If I had fallen over this
book in a book shop or elsewhere, I would most probably have passed
it by. The title, together with the somewhat depressing pink and
brown cover image, does not grab one's attention, nor does it imply an interesting read; however, as it was the book
club's book of the month, I had no choice but to read it. I am happy
to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
I had expected a fairly
mundane collection of short stories, but these stories are well
thought through and delightfully crafted. Even though Idle Hour in the County of Hope is not a literary masterpiece, the writing is nuanced and manages to bring to life contrasting characters and divergent situations. I
like the way the stories are all connected, being about the residents
of the town of Idle Hour. That said, the author does not stress the
connection; it is simply something that is there in the background,
on many different levels.
The stories display tragedy and humour in
many different forms; sometimes the line between these two is flimsy,
just as it often is in life. Not only is it evident that Julie
Simpson must have experienced a town (or towns) similar to Idle Hour,
but it is also very noticeable that she has particularly good
observation skills for both people and places. It is a pleasant little book to pick up in between more challenging books; as Anne Deveson writes
on the front cover, this is definitely a book that '... leads us to
magic places.'