Quite sweet but I didn't love it as much as I thought i would. Definitely recommend though!

Ella Griffin I want to be your friend. Also, I want to befriend Nora, Fiona, Michelle (definitely Michelle) and Lia.

Ella the author made it possible for all those wonderful ladies to tell their life stories as if they were telling my own.

A story of betrayal by a man you are in love with and your close friend, a story of 'amlost divorced' man, a story of violence, anger and fear and a story of 'I am not good enough. We have all been there and done that at some stages of our lives.

The Memory Shop is not about shop and is not about things. Also, there is a shop and many wonderful and exotic things. The novel is about memories, lessons, gifts and losses. It is about preciousness of time, the power of forgiveness and love and even bigger power of moving on.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I even worried a co-train rider or two when I was gasping at some parts of the narration. No, there was nothing scarry about the novel. It all just hit too close to home. I read it and I felt it. I relieved my own story through the girls in the book.

I am thankful.

I really enjoyed this book. It was by an author I love, and another really well written story. I would recommend it to others looking for an enjoyable story.

My Thoughts

‘It doesn’t feel like work, when you’re doing something you’re passionate about, does it?’

This is such a well thought out tale that grew on me as it progressed. I found Griffin’s writing to be rich in both descriptions of place, objects and sentiment. I particularly enjoyed the main character, Nora, setting up the shop and her display windows, with people entering and the stories that flowed from there. The background provided about the various items of her grandparents was done with care through tantalising glimpses from handwritten notes.

At times I got a little confused as I mixed up some of the numerous storylines. So whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the main character’s journey’s (and those closely associated with her) I found some of the other stories, related to those that purchased various items, a bit superfluous at times. It got a bit too entangled for me. However, do not let this detract from the main and engaging story - one of new beginnings for family, friends and neighbours as they learn to let go of the past.

Overall this is a charming book with a variety of poignant messages from all the customers purchases, some are very topical such as domestic violence, whilst others are just romantic. Not all stories are conclusively regaled and this is interesting in itself. I think I would have prefered to just focus on the main story as there was more than enough there to engage with the two main leads and their close relations.

Overall, this is a well written book that contains much more than I first envisaged - sort of a litany of tales from a wide spectrum of society - some heart warming, others heart wrenching.

‘She had thought that her heart would break when she closed the door for the last time, when the house had been cleared of all the things she had loved as a child. But she felt a surge of happiness as she turned to look back at it.’




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

This novel was set in the present time and mostly in Dublin. Nora accidentally discovers her partner Andrew is having an affair just before she goes to Dublin to sort out her grandmother’s house and contents.
Nora gradually sells the contents of her grandparent’s house and in the process she mends her broken heart. This is also about the people who buy the items that belonged to Nora’s grandmother. It was a nice feel good story.

Really nice read, something I will be recommending to customers who love a good contempoary read.

I loved Griffin’s last book, The Flower Arrangement, so when I had the opportunity to review her new release, The Memory Shop, I jumped at it. And I’m happy to report that The Memory Shop was just as good, if not better, as that earlier novel.

There’s a lot of similarities between the two books.

In The Flower Arrangement the main setting is a romantic and charming florist. I said in my review of The Flower Arrangement that the shop gave Griffin an opportunity to gift us with the most beautiful flower porn. This time Griffin demonstrates her brilliant descriptive prose again by detailing antiques and window displays. I love that Griffin steers clear of the usual food porn and uses something unique and surprisingly satisfying. Yeah, who knew that there could ever be antique porn or shop window porn? Or that a reader could enjoy it so much.

Both books also have a chick-lit multitude of characters who cross paths in a Love Actually type way. All get their moment in the spotlight but my particular favourites were Nora, the central character and owner of the antique shop, and Fiona, who owns the cafe next door.

The individual stories are romantic, sad, and poignant, and include some topical issues such as domestic violence and alcoholism.

There are some happy endings for the characters, but not all the threads are neatly tied in the end, prompting me to hope for a sequel using some of the extra characters.

Griffin used the Irish setting a little more fully this time around, but I would argue that it again never stood out for me as particularly important. I wonder if Griffin’s descriptions of the shops are so draining that she has little left for her home country.

Another similarity between the book is their gorgeous covers. I’m sure many will want the print version on their shelf. There’s just so much pretty.

If you’re looking for a book to gift someone, The Memory Shop would be perfect.

5 out of 5

This is a picture perfect snapshot of a small Irish community where an overwhelmed granddaughter finds peace and herself among her grandmother's possessions.