharing that with you guys. What's a book that speaks to you?