The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson was a sweet book to start 2022. It follows June who has worked at the local village library for years. June is a quiet young woman who took over her mother's job at the library and lives in the home her mother left behind when she died. She gave up her dreams of university and a career as a writer when her mother was sick, and she's never gone back. Now, her beloved library is threatened by bureaucracy. The council wants to close the library and sell the building; a mobile library will have to suffice. June is heartbroken, as are her many library patrons who have come to depend on the innumerable services the library provides. Encouraged by these people who have become her makeshift family, June begins to fight for the library's future, but it may cost her job in the process.
This book is darling. June is a sheltered, sad character, and it is sweet to watch her grow. The assorted characters that join with her, and the few that fight on the other side, are fun to read and full of heart. I love how well this book highlights the many functions libraries perform. It's not all about checking out books. There are so many forms of media that people find useful as well as help with government forms, the use of technology, and a sense of community. I love my library and I've missed being able to spend more time in it the last two years. Libraries are a wonderful resource and a gift to our communities that I fully support. I hope you will do the same.
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