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Sipsworth

by Simon Van Booy

Narrator Christine Rendel

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Length 5 hours 9 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“The author skillfully takes us from dark to light and from sorrow to joy. Expect both tears and laughter as an aging Helen returns to the village of her youth after experiencing great loss. She becomes a reclusive creature of habit without hopes or dreams until a wild mouse accidentally finds its way into her home and heart and everything changes. ONE OF MY 2024 FAVES ”
— Patience • Underground Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Helen Cartwright is passing the time she has left making tea, listening to the radio, and watching old movies on the BBC. Each day is the equivalent of another shovelful of soil into a grave that she looks forward to occupying. She is alone after the deaths of both her husband and son. One rainy morning, she decides to bring home a fish tank discarded by a neighbor and discovers that a mouse has made his home in it. Caring for the little creature forces Helen to reexamine her life of enforced loneliness and to venture out beyond the confines of her small home and back into the world. Some novels transcend words of praise and inspire a sense of awe in the reader. In its beautifully wrought simplicity, Sipsworth is that kind of novel.”
— Alden • Northshire Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“A heart warming tale about found friendship between a woman and a mouse. Absolutely delightful and filled with love, compassion and a dash of humor.”
— Joanne • Inscribe Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Most of my fellow employees will find it hard to believe that I actually read a beautifully written book (that’s not the hard-to-believe part) that was not depressing! Simon Van Booy has been a fan favorite of Quail Ridge Books’ employees since Nancy Olson first told us about him. His collection of stories, Love Begins in Winter, is still high on my list of go-to recommendations. His new novel, Sipsworth, is about a widow, Helen Cartwright, and the mouse that comes in when she brings home an aquarium that a neighbor has thrown out. The ensuing relationship between Helen and Sipsworth the mouse is heart-warming. Just as Sipsworth was the source of healing for Helen, this book was a balm to me.”
— Mamie • Quail Ridge Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Reading this book is like falling in love for the first time. Overwhelming sweet,full of joy and flat out delicious! ”
— Laurie • The Bookstore Plus

Summary

Over the course of a single week, a woman who is ready to die discovers an unexpected reason to live.

Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to the English village of her childhood after living abroad for six decades. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.

Helen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship.

Sipsworth is a reminder that there can be second chances. No matter what we have planned for ourselves, sometimes the world has plans of its own. Simon Van Booy's lyrical storytelling is a delight even as it will fill your heart.

Fiction