This fast-paced book sweeps the reader in and along the rapids of a journey that ends with a glimpse over a seemingly endless waterfall. When I first began reading The Last Librarian, I was concerned that this was a book that's been done so many times before it couldn't possibly have anything original to it. But, the delightful characters, the unanswered questions, the humor, the quotes from many great books of the past and the desire to know exactly where each character's loyalties lie kept me reading. And, I'm glad I did! And it took to 62% for really anything involving the library to really happen, beyond Ivy's headaches. There was some at the beginning, but it just disappeared.

I’m delighted to share my Book Review of The Last Library by Freya Sampson. This is the authors debut novel, published by Zaffre in September 2021. The story reminded me of the benefits and importance of supporting local libraries. As a result of reading The Last Library, I have re-joined my local Library in North Swindon. Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley– Alice’s desk might look a mess, but she knows exactly where everything is. Or she did. Until she found out she’s going to share it with the most annoying guy in the office. After a year, Legg emerged from federal prison, chastened and wiser, and began anew. More than twenty-five years later, he’s now using all that hard-earned firsthand knowledge of conspiracies, corruption and high finance to weave his tales. Legg’s books pulse with authenticity. I loved reading about how June developed and how her life became so enriched and changed so completely and how happy she is. Just a brilliant brilliant storyline.

Follow Me

With the help of his friend, troubled author Nelson Wright; revolutionary Chelles Andreas; his son Grandyn; and the several “TreeRunners”, Runit weeds books from the library’s vast collection to send to safety while learning hard truths about himself and his past as well as the government, PAWN (People Against World Nation) and a rising rebellion.

I do also realize there is a difference in the time period and how things progress, but I am quite annoyed that she has known Arthur for a few weeks, gone out with him a few times and suddenly they are engaged. This is definitely a product of her being a naive romantic but it's still annoying since she’s supposed to be a learned woman as well.

The Last Library

A wonderful DEBUT from Freya Sampson, who lives in London with her husband, two children, and her own, antisocial cat! 😼 This story is a great reminder of the many benefits of belonging to, and supporting your local library. To me, this just felt like a big warm hug of a read! It is a story about love, loss, friendship, kindness, community and standing up for what you believe in. Runit watched the beautiful books reduced to fiery ash. Who would do this? he wondered. Corrupt people fear books because they contain something more powerful than themselves: ideas. Thirty year old June Jones gave up her dreams of college, new friends, and a writing career when years ago, her mother was fighting cancer, a battle her mother lost. While her librarian mother was still alive, June became a library assistant, the same job she holds today. Shy, lonely June spends her days at work and her nights and weekends eating alone and reading books, some many times over, while dodging the hisses and swats of her late mom's old cat, Alan Bennett.

Library assistant June knows a lot about the regulars at Chalcot Library, yet they know very little about her. When her mum – the beloved local librarian – passed away eight years ago, June stepped into her shoes. But despite their shared love of books, shy June has never felt she can live up to the village’s memory of her mum. Instead, she’s retreated into herself and her memories, surviving on Chinese takeaways-for-one and rereading their favourite books at home. In addition to too many characters trying to dance on the head of a pin, there were more double- and triple-crosses than a double helix. Just trying to keep up was dizzying, but that might have been the point; the main character was just as in the dark for most of the book, and you had to follow along with him as he tried to navigate the world that he'd been pulled into. That made him a somewhat unreliable narrator, but it wasn't his fault, since he could only act on the information that he had, and he often didn't have all of the facts, or interpreted them wrong. the meaningfulness of the Library is delved into on a very human level and goes hand in hand with the central theme of community life; Runit reluctantly joined him in the doorway that led to the special collections. He looked out at all the thousands of books he had failed to protect. Their death sentence came only because they weren’t deemed controversial enough by Blaise Cortez’s DesTIn program. But they were no less beautiful and fulfilling books, and the AOI could just as easily change their contents on all the digital editions to suit some future policy against interracial or same sex relationships. Perhaps one day somebody wouldn’t like redheads and they would all be banned from books. Maybe anything that mentioned the former country of India would be erased, or the entire history of a specific war or financial crisis would be wiped from the recorded memory of humanity with the touch of a finger. it adds layers of meaning through characterisation and the sum of events, keeping credibility and a pervading sense of humanity in full focus;Library assistant June will know exactly which books you will love, she will find the books that you will enjoy and will help you escape into a different world. Her knowledge is incredible, her intuition is amazing and she is one of the best characters I have ever met in a book. Struggling with the loss of her Mum, she lives a very sheltered life, working in the library and then retreats to her haven, her home, where everything she knows and loves from her past is around her. Her love of reading helps her cope with her daily life and struggles. She lives her life through her books. There is also one public library left. The last one renaming, after all other libraries have been shut-down, their books burned. The Aylantik government is hell-bent on destroying all those books, and now the last library is about to be shutdown as well. The Last Library is absolutely irresistible! Curl up and indulge in Freya Sampson's charming novel about a shy librarian in a small town with a great cause. You'll have such a good time and you'll love the unexpected twist at the end! * Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Family Reunion *

I’m giving my 4 joy of reading, self discovery, learning to be bold, laughing loud, sentimental, beautiful stars! The Last Chance Library is absolutely irresistible! Curl up and indulge in Freya Sampson’s charming novel about a shy librarian in a small town with a great cause. You’ll have such a good time and you’ll love the unexpected twist at the end!”— New York Times bestselling authorNancy Thayer And the insta-love between Runit and Chelle.... spare me. The author actually described her as having "movie star looks", with hair that smelled like "snow and tangerines" and when Runit held a sobbing Chelle in his arms after knowing her for about a day, he described it as the most erotic moment of his life. Groan. This happens in a vehicle with a little old lady sitting across from them. The old lady is blue-haired and has volunteered for 3-4 years, but Runit hardly knows her.... the library staff is 7 employees and a dozen volunteers, but Runit - the director of library - doesn’t know her?! This author can’t be bothered with the effort of putting thought into physical descriptions, so we have leading ladies with movie-star looks and little old ladies with blue hair. Sigh. The only problem with E-Books is they can be changed to suit nefarious purposes--If we all do not know the truth of the past (because it has been changed or deleted --how are we ever going to NOT make the same mistakes again and again and again. And will there be anyone left who actually remembers what those books contained? Not if the powers in charge shut down all the libraries and BURN all the books!! If June wants to save the place that means so much to her, she'll have to make some bold changes to her life: opening up her heart to friendship, opportunities and maybe even more . . .

June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way. However, June's world begins to shift slowly when her library, along with others, is earmarked for closure and the building set to be sold. She is warned that as a council employee, she is forbidden to take part in or get involved with a protest action group that is has been set up to fight the closure, and at the beginning she adheres to this rule. An old schoolfriend, lawyer Alex Chen arrives in town to help run The Golden Dragon, his father is getting a hip operation, and as June recommends books for him to read, she listens to his advice about her quandry and he tells her to ask herself about a favourite fictional character, what would Roald Dahl's Matilda do? This spurs June to help the FOCL (the Friends of Chalcot Library) campaign, giving advice, information and ideas covertly as Matilda, but when a beloved daily library user, Stanley Phelps starts a sit in protest, she openly joins the protests.