The Wattle Island Book Club
Sandie Docker
Reviewed by Helen
This is a heart-wrenching, heart-warming beautiful story, a story of passion, courage and hope, a story that opens up so many emotions through books and stories it shows how they can bring people together, it shows that friends are there for each other when most needed and how books can help to bring people together so easily this is a must read book, one that I loved so very much.
It is 1950 and young teenager Anne has been living with her aunt for many years now on Wattle Island and she wants nothing more than to leave and get to Sydney and make a life for herself. She soon discovers that it is not so easy and when it is discovers that she is involved with someone who society deems not the right type, she and he are soon back on Wattle Island finding happiness and peace, that is until tragedy strikes and Anne’s life changes again.
It is 2018 and librarian Grace is struggling with health but has kept positive and has had a journal since she was seven, a bucket list that she is doing her best to tick off, Grace is a big reader and very invested in book clubs when she receives a call from Anne on Wattle Island requesting help to resume the Islands book club which stopped seven years ago. Grace is more than happy to help and decides that visiting the Island is the best way to help and discovers a mystery that she needs to uncover which will aid the book club and change Grace’s life as well as a few of the residents of Wattle Island.
Grace and Anne make friends instantly and work together to do what they can to get this book club going strong but first Grace must get to the bottom of the mystery as to why it stopped and doing so finds her opening up emotions that had been buried deep. Grace is getting very close to Anne’s son Sam and his young daughter Addie and with a new project to start a library on the island in full swing secrets are uncovered that sees darkness left behind.
This really is a gorgeous story, oh there were many tears shed by me, but there were lots of smiles as well, getting to know the characters who live on Wattle Island was pure joy they are beautiful people I love Addie’s pet cow, and then there are the art works and pottery descriptions wow and of course the books talked about all of this added to make this a brilliant story, thank you MS Docker for another keeper. This is one that I would highly recommend to any booklover.
It is 1950 and young teenager Anne has been living with her aunt for many years now on Wattle Island and she wants nothing more than to leave and get to Sydney and make a life for herself. She soon discovers that it is not so easy and when it is discovers that she is involved with someone who society deems not the right type, she and he are soon back on Wattle Island finding happiness and peace, that is until tragedy strikes and Anne’s life changes again.
It is 2018 and librarian Grace is struggling with health but has kept positive and has had a journal since she was seven, a bucket list that she is doing her best to tick off, Grace is a big reader and very invested in book clubs when she receives a call from Anne on Wattle Island requesting help to resume the Islands book club which stopped seven years ago. Grace is more than happy to help and decides that visiting the Island is the best way to help and discovers a mystery that she needs to uncover which will aid the book club and change Grace’s life as well as a few of the residents of Wattle Island.
Grace and Anne make friends instantly and work together to do what they can to get this book club going strong but first Grace must get to the bottom of the mystery as to why it stopped and doing so finds her opening up emotions that had been buried deep. Grace is getting very close to Anne’s son Sam and his young daughter Addie and with a new project to start a library on the island in full swing secrets are uncovered that sees darkness left behind.
This really is a gorgeous story, oh there were many tears shed by me, but there were lots of smiles as well, getting to know the characters who live on Wattle Island was pure joy they are beautiful people I love Addie’s pet cow, and then there are the art works and pottery descriptions wow and of course the books talked about all of this added to make this a brilliant story, thank you MS Docker for another keeper. This is one that I would highly recommend to any booklover.
5 stars
Published August 31st 2021 by Penguin Random House Australia
