frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) I've just read this novel and I thought it was a wonderful read Has anyone else read the novel? Here's the synopsis from Amazon: A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner of Island Books, has recently endured some tough years: his wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and his prized possession--a rare edition of Poe poems--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. Until a most unexpected occurrence gives him the chance to make his life over and see things anew. 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. It was really a book that I came by accidentally on Goodreads, it wasn't recommended to me by anyone I know. But it was a book about books and people so of course it made its way to my wishlist It was very much a book I wanted to love, and fortunately I did find myself sucked into the novel right from the start and loved every page of it Edited June 21, 2014 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I've not heard of it until now, but it sounds very interesting, but having a look for it on UK bookshop websites, I think it's called The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry over here, and it's only recently been published in hardback (back in March) so it's still quite expensive at the moment. I think I'll wait for the paperback to be published and the price to come down, but the reviews I've seen of it (including yours ) are largely positive, so to my wish list it has been added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 Yes, the UK title is different, and having heard about it after reading the novel I see where that comes from I didn't know it's still available only as a hardback in the UK. I would've thought that since there's already a Finnish translation, everyone in English speaking countries had every form of the book to choose from I guess we were really early with this novel over here, and I'm much obliged for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I added it to my kindle wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 I hope you get your copies soon, chesil and Weave! (Now I fear I'm hyping the book too much ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) I loved three other books that I read by the author and recommend those, so once the paperback is out I'd love to read this book! Thanks for telling us about it, Frankie . EDIT: It turns out it was already on my wishlist . Edited June 22, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Sounds great! Added to the wishlist, thanks Frankie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 I loved three other books that I read by the author and recommend those, so once the paperback is out I'd love to read this book! Thanks for telling us about it, Frankie . EDIT: It turns out it was already on my wishlist . Of course you already have it on your wishlist, your wishlist is massive I'm definitely keeping my eye out for Zevin's other books, too, good to hear you've enjoyed them too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I just finished reading this book. It was wonderful! Thanks so much for the recommendation, Frankie. Did you think that Fikry was written to be a little older than he actually was? Maybe it's because he was a bit grumpy (at least initially) that I felt he was older than he was. Does that make sense? He was like a stereotypical 'grumpy old man'. Anyway, it was only an initial reaction, and it soon passed. I loved all of the characters and the plot, even though it made me cry (you know why). I'll definitely re-read this in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I read it back in April and loved it. I got a great Kindle deal on it. I'd actually like to own a hard copy, though; it's on my wish list for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Mmmmm, that is a nice synopsis ! Drat, my local library doesn't have a copy of the book, so it's now on my Kindle wishlist too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 I just finished reading this book. It was wonderful! Thanks so much for the recommendation, Frankie. I'm so psyched that you loved it! Wohoo! Did you think that Fikry was written to be a little older than he actually was? Maybe it's because he was a bit grumpy (at least initially) that I felt he was older than he was. Does that make sense? He was like a stereotypical 'grumpy old man'. Anyway, it was only an initial reaction, and it soon passed. I loved all of the characters and the plot, even though it made me cry (you know why). That definitely makes sense. I'm not sure I picked that up myself when I was reading the book, at least consciously, but I know what you mean. I also loved all the references to books I'll definitely re-read this in the future. It's definitely re-reading material! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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