“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.”
The Little Paris Bookshop is written by Nina George; a German journalist, author, and teacher. This contemporary novel took me by surprise by its heartwarming and heartbreaking themes.
Although it claims to fall within the mystery and literary category. It is actually more of a sappy romance, filled with clichés and also falling short on the literary portion. Somehow, the novel still tends to grab the reader’s attention through the quirky travel adventure the main character goes on.
Although it claims to fall within the mystery and literary category. It is actually more of a sappy romance, filled with clichés and also falling short on the literary portion. Somehow, the novel still tends to grab the reader’s attention through the quirky travel adventure the main character goes on.
The main character, Perdue works for a floating bookshop in Paris whose job is mainly prescribing novels for the hardships of life. After his love, Manon disappears with no trace 30 years ago, he vows to never love or make promises again while becoming a shell of his former self. Still haunted by guilt and refusing to open the only letter Manon left to him, Perdue manages to venture to the south of France to discover his past.
Expecting this book to be about a bibliophile hermit, traveling and backpacking across France while sharing his knowledge with random strangers, I was somewhat disappointed with the overuse of clichés, awkward grammar, and slow paced plot. After a while the novel started to become boring because of the various side plots and the non-engaging romance theme.
Even though I loved the idea of the novel, it still came off as predictable, and the lack of debt given to the main character had me frustrated the entire time. Because I am a person who is easily sucked in by detail of the towns and villagers used in this novel, and discovering the mystery of what truly happened to Manon, I would have to rate this book a 3 out of 5.
