Broad St. Readers Book Club

Stay out of the April rain and get cozy with a great book! While we wait for May flowers, we'll be reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.

"O'Farrell delivers an intricate, eloquent novel of family malice, longings and betrayal. Slim, stylish Iris Lockhart runs a dress shop in contemporary Edinburgh when she's not flirting with her stepbrother Alex or rendezvousing with her married attorney lover, Luke. Esme Lennox, meanwhile, is ready to be discharged from the soon-to-be-closed psychiatric hospital where she's been a patient (read: virtual prisoner) for 61 years. Iris becomes aware of Esme's existence when she's informed, to her disbelief, that she has been granted power of attorney over Esme by Kitty Lockhart, Iris's Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother. It turns out Kitty and Esme are sisters, but Kitty kept quiet about Esme after she was hospitalized at age 16. Layer upon layer of Lockhart family secrets are laid bare—the truth behind Esme's institutionalization, why her existence was kept a secret, and a twist involving Iris's parents—as Iris mulls over what to do with her new charge, and Esme and Kitty reconnect. O'Farrell maintains a high level of tension throughout, and the conclusion is devastating." - Publishers Weekly

The Broad St. Readers is a club for adults age 55 and up. New members are always encouraged! Join fellow readers for an engaging and thoughtful discussion on April 26th at 11:00am at the Salem Council on Aging.

Please call and check in with Rosanna at (978) 744-0924.

Books are available behind the Main Desk at the library. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email staples@noblenet.org or call the library at (978) 744-0860.