leahtylerthewriter's reviews
462 reviews

I'm a writer who read this book during the COVID-19 isolation and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a simple and straightforward story which appeals to me. As a general rule I dislike confusing writing that relies on trickery to create mystery. I appreciated the struggling loner protagonist, identified with her challenges to craft a writing life, felt her grief and isolation and despair, and was warmed by her win at the end during a time when I was lacking certainty and in need of hope. It was nice to read a small and cozy story at a time when I was living a small and cozy life.

A no-nonsense delight! Impeccably written character-driven fiction. It's not so much about what happens as who it happens to. It took me almost a year to finish this book. I kept going back to it, like salve for my soul, every time I completed a morally bankrupt or poorly plotted story. "Charms for the Easy Life" set me right every time. Last night I finished it and sobbed, both touched by the characters and saddened my access into their lives had come to an end. Historical fiction that doesn't feature suppressed women is a rarity and I thoroughly enjoyed the self-determined spirit of this book.