Name: The Memory Library
Rating: 4.0 (1 reviews)
Author: Kate Storey

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Book Summary

Journey through the pages of this heartwarming novel, where hope, friendship and second chances are written in the margins. Perfect for book lovers everywhere and fans of Sally Page's The Keeper of Stories.

For forty-two years, Sally Harrison has been building a library.

Each year, on her daughter's birthday, she adds a new book to her shelves – with a note in the front dedicated to her own greatest work.

But Ella – Sally's only child – fled to Australia twenty-one years ago after a heated exchange, and never looked back. And though Sally still dutifully adds a new paperback to the shelves every time the clock strikes midnight on July 11th, her hopes of her daughter ever thumbing through the pages are starting to dwindle.

Then disaster strikes and Ella is forced to return to the home she once knew.

She is soon to discover that when one chapter ends, another will soon follow.

All you have to do is turn the page…

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Discussion questions from the publisher, supplemented with original content from BookBrowse.

What was your first impression of Ella, and did that change by the end of the book?
Do you think Sally should have told Ella the truth about her father after his death, or even before?
The question of when we learn to see our parents as individuals, rather than through the lens of being their child, is addressed in the book. Did that resonate with you?
Do you have a favorite supporting character? If so, why do you think you were attracted to them?
How do you feel about the relationship between Sally and Andrew at the end?
Do you prefer books set in real or fictional places? Have you ever been to Greenwich? If you have, do you think it was...

Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

See what our members are saying about this book in our Community Forum.

What are your reading this week? (12-12-2024)
Just finished The Memory Library by Kate Storey. Looking forward to the discussion in January. Just started Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie F. Rendon.
-Dee_Hatcher

What are you reading this week? (11-21-2024)
I started The Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan a couple of days ago, but I'm not too far along. Next up will be The Memory Library by Kate Storey.
-kim.kovacs

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Media Reviews

"A gorgeous novel that pairs my (and many people's) perennial love for books about books with themes of family – and just how complex they can be." —Platinum

"A lovely story that celebrates books, family and kindness. Touching and beautiful." —Hazel Prior, bestselling author of Away with the Penguins

"The Memory Library is so joyful. Kate Storey writes from the heart and the gut about mistakes and how we can learn from them. Great characters and a truly heartwarming story – I loved it!" —Laura Pearson, author of #1 Kindle bestseller The Last List of Mabel Beaumont

"An utterly gorgeous page turner about the power of books, family and forgiveness." —Phaedra Patrick, The Library of Lost and Found

This information about The Memory Library was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Becky H

a mother's love
THE MEMORY LIBRARY by Kate Storey
A mother and daughter who once loved to read together and discuss the books they had read are now estranged for no apparent reason. When the daughter, who now lives in Australia, learns her mother has fallen and needs help, Ella grudgingly flies to England to assist her mom.

Secrets and old wounds are gradually revealed. Ella increasingly discovers her mom’s life before and after Ella left in anger 20 years ago was very different from the way she remembers it. Storey reveals both mother and daughter in bits and pieces as this heart-warming tale unfolds.

Readers who look for books that slowly reveal the characters and what makes them who they are will revel in this tale of love, heartbreak, friendship, the value of books and the ties that bind a mother to her children. Lots here for book groups to discuss. A good choice for mother/daughter book group.
4 stars for a slow start.

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Reviews
"Beyond the Book" articles
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Find books by time period, setting & theme
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Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
More about membership!

Author Information

Biography

Kate Storey

Kate Storey started her career teaching English and Drama, and when she had her family, combined all three to write novels about family drama. Originally from Yorkshire, she now lives in a London suburb with her husband and two teenage daughters, so expects there's plenty more drama to come.

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