Ellie and the Harpmaker

There was a certain kind of magic when I first started it. Such beautiful descriptions of harps and nature. I even liked the characters, until I started seeing them differently.

Dan's character is unique and very innocent (some might say that he may be a little on the spectrum, but I shall not say it as if it's definite since this book never mentioned anything about him being autistic... at least, even up until 35%, where I stopped, so I'm seeing him as a man with no developmental disability). It was refreshing reading his POV, but then it gradually wore me down. Instead of dialogues, his chapters consist of 'I said this.' and 'I said that.' It helps to differentiate his voice from Ellie's. It was something I appreciated, but reading it constantly made my head ache. And then there's the thing about how naive he is for a man in his 30s. I couldn't wrap my head around it.

We also have Ellie, who is a patient and kind woman. She instantly clicked with Dan, and it seemed it is only she who can appreciate his oddities without frustration. But she's married. To a man who only strives to bring her down. And she lets him do it. If she's not frustrated with Dan, I'M frustrated with her. There's a huge space for development for sure. Whether or not she eventually changes, I'll never find out.

So, yes, we have two people who have quite a bit of chemistry. Their story takes place against a backdrop of nature and harps and something whimsical. But the characters and plot felt dull, and I couldn't bring myself to continue. It's quite sad, seeing as how much I was looking forward to reading this.

Sweet novel. 3.5 stars. Distractingly implausible in parts, but the setting and characters were enchanting enough to make it work for me.

Lovely tale of life, love, & an unexpected relationship. Two friends of happenstance become respected shoulders-to-lean on. Beauty comes in all forms: Music; conversation; sharing an interest or love in something. Sensitively written from 2 viewpoints- SO well done!