Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for The Garden of Lost Memories by Ruby Hummingbird!
What They Say:
Just because you feel ordinary doesn’t mean you aren’t extraordinary to someone else.
Sixty-two-year-old Elsie knows what she likes. Custard creams at four o’clock, jigsaw puzzles with a thousand pieces, her ivy-covered, lavender-scented garden.
Ten-year-old Billy would rather spend his Saturdays kicking a ball, or watching TV, or anything really, other than being babysat by his grumpy neighbour Elsie and being force fed custard creams.
If it was up to them, they’d have nothing to do with each other. Unfortunately, you can’t choose who you live next door to.
But there is always more to people than meets the eye…
Elsie doesn’t know that Billy’s afraid to go to school now, or why his mother woke him up in the middle of the night with an urgent shake, bags already packed, ready to flee their home.
Billy doesn’t know that the rusting red tin he finds buried in Elsie’s treasured garden is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode her carefully organised life. And that when he digs it up, he is unearthing a secret that has lain dormant for twenty-eight years…
This moving tale is for anyone who has ever felt the pang of loneliness, or worried that their broken heart might never be the same again. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, The Keeper of Lost Things and The Library of Lost and Found will fall head over heels for this life-affirming novel that shows us that if you’re willing to take a risk, happiness is only ever a heartbeat away.
Sixty-two-year-old Elsie knows what she likes. Custard creams at four o’clock, jigsaw puzzles with a thousand pieces, her ivy-covered, lavender-scented garden.
Ten-year-old Billy would rather spend his Saturdays kicking a ball, or watching TV, or anything really, other than being babysat by his grumpy neighbour Elsie and being force fed custard creams.
If it was up to them, they’d have nothing to do with each other. Unfortunately, you can’t choose who you live next door to.
But there is always more to people than meets the eye…
Elsie doesn’t know that Billy’s afraid to go to school now, or why his mother woke him up in the middle of the night with an urgent shake, bags already packed, ready to flee their home.
Billy doesn’t know that the rusting red tin he finds buried in Elsie’s treasured garden is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode her carefully organised life. And that when he digs it up, he is unearthing a secret that has lain dormant for twenty-eight years…
This moving tale is for anyone who has ever felt the pang of loneliness, or worried that their broken heart might never be the same again. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, The Keeper of Lost Things and The Library of Lost and Found will fall head over heels for this life-affirming novel that shows us that if you’re willing to take a risk, happiness is only ever a heartbeat away.
Author Bio:
Ruby Hummingbird is a novelist based in the English countryside. She loves nothing more than writing uplifting and heartwarming fiction that gets her
readers reaching for the tissues. When she isn’t storytelling, she can be found tending to her beloved sunflowers or sipping on hazelnut lattes.
@HummingbirdRuby
What I Say:
This book is heart-breaking to read. The characters of Billy and Elsie could not be more different, more ill-suited for friendship, yet something special happens between them. They both need someone, a friend, a confidante, and they somehow find that in each other. A 10 year old boy and a 62 year old woman should not fit together. But these two do, not always easily, but they do.
Elsie is very set in her ways and doesn't accept change easily. When Billy arrives and shakes things up a bit, Elsie struggles to cope and sometimes to control her emotions. Billy isn't keen on having an old lady as a babysitter and he wants to be more independent. Thrown together out of necessity, they make the best of a bad situation and get a long the best they can. Over time, things change and they begin to confide in each other. They learn about each other.
The story, as it unfolds is sad and haunting but also full of hope and love. I adore the letters that Elsie writes, and I loved the "treasure map". It was wonderful watching their relationship change and evolve through the story. I cried bucket loads!
Well done, Ruby! Another emotional, beautiful book! 9/10
Buying Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/2WQVYiJ
Apple Books: https://apple.co/33QZRpk
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3amwGNh
Google Play: https://bit.ly/
Follow the rest of the tour here:
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