A review by happentobeshort
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
I am not immune to 1920s historical fiction about writers and artists and I am ok with it!!!!!!!
This was so much fun to read for me especially as I have been to the real Shakespeare and Company in Paris many times, and have a some idea of what the scene was like at the time. While I enjoyed the constant name dropping of real life people who really interacted with Sylvia Beach and the shop, I can see how it would be annoying for some. Kinda like when you constantly have self referential cameos in a franchise film lol...
But if you're looking for a book that shows you what the 1920s Parisian lit scene was like, this is really not it. This is about Sylvia Beach, who was a book seller, a publisher, a lesbian and a dedicated supporter of the arts. Anyway, as someone who is now working in the same(ish) field some 100 years later, learning about Sylvia's life made me reflect a bit on my own standing in this industry and what it is that I really want out of it. Which was a nice surprise for me!
Lastly: I super appreciated that Maher had an epilogue where she separated fact from fiction and stated which bits she fiddled around with to suit the narrative. I love it when historical fiction writers do that! Saves me the effort of looking things up myself LOL.
This was so much fun to read for me especially as I have been to the real Shakespeare and Company in Paris many times, and have a some idea of what the scene was like at the time. While I enjoyed the constant name dropping of real life people who really interacted with Sylvia Beach and the shop, I can see how it would be annoying for some. Kinda like when you constantly have self referential cameos in a franchise film lol...
But if you're looking for a book that shows you what the 1920s Parisian lit scene was like, this is really not it. This is about Sylvia Beach, who was a book seller, a publisher, a lesbian and a dedicated supporter of the arts. Anyway, as someone who is now working in the same(ish) field some 100 years later, learning about Sylvia's life made me reflect a bit on my own standing in this industry and what it is that I really want out of it. Which was a nice surprise for me!
Lastly: I super appreciated that Maher had an epilogue where she separated fact from fiction and stated which bits she fiddled around with to suit the narrative. I love it when historical fiction writers do that! Saves me the effort of looking things up myself LOL.