Let's Bust a Recap : The Awakening of Miss Prim

Awww, The Awakening of Miss Prim. Where to begin with this quaint, old-fashioned, deeply philosophical novel? I read this book over the first two weeks of July and it filled the slot for "book recommended to you" on the bingo card I'm trying to black out this year. My sister-in-law Caroline gave this book her firm stamp of approval and then gifted it to me for Christmas last year so it was an easy choice when I was considering which book to read to fill that particular square. 

And Caroline is now seven for seven with her book recommendations—and that's just this year! (She's been gently urging me to read The Penderwicks for years and is one of the trusted friends that put in a good word for Jen Wilkin.) After finishing The Awakening of Miss Prim, I briefly considered blowing off my bingo card goal and just reading every book she's ever recommended to me (I have a few sitting on my shelves that are there based solely on her endorsement). I fell headlong into the charm of San Ireneo de Arnois and found myself wanting to pay a visit to the fictional village that Miss Prudencia Prim finds herself in after responding to an advertisement for a private librarian.   

The Awakening of Miss Prim was originally published in 2011 in Spanish as El despertar de la señorita Prim. It is the debut novel of author Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera (who is based in Madrid), and has now been translated into eleven languages (including English, obviously) and distributed in more than seventy countries. The English translation I read was translated by Sonia Soto and published in 2014. 

In this #1 international bestseller, our protagonist Prudencia Prim leaves everything behind to work as a private librarian in a remote French village that has decided to declare war on the modern world. The inhabitants of San Ireneo have a deep-rooted love for the culture of the classical era and old-world European civilizations and have banded together to protect it. They, along with Miss Prim's employer "The Man in the Wing Chair" challenge Prudencia's most firmly held convictions. 

Set against a cozy backdrop of a dusty, well-loved home library, steaming cups of tea, and inviting fireside chats, I fell in love with the story Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera lovingly crafted. My only bone to pick with it is that it ended too soon. The profound parleying between Miss Prim and The Man in the Wing Chair drew me in and stimulated me, and many of the metaphors Fenollera worked into her novel seemed reminiscent of C.S. Lewis (one of my favorite thinkers and writers). The Awakening of Miss Prim is unhurried and thought-provoking and calls out to be re-visited so the reader can absorb more of its timeless wisdom. This one gets my firm stamp of approval as well, and I highly recommend it. 

Who is your go-to friend for book recommendations?