The established YA author slips seamlessly over to adult fiction with a beautifully compassionate story about a cantankerous bookstore owner, an abandoned toddler and the joy of reading that never dissolves into sentimentality or mawkishness.
A.J. Fikry, the grumpy owner of Island Books, is going through a hard time: his bookshop is failing, he has lost his beloved wife, and his prized possession - a rare first edition book has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly.
But one day A.J. finds two-year-old Maya sitting on the bookshop floor, with a note attached to her asking the owner to look after her. His life - and Maya's - is changed forever.
Gabrielle Zevin's enchanting novel is a love letter to the world of books - an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN: 9780349146362
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 256 g
Dimensions: 196 x 124 x 26 mm
Zevin has done something old-fashioned and fairly rare these days. She has written an entertaining novel, modest in its scope, engaging and funny without being cloying or sentimental. On top of all that, it is marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both - Washington Post
Packed with the love of a life lived around books - Metro
This wonderful, funny, uplifting homage to bookshops is an absolute treat. I've bought it for everyone I know - Huffington Post
Delightful! I read [it] in one sitting. This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory
I read this book in one big greedy gulp. A charming and funny love letter to the written word - it will leave you smiling and with a large lump in your throat
Reminds us what saves us all from a life of loneliness and isolation: our sense of empathy; our ability to love and be loved; our willingness to care and be cared for. Gabrielle Zevin has written a wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time
Readers who delighted in Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Jessica Brockmole's Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this adult novel by a popular YA author about a life of books, redemption, and second chances. Funny, tender, and moving, it reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love - Library Journal
In this sweet, uplifting homage to bookstores, Zevin perfectly captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Filled with interesting characters, a deep knowledge of bookselling, wonderful critiques of classic titles, and very funny depictions of book clubs and author events, this will prove irresistible to book lovers everywhere - Booklist
A breezy, big-hearted treat, especially if you've ever wondered about the inner workings of America's national treasures--neighborhood bookstores
Zevin is a deft writer, clever and witty, and her affection for the book business is obvious - Publishers Weekly
Sometimes funny, sometimes true to life and always entertaining . . . A likable literary love story about selling books and finding love - Kirkus
I was captivated . . . a touching, funny and uplifting novel that reminds us how books have the power to shape and transform our lives - Psychologies
it's hard not to be charmed by this story . . . Full of knowing literary jokes, Zevin's pithy novel is nonetheless undoubtedly entertaining and remains unconventional enough to cut through the sentiment - Daily Mail
A warm and uplifting story which manages to be witty and quietly subversive while avoiding the pitfalls of sentimentality - Mail on Sunday
This one is a bit of a literary indulgence, but we're all allowed one or two of those. A lovely collection of reading suggestions from a father to his daughter, each with his personal opinion of their worth.... More
So, first I should you that I won this book as a review copy so thanks to Waterstones for that. But that also means this isn't my normal sort of book and I probably wouldn't have chosen it off the shelf... More
I just loved reading this gem of a novel.
As a bookseller, I was drawn to it because of the bookshop setting and the quirky sounding plot. If you've ever worked in bookselling, publishing or are a bookshop...
More
Please sign in to write a review
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
