The Little Paris Bookshop

by Nina George

Simon Pare (Translator)

The international bestseller, translated from the German by Simon Pare. On a beautifully restored barge on the Seine, Jean Perdu runs a bookshop; or rather a 'literary apothecary', for this bookseller possesses a rare gift for sensing which books will soothe the troubled souls of his customers. The only person he is unable to cure, it seems, is himself. He has nursed a broken heart ever since the night, twenty-one years ago, when the love of his life fled Paris, leaving behind a handwritten letter that he has never dared read. His memories and his love have been gathering dust - until now. The arrival of an enigmatic new neighbour in his eccentric apartment building on Rue Montagnard inspires Jean to unlock his heart, unmoor the floating bookshop and set off for Provence, in search of the past and his beloved.

• ISBN10: 0349140359
• ISBN13: 9780349140353
• Publish Date: 23 April 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 21 November 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Abacus
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

The Little Paris Bookshop originally caught my eye on Blogging for Books a month or so back, but I passed on it in favor of a different book. However once my library updated their digital selection and I saw this, I immediately hit the download button and I’m so glad I did.

The Little Paris Bookshop isn’t so much about a bookstore as it is about the man who owns and runs it. Perdu is a man capable of seeing the true need of every person who comes into his store and can recommend the perfect book for them, he sees it as medicine for the soul. There seems to be a whole in his perception though, as he can’t tell what he needs it and when and this book is about him discovering what he truly needs in order to move forward and live the life he’s always wanted. I really love reading about his journey through renewed grief, finding love again, and helping others find little pieces of themselves through books. I really liked the entire cast of characters. Perdu was easy to relate to even though he was twice my age, and while parts of his story were heartbreaking a lot of it has hope. I also loved Max Jordan, a bestselling novelist who has become somewhat of a recluse in his stardom. He’s quirky, excitable and really naive but his lust for something more than what he has is infectious…plus he wears earmuffs all the time and it’s adorable.

The atmosphere in this book is amazing. Perdu’s Book Barge is perfection, and when I dream of my true dream like bookstore it’s always something as fantastical as this. Perdu’s journey alone the Seine made me long for and miss a country I’ve never even been to. I could see myself walking through the vineyards and dancing in secret meetings with strangers.

The audiobook version I think will be a take it or leave it experience. I know a lot of people have issues with accents, particularly if they are not natural accents but faked. This book has that. I personally didn’t mind them at all, and I thought it really added some richness to the storytelling that I might have missed out on if I had read it instead. I thought the pacing was nice and relaxed, and it really made the perfect summer evening sort of book

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Jean Perdu is a bookseller, owning a bookstore on a barge floating along the Seine. Often referred to as a ‘literary apothecary’, for Jean Perdu had a unique ability to sense to perfect book to soothe his customers’ troubled souls. The only person he could never cure was himself and for the past twenty-one years he has been nursing a broken heart.

If it was not for the fact that The Little Paris Bookshop was picked for my in real life book club, I may have never picked it up. To be fair, this novel was picked based on the idea of bibliotherapy, without anyone reading it first. I was interested to see if this book was going to be as generic as it sounded as it is a book in translation; translated from German by Simon Pare. I did have hopes that this might end up as enjoyable as The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry, but sadly I was disappointed.

I normally love books about books but from the very start I was bored with The Little Paris Bookshop. It did pick up briefly when there was talked about The Elegance of the Hedgehog and Franz Kafka but this only lasted a few pages. My thoughts on this novel ranged from boring, cliché, overly sweet before cycling back to boring. I struggled to find anything to hold me through this book, the characters were dull, and nothing about the writing impressed me.

I tend to stay away from light reads; I like to be challenged a little, and I like to experience something exciting and explore interesting themes. There is nothing wrong with a light read, and at times it is needed. However The Little Paris Bookshop was not worth completing and if it was not for book club, I would have abandoned it (I should have). This is meant to be a romance/chick-lit type book but I have read so many better novels in these genres, and these are not genres I normally read. I hate to be so negative towards a book, but the only thing positive I can find with this novel is that it mentions other books, like The Elegance of the Hedgehog and the works of Franz Kafka.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/contemporary/the-little-paris-bookshop-by-nina-george/

[Lianne]

I was approved an ARC of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2015/09/23/review-the-little-paris-bookshop/

I really liked the premise of the novel, the concept of a literary apothecary, his ship being a barge, and Perdu having a knack for prescribing particular novels based on what he’s assessed of the client and his/her life experiences, what they are going through, etc. I loved the little quotes about books and reading and the feelings associated with it. At times it reminded me of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry with its quaintness, Perdu’s journey, and the nature of the shop.

However, from the start I did feel like something was off about the novel, like the events of the novel was feeling rather distant to me for some reason. Once Perdu found Manon’s letter and set off on his journey down the Seine, I lost all interest in the story: I felt so disconnected from the characters and what they hoped to achieve with their journey. It also moved away from the initial premise that I liked so much at the start of the novel, about books and the concept of his shop, and focused more on past events in the character’s life that didn’t compel me as much as I thought it would.

I’m not sure how I got through the book–I guess just to see if things would change as I went along–but The Little Paris Bookshop was not what I expected and ultimately was a rather disappointing read for me. Perhaps not my cup of tea but other readers may enjoy this novel.