The Little Paris Bookshop
Crown Pub
June 23, 2015
Hardcover
400
“There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only…A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books.”
Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can't seem to heal through literature is himself; he's still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened.
After Perdu is finally tempted to read the letter, he hauls anchor and departs on a mission to the south of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Joined by a bestselling but blocked author and a lovelorn Italian chef, Perdu travels along the country’s rivers, dispensing his wisdom and his books, showing that the literary world can take the human soul on a journey to heal itself.
Review:
A true romance about the love between people and books, “The Little Paris Bookshop” will delight anyone looking for a “literary” read.
The idea that not every book is meant for all readers, or even for a large audience, is true of this novel. If you’re looking for a fast-paced plot, this is not the book for you. To enjoy it you need to be willing to meander and to take the time to allow yourself to slowly sink into the world of Monsieur Perdu and friends. It’s a slice-of-life read with beautiful imagery and lyrical writing. Meant to be savored, do not be afraid to put it down and come back later. Some things are meant to be savored. “The Little Paris Bookshop” is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy the types of novels I’ve described, it is one of the best out there. It reminds me of “The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig, which is an extremely high compliment.
All of the characters are wonderfully quirky and full of depth. Each has a backstory that is revealed in layers through both observations and dialogue. And the dialogue is excellent! Sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, there are no wasted words. It all furthers what you know about their past in addition to giving hints to their future. I want to be friends with them and would love for “The Literary Apothecary” to be an actual place I could visit.
There is one flaw that so many good books often have: the excessive epilogue. While I enjoyed how their lives turn out, the book had a natural ending in the last chapter. A small epilogue would have been nice, but there was so much crammed in that it would have been better served, if the author felt it necessary, to have been split into a couple of actual chapters.
“The Little Paris Bookshop” is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy the types of novels I’ve described, it is one of the best out there. It’s a balm for the soul, to paraphrase Monsieur Perdu.
This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
As this is an adult novel, there are no content warnings.
