#BlogTour ‘The Bookbinder’s Daughter’ by Jessica Thorne

About the book…

The song surrounded her now, the murmuring of the library insistent, and her foot took the first step on the winding stairs. She knew it wasn’t entirely a dream. It was the library calling her, its magic driving her.

When Sophie is offered a job at the Ayredale Library – the finest collection of rare books in the world, and the last place her bookbinder mother was seen when Sophie was just a teenager – she leaps at the chance. Will she finally discover what happened to the woman she’s always believed abandoned her?

Taking in the endless shelves of antique books, the soaring stained-glass windows, and the grand sweeping staircase, usually shy Sophie feels strangely at home, and is welcomed by her eccentric fellow binders. But why is the Keeper of the Library so reluctant to speak about Sophie’s mother? And why is Sophie the only person who can read the strange spells in the oldest books on display, written in a forgotten language nobody else understands?

The mysteries of the library only deepen when Sophie stumbles upon an elaborately carved door. The pattern exactly matches the pendant her mother left behind years ago, engraved with a delicate leaf. As the door swings open at her touch, Sophie gasps at the incredible sight: an enormous tree, impossibly growing higher than the library itself, its gently falling golden leaves somehow resembling the pages of a book. Amidst their rustling, Sophie hears a familiar whisper…

‘There you are, my Sophie. I knew you’d come back for me.’

I was literally bouncing with excitement when I read about ‘The Bookbinder’s Daughter’ by Jessica Thorne in Noelle from Bookouture’s email, it is exactly my kind of book, and I hope it is yours too.

This is such a delicious book, a woman in a relationship that she intrinsically knows she needs to leave, is given a helping hand to run from London to Edinburgh, by her uncle.

Vincent, Sophie’s boyfriend is mean and exploitative of her book world connections and skills, and her growing realisation of this is pushed into action when she finds him being unfaithful in their flat.

Fleeing does not come without its difficulties , however, as it means returning to a place she has few memories of, The Special Collection, where her mother was last seen before her mysterious disappearance.

Grief stricken, Sophie’s father has removed her from the environment which he felt stole his beloved wife, causing a schism between both sides of Sophie’s family.

Returning is seen as a necessary act for Edward and his team, Sophie has skills with repairing books that they desperately need, and, although it doesn’t feel like it at first, Ayredale Library is a place to call home.

As memories and sensations begin to resurface, is Sophie heading towards a moment of clarity and an epiphany about her role in the family business? Can she find who she is by putting the ghosts of the past to rest? And will she reconnect with Will Rhys, librarian’s assistant and one time teen crush?

I loved the way this book was written, I am a huge fan of Louisa Morgan and Deborah Harkness and feel that The Bookbinder’s Daughter would appeal to those readers who love their work also. Prepare to be swept away and into a world where books, the stories they tell and the places they take you to, is celebrated and centered at the heart of this truly magical novel!

About the author…