8.3Beautiful, Compelling, Emotional
I will admit that I did lose a little interest in the story as it progressed, maybe it could have benefited from being 50 or so pages shorter, but that being said, it was easy to keep reading because I could appreciate the beauty in the writing. The whole book just felt so serene and I liked the way George gently pushed the story along while its characters slowly developed and uncovered truths about themselves and world around them.
This book was S T U N N I N G – I am such a sucker for beautiful writing and George absolutely blew me away with the writing in this book. The one quote above just isn’t enough to express the beauty of it, so here’s another one: “We cannot decide to love. We cannot compel anyone to love us. There’s no secret recipe, only love itself. And we are at its mercy – there’s nothing we can do.”
Title: The Little Paris Bookshop
Author: Nina George
Type: Fiction
Published: 2015
Pages: 375
TW: Death, Loneliness
“Books are more than doctors, of course. Some novels are loving, lifelong companions; some give you a clip around the ear; others are friends who wrap you in warm towels when you’ve got those autumn blues. And some…well, some are pink candy floss that tingles in your brain for three seconds and leaves a blissful voice. Like a short, torrid love affair.”
The Little Paris Bookshop was originally written in German and translated to English in 2015. I’ve had this book on my shelf a few years and have always been excited to read it, so I’m glad I finally got around to doing so! This book follows Jean Perdu who runs The Literary Apothecary – a bookshop on a boat that floats on the river Seine in Paris. People with various ailments come to him and he always know how to heal them and which book will be the right medicine. However for such a distinguished curer, he’s never been able to mend his own heart after it was broken 20 years ago. When a new neighbour moves into his building, and happens to be a reclusive author, the two form an unlikely friendship and Jean may finally have the catalyst to unearth the sadness that’s been within him for 2 decades and perhaps even find a cure to finally be free of it.
Review overview
Summary
