A.J. Fikry acts like an old man. (He is really 39.) He is grumpy, miserable and opinionated and has no objection acting like a dick. Until... Are you interested yet? Come on! It is set in a bookshop! And I don't mean like Mr Penumbra's where it starts in a bookshop. This story is in a bookshop.
“No Man Is An Island; Every Book Is A World.”
― Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
What a delightful cast of characters. By the end (actually, it was by page 60) I loved Fikry. I loved how the supporting characters grew and changed and how this mostly happened because of the bookshop. (Of course, that wasn't the case for Fikry. Something bigger happens to him.) As a reader, I loved that idea! What a logical place for people to grow and become more! Even the characters that were less than liked had a role to play and were not merely a plot device.
I really enjoyed how the book was set out. Each chapter was titled after a short story. Before the chapter, there is a note by Fikry to someone (not spoiling you here) commenting a bit on the short story and also a bit on his life and the events that occur in the chapter to come. What isn't there to love with that idea?
I really seem to be gushing about this one. I did absolutely enjoy it though. It was everything that I was in the mood for, without even knowing I was in the mood for it. I read this, grinning like a fool. Even the sappy, mushy parts were adorable, and I don't usually go in for that at all. I devoured this book in about 2 to 3 hours. Nice people, loads of literature, reading, writing and a bookshop. It was my version of heaven. Another awesome quality to this book is that it introduces readers to a load of short stories and some other books. It was almost the same as watching a booktube channel while reading at the same time. Talk about enjoyable multi-tasking.
“You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book?”
― Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
I wonder what my answers would say about me. For starters, I would probably respond with, "Are you serious? You want me to pick one?!" That would probably be followed by a string of books, with explanations (and recommendations).
This is the 48th book I have read for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.
I gave this one, very predictably, 5 stars on Goodreads, because to hell with whether it had any great literary value, I just really enjoyed it.
I would recommend this one to readers.
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