Having heard such wonderful things about Isabelle Broom’s beautiful writing I couldn’t wait to get started with A Year and a Day which more than lived up to my expectations. A Year and a Day turned out to be a truly stunning and captivating wintry read that I fell in love with from the very first page. In addition to transporting the reader to the beautiful city of Prague, it tells a beautiful story which together make it an unforgettable reading experience.
A Year and a Day introduces us to five characters - Megan and Ollie, Hope and Charlie and Sophie who are all at different stages of their lives and who have all travelled to Prague for very different reasons. With Megan not having time for a relationship and instead wanting to focus on her career as a photographer and Ollie being a teacher who wants to research the city of Prague for his lessons, Megan and Ollie have travelled to Prague as nothing more than good friends.
Meanwhile, as a new couple Charlie has whisked Hope away for what should be a romantic break, a time which is slightly spoiled by Hope’s recent fallout with her daughter and Charlie’s strange behaviour. Then there is Sophie who has travelled to Prague alone, where she met Robin when they were just teenagers travelling the world together, but it’s clear that something’s bothering her. Just how will Prague change the lives of these characters?
Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character - either Megan, Hope and Sophie - something which is very easy to follow and something which works really well for the book. I feel like we really got to know each of the characters and their relationships and felt really connected to their stories. I loved the way in which the lives of the characters all crossed and the way in which they all became good friends in such a short space of time, looking out for eachother.
Isabelle’s way of writing throughout A Year and a Day was truly captivating and once started I was well and truly hooked, I couldn’t get enough of it. Isabelle has created a really magical story that transported me to a place that I’ve heard so much about and would definitely love to visit one day. The city of Prague has been well and truly brought to life, with so much description of the sights and sounds that the city has to offer, and it’s clear that Isabelle has done her research very well. I could visualise everything that was taking place and felt that I learned a lot about Prague.
Whilst this book isn’t heavily focused on Christmas but instead relationships and the beauty of a city during winter, it was a superb book and a real pleasure to read. Upon reaching the end of this book with a happy tear in my eye I knew that what I had read was special and is truly deserving of every five star review it receives. I’m really looking forward to reading Isabelle’s next book!
