Sweetshop of Dreams

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 5 Narration 4 Story 5 When you have two women, separated by miles and generations, but both in need of change and purpose, you have a story that can reach out and wrap its arms around you, gradually leaving you with a smile and plenty of sweet dreams. Such is the story of Rosie Hopkins, as she leaves her rather ‘samey’ life in London to take care of an elderly great aunt in the little Derbyshire town of Lipton. With an eight-year relationship with Gerald that is going nowhere fast, mostly due to his selfishness and her willingness to ignore the bad bits and bend over backwards to accommodate his frequent (and often childish) requests, her great-aunt’s need for someone to help sort out her care and disposition of the little sweet shop in Lipton. Rosie’s mum Angela, having left for Australia to skivvy for her son’s children (and picking up an accent that borders on caricature), having pushed the issue – Rosie is soon heading off on the bus to help out the woman she barely remembers- Lillian. Arriving to find the shop closed, obviously for years, and Lillian unwelcoming and unwilling to ‘ask’ for help, Rosie sets in to her tasks: getting Lillian fed, up and about, and fixing a diet that appeared to be nearly all sweets with healthy, varied and regular meals. The two are, not surprisingly, very similar: Lillian’s story and how she became a near recluse with a non-operational sweet shop and no family: prickly, fiercely independent even to her detriment, and Rosie’s second-guessing and making accommodations for a very unworthy Gerald. As Rosie experiences “the country’ for the first time – she’s got a ton of missteps, mishaps and damsel-in-distress moments, for which several different people come to her aid. From the farm-hand / bicycle repairman, to Moray the younger of two doctors and Steven – a patient that Moray brought Rosie to see, thinking she could make steps to getting him healed and helped, she’s busily working out her new place, her dreams and even the possibility of staying in Lipton, without the security of Gerald (who isn’t leaving her feeling very secrete) and perhaps find new purpose. Narration for this story is provided by Beverley A. Crick, and I was pleasantly surprised at the growth and improvement in her work – gone are the odd pauses and indistinct character voices, missing both the sense of enjoyment and emotion that should come from the listen. Instead, she’s managed to give a series of distinctly appropriate character voices, from the more proper received pronunciation of Lililan, to Rosie’s London-twang, Angie’s rather over the top Aussie-nasal flair, and the northern hints of locals: each distinct and feeling very much like their personalities are developing, bringing a sense of who each person is and how they relate to one another, and to Rosie. The lovely insets from Lilian’s Book of Sweets, detailing different sweets, comparing and contrasting start each chapter- bringing classic old-fashioned sweets and flavors to mind . A wonderfully layered story of growth, finding yourself and redefining your purpose – perfect for a summer listen, or a weekend curled up with your favorite treats. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Tantor Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.