Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn

11 reviews

fantasycat's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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pandaorb's review against another edition

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hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I was expecting more from this book. It feels for too short for the amount of characters introduced, and as a result I felt like the entire plot was glossed over as quickly as possible. There were also characters that I never really understood or reconciled with.
For example, we got a small scene where Sabine voiced her inner thoughts, but it didn't help me empathize with her Cruella-esque behavior. Similarly, Schascha’s father behaved horrifically and everyone just... decided to brush it off after a half murmured apology? What?

I wish there'd been more depth rather than having a hundred problems instantly solved by a nine year old; and I felt like the mood of the book was so light that it was terribly jarring every time the tone got dark for a few pages. The flow did not work for me, but overall I could tell it was trying to tell a cute story. 

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clairew97's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0


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yvo_about_books's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.25

Finished reading: April 14th 2024


"Everyone is free in their choice of books. That's the most marvellous thing about it. So much is dictated to us in life; at least we can still choose what we read."

I still can't believe that this book has flown under my radar for this long, but I knew that I HAD to read it as soon as I saw The Door-To-Door Bookstore mentioned. I have a weak spot for stories with a bookish angle, unlikely friendships and older main characters, so I have been highly anticipating this originally German book... And I have to say that I really enjoyed my time with The Door-To-Door Bookstore! I loved the idea behind Carl's job delivering books to special customers, and it was such a great way to introduce a wide variety of different characters. Add the little girl Schascha, and it was the perfect recipe for an unlikely friendship to be born. I'm not sure if that A Man Called Ove reference is completely accurate other than the fact that both main characters are old men, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy spending time with Carl and Schascha. There are quite a few heavier topics incorporated along the way, but as a whole this story is still mostly uplifting with more than one hidden deeper message. The pace was also a bit slower than expected, but it did fit the story itself as it took you on a meandering journey through the southern German town along with the main characters. I wouldn't mind reading more of his work! Fingers crossed his Der Geschichtenbäcker ('the baker of stories') will be translated to English some time soon... Either that or I will have to try it in Dutch/Spanish translation which is already available. 

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was so cute and wholesome. I really liked all the little characters and how it ended for all of them 

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jstilts's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What I took at first for a charming short read in fact takes a number of slightly shocking turns along the way that had me absolutely gripped. After reading the first few chapters over a number of short sessions, I read the final 3/4 of the book in one go to the wee hours of the morning!

This tale is about an elderly employee of a book store who has been hand-delivering books around his German town for decades, and absolutely lives for the job. Circumstances put his ongoing employment in doubt, just as he is joined on his rounds by a disruptive but sweet schoolgirl - and it's as much their story as it is about the people they deliver books to.

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scmiller's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad

3.5


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bessadams's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


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c_totume's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

Ein bisschen zu kitschig und zwischendurch auch echt etwas merkwürdig, aber trotzdem ganz nett als Zeitvertreib. 

Ein paar Sachen fand ich etwas zu klischeehaft, schwierig und etwas überaltert . Beispielsweise die Aussage, dass Jungen Mädchen schupsen wenn Sie sie mögen. 
Zumal die Geschichte auch ohne viele dieser Kleinigkeiten funktioniert hätte. 

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lara_r's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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