❥ Thank you for the free audiobook, PRH Audio.
Synopsis
Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren’t really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes—in a plain, green journal—the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It’s run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves–and soon find each other in real life at Monica’s café.
This book’s cast of characters—including Hazard, the charming addict who makes a vow to get sober; Alice, the fabulous mommy Instagrammer whose real life is a lot less perfect than it looks online; and their other new friends—is by turns quirky and funny, heartbreakingly sad and painfully true-to-life. It’s a story about being brave and putting your real self forward—and finding out that it’s not as scary as it seems. In fact, it looks a lot like happiness.
Thoughts
I have a few Clare Pooley books in my TBR due to their vibrant covers and interesting premises. This particular title has been on my bookshelf for about a year, so it was well overdue for a good read. I must admit that this story sparkled then faded for me. It started off strong, then felt a bit too drab and drawn out. Overall, it was an interesting story with a colorful array of characters.
❥ Listening to this via audio was really good. Narrator Anna Cordell did a wonderful job!
Question
Do you keep a journal?