Bella Osborne
Author of The Library
About the Author
Series
Works by Bella Osborne
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Agent
- Kate Nash (Kate Nash Agency)
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Places of residence
- The Midlands, England, United Kingdom
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, United Kingdom
Members
Reviews
The Library by Bella Osborne is an engaging story about family, friendship, and community.
Set in a small English village, the threatened closure of the local library makes unexpected allies, and friends, of 16 year old high school student Tom, and 72 year old widow and small holder, Maggie. Maggie, restless and lonely, is intrigued by the young man who slinks into the library and tries to hide his romance novel selections. Tom, sad and alone, is impressed by Maggie’s right hook, and her show more delicious cooking.
Tom is such a forlorn character, and Osborne’s characterisation of a self-conscious, awkward and troubled teenage boy is very good. Since his mother’s death, Tom’s father has spiralled into alcoholism. Money is tight, and Tom’s dad is expecting that his son will leave school and get a factory job, ignoring his son’s hopes of attending University. Essentially friendless, his visits to the library are prompted by a need to escape his father’s moods, and a desire to learn more about girls so he can speak to his crush, Farah.
Maggie is a great character, independent, feisty, and nurturing. Since her husband’s death, Maggie has generally been content to attend to her small holding where she raises goats for their wool, with the weekly book club meeting at the library her only regular social activity. Tom’s vulnerability as he furtively browses the romance shelves, and his brave attempt to thwart her mugging, captures her interest, and when she finds herself in need of help at the farm, she is pleased that Tom offers to give her a hand.
The connection that forms between Maggie and Tom is a delight, and warmth and humour offsets the serious subjects Osborne explores in The Library which include addiction, grief, bullying, and social isolation. The threatened closure of the library is almost incidental to the plot though Osborne uses it to draw attention to the value of libraries within communities.
A moving and ultimately uplifting story The Library is a lovely, satisfying read. show less
Set in a small English village, the threatened closure of the local library makes unexpected allies, and friends, of 16 year old high school student Tom, and 72 year old widow and small holder, Maggie. Maggie, restless and lonely, is intrigued by the young man who slinks into the library and tries to hide his romance novel selections. Tom, sad and alone, is impressed by Maggie’s right hook, and her show more delicious cooking.
Tom is such a forlorn character, and Osborne’s characterisation of a self-conscious, awkward and troubled teenage boy is very good. Since his mother’s death, Tom’s father has spiralled into alcoholism. Money is tight, and Tom’s dad is expecting that his son will leave school and get a factory job, ignoring his son’s hopes of attending University. Essentially friendless, his visits to the library are prompted by a need to escape his father’s moods, and a desire to learn more about girls so he can speak to his crush, Farah.
Maggie is a great character, independent, feisty, and nurturing. Since her husband’s death, Maggie has generally been content to attend to her small holding where she raises goats for their wool, with the weekly book club meeting at the library her only regular social activity. Tom’s vulnerability as he furtively browses the romance shelves, and his brave attempt to thwart her mugging, captures her interest, and when she finds herself in need of help at the farm, she is pleased that Tom offers to give her a hand.
The connection that forms between Maggie and Tom is a delight, and warmth and humour offsets the serious subjects Osborne explores in The Library which include addiction, grief, bullying, and social isolation. The threatened closure of the library is almost incidental to the plot though Osborne uses it to draw attention to the value of libraries within communities.
A moving and ultimately uplifting story The Library is a lovely, satisfying read. show less
The Promise of Summer: An absolutely heartwarming and uplifting new summer romance for 2022 by Bella Osborne
I picked up this book because I love British rom-coms and Ms. Osborne certainly knows how to write believable, quirky characters whom I loved instantly.
Ruby’s loneliness manifests in her wanting a baby and the men she has met are unreliable to say the least, so she resorts to meeting up with a shady sperm donor in London. On the train she runs into Curtis, a handsome, uptight, unemotional technical consultant who thankfully talks her out of the sperm donor fiasco in the nick of time. And show more if that isn’t enough they embark on a mission to track down the mysterious Lewis, a guy who borrowed Ruby’s phone on the train and left an engagement ring behind. As Curtis and Ruby become closer and she proceeds to teach Curtis how to better interact with people, especially a woman Curtis wants to pursue, Ruby realizes her feelings have changed toward him, but she may have left it too late.
Kim is happy with her flower shop and her only employee and friend, Ruby. However, she’s not happy with her personal life and decides to adopt a dog. Little did she know she would find a fellow dog lover in her best customer, Adrian, who has been buying flowers for his dead wife’s grave for two years. As their relationship gets sweeter, people interfere and they go their separate ways. But fate has some things in store that Kim didn’t see coming.
I love that I get two stories for the price of one in this book. I was invested in both Ruby’s and Kim’s happiness as they made mistakes, hit roadblocks, and supported each other at their lowest. Ruby’s quirky friendliness and Kim’s incredible kindness and outspokenness are such a treat. I would be proud to call them both my friends. There were several hilarious moments with Kim’s accidentally shedding too many layers at the cinema (darned menopause), and pretty much every conversation Ruby has with Curtis who takes some time catching on to Ruby’s sarcasm. As for Curtis and Adrian, they are both a bit clueless in figuring out how wonderful their women are, but they eventually come around leaving me with double the pleasure of happily ever after. Also, it would also be remiss of me if I didn’t mention the lovely and excitable Boomerang (Boomer), Kim’s adopted dog. He gives a new meaning to race walking.
If you enjoy captivating, endearing, and imperfect characters who will make you laugh, cry and cheer on as they make their way through life’s challenges, please give this book a try.
Thank you to Ms. Osborne for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less
Ruby’s loneliness manifests in her wanting a baby and the men she has met are unreliable to say the least, so she resorts to meeting up with a shady sperm donor in London. On the train she runs into Curtis, a handsome, uptight, unemotional technical consultant who thankfully talks her out of the sperm donor fiasco in the nick of time. And show more if that isn’t enough they embark on a mission to track down the mysterious Lewis, a guy who borrowed Ruby’s phone on the train and left an engagement ring behind. As Curtis and Ruby become closer and she proceeds to teach Curtis how to better interact with people, especially a woman Curtis wants to pursue, Ruby realizes her feelings have changed toward him, but she may have left it too late.
Kim is happy with her flower shop and her only employee and friend, Ruby. However, she’s not happy with her personal life and decides to adopt a dog. Little did she know she would find a fellow dog lover in her best customer, Adrian, who has been buying flowers for his dead wife’s grave for two years. As their relationship gets sweeter, people interfere and they go their separate ways. But fate has some things in store that Kim didn’t see coming.
I love that I get two stories for the price of one in this book. I was invested in both Ruby’s and Kim’s happiness as they made mistakes, hit roadblocks, and supported each other at their lowest. Ruby’s quirky friendliness and Kim’s incredible kindness and outspokenness are such a treat. I would be proud to call them both my friends. There were several hilarious moments with Kim’s accidentally shedding too many layers at the cinema (darned menopause), and pretty much every conversation Ruby has with Curtis who takes some time catching on to Ruby’s sarcasm. As for Curtis and Adrian, they are both a bit clueless in figuring out how wonderful their women are, but they eventually come around leaving me with double the pleasure of happily ever after. Also, it would also be remiss of me if I didn’t mention the lovely and excitable Boomerang (Boomer), Kim’s adopted dog. He gives a new meaning to race walking.
If you enjoy captivating, endearing, and imperfect characters who will make you laugh, cry and cheer on as they make their way through life’s challenges, please give this book a try.
Thank you to Ms. Osborne for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less
I don’t even remember when I last rated a “chick-lit” this high! So today is indeed a rare day. This was an absolutely fabulous book to listen to and with some hilarious writing to boot!
Story:
You don’t get brownie points for guessing that Ruby will end up with Curtis, and Kim with Adrian. It’s a chick-lit! It’s supposed to go in the good old predictable fashion. But where this book stands out is in its journey towards the happy ending. There are so many things that add a wonderful appeal to the story.
❤ Curtis – Curtis is unlike any romantic hero you've seen. Think of the typical lead heroes in such books. Uber-rich, ultra-successful, charismatic, good-looking, hot, having women falling over them head over heels,…Not a single one of these attributes is applicable to Curtis. (Except maybe for the good-looking part, which isn’t dwelt up on much.) Curtis is a fellow who is more into statistics, and I mean actual mathematical statistics. He doesn’t get jokes because he takes everything literally. He loves making spreadsheets for every single decision. He doesn’t understand the common cues of dating such as ‘Do you want to come over for a cup of coffee?’ He’s a guy who prefers logic over love. And yet he tries his best to figure out what Ruby wants and to help her in achieving her goals. For me, all this makes Curtis rank much higher than typical male leads in such novels.
❤ Ruby – She’s thirty five but acts like she’s twenty five. Chirpy, sweet, loyal, and optimistic, Ruby is the quintessential girl with a heart of gold. But, unlike such characters who are usually shown to be bubbleheads, Ruby is also intelligent and a quick learner. There’s no way you won’t adore this character for her straightforwardness and helpfulness.
(Let me quickly add that the Kim and Adrian track is also very nice and both of them are quite loveable too; just that their storyline went down a little more stereotypical path)
❤ The Romance: If you want a more-or-less clean romance (just a couple of kisses mentioned), this is your book. I enjoyed the rare opportunity of reading a rom-com without any lust or sex mentioned.
❤ The Humour: I don’t think I have laughed so much while reading a book in ages. The humour is corny at times but it works well for the characters. The book has many silly, farfetched scenes that are simultaneously cringe-worthy and hilarious. While you won’t get the following two examples unless you read the book, I still want to mention that Curtis’ double-door “Ta-da” and the turkey baster scene had me going lol and ewwww at the same time.
❤ The Emotions: Sometimes, when such books try hard to be funny, they forget that there are many other emotions that appeal to their readers. (Well, women readers because most men are biased against this genre!) In aiming to tickle the funny bone, they ignore everything else. Not here though. ‘The Promise of Summer’ ticks all the right checkboxes for bringing a lump in your throat. Beneath Ruby’s funny demeanour, you will feel for her desperation at not finding “her one true love”. Underneath Curtis’ rough manners lies a little boy who is afraid to commit to anyone because of his family background.
❤ There’s an adorable dog too! And his name is “Boomerang”! Icing on the cake, if you ask me.
All in all, this is a heart-warming story of a woman with a strong heart and a man with a strong brain, and how opposites can still encourage each other towards betterment and balance.
Do I have any complaints? Well, yeah. Only two really minor ones. Firstly, Ruby is almost 35 but she seems to behave like a newly-minted adult. At one point, she seems more concerned about someone’s lost chance at romance than her own lost phone. I would have been panic-stricken had my phone disappeared, to hell with romance. The second issue is that the title (and the cover page) has nothing to do with the book. But these are trivial issues for a book that gave me so much of enjoyment. I simply adored this story and will look for more books by this author whenever I need something light-hearted and quick.
Recommended with all my heart.
Can’t let this review go by without mentioning the special lady who enhanced my experience with her spirited performance: Narrator Laura Brydon. This is, by far, one of the best audiobooks I’ve heard this year. I usually hear audiobooks at 1.25-1.75x speed. But I heard this one at 1x, just because I didn’t want it to end! 11.5 hours at 1 x, and not a single minute of boredom, Gawd! Her accents, her voice effects, her enunciation… everything was awesome! 10 stars for her narration. show less
Story:
Ruby, a florist in her day-time job, is a huge romantic who has not found anyone special yet. She dreams of the day when someone will swoop her off her feet with his grandiose romantic gestures. During one train ride to London, she discovers that the interesting stranger she was seated next to andshow more
who was going to propose to his girlfriend that day has left the engagement ring behind. Ruby takes it up as her personal agenda to return the ring. The problem? Another passenger on the train, a surly fellow named Curtis, doesn’t trust Ruby with it. So he creates his own personal agenda: accompany Ruby on her quest to ensure she completes it successfully.
A secondary love story comes to us from Ruby’s boss, Kim, who is living life trying not to allow the memories of her long-gone husband Vince to sully her present. One of her regular customers, Adrian, is someone she loves to interact with. The problem? Adrian is very much in love with his wife.
The story alternates between Ruby’s and Kim’s perspectives written in third person.
You don’t get brownie points for guessing that Ruby will end up with Curtis, and Kim with Adrian. It’s a chick-lit! It’s supposed to go in the good old predictable fashion. But where this book stands out is in its journey towards the happy ending. There are so many things that add a wonderful appeal to the story.
❤ Curtis – Curtis is unlike any romantic hero you've seen. Think of the typical lead heroes in such books. Uber-rich, ultra-successful, charismatic, good-looking, hot, having women falling over them head over heels,…Not a single one of these attributes is applicable to Curtis. (Except maybe for the good-looking part, which isn’t dwelt up on much.) Curtis is a fellow who is more into statistics, and I mean actual mathematical statistics. He doesn’t get jokes because he takes everything literally. He loves making spreadsheets for every single decision. He doesn’t understand the common cues of dating such as ‘Do you want to come over for a cup of coffee?’ He’s a guy who prefers logic over love. And yet he tries his best to figure out what Ruby wants and to help her in achieving her goals. For me, all this makes Curtis rank much higher than typical male leads in such novels.
❤ Ruby – She’s thirty five but acts like she’s twenty five. Chirpy, sweet, loyal, and optimistic, Ruby is the quintessential girl with a heart of gold. But, unlike such characters who are usually shown to be bubbleheads, Ruby is also intelligent and a quick learner. There’s no way you won’t adore this character for her straightforwardness and helpfulness.
(Let me quickly add that the Kim and Adrian track is also very nice and both of them are quite loveable too; just that their storyline went down a little more stereotypical path)
❤ The Romance: If you want a more-or-less clean romance (just a couple of kisses mentioned), this is your book. I enjoyed the rare opportunity of reading a rom-com without any lust or sex mentioned.
❤ The Humour: I don’t think I have laughed so much while reading a book in ages. The humour is corny at times but it works well for the characters. The book has many silly, farfetched scenes that are simultaneously cringe-worthy and hilarious. While you won’t get the following two examples unless you read the book, I still want to mention that Curtis’ double-door “Ta-da” and the turkey baster scene had me going lol and ewwww at the same time.
❤ The Emotions: Sometimes, when such books try hard to be funny, they forget that there are many other emotions that appeal to their readers. (Well, women readers because most men are biased against this genre!) In aiming to tickle the funny bone, they ignore everything else. Not here though. ‘The Promise of Summer’ ticks all the right checkboxes for bringing a lump in your throat. Beneath Ruby’s funny demeanour, you will feel for her desperation at not finding “her one true love”. Underneath Curtis’ rough manners lies a little boy who is afraid to commit to anyone because of his family background.
❤ There’s an adorable dog too! And his name is “Boomerang”! Icing on the cake, if you ask me.
All in all, this is a heart-warming story of a woman with a strong heart and a man with a strong brain, and how opposites can still encourage each other towards betterment and balance.
Do I have any complaints? Well, yeah. Only two really minor ones. Firstly, Ruby is almost 35 but she seems to behave like a newly-minted adult. At one point, she seems more concerned about someone’s lost chance at romance than her own lost phone. I would have been panic-stricken had my phone disappeared, to hell with romance. The second issue is that the title (and the cover page) has nothing to do with the book. But these are trivial issues for a book that gave me so much of enjoyment. I simply adored this story and will look for more books by this author whenever I need something light-hearted and quick.
Recommended with all my heart.
Can’t let this review go by without mentioning the special lady who enhanced my experience with her spirited performance: Narrator Laura Brydon. This is, by far, one of the best audiobooks I’ve heard this year. I usually hear audiobooks at 1.25-1.75x speed. But I heard this one at 1x, just because I didn’t want it to end! 11.5 hours at 1 x, and not a single minute of boredom, Gawd! Her accents, her voice effects, her enunciation… everything was awesome! 10 stars for her narration. show less
4.5⭐️
When sixteen-year-old Tom Harris and seventy-two-year-old Maggie Mann meet at the local library and strike up a conversation about books it is just the beginning of a warm and beautiful friendship.
"There was something oddly isolating about being surrounded by people and yet completely alone."
Tom lives with his negligent father, whose alcoholic binges leave Tom with the responsibility of picking up after both himself and his father who works nights at a pet food factory. Tom wishes show more to pursue higher education but is under pressure to work as an apprentice at his father’s factory to supplement the family income. Shy, and introverted, he doesn’t have too many friends at school, preferring to spend his free time playing games on his Xbox. He’s not much of a reader, but when he ends up in the village library after a confrontation with his father, a chance meeting with Maggie changes the trajectory of his life in the best way possible. Widowed Maggie is lonely and lives alone on her farm, taking care of her sheep. Her book club meetings at the library proved to be an opportunity to discuss books (though she usually isn’t too happy with the selections and the lackluster conversations on the same) and spend some time with friends. As the story progresses we see Maggie befriending Tom, taking him under her wing, and becoming his confidante. In turn, Tom begins to treat Maggie like family, sharing her adventurous spirit, and learning to love books and Maggi’s sheep (not to mention her quad bike!). When the village library is threatened with closure, Maggie and Tom are crucial in bringing the community together in an initiative to save their library.
"Every book is a key that unlocks another world, leads us down the path of a different life and offers the chance to explore an unexpected adventure. Every one is a gift of either knowledge, entertainment or pure escapism and goodness knows we all need that from time to time."
The Library by Bella Osborne is a sweet , delightful read with endearing characters and an engaging narrative shared in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Tom and Maggie. I loved the vivid descriptions of nature and Maggie’s farm and animals. The intergenerational friendship and trust between Tom and Maggie are beautifully and convincingly developed as the story progresses. In addition to themes of friendship, kindness, trust and community and highlighting the power of books and libraries in bringing people and communities together, the author also touches upon sensitive themes of aging, grief, loneliness, alcoholism, dysfunctional families and bullying among others with sensitivity, compassion and wisdom. I'm drawn to stories that revolve around bookstores and/or libraries. Unfortunately, more often than not I've been disappointed with how the stories are handled/executed. I’m happy to say that this novel does not fall into that category. This is a perfect feel-good, uplifting read for those times you need to de-stress or when you just need a lighter read in between more serious /heavy reads.
I paired my reading with the wonderful audio narration by Julia Franklin and Harry Lister Smith who made the story and the characters come alive.
“Friends aren’t merely the tumbleweed of faces that roll in and out of your life. Friends are the ones you connect with and who last a lifetime. You’ll pass a million people on your path and just a few will be worth spending time with.” show less
When sixteen-year-old Tom Harris and seventy-two-year-old Maggie Mann meet at the local library and strike up a conversation about books it is just the beginning of a warm and beautiful friendship.
"There was something oddly isolating about being surrounded by people and yet completely alone."
Tom lives with his negligent father, whose alcoholic binges leave Tom with the responsibility of picking up after both himself and his father who works nights at a pet food factory. Tom wishes show more to pursue higher education but is under pressure to work as an apprentice at his father’s factory to supplement the family income. Shy, and introverted, he doesn’t have too many friends at school, preferring to spend his free time playing games on his Xbox. He’s not much of a reader, but when he ends up in the village library after a confrontation with his father, a chance meeting with Maggie changes the trajectory of his life in the best way possible. Widowed Maggie is lonely and lives alone on her farm, taking care of her sheep. Her book club meetings at the library proved to be an opportunity to discuss books (though she usually isn’t too happy with the selections and the lackluster conversations on the same) and spend some time with friends. As the story progresses we see Maggie befriending Tom, taking him under her wing, and becoming his confidante. In turn, Tom begins to treat Maggie like family, sharing her adventurous spirit, and learning to love books and Maggi’s sheep (not to mention her quad bike!). When the village library is threatened with closure, Maggie and Tom are crucial in bringing the community together in an initiative to save their library.
"Every book is a key that unlocks another world, leads us down the path of a different life and offers the chance to explore an unexpected adventure. Every one is a gift of either knowledge, entertainment or pure escapism and goodness knows we all need that from time to time."
The Library by Bella Osborne is a sweet , delightful read with endearing characters and an engaging narrative shared in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Tom and Maggie. I loved the vivid descriptions of nature and Maggie’s farm and animals. The intergenerational friendship and trust between Tom and Maggie are beautifully and convincingly developed as the story progresses. In addition to themes of friendship, kindness, trust and community and highlighting the power of books and libraries in bringing people and communities together, the author also touches upon sensitive themes of aging, grief, loneliness, alcoholism, dysfunctional families and bullying among others with sensitivity, compassion and wisdom. I'm drawn to stories that revolve around bookstores and/or libraries. Unfortunately, more often than not I've been disappointed with how the stories are handled/executed. I’m happy to say that this novel does not fall into that category. This is a perfect feel-good, uplifting read for those times you need to de-stress or when you just need a lighter read in between more serious /heavy reads.
I paired my reading with the wonderful audio narration by Julia Franklin and Harry Lister Smith who made the story and the characters come alive.
“Friends aren’t merely the tumbleweed of faces that roll in and out of your life. Friends are the ones you connect with and who last a lifetime. You’ll pass a million people on your path and just a few will be worth spending time with.” show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 36
- Members
- 464
- Popularity
- #53,000
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 37
- ISBNs
- 77
- Languages
- 2