Book Review: Ellie & the Harpmaker by Hazel Prior
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A rich, heartwarming and completely charming debut that reminds us that sometimes, you don’t find love–love finds you.
Dan Hollis lives a happy, solitary life carving exquisite Celtic harps in his barn in the countryside of the English moors. Here, he can be himself, away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right or completely understand.
Ellie Jacobs is a lonely housewife, her days filled with walks and poetry she writes in secret.
One day, she comes across Dan’s barn and is enchanted by his collection. Dan gives her a harp made of cherry wood to match her cherry socks. He stores it for her, ready for whenever she’d like to take lessons.
Ellie begins visiting Dan almost daily, drifting deeper into his world. But when she accidentally discovers a secret, she must make a choice: keep it from him and risk their friendship, or change the course of their lives forever?
Ellie and the Harpmaker was a really enjoyable read. It’s the first book of Hazel Prior’s that I’ve and I’m definitely going to be reading more of her books.
Ellie and the Harpmaker had me laughing and smiling throughout. It also really made me think.
The main character of course, as per the title of the book is Ellie. Ellie is married and her husband pretty much takes care of everything, including earning money. Ellie is a lonely housewife who likes to go on long walks in the countryside and write poetry.
One day Ellie meets Dan as a result of her curiosity. She finds his barn and soon discovers that Dan makes harps. Dan’s love of harps comes from his childhood when he’d make them with his dad. It was actually Dan who asked his father to help him make a harp and since then he’s been doing that ever since.
Now Dan isn’t your normal kind of guy. He’s gentle, shy and creative. His sister is the opposite. Confident and determined to set Dan up in business selling his harps. Dan however, is just happy to while the days away making his harps. He’s not bothered about selling them or making money from them. He just enjoys the craftsmanship of picking the colour wood for each hard, along with the right to pebble to adorn it with.
This isn’t your typical love story kind of book. Ellie falls in love with the harps so when Dan gifts her one, much to the confusion of Ellie’s husband, when he eventually finds out, Ellie is determined to learn to play the harp.
Dan’s girlfriend happens to be a harpist, but is she really his girlfriend and what is she hiding? Ellie and the Harpmaker follows Ellie as she discovers that all is not what it seems.
A really enjoyable read that I would highly recommend!
You can buy Ellie and the Harpmaker online from Amazon here.
