I liked this group of connected short stories, one set each month from January to December, focusing on people associatedwith, working at, involved in a local park each one unusual, with a bit of strangeness, and inter connectivity. I usually avoid short stories but quite enjoyed this by the end.

Clissold Park is a large urban park loved by the local population and holding many secrets. Over the course of the year we meet many of the characters whose lives revolve around the park.
I am not a great lover of short stories but these interlink so well, it was almost like reading a novel. There is such a variety here but all built around believable and engaging characters. It's a lovely book.

Loved this book of interlinked short stories with recurring characters. Local knowledge only improved matters! An easy summer read.

This was a sweet collection of intertwined stories and I loved the interconnectedness. It was a very comforting read

This is different to my usual reads but I felt drawn to this book and the more I read the more I felt immersed into the world of the book and the rich stories of the characters.

A little all over the place but none the less a great collection of 12 stories set in my favourite city. Passed the time on the dull train journey to work. Will look out for more from the writer.

This series of 12 stories is as charming as it is all-over the place. It focuses on Clissold Park, a real park in London, and the people who work, play and visit there. The linked stories are mostly realistic, but there are a couple of urban fantasy moments.

The main flaw is the writing is a little bit wooden at times, and there is a lot of explaining straight to the reader. There is also a strange thing where pretty much every story has alcohol being drunk, but not one person sits around staring at their phone, or even makes a phone call. Minor, but odd.
Hugh Todd shows a lot of potential as an author of charming fiction, but could do with a little more showing and a little less telling.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-Arc ion exchange for an honest review.

The writing is assured and beguiling. The story unfolds in and around the magnificent Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, London. A place I know well. A haven of divinity, illuminated by diversity. An oasis of hope. The ensemble cast are characters of great subtlety and grace. Not all of them are alive. Some of them are not even human.
Told across the course of one year, the author introduces a group of disparate individuals linked by the park. In these pages the mundane minutes of every day life become magical and memorable and for some lives are irrevocably changed. There are some extraordinary set pieces - when two young boys defy their father, searching for the illicit, illegal perfume of spent fireworks - and the Hallowe'en party attended by almost one hundred ghosts, watched solely by a lonely park keeper - perceptive, thought-provoking and utterly compelling. A hauntingly beautiful book.

I really enjoyed this book a group of neighbors connected by the park.Told through short stories the flow the unique monthly stories the people in each story was really a wonderful read.#netgalley #troubadorbooks,

Very enjoyable .
Feels like a series of short stories, but all connected by the park, and each being told on a different month of the year.
Some were charming, some a bit strange, others not quite so pleasant.
The reappearance of characters felt like bumping into old friends.
Lovely little book that I read over a few days, taking it a month at a time between other things, and ìt was always a pleasure to go back to.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I needed a break from the typical novels that I read and when I came across this, I thought it would be perfect. I was right. This was such an easy, quick read. It’s a collection of stories, each chapter is a month of the year, featuring members of the community that surround Clissold Park. The stories vary from magical, quirky, tragic, surprising, and to the point. Even though a different character is featured in each story, they can be commonly seen throughout the collection.
I really enjoyed it and would have been more than happy to keep reading. Well done.

A hybrid novel/connected short story collection. This book follows twelve neighbors over the course of a year to paint a snapshot of a London neighborhood.