I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I opened the pages of this book. I saw the cover and only read part of the blurb before requesting a copy. I was anticipating the historical part, which is what drew me in, but I wasn't expecting the magic. I thoroughly enjoyed the combo! I love when there is a little bit of magic thrown into everyday life, when it's intertwined within the history. I'm looking forward to checking out more of this authors books.

3.5 stars. The Story Teller is a romance entwined with a bit of fantasy.The story is set in Ireland and told from two perspectives, Anna (her diary) in 1911 and Sarah in 2011.
Sarah impulsively decides to fly to Ireland after reading an article about the strong belief in folklore (fairies) in the country. Sarah is introduced to a family that allows her to reside in a small cottage house of theirs. The very same cottage that an older teen, Anna, writes about in her diary which Sarah discovers and reads.
Anna is your typical teen girl (circa 1911). She wears rose colored glasses and dreams of the impossible. A college scholar, Harold,comes to Ireland to record stories of fairy encounters for his research paper. He hires Anna to help him. They discover there are many stories out there, ones that no one ever speaks of in fear of being told they’re crazy. Interesting twists and turns in their relationship.
The story involves some difficult topics such as rape, miscarriage and divorce however I feel that it’s told in a light manner so it’s a light read. Love and healing is in store for both these ladies.

The writing in this book was better and more cohesive than in her previous book. I enjoyed the read, although the fantasy elements were somewhat darker. It's an engaging story laced with self-discovery by more than one character.

The Story Collector is told from two different POV and two different timelines.

2011, Sara leaves her husband during Christmas and is going to fly home to her sister's to lick her wounds and figure out her life. But at the airport she drinks too much and wakes up when the plane lands in Ireland.

1911, Anna is helping an Oxford graduate, Harold, write a story about faeries and the fairy faith. I found this point of view and timeline to be much more enjoyable than Sara's.

I think my biggest struggle with this book is that Sara had absolutely no business getting in to a romantic situation when she literally just left her husband and has a substance abuse problem.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really back & forth with this one!

Told between two timelines, we watch Anna’s & Sarah’s lives drawn into the world of fairies through the lore of a quaint Irish village. While visiting the town in current day, Sarah comes upon Anna’s diary from 100 years earlier. Sarah’s life is kind of a mess but she finds a connection here.

Anna’s perspective & life drew me in. The people, the myths & encounters surrounding fairies, her conversations with Herald, all so well written! I think her chapters were supposed to be her writings from the diary, but they didn’t read that way. At least not like any diary I kept when I was younger :)

The story took awhile for me to get into & I definitely enjoyed Anna’s chapters more. Sarah really was a mess & I didn’t feel anything for her character. I just really didn’t care about her timeline & that’s a shame. These two pieces kept me from rating it higher.

Absolutely loved this book! I fell in love with the story. The characters development was incredible and I didn’t want it to end. Will forever recommend this book as a tasteful palate cleanser.

Lives collide from 2 different centuries in Ireland. In 2011, Sarah is ready to change her life and lands in Thornwood, Ireland on a whim. She finds a diary written by Anna Butler from 1911 in the hollow of a tree. Sarah learns from Anna's life and the events she reads about. At the same time, she finds herself and her purpose in life after tragedy. Self- discovery with a side of love caused by the Story Collector himself, Harold.

I absolutely cherished this sweet story! It was so beautifully written and I was melted the whole time. It was wonderfully done. Highly recommend.

The Story Collector is the perfect blend of history, romance, and a healthy dash of ✨ fairy dust ✨.

If you love magical realism and learning about Celtic Mythology- this is the book for you!
I was enraptured by Evie Woods description of the lush countryside of Ireland, and her characters were so lovable I couldn’t help but get invested in their storylines.
The sprinkling of real-life issues within the story was much appreciated and served to make the characters well-rounded and relatable, while their perseverance and strength to overcome was inspiring and made the story feel light even during the sad parts.

The timeline switched between modern (2011) and historic (1911), but it didn’t feel contrived or confusing at any point. Evie Woods seamlessly wove together the two protagonists’ stories without ever making them compete for the reader’s affection and attention.

Such a fun read!

This book was adorable! I loved the characters and the Irish folklore. I enjoyed the different perspectives being 100 years apart. I am glad Sarah got her happy ending and was able to heal from everything. She had gone through. I wish Anna could have gotten her happy ending, but I guess in some way she probably did. I appreciate the realism that not everyone ends up with their one true love. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book is very enjoyable. The story takes place both in 1911 and 2011. You read a chapter or two in one era and then one or two chapters in the other. The characters in both times are well developed and very likeable...except for a couple nasty people in early era. Beyond the characters, the subject is fascinating and informative. I'm already looking further into the "real" story collector on which one of the characters is based. Enjoy the stories!!

This is my first Evie Woods novel and I really enjoyed it. I grew up loving fairytales (both Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen) as well as the various classics, so I enjoyed reading this dual timeline novel that goes between the present day Sarah Harper whose marriage has just fallen apartment and she find herself waking up on a plane that's just touched down in Ireland (after a misadventure at the airport) and Anna, a young farm girl from a century ago (whose diary Sarah finds). As Sarah reads Anna's diary she finds herself not only reconnecting to her love of art, but discovering some of the secrets in the village around her.

This book shows the magic in the everyday, and I highly recommend it to anyone who grew up loving fairytales (and those that still do!)

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Story Collector in exchange for this review.

The Story Collector is a quiet story, told by Sarah, who makes a sudden decision to run away from home and ends up in Ireland, Early in Sarah’s stay, she finds a diary hidden in a tree, and we also have the opportunity to follow Anna, who lived about a hundred years earlier.

Both women are curious about The Good People, fairies and other spirits living among them, and are doing their best to carry on through the disappointments and heartbreak of everyday life.

Sarah meets the neighbor, Oran Sweeney, and Anna meets a scholar, Harold Griffin-Krause, Both women encounter new experiences through their connections with these men.

This was a book that unfolded carefully and quietly. I enjoyed it and would be interested in reading other works by this author.

Evie Woods' The Story Collector is about the power of stories to connect us to our homes, families, and - perhaps most importantly - ourselves. In this book, Sarah flees to Ireland to escape an unhappy marriage and discovers a diary written 100 years earlier by Anna, whose home Sarah is now renting. Through this diary, we learn about the "Good People," the fairies and otherworldly folk of Ireland. I enjoyed the mood of this book and appreciated both timelines, although I thought Anna's diary entries were not written in a believable way. Overall, this book is a great read!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC: all opinions are my own.

“If we lose our stories we lose ourselves”

Sarah Harper takes an impromptu trip to the west coast of Ireland during the holidays, where she meets the kind townspeople who take her in. She finds a diary from 1911 written by Anna Butler, a young farm girl who helps an American visitor named Harold translate tales about fairies from Irish to English. The Story Collector takes place in two different timelines - 2011 (in Sarah’s POV) and in 1911 (through Anna’s diary). Even though the stories are 100 years apart, there were some similarities in both their stories, and the author weaved them in beautifully.

While I loved the characters, the setting, and the story overall, I wished the the story included more tales from Harold’s research, and I wish we learned more about how Anna’s and Harold’s relationship grew throughout the book. The ending of the past timeline felt a bit rushed, which was unfortunate since I liked the past timeline a bit more. The overall ending (though bittersweet) was well written and satisfying. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of The Story Collector!

When I read The Lost Bookshop, I found the magical realism piece more than a bit ridiculous and unbelievable. The Story Collector, however, strikes the perfect balance. I loved the Irish faerie tales and lore and the bits of happenings that cannot be fully explained. The aspect of grief was handled with care and with understanding that everyone handles grief differently and on their own terms and can eventually find peace and yes even happiness when their time is right.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I was swept away by the beautiful world Ireland and fairy folklore. The two storylines of Sarah (modern day) and Anna (100 yrs prior) were crafted seamlessly. Both of their stories are engaging and thoughtful. The story delves into grief with sensitivity and deep understanding. It was so beautifully described, I took notes. The story took an unexpected turn but brought it to close in a satisfying manner. There are some trigger warnings as it addresses the topics of sexual assault, death, and infant loss.

I definitely enjoyed this one more than The Lost Bookshop. I thought the development was much more fleshed-out, but the atmosphere that I liked so much in the other book was lacking. I almost feel like if the two books combined there'd be something really great. The pacing was also quite slow. I'm not a huge historical fiction reader, so it may just be that I'm not the target audience, but I do love it when blended with other genres.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley for the free eArc in exchange for a fair and unbiased opinion.

Setting: Ireland, 1910 and 2010
Characters: Anna, her family, Harold, and the Thornwood Twins
Sarah and a lovely cast of village people, to include Hazel, a teen, and Oran, a widower
Storyline: Anna's Diary regarding Harold and his investigations and story collecting of the little people, the good folk, the faeries
Sarah's destruction and rebuilding, far away from home in a land of strangers

You will be transported to the rural Ireland of a century ago, and to the not quite as rural Ireland of today. You will live in these stories, becoming entwined with the families and the townspeople.

Will it be the best book you've ever read? Probably not. But, does it do its job and transport you, take you away from your world for a little while? Aye, that it does! The magic, the mystery, the history all took me in. I look forward to reading more by Evie!

The Story Collector (2024)
By Evie Woods
One More Chapter (Harper Collins,) 384 pages.
★★

I once attended a talk at Smith College when Kurt Vonnegut was a writer in residence. Students asked him for advice for young writers. He told them that it was important to explain vital things, but cautioned not to over-explain. That advice could have helped The Story Teller.

Evie Woods is the pen name of Evie Gaughan. She lives in Ireland, the setting of The Story Collector, which was originally published in 2018. It's a tale within a tale that jumps between 1910 and 2010. Sarah Harper is about to leave her three-year marriage and take temporary refuge in Boston with her overbearing sister. Sarah drinks too much, staggers onto the wrong plane, falls asleep, and awakes as she is about to land in Shannon. Huh? She didn’t need a passport to fly to Boston and how does a drunken woman make it through customs?

She's a mess and knows it, but decides to stay in Erin to sort out her emotional distress and her lack of future plans. Luckily she encounters a kindly bus driver who helps her get oriented and find a place to stay in Ennis. Everyone is nice to her except widowed conservation office officer Oran Sweeney even though she's a clueless Yank who knows nothing about County Clare. Sarah gets the lowdown about early 19th century Thornwood House and why the motorway mysteriously goes around it. It seems to have something to do with cnoc na sí, the hill of the fairies, though locals only half believe in said supernatural beings. As Sarah settles into the wintry land and walks a lot–how else to secure the wine she guzzles on the sly?–she chances upon an old diary hidden in a tree.

This is the hook for the Wayback chapters that spotlight 18-year-old Anna Butler and her family. The book’s namesake character is Harold Griffin-Krauss, an American reading anthropology for an Oxford PhD on fairy beliefs. He hires Anna to be his regional contact for setting up interviews. The Butlers are reluctant to allow Anna to travel with Harold, but she's bright, responsible, and the farmstead needs the extra money she earns. Harold's a complete gentleman, quite unlike twin siblings George and Olivia Hawley, the rich, privileged heirs to Thornwood House. As it fittingly transpires, Thornwood and the Hawley family are cursed. Do the fairies have a role in that?

It should be noted that story collecting was a real thing. The study of folklore and social anthropology came into their own in the early 20th century. As industrialism, urbanization, and modernism proved transformative, scholars combed the countryside to analyze disappearing traditions. In similar fashion, “song catchers” went into European villages and the Appalachians to trace the origins of folk songs.

Woods employs a forth-and-back [sic] narrative structure that parallels the lives of Sarah and Anna; that is if we broadly interpret trauma, pluck, and confusion about relationships. In both time periods Woods suggests that proper matches are a mix of good fortune and magic. Overall, Anna's tale is much more compelling than Sarah's. Anna is a young woman forced to grow up, whereas Sarah is an adult who struggles/refuses to do so. Though one can sympathize with Sarah’s misfortunes and struggles with the bottle, she's essentially awaiting a rescuing knight in shining armor.

The Story Collector is thus an awkward hybrid that's not quite a slice of Irish life, not quite a romance, and not quite magical realism. This perhaps explains the novel’s uneven tone. In all candor, at times it read like a YA novel. Why do modern-day residents of Ennis act more like Americans than Irishmen? Does anyone need a character explain where the Celtic lands are located? (Surely most contemporary readers could at least name Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.) Aside from stereotypical foodways and fairies, this story could have taken place in the pine barrens where the Jersey devil is said to roam, or in the Pacific Cascades where Bigfoot is alleged to reign.

Tonal shifts and obvious contrivances notwithstanding, The Story Collector is easy reading and has delightful moments. I suspect it will have an audience, but to me it seemed more a treatment for a novel than a finished product.

Rob Weir