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A review by teaandlibri
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
1.0
Borrowed this on a whim because I have some familiarity with Shakespeare and Company, and thought this sounded like an enjoyable read. I was curious to read a fictionalized version of this story, how the bookshop came to be, its origins, and more.
It seemed like a great concept: the founding of the store and the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', which publishers would not even consider, until Shakespeare and Company. Lots of historical figures, ground in reality, and it's a bookstore/lending library. What's not to love?
I normally like historical fiction but this was really, really dull. It was not particularly compelling and while as others say: it does appear to be well-researched, a fictional retelling is perhaps not the way to go about this. Overall, it was tough to care for the characters, hard to get into the story and nothing about it really pushed me to keep reading.
Lots of people seemed to really enjoy this but I can't say the same. I would imagine that this is the type of book that some who are into historical fiction, the Shakespeare and Company store, Joyce, etc. might enjoy something like this, but as a "light" read it definitely did not fit the bill for me.
Personally found this completely skippable but you may disagree. Recommend as a library borrow and that was the best for me.
It seemed like a great concept: the founding of the store and the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', which publishers would not even consider, until Shakespeare and Company. Lots of historical figures, ground in reality, and it's a bookstore/lending library. What's not to love?
I normally like historical fiction but this was really, really dull. It was not particularly compelling and while as others say: it does appear to be well-researched, a fictional retelling is perhaps not the way to go about this. Overall, it was tough to care for the characters, hard to get into the story and nothing about it really pushed me to keep reading.
Lots of people seemed to really enjoy this but I can't say the same. I would imagine that this is the type of book that some who are into historical fiction, the Shakespeare and Company store, Joyce, etc. might enjoy something like this, but as a "light" read it definitely did not fit the bill for me.
Personally found this completely skippable but you may disagree. Recommend as a library borrow and that was the best for me.