The Barnes and Noble half price table got me! I decided to take this one home. When I'll read it is anyone's guess.


Amazon Editorial Review

A vibrant new novel from Penelope Lively—a wry, wise story about the surprising ways lives intersect

When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner who might prove too good to be true; an old-guard historian tries to recapture his youthful vigor with an ill-conceived idea for a TV miniseries; and a middle-aged central European immigrant learns to speak English and reinvents his life with the assistance of some new friends.

Through a richly conceived and colorful cast of characters, Penelope Lively explores the powerful role of chance in people's lives and deftly illustrates how our paths can be altered irrevocably by someone we will never even meet. Brought to life in her hallmark graceful prose and full of keen insights into human nature, How It All Began is an engaging, contemporary tale that is sure to strike a chord with her legion of loyal fans as well as new readers. A writer of rare wisdom, elegance, and humor, Lively is a consummate storyteller whose gifts are on full display in this masterful work.

Hello! You are invited to join the story of this book, which was impulsively purchased, and is now impulsively given away. This is a gift from bookcrossing, a random community of book lovers. We profess book serendipity and have many testimonies from finders of our books to prove that there is such a thing. If you make a journal entry at our site with the BCID (bookcrossing ID) on the bookplate all previous owners of this book will see where it has landed and where it goes after you release it. Bookcrossing is free to join and confidential. You are invited to enjoy this book and if you like to become a part of its story in bookcrossing.

When I stopped by the Decatur City Hall Little Free Library today, I was happy to see that someone claimed this book. I hope it has happy travels.