Review published in Shelf Awareness, 12/22/2017
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers/2017-12-22/a_hundred_small_lessons.html

A Hundred Small Lessons is a gentle tale of two women reflecting on love and life in the past and current time. Intertwined by a house which one has left and the other one entering. This book depicts a home and the memories formed within it. Thank you NetGalley for the early reader copy, all opinions are my own.

A very emotional roller coaster of a read, it shows the pressures and realities experienced having a baby and how small decisions can have huge consequences

I really enjoy Ashley Hay's quiet, introspective novels, and A Hundred Small Lessons did not disappoint my expectations. Hay writes lyrically about what it means to be a woman - daughter, wife, mother, lover - at any age, and in exploring these contrasts she excavates the truth. The two women featured in this novel highlight each other at the same time as they cast a shadow on womanhood, and the surprising connections between us all.

I had such high hopes for A Hundred Small Lessons! As much as I loved the feeling of "home," this one just didn't grab me. There were great narratives and retellings, but I honestly was a bit bored while reading this. Elsie was interesting, but otherwise, I found Lucy and Ben exhausting. The premise of the novel is outstanding, however, it just wasn't executed as well as I had hoped.

A Hundred Small Lessons is a beautifully written book about two women whose lives are connected through a house they each own or used to own. This book was captivating and hard to put down. I would highly recommend it. I can't wait to read more from Ashley Hay.

People come and People go, like the birds. There'll be other people living here sometime, and none of it our story.

There is a rhythm when reading a narrative and I never held on to it. It is a prose of remembering how secrets affects our past, our present and our future. Set in England and with a life span of memories, regrets, fondness and life.

A Special Thank You to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

This was a sweet nostalgic story, well written and engaging. I liked the characters and their lives.

This book was such a delight to read. So beautifully written, which really warms the heart. The characters life is so warmly portrayed like naturally.

The tone of this book is very quiet which bring out more of its beauty.

A HUNDRED SMALL LESSONS by Ashley Hay is an introspective and well-written, but at times melancholy story. Its focus is on two women and the Brisbane, Australia house in which they lived. One is Elsie Gormley, now elderly and forced to leave the home where she and husband Clem raised two children, Donny and Elaine (twins already in their 70's). The other woman is named Lucy Kiss; she, husband Ben Carter, and their very young son Tom are the new owner occupants.

I think that more mature readers will readily emphasize with both women. Lucy is often lonely, left to care for a young child and give up some of her former self. She imagines Elsie visiting as a friendly presence. And Elsie, experiencing dementia, is having trouble letting go of her home, of her married life (even though Clem has been dead for years) and of her role as a mother. Thus, parts of the story are told in vivid flashbacks. Both struggle with change and a revised self-image:

"Standing at the kitchen sink, she saw a line of Lucys at a line of sinks, each drinking a tall glass of water. She saw rainbows darting out from the prism of each, reflecting and refracting all those other versions of herself." and
"Who would she be now, she wondered, without him? Who was Elsie Gormley if Clem Gormley's idea of her was no longer alive?"

There's a bit of mystery here – will the two ever truly meet? What advice and solace would they offer each other? What insights from the past and courage for the future? Perhaps they would realize the value in this advice: "If you are having a bad day ... take a moment and flick through some photographs. You never take photos of your bad moments – so when you flick through some of the happy things, you let yourself remember there'll be other happy times."

As Elsie ages, she finds herself remembering episodes in her past, her relationship with her beloved husband, Clem, and their two children. Lucy and Ben move into the Brisbane house Elsie’s family used to live in, navigating their way through parenthood and marriage. Beautifully written, with depth and emotion.

Two things drew me to this novel: The first was the description ‘Luminous and deeply affecting’, and the second was the fact that this is written by an Australian author. It’s not all that often I get to review a fellow-Australian! But in the end, I’ve been left with mixed feelings.

First of all, let me say I loved the author’s writing, and I think ‘luminous’ describes it beautifully—not just the writing itself, but also what she chooses to portray and the way she portrays it. She casts a light on everyday life in a way that illuminates the shadows and nuances and makes them deeply interesting. Take the opening chapter, for example. The very first line: “It was early on a winter’s morning when she fell—the shortest day of 2010, the woman on the radio said.” Eighty-nine year old Elsie spends most of the day, and the next several pages, lying on the floor, watching the way the light moves across the floor with the passage of the sun across the sky while she waits for someone to find her. And it was utterly transfixing.

Also engaging was the way the author portrayed Elsie’s character, in particular—the way her mind was prone to wander and confuse the past with the present. Great use of deep point-of-view. However, the fact that some scenes with Elsie were actually in the past, not just Elsie remembering the past, meant that I felt as confused at Elsie did at times! This did get easier to distinguish as the novel progressed—for me, anyway. Perhaps not so much for Elsie ;-) .

The main disappointment for me was that, despite the excellent writing, it felt as though the story lacked direction. I enjoyed the individual chapters, but they often seemed unrelated to one another and didn't form a cohesive plot. I also got the feeling that there were subtle parallels or connections between scenes from Elsie's life and scenes from Lucy's life that I didn't fully pick up on—*gasp!*—and I didn't like that feeling. Perhaps if I read the story a few times they would become clearer. Then again, perhaps I was just looking for more than the writer intended. All that being said, there was a logical climax, resolution, and denouement.

On a final note, for those who care about such things, there is some swearing in this novel, but no sexual content.

As for whether I would recommend it? Well, yes and no. It depends what you’re looking for in a book. I'll leave you to make up your own mind. :-)

a hundred small lessons by Ashley Hay is one of those books that i really enjoyed reading. it is not a fast-paced book, there isn't any crazy action or catastrophic drama. it is quiet and subtle, thoughtful, and deliberate.

it is the story of a home.  a house that becomes a central character through the lives of two different women who find this place to be home at similar stages of their lives. elsie and lucy each move into this home to raise a family, to be wives and mothers. lucy is our present day protagonist having moved into elsie's home when elsie suffers a fall and is no longer able to live on her own.

i fell in love with each of these characters and their stories. stories that were so delicately written and woven together that reading this book was like sitting for coffee with two women with wisdom to share. i also fell in love with their home. this idea that this particular house is more than plaster and wood and cabinets - it is a home.

i loved the tranquil intricacies Ashley used to give each of these women strong voices. elsie was not in the house with lucy, but the strength of her character subtly carried through to lucy's storyline.

a hundred small lessons was a beautiful change of pace for me and i recommend putting it on your list. and grab it for a friend too. it deserves to be shared.

4/5 stars from this girl.

Elsie Gormly has lived in her home in Brisbane, Australia for over 60 years. She has fond memories of raising two children and of her deceased husband, Clem. One evening she has a bad fall and ends up in the hospital. She comes to the realization that she can no longer care for herself. Her children are supportive and move Elsie to an assisted living facility after selling her house. She spends most of her remaining time recounting all the wonderful memories accumulated in her beloved home.

Lucy Kiss and her family become the new owners of Elsie’s house. They are new to the area and Lucy is having difficulties adjusting to her new role as a mother. While cleaning the house, Lucy stumbles across photos left by Elsie, and becomes intrigued with images of her predecessor. While Lucy continues her struggles she finds Elsie’s existence to be comforting. This other person raised a wonderful family in this house - why can’t she do the same?

This book is about two women from different generations occupying the same home at different times. One is contemplating her future life while the other is left to reminisce about the past. This novel by Ashley Hay examines the deep complexities of raising a family.

3.5 stars -- A quiet little story about home and life. We get the perspective of Elsie, the original owner of the house that Lucy and her young family move into. And Lucy's thoughts about Elsie and what her life had been like in this home. Not a lot of action, but stories like this are nice once in a while to get away from the drama of life.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

This is the first novel that I have read by this Australian author...and I am glad that I did! The story of a home and the people who lived in it is told with warmth and insight. We follow the elderly seller of the house as she is moved to assisted living. She has her memories though and we experience her earlier life and relationships. In the present, a young mom tries to understand her life and parenthood. A warm and lovely book!

A Hundred Small Lessons is a charming tale of two different women who inhabit the same house at different times yet their stories and lives aren’t that different. Elsie has lived in her house for so many years yet when she can no longer care for it or herself she sells it to Lucy and her family and their two lives are told in alternating voices shows us that while we all have different challenges in life are basic troubles and every day lives aren’t that different than anyone else's.

Through Elsie, we hear her life story of love, loss and everything in between and how Lucy’s life kind of intwines with that of Elsie. All of this light, loss, and secrets that this house keeps in so intriguing that it is nothing but beyond beautiful. I loved this story and how it all intertwines with the house as its foundation. This is one book that took me by surprise and I’m so delighted I took the time to read this rich book that focuses on family.

A quick synopsis of this new work from Ashley Hay is that it follows the occupants of a house at different points in each family’s life.

I found this to be fascinating book that looks at family, marriage and motherhood from many different perspectives.

The writer creates a meditation on what makes a home, how are our memories imprinted and what experiences form family bonds and how families driven apart.

There were passages in this story I read more than once, just to immerse myself in the character’s reflections. The use of language is as elliptical as the story and that is meant in a positive way. The characters thoughts are expressed in the same way we think about things both large and small in our own lives, approaching from the edges or from the center outward.

Although there is some tension in the story about what is real and what isn’t, that really is beside the point here. The journey is all.

A Hundred Small Lessons is a quiet little book. There's no bold drama, or quick-paced action. It's a quiet, gentle reflection on two women, Elsie, near the end of her life, looking back; and Lucy, a young wife and mother looking forward, who happen to have lived in the same house.

Each of their families, their contentment, their dreams and wonderings are set before us with skilled character descriptions set decades apart. If you're looking for a "homey" read where everyone is just going about their lives, you will enjoy this. If you need action, suspense, intrigue, you will not.

As in life, your contentment depends on what you're looking for and your expectations. I leave it for you to decide if A Hundred Small Lessons is a fit for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an e-ARC of this book. My thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I loved this book. I was a respite worker for years, so I could feel for all the characters in this story..... who were very well written in this heart wrenching story. The writing was well dine in and grabbed me from the beginning.