Anna Browne is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life. Her day job as a receptionist in bustling London isn't exactly her dream, yet she has everything she wants. But someone thinks Anna Browne deserves more . . .
When a parcel addressed to Anna Browne arrives, she has no idea who has sent it. Inside she finds a beautiful gift - one that is designed to be seen. And so begins a series of incredible deliveries, each one bringing Anna further out of the shadows and encouraging her to become the woman she was destined to be. As Anna grows in confidence, others begin to notice her - and her life starts to change.
But who is sending the mysterious gifts, and why?
Review: everyone knows that I am a massive Miranda Dickinson fan so I'm really not sure why it took me so long to read this book. I actually ended up dipping in and out of it for about 3 months! In the end, I abandoned my paperback and downloaded the audiobook so I could enjoy Miranda's beautiful writing on my commute to and from work. there were a couple of issues with the audiobook repeating chunks of text but apart from that, I loved having this story read to me, it actually felt all the better that the mornings and evenings are a bit dark and miserable at the moment because I was cosy in my car with Anna Browne and her mysterious parcels!
I really warmed to Anna as a character. I loved watching her transformation over the course of the book, this was the best bit for me. She starts off as a shy and retiring character, happy with her lot in life but then she becomes so much more than this. Where she was at the beginning of the book and where she was at the end of the book are both totally relatable and that is definitely one thing I love about Miranda's characters. There are some fab friendships in this book as well, the Yorkshire guy who lives in her building, the friend at work who she gossips with and many more, so definitely something for everyone here. I did love the little Yorkshire additions to the book because of the Yorkshire friend, I have to say, but then I am biased!
I liked the fact that this book was set in London but also featured details about other places in the UK. Sometimes when books focus on London, they miss out the rest of this diverse country entirely and so I really liked that. And on to the mystery of the parcels. I have to say, i wasn't entirely convinced by the parcels, I did try to put on my whimsical head but I kept having this feeling that if I were on the reception desk of a major building in London and i received a mysterious package, I would assume it was dangerous. If the parcels continued, I think I would be calling the police. As time went on, however, I did warm to the mystery sender, and when that sender was revealed, everything made sense. I did love the big reveal i have to say-you're in for a treat there! My favourite package was obviously the shoes!
All in all this was an enjoyable read. It is a hefty book and so it was much easier when i switched to the audiobook version! If you're looking for something to snuggle up with this winter, this is definitely a heart warming read. if you're a fan of a shorter books then this one may be a bit much for you but if you're a Miranda fan already then you definitely have to give this a go. Now I have an overwhelming desire to send some parcels and make someone happy!
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