by Shelly King
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Kindle Edition: 256 pages
Kindle Price: $9.99
Love finds for us what we do not know we want. —Henry
“In the tradition of The Cookbook Collector comes a funny, romantic novel about a young woman finding her calling while saving a used bookstore.
Maggie Duprès, recently “involuntarily separated from payroll” at a Silicon Valley start-up, is whiling away her days in the Dragonfly’s Used Books, a Mountain View institution, waiting for the Next Big Thing to come along.
When the opportunity arises for her to network at a Bay Area book club, she jumps at the chance-even if it means having to read Lady Chatterley’s Lover, a book she hasn’t encountered since college, in an evening. But the edition she finds at the bookstore is no Penguin Classics Chatterley-it’s an ancient hardcover with notes in the margins between two besotted lovers of long ago. What Maggie finds in her search for the lovers and their fate, and what she learns about herself in the process, will surprise and move readers.
Witty and sharp-eyed in its treatment of tech world excesses, but with real warmth at its core, The Moment of Everything is a wonderful read.”
I was pleasantly surprised at how relate-able and real Maggie’s character felt. She’s a confident, strong-willed and intelligent young lady that’s trying to make her way in the world. She loves sinking her teeth into fun and flirty romance novels and can knock out two or three a day. I think there’s nothing quite like spending the day in a comfy chair getting tangled up in a thrilling novel and I enjoyed reading about Maggie’s days spent at the ‘Dragonfly Used Books’ store. Reading a novel about someone reading novels, made me want to go and read even more!
She hasn’t quite figured out her life; she can barely make rent, she has no job and her mother divides her time between sending Maggie furniture and trying to get her to move home. Her life is amusing and King introduces a handful of wonderful and inspiring characters. One of my favorite characters in Maggie’s life is Hugo, the owner of the Dragonfly and Maggie’s housemate. He seems like the type of man you’d want to have in your life, not as a romantic interest, but as a truly wonderful character that makes life compelling.
To say that Maggie isn’t exactly an expert when it comes to love and relationships would be an understatement. Her last boyfriend was an iOS coder; they dated for two years and then he moved away without even mentioning that she should move with him. “Marriage had always seemed like some distant event to me, like that extra ten pounds people always say they’re going to lose.” When a new guy, Rajhit enters her life, Maggie is determined to keeps things casual. They have an elusive relationship and he plays a unique role in her life.
When Maggie finds herself tagging along with her best friend Dizzy to a book club, an old copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover falls into her hands. Intrigued and inspired by the hand-written notes in the margins throughout the tattered novel, Maggie begins to make changes in her life and learns a great deal about herself and those close to her in the process. “The words that Henry and Catherine wrote to each other were ones I’d heard a thousand times in books, but I never knew people really said such things to each other.”
Throughout the novel, there are underlining themes that make you think about the way that you live your own life. “I know you’re afraid. I’m afraid, too. But fear isn’t real. It’s just emotion mixed with memory. Fear is only dangerous if it keeps us from what we want. And I want you. -Henry” Themes of fear, love and laughter are the core of one’s being and how you live your life.
The Moment of Everything is a heart-felt novel packed with love, learning and the twists and turns that life throws your way. King’s written words are beautifully descriptive and her story is one that you will want to experience for yourself.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of Shelly King’s novel!
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