I had loved Evie Woods The Lost Library and was very pleased to get a copy of The Story Collector. It is a dual timeline, changing between 1910 and 2010. Sarah, an American, whose marriage was over, booked a flight to Ireland on Christmas Day on impulse. She found a cottage where she could stay. Under the floorboards she found a diary written by Anna Butler in 1910. Anna had taken Harold, an American author, round the village to ask people about their belief in fairies. We hear some of the stories, ending up with Harold having to flee back to America. Sarah becomes engrossed with the story and is helped to accept a tragedy in her life, before returning to America.
I had loved Evie’s first book, but found the first half of The Story Collector a bit slow and didn’t hold my interest. However the second half had me engrossed and unable to put it down. I’m so glad I stuck with it. My thanks go to NetGalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter Books for an arc of this book.

A beautifully written dual timeline from Eve Gaughan. Anna’s story really captured my heart and imagination from the very beginning. Tales of fairies and folklore central to this story were beautifully described. Thornwood House had had its troubles over the years and I thought the links with the past and present woven together were really interesting.
Harold and Anna together, made a great team and I loved how he was able to learn from the old tales and share his enthusiasm and knowledge with Anna.

With in my mind the extraordinary story of The Lost Bookshop, I eagerly began this book. Sarah decides on a whim after breaking off her relationship to catch a plane to Ireland. The reason for this is an advertisement she sees at the airport about the country.

She ends up in a small village and stays in an adorable cottage owned by xxx but who moved in with his father along with his daughter after the death of his wife. After finding Anna's diary from 1911, in an old hawthorn, in addition to Sarah, you read about the life of Anna, a simple farmer's daughter, who gets to help Harold Griffin-Krauss search and find and translate stories about 'The Good People'. These "Good People" are fairies and elves found in Irish folklore.

Anna's story does by no means go over roses and she went through quite a bit together, but also without, Harold Griffin-Krauss. The farm of Anna's family is near the estate of a wealthy English landowner and Harold and Anna are invited to a party at the estate. The preparations of making Anna's dress were nicely described as Anna and her friend made something out of nothing so that she was shining at the party. The pale and somewhat naive Anna was described very well.

I found Sarah's story a bit less exposed at times and sometimes I caught myself thinking Anna's story was more interesting and Sarah was less interesting. I also found Sarah's experiences a bit unbelievable and far-fetched at times.

The book did not enchant me as much as The Lost Bookshop but it was still an enjoyable read.

I was sent a copy of The Story Collector by Evie Woods to read and review by NetGalley. This is a wonderful story written with two timelines, one of which is through a diary written 100 years before protagonist Sarah discovers it in 2010. The novel is full of Irish/Celtic folklore, relayed in the diary by Anna, who became assistant and translator to a visiting American academic researching Fairies and The Good People. This Book is an absolute delight to read in all aspects with a fantastic sense of time and place in both timelines with very believable characters. Be prepared to get swept away and so engrossed that you don’t want to stop reading but you equally don’t want the story to end!

If you’ve already read The Lost Bookshop, then you automatically know the vibes of this book just by looking at it. If you haven’t read The Lost Bookshop, have no fear, because each of the books are standalone and are not interconnected. With that being said if you haven’t read The Last Bookshop, absolutely add it to your must reads.

This book was absolutely wonderful. Cozy, whimsical, and a tale about grief and forgiveness.

You never know just where fairies will lead you, in this book about learning to forgive yourself.

In modern day New York City, Sarah's marriage has broken down. Waiting for a flight to her sister in Boston, she impulsively flies to Ireland. With nowhere to stay, and knowing no one, what has she done?

1910 Ireland, Anna is the daughter of a farmer, who finds herself helping American scholar Harold to research local folklore.

The story is told through two interconnecting timelines. I really enjoyed the 1910 story, Anna was a modern female for her time, and I liked how Harold was based on a real person. I did however sometimes feel like the modern story was a bit predictable and forced. Beautiful descriptions, some fascinating folklore, and a wonderful cover. I look forward to reading more by this author.

3.75⭐

With elements of historical fiction, folklore magical realism and contemporary love story, The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a beautifully written novel.

Christmas Day, NYC, 2010: While waiting to board a flight to Boston to spend the holidays with her sister’s family, Sarah Harper is intrigued by a newspaper article on the ‘lore of a beautiful hawthorn tree in County Clare, Ireland. On an impulse, she decides to hop on a flight to Ireland and eventually ends up renting a cottage, Butler’s Cottage, in the same vicinity as the tree. Sarah is dealing with the collapse of her marriage and grieving a personal loss and hopes to find solace in the quiet setting of the cottage amid the beautiful surroundings. While exploring the area, she comes upon an old diary from 1910, belonging to Anne Butler. From Anne’s diary, Sarah not only learns about Anna’s family and her dreams and the history of Thornwood House, the ruins of which are still standing, and local folklore but she also gets to know about American researcher Harold Griffin-Krauss, who engaged Anna’s assistance to interact with locals for his thesis on the fairy faith in Celtic countries. As the narrative progresses, Sarah finds herself motivated to find out more about Anne and is inspired by her story to take stock of her own life and embark on a cathartic journey of healing and hope.

The prose is elegant and the author writes with compassion and emotional emotional depth and a keen sense of time and place, deftly weaving past and present timelines into an engaging narrative. I loved the vivid setting and appreciated how folklore and stories of na Daoine Maithe were incorporated into the narrative.

The present-day story is told from Sarah’s perspective, with Anne’s story revealed through her journal entries interspersed throughout the narrative. Both Sarah and Anne are well-fleshed-out characters and I enjoyed getting to know Harold (whose character was inspired by American anthropologist and writer W. Y. Evans-Wentz). I wish the narrative had included more stories from his research. The secondary characters were also well thought out and I loved how the author depicted life in a quiet Irish village one hundred years apart. I’ll admit that I enjoyed the past timeline more than Sarah’s story. The romantic track in the present timeline felt unnecessary and wasn’t entirely convincing. I wish we had gotten to know more about both Anne and Harold (I prefer showing to telling). The past timeline was rushed toward the end and left me with a few unanswered questions. However, I did like how the author brought everything together and the ending, though bittersweet, was satisfying.

This is my second Evie Woods novel (I also enjoyed The Lost Bookshop) and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's not just the cover of this book that it beautiful, it's a beautiful read too.
Alternating between 1911 and 2010 we follow the tale of Anna (1911) and Sarah (2010/11).
Two centuries, two women, and The Good People, the fairy community.
The author faithfully captures life in 1900s rural Ireland against the backdrop of British rule and the juxtaposition of life there in 2010, but has anything really changed?
A magical, mystical hug of a read. I am bereft now I have finished it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
5 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the stories in this book. Loved every single second reading it.

I was approved for both this and the US version simultaneously and sent both to my Kindle. This version was the prior book, which I read and LOVED. I tried to prove that to myself but waited too long and it had been archived. So my review is based on the US version.

Evie Woods wrote a stunning book with The Lost Bookshop and The Story Collector felt like she was trying too hard to recreate the same magic without the right ingredients. The dual timelines were not as seamless, the characters were not as charming, and it felt flat, especially considering I had JUST finished The Lost Bookshop.

It is still a very good book with a very good story but the proximity of reads was a mistake. I would still recommend this book but perhaps read it before reading The Lost Bookshop or a long while after The Lost Bookshop.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Uk One More Chapter for the eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

It's Christmas Day 2010 in New York City and Sarah needs to get away, her marriage to Jack is crumbling and her plan is to head back to her parents in Boston, instead she impulsively buys a ticket to Ireland and ends up staying in the village of Thornwood. A few days into her stay she discovers something in the old hawthorn tree which transports her back a century and into the life of Anna. In 1910 Anna meets a young American called Harold who has travelled to Ireland to research the fairy faith and she volunteers to help him talk to the locals and translate the stories from Irish to English but the events that follow will change her life forever.

The Story Collector is this author's latest book which is a mix of historical fiction, fantasy and magic. The story is told across two timelines, starting in 2010 and transporting back to a century earlier in alternating chapters. In each of the timelines we learn about the fairies (The Good People) and what a force of nature they are when needed! Both Sarah and Anna are struggling to come to terms with their personal grief and, while their stories are totally different they are linked together through the discoveries made and, of course, the fairies. I loved the friendship that developed between Anna and Harold and was hoping it would go further. The author weaves these stories so intricately and seamlessly that they flow from one to the other effortlessly and, even though I don't normally read historical fiction, I was totally hooked and loved the depth and authenticity of the many characters within each timeline. This is the first book I've read by Woods but it certainly won't be the last.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Evie Woods is a masterful storyteller. This historical fiction tale features the folklore of fairies of Ireland. Told through the past and present, we learn how the events from long ago comes alive when a long-lost diary is found in the hollow of a tree. I was transported to the lush landscape of Ireland and it history of superstitions for a historical mystery bit romance story.

Can't wait for what Woods writes next!

Thank you, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter

The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a historical mystery/fantasy novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harper Collins, Once More Chapter and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions):
Sarah Harper is, somewhat amicably, leaving her husband and heading to New York to live with her sister.  While at the airport, she grabs an Irish newspaper showing a "fairy tree" that had traffic re-routed.  She changes her mind.  The next thing she knows, she wakes up in Ireland.

Sarah ends up renting small cottage.  She finds the 100 year old diary of a young girl named Anna, and becomes immersed in her story.  Sarah also becomes immersed in the country folklore that still exists in the area.


My Opinions:
Although I'm not a "historical fiction", nor a "romance" reader, I have read something by this author before, (The Lost Bookshop), and really enjoyed it, so reading this book was an easy decision.

This book was about more than romance and history.  It was about magic, and grieving, and second chances.  I loved the Irish folklore.

The book was told through two timelines.  Relatively current - Sarah in 2011,   and through Anna's diary, which was written in 1911.  This worked really well, and I was captivated by both stories -- probably the early one a little more.

The characters were all interesting, had depth, and a I cheered on Anna and Harold.  I liked Oren, but had some problems with Sarah -- drinking can't be used as a solution to grief, and I didn't like the fact that the author used it as such.  Sarah was an alcoholic, but there was never any mention of getting help.  Anna had strength, and although Sarah should have had strength and confidence, she let her ex and grief take it all away.  So, I had problems with Sarah, and that's probably why this isn't a five star review.

Not everything turned out as I had liked, but everything turned out "real".

So, overall, this was a really entertaining read, and I will watch for more from this author!

BOOK: THE STORY COLLECTOR
AUTHOR: EVIE WOODS
PUB DATE: JULY 2024
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REVIEW- 4.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I had high expectations for this book because I've read and loved one of her books. Fortunately, I was not disappointed although I liked The Lost Bookshop better. I liked this book, although it was a bit slow in the beginning.
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The book was narrated in two women's pov, Sarah and Anna. Sarah(set in 2010) was late 20s- early 30s, facing a meltdown at home in New York with her husband when she took a flight to Ireland and Anna, an 18 year old commoner living in a village in Ireland. Anna's pov was from a diary Sarah was reading. I loved the dual timeline and how past and present merged together.
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I really enjoyed reading about The Good People, the fairies of Ireland. The story started from something mundane to something interesting, and I enjoyed the suspense. Anna was an assistant to a 'Story Collector', and she was an excellent one! She was smart and knew a lot about the fairies. That was beautiful to read. I enjoyed reading snippets from her life, her family, and the reality of a feudal system, especially from a 'commoner'. Anna's family was very nice.
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I liked that Sarah was able to rediscover herself. It was something she needed, and I'm glad about that. Sarah also took us through the County of Clare (the village). She even stayed in Anna's old cottage! There was a little bit of romance between her and a widowed father. I'm glad that she got a better ending.
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I liked this book, it's was informative and interesting. The storyline, the characters, and the setting were perfect. But, I didn't like the ending , it was bittersweet. I would have liked an overall happy ending, but considering the circumstances, it would have been impossible.
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This book was totally worth the read. You should try it!
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I have mixed feelings about this book, whilst I enjoyed it , very much actually, for me it didn’t have the magical appeal of The Lost Bookshop. That said it was a lovely story with good characters and very well written.

An interesting dual time zone story, with Sarah in the modern day and Anna a century before, all set in rural Ireland.
I thought switching between the two time zones worked well, with the common denominator a small cottage in rural Ireland. Using Anna's diary we follow her on her exploits whilst she guides an American academic in the local area in his search for stories of the hidden folk. With several unexplainable incidents both back then and now to keep the reader guessing it makes you wonder if there is more to life than you can just see and touch. With a touch of romance to counterbalance some of the darker parts of the story I did enjoy this book.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I'd like to thank the publisher for this eARC Netgalley.

This was my second book by Evie Woods, and I had high hopes going into this one, after loving The Lost Bookshop so much. I found myself struggling to finish this book, or to even get interested in the characters and what was going on in their lives. I think everything just fell kind of flat for me, and that's a huge bummer. I managed to start and finish 4 other books while trying to work through this one, but I finished it so I could write a review properly.

Such a good read! Escape back to Ireland in the early 1900's to a small Irish town that has long rumored to be a site of a Fairy Village. Jump to the present where a young woman, trying to escape her past, on impulse., catches a plane to Ireland on Christmas eve. Arriving in the same village, she secures housing in a cottage where she finds a diary of a young woman who had lived there in the past. Combined stories of both women make this book a fascinating read. Highly recommendable.

Kudos to Evie Woods, author of The Lost Bookshop, for her new release, The Story Collector!

In “Thornwood House,” which serves as a prologue, Woods sets the scene for the story that follows. Buying land in 1882 to build a stately home as a wedding gift for his wife, Lord Hawley, an Englishman, paid no heed to the local Western Ireland seeress’s warnings about revenge “The Good People” would take upon anyone so much as scarring the property’s ancient hawthorn tree—a purported fairy tree. Down came the tree, and within a few years, the Seeress’s warnings began coming true.

On Christmas Day more than a century later and an ocean away, Sarah’s purchases from the airport’s Emerald Isle Gift Shop result in her impetuous flight to Shannon, Ireland despite already having a ticket in hand to Boston where she planned to live temporarily with her sister after having walked out of a failed marriage earlier that day. With no room for Sarah at the Shannon airport hotel, the man at the hotel desk finds her finds her a place at Butler’s cottage in the nearby village of Thornwood. The owner’s father, Brian Sweeney, informs her that the place is named after its long-ago owners. In answer to Sarah’s question about a nearby hill, Sweeney translates its Irish name as “hill of the fairies.” Before the night is over, Sarah finds herself reading a hundred-year-old diary, opening on Saint Stephen’s Day, 1910.

From this point on, the novel becomes a dual-timeline narration, divided between Sarah’s experiences in Thornwood and the contents of the diary, in which Anna Butler writes a story so detailed and vivid that it not only capture’s Sarah’s attention but seems to take on a life of its own as Anna, a book-loving farmer’s daughter, describes her work with Harold Griffin-Kraus, who has arrived to interview the locals, collecting their stories about Irish fairies.

Bit by bit, readers come to know Sarah and Anna, who have more in common than one might expect. Along with the two women, they also come to know Harold Griffin-Kraus, his folklore research strategies, and an assortment of locals from both time periods.

In her acknowledgments, Woods explains, “I wrote this book as a love letter to old Ireland, our ancient beliefs, traditions and folklore.” Other readers quite possibly will find themselves as engrossed in these old beliefs as I was although, admittedly, half my ancestry is Celtic. Woods also reveals that she based Harold Griffin-Kraus on a real folklorist with a different but similar name..

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter/HarperCollins for an advance reader egalley of this highly recommended new novel by Irish writer Evie Woods.

Thank you to @netgalley and One More Chapter (HarperCollins UK) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to see Evie Woods writing another dual-timeline Irish novel after the Lost Bookshop, and they did not disappoint. I don’t think I’ve ever read dual timelines written so beautifully. They are subtly linked in little ways beyond the obvious which I adore. All of the characters are well written and lovable. The plots are interesting and move at a great pace without being overly intense giving nice cozy vibes. And I love that the 1911 plotline doesn’t end the way you’d assume.

The author is masterful at winding real historical places and events into a charming book laced with just a hint of magic. And I’m desperate to return to Ireland with ever page. So yes, I’m in love with this book.