The Little Shop of Found Things

 

The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston    307 pages

Summary from Goodreads: Xanthe and her mother Flora leave London behind for a fresh start, taking over an antique shop in the historic town of Marlborough. Xanthe has always had an affinity with some of the antiques she finds. When she touches them, she can sense something of the past they come from and the stories they hold. So when she has an intense connection to a beautiful silver chatelaine she has to know more.

It’s while she’s examining the chatelaine that she’s transported back to the seventeenth century. And shortly after, she's confronted by a ghost who reveals that this is where the antique has its origins. The ghost tasks Xanthe with putting right the injustice in its story to save an innocent girl’s life, or else it’ll cost her Flora’s.

While Xanthe fights to save her amid the turbulent days of 1605, she meets architect Samuel Appleby. He may be the person who can help her succeed. He may also be the reason she can’t bring herself to leave.

And here's what I thought:  This book was okay. I thought the premise was interesting, but I found it was a bit much on some of the detail and there was more romance than I wanted in the story. The author does put a lot of detail into the story, so it's easy to picture the settings and the characters, which I did like. However, the time spent in 1605 seemed a little too "clean" to me --- I think my practical mind just couldn't always accept that things went so smoothly for her. Oddly enough, I can suspend my disbelief for science fiction and fantasy stories --- but not  "I went back in time and everyone smelled good and everyone's teeth were fine and I never ever worried about the fact that I might get my period."  Enough said.

Just because I didn't love this book doesn't mean it won't be someone else's cup of tea, though.