How to Read a Book

'A beautiful, big-hearted treasure of a novel' Lily King

A runaway bestseller in the USA, available for the first time in the UK comes a heartfelt, uplifting novel about a chance encounter at a bookstore.

Exploring redemption, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories, this is a book that readers have taken to their hearts.

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher.

Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest.

Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn't yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland – Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman – their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

How to Read a Book is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterised her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.

"The perfect pick to really light a fire under my book club, and yours … A reminder that goodness, and books, can still win in this world." New York Times Book Review

"A beautiful, big-hearted treasure of a novel." Lily King

"A deeply humane and touching novel; highly recommended for book clubs and fans of Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures." Booklist

Reviews

"A charming, openhearted novel … a reminder that goodness, and books, can still win in this world." New York Times Book Review

"An utter gem; funny, sweet, and moving." People

"I laughed and wept my way straight through … What a beautiful, big-hearted treasure of a novel!” Lily King, New York Times bestselling author of Euphoria and Writers

"Gorgeously told … A finely wrought story, with deeply memorable characters.” Kirkus Reviews

"Told with compassion and empathy … A deeply humane and touching novel” Booklist

“A wry, hopeful celebration of literature, unlikely friendships, and the power of small gestures of connection." Shelf Awareness

"What a master of plot and character Monica Wood is. I love the various worlds How to Read a Book took me to" Margot Livesey, New York Times bestselling author of The Boy in the Field and The Flight of Gemma Hardy

“incandescent and unforgettable." Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and Pictures of You

About the author

Monica Wood is a novelist, memoirist, and playwright; a recipient of the Maine Humanities Council Carlson Prize for contributions to the public humanities; and a recipient of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Distinguished Achievement Award for contributions to the literary arts. She lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband, Dan Abbott, and their cat, Susie.