Ellie and the Harpmaker

April 29, 2019
Prior’s debut resonates with a clear voice, depicting love evolving from a friendship based upon genuine acts of kindness. In September 2017, housewife Ellie Jacobs is taking her usual walk in the woods of Exmoor, England, when she turns down a lane and comes across the Harp Barn. Dan Hollis is the Exmoor Harpmaker, and once he hears that learning to play the harp is on Ellie’s do-before-age-40 list, he decides to give her one of his handcrafted harps as a gift. But Ellie’s domineering husband, Clive, insists that she return it because it would be too expensive to purchase, and they would be taking advantage of Dan to keep it as a gift. When Ellie returns it, Dan suggests that Ellie keep it at his barn so that she can practice the harp there. She agrees and starts taking lessons from Dan’s former girlfriend, Rhoda. Ellie enjoys taking harp lessons, but can’t bring herself to tell Clive, afraid that it will upset him. When Ellie discovers a secret that Rhoda has been keeping from Dan and decides to reveal it to him, Ellie’s carefully balanced life is thrown off kilter. Ellie and Dan, both delightful, down-to-earth characters, selflessly put each other’s needs ahead of their own, and fans of fast-paced romantic stories will enjoy watching them discover true happiness together. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary, TV, and Film (U.K.).

Katharine McEwan and Philip Battley do an excellent job alternating voices in this lovely novel. Ellie, portrayed by McEwan, is married to an overbearing man. While mourning the loss of her father, she wanders into a barn on a walk and meets Dan, a harpmaker. Dan, portrayed by Battley, is a bit different from anyone Ellie has ever met before. Battley does a fantastic job bringing these differences to light with a stilted delivery and matter-of-fact tone. Both narrators' accents, as well as the evocative descriptive details, bring listeners into the setting of Exmoor, England. As the story comes to completion, there are tense moments, which the narrators pace well. S.K.G. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine