Filled with warmth, tenderness and character. It really made me think, too – I love that it encourages us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. A gorgeous novel’– Beth O’Leary Our lovely main character is Jess, an only child, who is struggling to cope with the bereavement of her Mum. It is the soul destroying process of clearing her Mum’s house, full of memory inducing belongings, that brings her to The Museum of Ordinary People. The other characters are believable, quirky, flawed and wonderfully human. The story is beautiful, an emotional idea, so very unique. I read All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle and LOVED it. I thought the characters were so dimensional and real and my heart ached for them. In contrast, I was surprised to find that the characters in this book felt lifeless, unimaginative, and unrealistic. Mike Gayle has such a wonderful way of turning the every day into something special and tugging at your heartstrings in the process. There’s a lot here that is emotional, clearing your parents home for a start and often putting their precious possessions into a bin bag or onto a skip as your heart breaks with guilt and love. How the author conveys this is spot-on. The Museum of Ordinary People is a heartwarming, addictive, charming story about a young museum curator and her discovery of everyday items that carry great meaning for people. Her efforts to start her museum and wade through her personal loss have the reader cheering her every move. The story also raises the intere

A keenly observed and warm-hearted tale of how people cope with loss and keep their dreams alive against the odds . . . a delightful read' - Ruth Hogan After loving "All the Lonely People" by Mike Gayle I was excited to receive an early review copy of The Museum of Ordinary People.All the mysteries are solved in rather speedy fashion towards the end of the book which made it feel rushed. I can’t say I liked the characters all that much and they weren’t very well fleshed out. I enjoyed getting to know Jess and everyone else in the story, she is thoroughly likable and I was rooting for her success throughout. Although it's pretty obvious from the beginning what will happen romance-wise in the book, it's still fun to watch unfold as you read.

The Priest’s Wife – A G Rivett | Blog Tour Extract | #ThePriestsWife @bryn.glas.books @RichardsonHelen I don’t know whether it’s since I lost my own father and became more aware of them but there seem to be more and more books exploring grief and the ordinary experiences of loss. I do not see this as a bad thing at all. I’ve read a couple of other books by the same author so although I read this through netgalley, I probably would have bought it myself anyway (thanks netgalley) I haven’t read a Mike Gayle book before, though I have heard a lot of his writing. So it’s disappointing to have such a flat first experience of his work. Nevertheless, I shall definitely try out more of his books to see if they match me better. Mike Gayle was born and raised in Birmingham. After graduating from Salford University with a degree in Sociology, he moved to London to pursue a career in journalism and worked as a Features Editor and agony uncle. He has written for a variety of publications including The Sunday Times, the Guardian and Cosmopolitan. Overall, this is an author whose books I’ll always want to read. He writes about ordinary people in such a way that makes them feel extraordinary.

Despite the book being centred around a museum, an unspoken secret gave a good fight to become the centre of attention. I was flabbergasted to be totally honest. I didn't know who I felt sorry for the most in the situation, yet I could also see it from the side of a mother, what with being one myself. I know this sounds like I'm speaking nonsense, however those who have read the book will understand where I am coming from. However, if you haven't read the book yet, I highly suggest you nab one as soon as you can. My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Museum of Ordinary People”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. This story is about Jess who loses her mum and in the process of dealing with the practicalities following death, she comes across the ‘museum of ordinary people’. The book focuses on Jess and how her life changes after her loss but also touches on the complexities of the things we leave behind. This made it a very easy and approachable read without becoming inaccessible to those without a degree in counselling or literature. Not sure it needed the epilogue though as nice a story as it was.

The story has a few big surprises and interesting characters with their own dilemmas. I was drawn to Jess's desire to keep her mother's memory alive. It felt relatable.

This book is about Jess, who grew up the beloved daughter of a single mother. When her mother dies suddenly, Jess is tasked with clearing out her house. She keeps very few items, but one of those items she does keep is a set of 1970s encyclopedias that she used to pore over as a child. Although Jess's dream and education is to be a curator of a museum, life circumstances have stood in the way and she is currently working as a receptionist. When Jess and her boyfriend Guy decide to sell the home they are living in, she reluctantly needs to part ways with the encyclopedias. Jess hears of an odd museum called The Museum of Ordinary People, and what and who she discovers when she goes looking for it is exciting and comforting at the same time. Long story short – she convinces Alex to allow her to put Mr. Barkley’s rubbish items on display as a Museum and Alex agrees. The plot is not really anything out of the ordinary. But the way Mike Gayle has presented it, and embellished it with the wondrous collection of ordinary objects that someone loved, but couldn’t keep, makes it a stand-out novel for me. Inspired by a box of mementos found abandoned in a skip following a house clearance, The Museum of Ordinary People is a thought-provoking and poignant story of memory, grief, loss and the things we leave behind. (goodreads) My Review She is ably supported by Alex and Angel in her quest. By taking on this challenge both Jess and Alex are able to come to terms with their pasts and find a way to move forward.