The Book of Kindness is compelling contemporary fiction with themes of friendship, adoption, second chances, kindness, and supportive community.

The Book of Kindness by Stephanie Butland

Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Fiction, Book About Books, Friendship, Acts of Kindness, Book Club, Family Secrets, Family Life, England

***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links

My Summary:

September is barely able to support herself and her (loser) boyfriend when she unexpectedly inherits a house from a great-aunt she never knew. Her first thought is to sell the house, but she has second thoughts when she sees it. Then she finds her great-aunt’s journal and meets the book club members who meet at the house. Her life is forever changed.

My Thoughts:

September, the Character

Our main character is September. She is in an unsatisfactory relationship and struggles to financially support herself and her (loser) boyfriend. September has a painful past that involves abandonment and adoption. Her life changes when she inherits a grand and beautiful house from a great-aunt she never knew existed. September gets to know her great-aunt through reading her aunt’s journal, is challenged to pursue the art of kindness, and finds a supportive community in the form of a book club. I love September’s dynamic character arc.

I first heard about this character from Joanne @ Portobello Book Blog and her Captivating Character of the Month in this post. (Thanks for participating, Joanne!) I immediately bought the book (different title in the US) and read it in one day! September is a memorable and remarkable character, and this is my idea of an enjoyable and unique story. ***Join me on the last Friday of every month for my Captivating Character of the Month Link Party!***

Kindness

Yes, there’s a book club, talk about books, supportive friends, and a lovely old house, but one of the most special and thoughtful elements in the story is the theme of Kindness. The kindness shown to us and random acts of kindness. In this story, our main character, September, finds an old journal in which the author has kept a record of kindnesses shown to her and given to others. This encourages September to do the same. In detail, she records the kindnesses shown to her and her deliberate efforts to show kindness to others. Maybe you’ve kept a gratitude journal over the years, so wouldn’t it be enlightening and (possibly) challenging to keep a kindness journal?

Themes

A few thoughtful themes include unlikely friendships, second chances, community built around book clubs, found family, lies and secrets, abandonment, adoption, and the pursuit of kindness. Book lovers will enjoy the book talk, and a list of titles is included.

Content Consideration: abandonment, death of a parent

Recommending The Book of Kindness (A.K.A The Second Chance Book Club):

If you’re a fan of books about books, book clubs, friendship, second chances, and kindness, I wholeheartedly recommend The Book of Kindness. This story represents my favorite types of stories and themes.

I’m linking up this post with Susan @ Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books for her Bookish Books Challenge.

Related: For more Books About Books, check out this post. For another enjoyable story by the author, check out my review of The Lost for Words Bookshop.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

More Information Here
(aka The Second Chance Book Club)

Meet the Author of The Book of Kindness, Stephanie Butland

Stephanie Butland is the author of many novels, including beloved bookshop tale ‘Lost For Words’.

Stephanie lives in Northumberland, close to the place where she grew up. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and loves being close to the sea. She’s thriving after cancer.

Twitter/X: @under_blue_sky

Instagram: @stephaniebutlandauthor

http://www.stephaniebutlandauthor.com

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QOTD:

Do you love books about books and themes of kindness?

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All books I review are purchased or borrowed from the library unless explicitly stated that the book is free (arc).

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