What a lovely, charming book. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel about an unlikely friendship between a quirky, harpmaker and an unhappy housewife. I really enjoyed the writing. This novel is full of heart, humor and I loved it.

I requested this book as background reading as Berkley marketing (Fareeda) are promoting it on BookBrowse. Personally, I found it enjoyable. More importantly, it has been well received by our members who reviewed it for our early reader program, First Impressions, and in addition to the promotion activity, it is likely we will also feature it as an Editor's Choice editorial section.

Hazel Prior has a way with words!

I'm not usually one who enjoys great amounts of description in my books. I prefer lots of dialogue and action. Ellie and Dan, however, are the exception for me. I loved Dans thoughts and explanations; his very literal understanding of comments made to him by the very few people in his life.

I found myself thinking about the characters when I couldn't be reading the book. Hazel Prior's writing is as magical as harps and fairies and pheasants named Phineous!

Thanks to the author and publisher of #EllieAndTheHarpmaker and #NetGalley for allowing me to read this advance readers copy in return for an honest review.

Dan is living his dream, making harps. His life is uncomplicated and going smoothly until Ellie wanders into his barn. She is searching for something to bring some excitement into her life and decides she would like to learn to play the harp. This decision has an interesting effect on all concerned. An unusual and compelling story,

This was a sweet story, although I found the characters frustrating. Ellie lied to everyone about everything. Her husband was just an awful person, and I didn't understand her motivation for wanting to stay with him. Dan was a good character, although perhaps could have had more depth. His "backstory" was a bit unbelievable as well. In the end, I did enjoy the book, and it was a light enjoyable read, but I had seen it compared to A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant and but it did not come nearly to that level for me.

If you like romantic stories from authors such as Nicholas Sparks, you will love this book, which features a flighty poet and a neurodivergent hero who makes lots of sandwiches and is obsessed with creating unique Celtic harps. The narrative helps to foster deep connections between the reader and the characters. As a trigger warning, it does contain some domestic violence scenes, but it is overall a fairly pleasant read.

sounded better in the summary than execution, but i looved the writing and am eager for more from this writer

While the premise of the book sounded interesting and I was invested for the first half, the plot became predictable and I predicted what was going to happen long before it did. I'm also convinced that one of the main characters falls on the Autism spectrum, and I'm not sure that this was portrayed particularly accurately or with the proper sensitivities. It was a fine one-time read for me, and if I worked in a public library where contemporary fiction was popular, I'd consider this an optional buy.

This is a charming, upbeat novel that will appeal to a wide group of readers. The characters are lovable and you quickly root for them to grow and be successful..... and they do grow and change for the better.

Dan has a barn in Exmoor where he makes beautiful harps by hand. He is content being alone for hours on end. Then one day, Ellie happens upon his barn, and starts to chat with him about his harps, which she cannot believe he made himself. Taken aback, Dan gives a harp to Ellie, which she promptly returns, after being convinced by her family that Dan is expecting payment in exchange for it. They are already on the path to an odd friendship however, and continue to see each other, hoping for something more.

The story is interesting, but the writing doesn’t work for me. It’s a lot of explanations. A lot of “I did this... She did that...” kind of sentences. The story could’ve been good, if told by a different storyteller. I also didn’t really care for Ellie. She’s a bit weak and wishy washy, but her biggest crime is the way she talks down to Dan. All the sneaking around and trying to expose Rhoda’s lies, it just frustrated me more than entertained

Ellie and the Harp Maker by Hazel Prior is a sweet story about a woman and yes, a harp maker. I loved the authors writing style and wanted to walk right into the book, into the barn where the harps are made.

This isn’t full of thrills and suspense but its a beautifully written story. Dan is just a simple harp maker (I think he is on the autism spectrum though the author doesn’t address this) who doesn’t desire money for his harps, rather he is content to give them to people for pure enjoyment. Ellie is tired of her controlling husband and after stumbling upon Dan and his harps, begins to take an interest in learning to play the harp. She might be interested in Dan too… Both Dan and Ellie are different in their own ways but they connect over music.

I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the town of Exmoor!

In the rolling hills of beautiful Exmoor, there’s a barn. And in that barn, you’ll find Dan. He’s a maker of exquisite harps – but not a great maker of conversation. He’s content in his own company, quietly working and away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right.

But one day, a cherry-socked woman stumbles across his barn and the conversation flows a little more easily than usual. She says her name’s Ellie, a housewife, alone, out on her daily walk and, though she doesn’t say this, she looks sad. He wants to make her feel better, so he gives her one of his harps, made of cherry wood.

And before they know it, this simple act of kindness puts them on the path to friendship, big secrets, pet pheasants and, most importantly, true love.



Due out May 2.

Ellie and the Harpmaker is a unique love story, full of whimsy and heart. Ellie, who is lacking direction and fulfillment in her life, stumbles across a barn down a lane near where she lives. There she is amazed by the array of beautiful harps created by a master artist. Dan, who creates these wonderful instruments, knows each harp’s unique personality and characteristics. He impulsively gives one to Ellie, which sets her on a path to discover the beauty of harp music and reverence for the instrument. Soon Ellie is enchanted by the harp and the pull she feels towards the harp, the barn, and even Dan, changes her life - and Dan’s.

#EllieAndTheHarpmaker #NetGalley

Lovely story about art, friendship and life struggles. An artistically curious woman serendipitously meets a harp maker and a magically woven relationship prevails.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy of this book. I truly enjoyed Ellie and the Harpmaker and did not want to put it down. It’s a beautifully written book. Dan makes beautiful wooden harps. He meets Ellie and this book is about their story. I loved it!

OMG I loved this book! Probably one of my favorites this year. The writing is flawless, and the story so ful of heart and charm and magic!

I'll review it fully closer to the release date on my blog.

An engaging story of finding oneself and branching out. Ellie stumbles across Dan, a harpmaker's workshop, and a beautiful story of friendship and music happens. The setting is beautiful, the story moving, and the characters really find their way into your heart.

Ellie and the Harpmaker (2019)
By Hazel Prior
Berkley/Penguin, 336 pages.
★★★★

Ellie and the Harpmaker is a quirky little novel whose charm grows the deeper you get into it. Set in Exmoor, which lies near Bristol in the southwest of England, it centers on two loners whose relationship is seldom what you’d imagine. Although Hazel Prior’s story is nothing like that of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, there are similarities in tone and the overall unusualness of the two tales.

Dan Hollis is the titular harpmaker. Although Prior never uses the term autism, we suspect he’s on the spectrum. In his isolated barn Dan fashions gorgeous instruments; a small sign proclaiming him the “Exmoor Harpmaker” is the only hint of a shop with nearly three dozen hand-carved harps, each fashioned from wood Dan carefully chooses and adorned with a pebble he plucks from a brook. Dan leaves sales to his sister Jo, as he has no head for business or much of anything else that’s practical. He makes only Celtic harps, which he can tune but cannot play because he has done so since childhood. Dan’s the kind of guy who counts ants and stars, notices the color of socks, brews coffee for its smell but doesn’t drink it, and serves sandwiches to his rare visitors, which he cuts into precise triangles. (It is a major effort to adjust to cutting them into rectangles.)

Overall, Dan is far more at home in the woods and upon the moors than in social situations. Metaphors and irony stump him, and he answers all questions literally and without filters. He has just one friend, Thomas, his postal carrier, though he does claim to have a girlfriend he calls Roe Deer–though her name is actually Rhoda Rothbury, a harper*–whom he knows lives precisely 23.1 miles away. She’s been his girlfriend for eight years, though is doesn’t dawn on Dan that they’ve not been intimate or on a date for six years and that she disappeared for a year.

One day, Ellie Jacobs sees his small sign and impulsively visits Dan’s shop. Thus begins their connection. Dan dubs her “the Exmoor Housewife,” and impulsively gifts her a harp that she cannot play. Ellie is married to Clive, who purports to adore her, though theirs is a jealous, manipulative relationship–so much so he browbeats her into returning the harp. In turn, Ellie tries to hide the fact that she is taking lessons from Roe/Rhoda, that she regularly visits Dan, and that he keeps her harp in his shop.

This sets up a series of situations, some hysterical, some fraught with tension, and some touchingly poignant. There’s even a character named Phineas, who is a pheasant! This is a book about what happens when a guileless innocent is drawn into situations that call for tactful disingenuousness–especially when encountering another as rigid as he, but decidedly not so innocent. It is also one in which individuals who lack confidence and self-esteem find music and affinities that make the soul soar.

If I might return to the unusualness theme, little that I’ve said truly captures this book’s essence. Ms. Prior knows something about the impact of music; she too is a harper. Hans Christian Anderson remarked, “Where words fail, music speaks.” Ms. Prior’s characters aren’t exactly wordless, but both actual music and what we might call the music of the heart help those who struggle to articulate convey their inner natures and build connections.

I will not pretend that Ellie and the Harpmaker is destined to become a literary classic. In parts it is overly sentimental and it occasionally skirts the border of cliché. It is nonetheless a sweet debut that sounds triumphant notes for characters who find joy in simple things and rediscover innocence. To circle back to my opening, it is a novel whose major virtue is its charm.

Rob Weir


* Although many people use the term “harpist,” years ago acclaimed Scottish musician Alison Kinnaird advised me that the correct term is “harper.” If anyone knows, it is she!

Elli and the Harpmaker was different than what I had been expecting. Yes you have a man and a girl who fall sweetly in love, but the darker aspect took me by surprise. I was not expecting to have to fact abuse, alcoholism, and issues with mental health. These topics added to depth of the novel. I actually enjoyed it more because it wasn’t a simple romance book. However, I personally found the writing dry for my taste, which made me feel like the beginning of the book was very slow. However, the speed does pick up towards the middle.

This is a lovely story of an unlikely relationship between an unusual, special needs man and a neglected wife. They both have so much to offer but have been left out of a meaningful relationship. Very touching.