The Magic of Found Objects ⭑⭑⭑⭑
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
US Publication: August 1, 2021
Print: 362 pages
Audio: 11 hours 42 minutes
Confetti Rating: 4 stars
REVIEW:
Have you ever read a “will they or won’t they” book where you really, really hope they won’t? Well I just did, and I kinda liked it that way.
The Magic of Found Objects sets itself up as a friends-to-lovers romance when 36-year-old Phronsie is proposed to by her lifelong BFF Judd. Naturally that dang biological clock is ticking, and settling down with someone she knows she loves (albeit platonically) seems like a viable option.
But will a marriage work if the romance is nomance? Her parents certainly didn’t model a success story for her to reference, since she was the result of a Woodstock smash between a hippy-dippy love child and a straight-laced farmer. In fact, her twin brother is named Hendrix because the big bang happened during Jimi’s notorious performance of The Star Spangled Banner.
Anyhoo, The Magic of Found Objects is an above-average contemporary fiction novel that surprised me with its depth and characterization. I didn’t finish the only other Maddie Dawson book I’ve attempted, her most popular Matchmaking for Beginners, for reasons I can’t recall. Maybe the magic of this latest one is it makes me want to read more from her despite some minor issues I had with the writing style. (Pet peeve #1: when a first person narrator lazily addresses the reader such as, “Let me back up and tell you about…” Unless breaking the fourth wall is an overt and intentional device used throughout, don’t do that.)
Dawson’s novels, including this one, are available as part of the Kindle Unlimited program and include the WhisperSync audiobook option. In this case I would recommend the print version, because there’s a lot of male dialogue that’s awkwardly performed by the female narrator (pet peeve #2).
Although I stand by my favorable 4-star review, I must end with pet peeve #3. Phronsie is a publicist for a New York-based book publisher. Why must every protagonist in contemporary fiction work in publishing or as a journalist or for a hip magazine/website? Surely there are female electricians, cashiers, and dentists who have love stories too. Maybe reading about someone finding cavities just isn’t that magical, but it sure would be a nice change of pace.
PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:
Phronsie Linnelle was conceived at Woodstock in a serendipitous liaison between a free-spirited hippie and a farmer’s son and was born with magical wonder flickering in her DNA and rationality knit into her bones. All her life she’s been torn between the two. But now that she’s been betrayed by both love and the mother she once idolized, her rational side is winning.
So when her best friend from childhood proposes that they give up on romance and marry each other, Phronsie agrees. Who better to spend your life with than your best friend? Maybe the connection they already have is love. Maybe there’s no falling to be done. But immediately after they announce their engagement, she encounters someone who makes a very charming and compelling argument for revisiting romance.
While her even-keeled stepmother argues for the safety that comes with her new engagement and her mother relays messages from the universe to hold out for true love, Phronsie must look to her own heart to find the answers that have been there all along.