IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A MEMORY TO OUTLIVE ITS OWNER?
Ophelia Browne knows the answer is yes. She knows because she’s been granted the unique gift of finding and caring for those forgotten memories. But now she’s nearing ninety, and Browne women seldom live beyond ninety.
Before time runs out Ophelia must find a successor. Someone who can take hold of the gifts and keep the memories from fading. … memories from fading.
When broken-hearted Annie Cross shows up on the doorstep of The Memory House Bed and Breakfast, Ophelia knows she is the one. The two women forge a bond of friendship as they sip magical dandelion tea and share stories. When Annie starts to sense the memories Ophelia is delighted, but then a thread of violence begins to unravel and Ophelia fears things have gone too far.
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Do objects hold the memories of the people that once possessed them? That is the magic within this story. If you can believe that, you will enjoy this wonderful tale. Of course the book is about so much more than that. It is about a friendship of a younger woman at a cross road in her life with an older wise woman. I love stories with the older generation in them, so this friendship was a huge plus in my enjoyment.
Bette Lee Crosby is an excellent author and draws the reader into her world immediately. Her characters are so life-like. The setting is described in quite a bit of detail and I felt like I was experiencing the story, instead of just reading it.
I highly recommend this book. I will be continuing the series and am looking forward to the future stories.
This was the first (but not the last) book by Bette Lee Crosby that I’ve read. I have read it twice now and always come away feeling enriched.
I have always loved Bette’s books and this one is no exception. Bette knows how to weave a tale and if you start reading her books, many of the characters are interwoven into various books. I like reading about familiar characters and learning a bit more than I have from the other books.
Annie’s character has a lot to deal with in her life including a jerk of a boyfriend. She decides to take a weekend away and ends up at a B&B with Ophelia who can “read” items…she can tell things about what happened to people from items she holds. Annie learns a lot about herself and what she wants with her life while staying with Ophelia. There are some interesting twists at the end with some of the characters, all good though!
Such a comforting and heart-warming read. It’s a story about other people’s stories. A story about a lost and confused young lady who stumbles into this magical house and befriends a kind elderly woman. She soon learns that once treasured objects in the house hold stories within. This is a feel good, calming, and wonderfully written magical story.
I don’t know how “Memory House” is only my second book by Bette Lee Crosby!
I feel like I have been missing out on extraordinary author!
This book took me on a powerful journey!
I felt so involved in these characters lives, Ophelia was so well-written and by far one of my favorite character’s written into a storyline.
Ophelia’s memories pull at your heartstrings. She made me feel as if I were living through her memories. I felt so many emotions, there was joy, sadness and most of all love.
“A good memory is something you have to live with for awhile, let it settle in and become part of who you are”
This book captured my heart!
I look forward to reading the series and many more by Bette Lee Crosby!
I highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a good heartwarming story!
I loved this book! This is such a sweet story, I loved the characters. I was hooked at page one. To me this book was a page turner, I loved the story so much. I could have read many more chapters.
Memory House is a special kind of book! It’s a delightful, endearing story of two very special women, Annie and Ophelia and the bond of friendship and love they develop for one another that will capture your hearts! There’s more. It’s also a very sweet love story! But that part I will not give away! You must read it to find out why!
Ophelia Brown owns a unique Bed & Breakfast called Memory house in Burnsville, Virginia where she has a small apothecary shop in the front parlor. There are always fresh herbs, flowers, scents and aromas lingering to delight anyone’s senses. As Ophelia is nearing her nineties, she hopes to find someone special to take over the B & B, and the memories and treasure that are so precious to her, but she wants to pass it along to someone special.
Annie Cross leaves on a short weekend trip Philadelphia. She’s running from a broken love affair and winds up at Memory House. That is when the magic begins to happen, when the memories that Ophelia has been having for most of her life there, realizes is also a gift that Annie shares too. Is Annie ready to give up a life that she thought was meant to be, for a new unknown future? Memory House becomes her chance at a possibility!
When Annie first arrives Ophelia offers Annie some stew, biscuits and dandelion tea. I love herbal tea, so every night when I read the book I imagined I was sitting with Annie and Ophelia drinking the dandelion tea with them. Reading Memory house also brought back memories of my own childhood, of when my mom would cook me delicious meals. I could almost taste the food and smell the aroma as I was reading!! This enchanting story brought back memories of my own as if I was part of it. Strange, I think not. It’s what a master story teller does, they bring magic to you as you read. That’s what Bette Lee Crosby has done for me! I’m truly grateful for having read this book and not only will read the rest of the series but plan on reading all of her books!!
A delightful story of a friendship between Annie, a young woman recently left by her longtime boyfriend and almost 90 year old, Ophelia, the owner of Memory House Bed and Breakfast. Ophelia has chosen Annie to take over as the Memory keeper, when she dies; but she must first teach her to retrieve memories from ordinary objects.
I was spellbound by this moving story about Ophelia and the young guest, Annie, who finds her way to her doorstep and her heart. These two women were a delight to meet and each one holds a special place in my heart.
Ophelia is nearing 90 and time is running out for her. Annie is a young woman with no direction, drifting through life and looking for her place to call home. Was it fate that brought them together? I like to think so.
I loved this story. The excitement to see what would happen, to see if what I wanted to happen would and where these two women wound up kept me flipping the pages. Every time something I wanted to happen did, I looked up, wanting to share what I just read. No one was there. Probably a good thing as I would have spoiled the book for them.
I can share this with you though. Bette has a way of sprinkling connections to her other books into this story. I recognized characters and events, and even some of the objects that held memories. It endeared this book to me even more.
I finished with a sigh of delight and a twinkle in my eye. Magical.
Memory House by Bette Lee Crosby is a delightful story with very well developed characters and a mesmerizing storyline. I enjoyed following the lives of Annie Cross and Ophelia Brown. This book is a quick read and is a standalone story. I had only read Spare Change in this series by this author so I could see some of the connections between the stories and will look to pick out more connections as I continue to read these stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful book!
I loved it and live any books by Bette Lee Crosby! She is the best and a favorite of mine!
This was my first book by Bette Lee Crosby and it definitely will not be my last. Bette has a way of writing that draws you in from page one and you don’t want to put it down. I loved this book! This is a story of friendship, trust and potential…the potential to love, live and believe. I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.
I have loved every single one of Bette’s books and Memory House took me back to some of the settings in those wonderful stories and let me reconnect with the great characters that I have come to love.
What an interesting idea, that memories are stored, but sometimes forgotten, and that there is a memory keeper who finds and cares for those memories.
Ophelia is getting up there in years and is searching for someone to take over the task for her.
Along comes Annie Cross and she just might be the person for the job.
Bette writes very beautiful and magical stories that are woven together to create a wonderful world that I never want to leave. I know when I sit down to read one of her books that I am going to be transported to a place filled with gentle, caring people; people and places that I’ve loved before, as well as meeting new people and discovering new places.
There is magic in the Memory House Stories. Oliva and Ophelia are amazing characters. Love, trust and believing play important roles in these books. Heartwarming and well worth the read.
From the first page of this story, I was entered into a world of unique memories. Bette Lee Crosby gives the reader a story of love, dreams, mystery, friendship and more. The descriptions in the story are so vivid that I found myself feeling as if I was there with the characters. I worried about them, cried for them and laughed with them. I was brought to tears thinking about the special memories of my own life. This is a wonderful story and I will be reading more from this author.
I picked up “Memory House” yesterday and could not put it down until I had finished.
Who needs sleep when you are reading Bette Lee Crosby?
I loved the story of Annie’s life and how all of the characters were developed. The moment when I heard names that I recognized was a turning point for me. I was surprised to hear that characters from other Bette Lee Crosby novels were part this story. I thoroughly enjoyed that!! It was a Wow moment for me!!
Ophelia was someone that I wished that I could meet in person. What a sweet woman.
I had times where I was a little sad but then the happy moments that balanced them out!
I am anxious to read the next book in this Series.
I would absolutely recommend that you read this book, as well as her other books.
While the premise is engaging and the writing deceptively simple, the elements of the story add up to create something more profound.
It is a story of seemingly ordinary lives that interconnect to reveal hidden secrets and produce a reality that is, in a word, magical.
I have read other books by Bette Lee Crosby and they as well were great. Lots of times you read a book and you ask yourself what happened to the characters once the book is finished. Some of the characters from her previous books are brought back in this one. In my opinion this book can be a standalone book also. A beautiful story about the treasures of memories past being shared. This book will grab at your heart and helps you to see how important memories are. Memories must be shared so that they can be carried on for years to come by others. Bette is a great author!! I truly loved this book!!
Memory House was my first by Bette Lee Crosby and will stay with me always. The touch of magic and the healing bond between the characters are wonderful.
Love her writing style!