In the rolling hills of beautiful Exmoor, there’s a barn. And in that barn, you’ll find Dan. He’s a maker of exquisite harps – but not a great maker of conversation. He’s content in his own company, quietly working and away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right.
But one day, a cherry-socked woman stumbles across his barn and the conversation flows a little more easily than usual. She says her name’s Ellie, a housewife, alone, out on her daily walk and, though she doesn’t say this, she looks sad. He wants to make her feel better, so he gives her one of his harps, made of cherry wood.
And before they know it, this simple act of kindness puts them on the path to friendship, big secrets, pet pheasants and, most importantly, true love.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. Who wouldn’t love to stumble across an eccentric harp maker in the beautiful English countryside? Sign me up! Ellie and the Harpmaker didn’t disappoint. It’s a cute romance with quirky characters and some unexpected twists.
What I liked
The descriptions
Everything from the wood of the harps to the leaves in the trees comes to life through Prior’s descriptions. Whether she’s using Dan’s unique perspective to describe something common in a new way, or showing us how unusual something seems through Ellie’s eyes, I was completely caught up in the writing style. I had a vivid mental image of what the settings looked like, how the music sounded, and, more importantly, how all of it made the characters feel.
Dan’s character
The book is told from two perspectives, alternating between the two protagonists. I quickly fell in love with Dan. He is such a different kind of lead in a romance story, and it was fun to get to know him better throughout the book and see how he reacted to the curveballs thrown his way. It’s never explicitly said, but it’s pretty clear that he’s autistic. While I do have some questions (I’ll get to those later…) I really appreciated having an autistic main character, and as the romantic lead, no less!
What I didn’t like
Ellie’s character
While I loved Dan, Ellie’s chapters were a struggle at times. She is married to Clive, who is clearly emotionally abusive. This is apparent to the reader from the start, and it quickly gets old to watch Ellie be so oblivious to how horrible he is. I understand that, sadly, this is how many abusive relationships are. The victim is in denial and continues to justify the abuser’s actions, even when it’s clear to everyone else in their life that there’s a problem. But this is a line that has to be dealt with carefully in fiction. I think The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary did an amazing job of showing the problems with a relationship while also keep the reader engaged. The thing that The Flatshare did differently than Ellie and the Harpmaker is that the reader, at first, isn’t aware of how horrible the relationship was. We’re getting the victim’s perspective, and believe along with her that he wasn’t all that bad. It’s only as the character slowly realizes she was in an abusive relationship that the reader sees it too. Compare that to Ellie, when it’s painfully obvious from the get-go. Ellie is also a bit flat, so I struggled to have sympathy for her when I saw Clive treating her poorly. I just got frustrated and bored.
The treatment of women
There are several moments of unnecessary competition between women or Ellie being rude toward women. She describes her best friend, who has dark skin and hair, as “exotic,” which seemed . . . weird. When she and Clive go on a double date with Clive’s friend from work, Ellie is immediately judgmental and dismissive of the other woman. She judges her for being plus size and how she is dressed. Um, excuse me? Am I supposed to hate Ellie’s character, because this is pushing me in that direction. And finally, Ellie is immediately competitive with Roe Deer, Dan’s girlfriend. And sure, Ellie thinks Dan is cute and starts to get feelings for him, so I understand her being a little jealous. But it all spirals out so quickly, and before Ellie even knows Roe Deer is dating Dan, she sees a picture of her and once again makes a snap judgment based on what she’s wearing. Nearly every female relationship in this book left me with a bad taste in my mouth—even Ellie’s best friend, Christina, has a primary plotline of disliking her son’s new girlfriend.
What I have questions about
The autism rep
I mentioned above that Dan is portrayed as autistic. What I can’t figure out is what research Prior did for writing an autistic character. Dan’s chapters are written in a very childlike way, and the phrasing feels a little forced, as if trying paint in clear letters to the reader: THIS GUY IS AUTISTIC. I don’t have any close friends or family with autism, so I’m certainly not the best judge of this. But when I compare it to other books with autistic characters written by autistic authors, like Helen Hoang and C.G. Drews, the voice of Dan seems very one-note, almost verging into stereotypical. And maybe he’s just on a different end of the spectrum than other characters I’ve read. Again, I don’t have the experience to say anything definitively, but I do have questions, and would like to hear the thoughts of people with autism on the representation here.
Ellie and the Harpmaker comes out August 6. Click here to preorder it!
Are you excited to read Ellie and the Harpmaker? Let me know in the comments!
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