This little gem of a book, by Nina George, was a library find. Any title that invokes books and villages is likely to tempt me and so this book ended up in my library pile. It was a new release, which means I only had it for two weeks before I had to scamper back to the library with it. I forgot to make a picture before I returned it.
But the story, set in rural France in the early 1960s, was lovely. We follow the life of Marie-Jeanne, who as an infant was tagged with the ability to see a spark of love on the face of anyone she meets, providing that the person they love is near at hand. The story opens as Marie-Jeanne is an adolescent, being raised by the family who took her in after she was orphaned As she matures, she realizes that her talent at seeing the spark of love on other people is not an ability that everyone possesses. She can’t see her own spark and grows fearful that she may not find love. She turns her attention to matchmaking, facilitated by books and her love of them.
The story flows nicely and the novel is filled with rumination about love and happiness, anxiety and grief, and all the emotions in between. It was a happy little read that kept me engaged and hopeful, two things I very much needed.
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