This was my least favorite of Dillon's stories so far. I love Longhampton and maybe was expecting too much. Both Michelle and Anna are, in my opinion, weak and not pleasurable enough to want to spend nearly 500 pages with them. All the cliques are here - pregnancy, divorce, absent and neglectful parents, unhappiness in marriage and life. Then a ridiculous amount of mess is tidied up in about twenty pages. But the dogs were lovely, as always, and pulled at my heart strings. And I did love all the book-ness.Trigger warning for teen rape and abusive/controlling marriage. The best bit of this book is the real joy in reading that comes through in almost every single page. Through the role of the characters' experiences with books, it shows the happiness, grief and beauty that such stories can inspire in us, even while they help to shore up our own lives. Anna - the book mad one - seemed like such a kindred spirit for every lover of reading. You can't help but love her and hope it all works out for her, particularly with her uncomfortable and sometimes sad family situation.Michelle is a little more prickly but as you get to know her you really start to root for her too.If I have one criticism, it is that the male characters aren't really developed well. I think I got to know - and love - the dogs more than the men. It would have been nice to see a little more of them, but it really doesn't spoil what is a very lovely book.
What do You think about Och Så Levde De Lyckliga (2000)?
English village, bookshop, dogs...doesn't get much better!
—taylorranne33
books and dogs...two greatest things in the world!
—EREADERJessica
