The Museum of Ordinary People: The uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of Half a World Away

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The Museum of Ordinary People is a heartwarming, addictive, charming story about a young museum curator and her discovery of everyday items that carry great meaning for people. Her efforts to start her museum and wade through her personal loss have the reader cheering her every move. The story also raises the interesting question about whether some truths are better left uncovered. I loved this! Highly recommend for all lovers of life.

Read about the formal and informal vocational skills-based courses which we deliver through the MGS Skills Academy. Learn More I absolutely loved the characters Jess and really felt for poor Alex, what a beautiful person he is. Museums are unique places to tell extraordinary stories through ‘ordinary’ objects. The various objects in museum stores across the country, many of which may be considered ‘ordinary’, may be utilised to tell real and emotionally engaging stories. These stories reflect a diverse range of audiences, engaging with the communities in which they are centred. In a Nutshell: Outlier opinion, sorry. I think my expectations were too high. The book met some of them, but disappointed in other ways. It's still a nice story, but could have been a memorable work with some tweaks. The story moves between Now and Then, told in Jess’ voice. Along with an excellent cast of supporting characters, Jess was engaging and likeable, as was Alex. Both had damaged histories, the full extent of which came out as the story progressed.From the get-go we know the relationship between Jess and Guy is going to fall apart. The author has made that clear for the reader, so no surprise there. I have heard so many readers talk fondly of Mike Gayle’s writing, and despite having at least two of his books in my towering tbr, The Museum of Ordinary People is his first read for me. Having just finished, I wish it hadn’t taken me so long.

Then there is the underlying mystery of Alex, the current owner of the museum. He inherited the lot from the previous owner but he has no idea who Thomas Barley was or why he’d leave Alex all these things. I thought I knew why but I while I may have been slightly on the right path, I wandered off into a different direction and ended up getting it wrong. I adored Alex and rooted for him from the get-go. Find out how we work as an organisation, the values and commitments that drive us, and our approach to collaborative working. Learn More

Featured Reviews

We build museums for Royals and presidents and other famous people. What about the objects that pass through the lives of "ordinary" people? Are these items all destined to end up in the dump? Jess Baxter discovers an eclectic collection of things that have been saved from the trash. Little notes are attached noting date and location of recovery and a note about the original owner. Jess commits to using her museum curating knowledge to improve and expand the collection. If you have helped an older relative move out of their home or done some downsizing of your own, you can relate to the dilemma of wanting to save a special item you have no room for. Mike Gayle gives us some really good surprises at the end and it felt a bit rushed. I do think this would make a fabulous book for group discussion. All in all, there are many enjoyable attributes to the book, and if you avoid using your inner critic too much, you'll certainly like it a lot more. My inner critic unfortunately refuses to die. As such, I liked it but didn't love it. The slow pace didn't help.