04/01/2024
A fatal drunk driving accident and a prison book club set the stage for Wood’s heartwarming if simplistic story of second chances (after The One-in-a-Million Boy). An intoxicated Violet Powell, 22, gets behind the wheel (the reasons why come out later) and kills Lorraine Daigle, a 61-year-old kindergarten teacher. Convicted of vehicular manslaughter and given a nearly two-year sentence, Violet is deeply remorseful and grateful for the prison book club led by Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher and widow. While visiting a bookstore, Harriet runs into an older man who turns out to be Lorraine’s widower, Frank, a retired machinist. In chapters from Frank’s point of view, the reader learns that his new job as handyman for the bookstore has given him a sense of purpose since Lorraine’s death the previous year. Then Violet is released early from prison, and she crosses paths with Harriet and Frank at the shop. The novel improves in the second half with an immersive section on Violet’s job assisting a scientist on researching cognition in parrots, and there are some poignant revelations about how she came to drive drunk that night and about the Daigles’ marriage. Unfortunately, the minor-key plot is fairly predictable. This one’s a bit too formulaic to stay with readers for long. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman Literary. (June)
"The perfect pick to really light a fire under my book club, and yours....A charming, openhearted novel, deceptively easy to read but layered with sharp observations, hard truths and rich ideas....Nudges the conscience as much as it pulls at the heartstrings....This novel is a reminder that goodness, and books, can still win in this world." — New York Times Book Review
"An utter gem; funny, sweet, and moving." — People
"I laughed and wept my way straight through How to Read a Book. What a beautiful, big-hearted treasure of a novel!" — Lily King, New York Times bestselling author of Euphoria and Writers
"Monica Wood’s engaging novel of fresh starts follows Violet, a 20-something woman fresh out of prison; Harriet, a retiree who leads a book club inside the women’s prison; and Frank, the retired machinist whose wife was killed in the hit-and-run for which Violet served time. Shot through with clever asides and spiky feelings, the story ponders trust, reformation, and forgiveness." — Christian Science Monitor
"Gorgeously told...A finely wrought story, with deeply memorable characters." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Told with compassion and empathy, Wood’s tender novel explores the ways people can surprise themselves and others. A deeply humane and touching novel; highly recommended for book clubs and fans of Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures." — Booklist
"With compassion and honesty about the hard parts of life, Wood moves her characters toward redemption, connection, and even joy. How to Read a Book is a wry, hopeful celebration of literature, unlikely friendships, and the power of small gestures of connection." — Shelf Awareness
“What a master of plot and character Monica Wood is. I love the various worlds How to Read a Book took me to: a prison, a bookshop, and a laboratory, all in Portland, Maine. And I love how hopefully Wood writes about grief and second chances on behalf of her three protagonists. Surely everyone who reads this novel will want to offer Ollie, a voluble African grey parrot, a home.” — Margot Livesey, New York Times bestselling author of The Boy in the Field and The Flight of Gemma Hardy
“A young female ex-con, a widower who was collateral damage, and a woman who runs the prison bookclub—three indelible voices (and let’s not forget one extraordinary parrot's), remind us that life is full of mysteries, and sometimes the ones we believe are unsolvable as the ones that might save us. About second chances (our lives need not be apologies), the weight of forgiveness, our bond with our books, and the stubborn way love can make us see a world shining with mercy, Wood’s new novel is both incandescent and unforgettable.” — Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and Pictures of You
