United by tragedy, can two broken souls make each other whole?
After the tragic loss of his wife, Helen, Luke Hansard is desperate to keep her memory alive. In an effort to stay close to her, he reaches out to an online friend Helen often mentioned: a reclusive photographer with a curious interest in beautiful but broken objects. But first he must find her—and she doesn’t want to be found.
Orla … to be found.
Orla Kendrick lives alone in the ruins of a remote Suffolk castle, hiding from the haunting past that has left her physically and emotionally scarred. In her fortress, she can keep a safe distance from prying eyes, surrounded by her broken treasures and insulated from the world outside.
When Luke tracks Orla down, he is determined to help her in the way Helen wanted to: by encouraging her out of her isolation and back into the world. But Orla has never seen her refuge as a prison and, when painful secrets and dangerous threats begin to resurface, Luke’s good deed is turned on its head.
As they work through their grief for Helen in very different ways, will these two broken souls be able to heal?
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I’ve been a fan of Victoria Connelly’s books for a while now. I love how she brings the English setting to life with such gorgeous descriptions and beautiful prose. She writes about characters that feel real to me, and reading this book was a wonderful, feel-good escape. I’m still thinking about it, and it feels like I just spent the past few days in the south of England. If you’ve never read Victoria Connelly before, I highly recommend this book as a starting point. It was an absolutely joy.
This was a beautifully written story based on grief and healing. And while this could have easily morphed into a sappy romance, the author does a wonderful job of developing a friendship between Luke and Orla. Make sure you grab a box of tissues as you journey through a tale of love, loss, community, and satisfaction.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This is a beautifully written book of heartbreak, learning to trust others and finding strength when all seems lost. Both characters face the devastation of losing the future they had hoped for themselves but through each other discover that although their lives might have changed beyond all recognition that there is still hope for a new life that might be different to the one they imagined but which doesn’t necessarily have to be any less enjoyable than the one that was taken.
The Beauty of Broken Things is a heart-wrenching, hope-filled story and I loved it.
October 18, 2020
Death, assault, and living.
Death, assault, and living are dealt with in a thoughtful and sweet way. My heart pounded a bit, but it was worth it! In this dreadful time we are living in, this book gave me a peace I never expected. Loved it! And certainly didn’t want it to end!
The Beauty of Broken Things is a fascinating story about unimaginable suffering and heartbreaking grief.
Helen and Orla were cyber friends on an app called Galleria, an Instagram of sorts focused on artistic pictures.
Despite never having met in real life, the two women shared a genuine love for photography and became very close.
When Helen died in a train crash, her husband, Luke, found a gift Helen had bought for Orla and decided to deliver it in person. He did not expect to find out his wife’s friend was a recluse living isolated in an old castle.
The story is very touching. Orla suffered significant trauma and retreated from the world. Luke’s broken heart could reach her in ways that others could not.
What started as an awkward meeting evolved into a lovely friendship. Two people in their lowest low sticking together and helping each other.
The little coastal town of Lorford was a picturesque setting, and the side characters were adorable. My favorite was One Ear, the dog.
The heaviness of the theme was lightened by the sense of community and friendship. The book focuses on the characters’ achievements, and the bonds created rather than their pain.
The Beauty of Broken things is an inspiring and captivating read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I LOVED this beautiful heartbreaking novel The Beauty of Broken Things, by Victoria Connelly. The beautiful setting in the Suffolk countryside brought the story to life for me as did the characters that were relatable and that I enjoyed reading about. The story is about the harrowing loss of someone we love and how we go on as survivors after a painful and tragic loss. The story is also about hope and moving on, about new friendships and moving towards healing after a painful past and tragic traumatic events.
I found the writing beautifully expressed and I really enjoyed the pacing and the introduction of the characters as they go through moving forward and the hope for healing. As someone who has experienced loss, I was able to relate to the difficulties and how the painful events can either lead to a spiral downhill, or learn to navigate the new and hopeful tomorrow. This book did just that in a beautifully told story.
I recommend this book for an emotionally engaging read you will not be able to put down once you start.
I look forward to reading more from author Victoria Connelly.
Heartbreaking, hopeful, and absorbing!
The Beauty of Broken Things is a moving, sensitive tale set in the idyllic Suffolk countryside that takes us into the lives of Orla Kendrick and Luke Hansard, two strangers whose budding friendship helps them learn how to support, heal, grow, take chances, start anew, and grieve the tragedies they’ve each endured.
The prose is emotive and smooth. The characters are vulnerable, scarred, and compassionate. And the plot is a captivating tale full of love, loss, family, tragedy, courage, community, contentment, anxiety, and unconditional friendship.
Overall, The Beauty of Broken Things is a pensive, tender, evocative tale by Connelly that reminds us that life can be unpredictable and full of curveballs, but it’s how we approach, handle and survive all these messy, complicated, highs-and-lows that truly make all the difference.