Meet Me at the Museum A Novel

Epistolary tale about a Danish museum curator and a British farm wife. Good character development. Liked this one.

4.5 stars rounded off to 5.

This is such a lovely story about two people writing letters to each other, becoming friends and each other's confidants. It is so hard to have such a close relationship like this with anyone, let alone over letters. This story made me happy and made me cheer for both the characters

Tina Hopgood mails off a letter to the Silkeborg Museum, not expecting a reply. Professor Anders Larsen responds to the letter, not expecting anything further.

But Tina does reply and Anders replies to that reply, and so on, and so on, and as time passes and the letters fly back and forth, Tina and Anders are given a venue to think out their lives, the past and the present as well as the future.

This is a gentle story of the powerful effects of friendship.

To quote another reviewer of this book, Adriana Trigiana, “This is a work of art, dear readers. Revel in its beauty.” I could not say it better, and feel exactly the same. The writing is beautiful and pure and the story is one that should resonate with anyone of middle age. Through correspondence two people who have never met reveal themselves to one another, form a deep connection, and speak simple truths. Truly a delight.

I really enjoyed this book, although it is not in the genres I typically gravitate toward. Reading the letters felt slightly voyeuristic, but I thought it worked fantastically as a device for telling the story.

What I liked about this book is that it got me thinking. About slowing down and enjoying the life that is here. About noticing small pleasures. About living life with intention rather than being a slave to what life chooses for one. It reminded me of friends and letters i once wrote and the unique friendships that have their own shape because of it. It also challenged me to think about how to respond with love and respect when others go in a direction that seems wrong to me.

I can't explain why I was drawn into this book, but I would recommend it to someone who is interested in people and relationships—though not necessarily romantic relationships.

Lovely epistolary book (my personal catnip) about an accidental, unlikely correspondence between two lonely individuals who have reached their 60s and are wondering how to define the meaning of what they have and haven't accomplished in their lives. Youngson is one of those writers who seems to be able to describe the human condition in simple yet new ways (Elizabeth Berg is another). There's not a lot of action in the story; it's a quiet yet powerful read that found me re-reading certain passages just to savor them. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending but I'll choose to interpret it the way I want and imagine my own version of what comes next. It's a credit to Anne Youngson's skill - she's created two characters who are so real and vivid that I can't imagine they're not out there somewhere continuing their story. I can't believe this is her debut, but she gives hope to all aspiring authors that it's never too late.