Anne Youngson's Uplifting Novel 'Meets Me at the Museum' - A Heartwarming Tale of Connecting Across Generations

Margaret Smith: An interesting correspondence novel. Enjoyed it but won’t be one of those books I read again.

United Kingdom on Oct 13, 2023

m holloway: A lovely epistolary novel - I was enchanted by this. Borrowed a copy from a friend and had to buy my own as I loved it so much xx

United Kingdom on Aug 06, 2023

Vince: On the one hand, this work is intelligent, well-crafted and wise. It's filled with superb insights that only a mature and thoughtful author could offer, and everyone should be grateful for that. But while I'd hoped for something like a novel, with all the poetry, lyricism and flights of fancy we might expect to find, the book's epistolary structure inevitably reads more like a transcript of a deftly articulated conversation. Yes, this is understandable, but it left me feeling underwhelmed, nonetheless. Also, I never quite accepted the realization of Tina, a person who (we learn) rarely reads, has never been to college, and has spent forty years running a farmhouse, taking care of a husband, raising kids, feeding chickens, and so on. Yet out of the blue, in her sixties, she begins to write letters with perfect grammar and spelling, brimming with erudition and self-awareness. They seem more the work of a professor of philosophy at Oxford University than of a person who's spent two-thirds of a very practical life residing in the middle of nowhere. For me, this required a big suspension of disbelief, even if I was privileged to have a few hours in Tina's presence. In fact, we should...

United States on Feb 11, 2023

L. M. Stoppard-jones: Meet me at the Museum, Anne Youngson.

I enjoyed Three Women in a Boat more than this one. It seemed to me to be a bit maudlin, deep yes, and expressive about the growing things in common discovered by the two people writing then emailing each other, yet still a bit depressing in some way. The thought trends of the two are thoroughly explored as are their growing shared need to continue communicating although they have never met. The increasing closeness of the medium of writing is explored and revealed thoroughly. How could they not fall for eachother?
A concluding ‘scene’ of them finally meeting would render a greater feeling of reader satisfaction.

United Kingdom on Feb 10, 2023

CSumm: I enjoyed this book very much and found the style of writing intriguing. The author subtly delineates the two scribes demonstrating one with English as a first language and the other their ‘second’. It is well written - I would like a ‘met at the museum’!

United Kingdom on Jul 02, 2022

Laurel S.: I had a whole snowy day to treat myself with reading this book. Since I usually have three of four books going at a time, I planned to just read for an hour! Well It’s ten p.m. and I just finished . At first, I couldn’t imagine and entire book of letters holding my attention. It is brilliantly constructed, and there is a profound depth in each of these characters! I will recommend this book to all of my friends! Thank you Anne Youngson for creating such vivid and endearing people!

United States on Dec 27, 2021

DC Book Angel: I admit. I am a devotee of books built on letters going all the way back to Daddy Longlegs. This book is a lighthanded look at the questions of What is a fulfilling life? What is loneliness? What does it mean to really pay attention? and of course, "Are you the reason that your own wishes were not fulfilled?" The story follows two older people on the cusp of deciding what the rest of their lives are going to look like now that duty has been fulfilled, each in their own country. The story unfolds slowly with grace-- for some that pace may be too slow. But snail mail friendships are like that-- and this one is a treat.

United States on Jun 02, 2021

Reading Books Fan Debs: I wanted a book that was 'light' to read inbetween my crime books, this book is so much more and I loved it!
There are two stories here, a story of discovery about love, regrets, reflection on decisions made years before and The Tollound Man, not sure if the history lesson sits comfortably next to each other, the link between the two was lovely though.
The letters tell the story as two strangers write to each other, this was an absolute joy to read and enhanced the feel of the story.
Then I read the most amazing description of a betrayal of love, I have ever read. Heartwarming, true, so real, powerful
and most importantly rememberable. A book I will never forget.
One question is left unanswered, but I just about forgive this as it wasn't about that, not really!!

United Kingdom on Dec 31, 2020

Elizabeth H. Cottrell: Ann Youngsen, the author, is a grandmother, and this is her first novel—what an inspiration for older writers!

This book is reminiscent of both Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (https://amzn.to/2EquMNF) and 84 Charing Cross Road (https://amzn.to/2W28sEP), both among my most beloved books. It is an "epistolary" novel—an exchange of letters through which the story unfolds and the characters are developed. It was utterly charming, poignant, and heartwarming.

The correspondence begins when a middle-aged farmer's wife Tina writes to a professor at a Dutch museum to inquire about "The Tollund Man," whose mummified remains are on display at the museum. The professor is long dead, but her letter is answered by the museum's curator Anders, a widower. Both Tina and Anders have grown children.

Through their long and detailed letters over many months, their friendship grows and they (and the reader) come to know their lives, their families, and their secrets. There are dramas in both families.

I was struck to be reminded of the rich connection that can develop through letters. Each in their own way (Tina and Anders) found that writing to the other...

United States on May 24, 2019

J-Phi: I waffled between giving this book 4 or 5 stars. It’s a very well-written, gentle, reflective epistolary love story that quietly grips you and keeps you turning the pages even though it’s not what you would call passionate at all. The characters are gentle but compelling in their honesty and humanity and in the way they reveal portions of themselves through their letters and as they become fond of each other, you become fond of them as well. I was not at all aware of the Tollund man but he’s pretty much also a character in this novel with his calm acceptance of his fate and his relatability and resemblance to the characters in the novel (figuratively as well as physically). These are not perfect characters but they are at a time in life when maturity gives them an empathy for the mistakes of life and they are able to reflect on what they could have done otherwise even as they accept themselves. I highly recommend this gentle read. It’s not one that will have you on tenterhooks- it’s quiet and peaceful but strangely quite a page turner. If you’re stressed and looking for something gentle but compelling that will make you think about your own life even if it’s not...

United States on Oct 22, 2018