The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins is an adult magical realism novel about a small town and the families who live there.
Dove Pond in North Caroline is a small town with a lot of character. It is a special town and it is said that whenever the Dove family has seven daughters, the town is extra lucky. And it’s a good thing that time is now because Dove Pond desperately needs a little bit of luck.
Sarah Dove is that seventh daughter and she believes in the possibility of magic. She herself can hear books in her head and the often tell her who in the town needs to read them, if not always why. Recently, the books have been agitated and Sarah believes the famous Dove luck is finally going to rear it’s head.
Grace Wheeler is new in town; arriving after the death of her sister left her with a second grader and a aging foster mother with dementia to care for. Only intending to stay in Dove Pond for a year, Grace has no urge to make friends and is all but unwilling to integrate into town life in any way. That is until her job as town clerk forces her to join the town social committee, where she learns that Dove Pond is in serious trouble.
Will Sarah’s seventh daughter, Dove luck strike in time to save the town? Will Grace open up to the possibilities the town has to offer? And finally, will a town that has depending on luck for so long, come together to save their home in time?
Magical realism is my go to, light read genre. It’s generally about a small town with something special/magical about it’s people or the town in general and the magic fits seamlessly into reality without much fuss. The Book Charmer fits all of these boxes perfectly. I actually even finding myself wanting more of the magic and less of the realism if I am being honest.
I loved that Sarah’s books talked to her but in a way that both believers and unbelievers in magic can appreciate. Sarah was my favorite character but I liked Grace’s story better. I enjoyed the tension and build between Trav and Grace and I just liked the feel of the towns people.
Other than wanting a little more magic, my only other complaint was that there were quite a few loose threads that didn’t even need to be there… unless there is going to be a sequel. As of right now nothing is posted on Goodreads about a sequel. Sarah’s story-line specifically, was never concluded and I felt like I was let in on a secret without any context whatsoever.
So for now, this one get a low 4 stars from me. Maybe more if there is a sequel.
That’s all for now!
-M-