The Wish List Of Albie Young by Ruby Hummingbird
Published by Bookouture
Published 12th November 2019
Genre: Romantic Comedy
336 pages
Book Description:
Sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can float to the top.
Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.
On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.
Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.
Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.
When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.
Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.
Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…
Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.
On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.
Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.
Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.
When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.
Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.
Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…
My Review:
What a beautiful book! I wasn't sure when I requested this one whether it might get a little bit maudlin in places but Ruby Hummingbird has managed to make me cry with emotion without depressing me at all then lifted me up with hope and happiness.
The story follows 70 year old Maria Birch who has isolated herself in grief since the tragic loss of her teenage daughter many years before. She has timetabled her life so that she has total control and rarely lets anyone behind her defences. All that changes when cheeky chap Albie Young invites himself to share a table with Maria in the local café. They agree to meet there every Thursday and slowly but surely Maria starts to relax and enjoy Albie's company. Until one week he doesn't show up.
We then follow Maria as she comes to terms with Albie's death; she's angry, she's sad, she's overwhelmed. But through Albie's list of good deeds he had hoped to fulfil before he died she finds inspiration to live life to the fullest. She meets and talks to people she never imagined herself mixing with, she finds out how good it feels to do a good deed for someone with no other reason than to be helpful and then faces her biggest fear of all. All because of Albie's list.
I was glad I was all on my own reading this book as it made me cry on more than one occasion. I really felt for Maria, how she has punished herself for most of her adult life over something she had no control. Her and Albie finding one another was meant to be, they each found what they needed in one another. As much as this was a sad book it was also very heartwarming in its conclusion. There are some lovely moments between Maria and the people she meets on her quest to tick every entry on the list and some humorous chapters too. I felt very proud of Maria and all the things she achieved but my heart broke for her that she lost Albie when she had so little time with him.
I just hope that when Maria's time came she walked into a café in heaven and sat down with Albie to share another pot of tea and a slice of marble cake.
About the Author:
Ruby Hummingbrid is a novelist based in the English countryside.She loves nothing more than writing uplifting and heartwarming fiction that gets her readers reaching for the tissues. When she isn't story telling. she can be found tending to her beloved sunflowers or sipping on hazelnut lattes.The wish List of Albie Young i her debut novel,and it promises to be a real heartbreaker.
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