TL;DR: A moving story about mending broken hearts, The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George is an ode to the power of books and grief.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
Monsieur Perdu owns and runs a literary apothecary, where he proscribes books for whatever ails his customers. However, he is unable to proscribe a book for his own pain, so that he too can move on from the past and what is holding him down. When he finally opens the letter his lost love left him, he finds himself on a journey on his book barge to make peace with his past and find a way to break the walls he’s erected around himself.
I was looking for books about books, since my own series features books, and this wonderful tale fit perfectly. Not only is it charming, but it is filled with good food, smells, and of course, books. The story is told from Perdu’s perspective, and we see the struggles he faces as he leans into forgiving himself of the past as well as letting go of it. The prose is beautiful, and the details are balanced just right (for me) to not be too over the top. For all that and more, I give it 4.5 stars.
The Plot
Monsieur Perdu has spent the years since his lover left him filling the emotional gaps and needs of others with the books he sells from his literary apothecary barge. When a new tenant moves into his building without any furniture, Perdu opens a sealed part of his past by giving her a table. Inside the table is a letter his lover left him so many years ago.
When he finally faces the letter, he realizes the error he made, sealing himself up like the room in his apartment. In a move to make peace with himself and his lover, he journeys down the rivers of France on his bookshop barge, along with a young novelist and a chef. Along the way, they meet and face many challenges, some with books and some with food, but can Perdu face his past and open up his heart to his future?
What I liked & liked less
There is much to love in this book. It is about loss, grief, regrets, and finding a way to live again. There are many books referenced in the book, some of which I’ve added to my (growing) TBR as I want to see if I get as much out of them as Perdu does.
The descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, and food are delightful and pull you in to the story even more than you already are. It is a feast of the senses in many ways as well as a heartwarming journey of the heart.
Perdu is a wonderful character – flawed and yet wise, warm and yet cold. He is able to pierce the soul of his customer but never turned that gaze inward, because it was too painful. There are little touches where you see the people who knew him all those years saw more than he thought he showed, which added depth to his journey. I liked this character a lot, because he made mistakes, he flailed around trying to address his emotions, and yet who he is shines through in all of his actions.
His companions aren’t as deep as he is, but they aren’t cardboard characters either. You see them as Perdu sees them, which is at once deep and yet not as deep, because you don’t know what really drives them until they tell you. They all go on their own journeys, and they have their own failings as well. There wasn’t one I didn’t like.
The books featured in this book add depth and layers to the story, because of what they are about and how Perdu sees them. There is also a lot of talk about food and smells, which made me a bit hungry (be warned!).
The conclusion to the book is satisfying and gives you the same warm fuzzy feeling you felt throughout the book.
For what I didn’t like as much… it’s tough. There is one aspect of the plot, which I won’t get into, that I felt was a bit too convenient, too tied together to Perdu’s story. It wasn’t necessary, although it didn’t harm the story for me and is more of a small thing.
To Sum Up (Too Late!)
If you want to be overwhelmed and immersed in a charming story, with heavy emotions, then this book is for you. If you love tales where the plot – a journey down the river – parallels the character’s journey as well, then you’ll like this book as well. And if you want to let go of something you’ve hung on to for too long, this book may help you do so. It’s a charming tale in a lovely place and scratched an itch I didn’t know I had.
About the Author
Born 1973 in Bielefeld, Germany, Nina George is a prize-winning and bestselling author (“Das Lavendelzimmer” – “The Little Paris Bookshop”) and freelance journalist since 1992, who has published 26 books (novels, mysteries and non-fiction) as well as over hundred short stories and more than 600 columns. George has worked as a cop reporter, columnist and managing editor for a wide range of publications, including Hamburger Abendblatt, Die Welt, Der Hamburger, “politik und kultur” as well as TV Movie and Federwelt. Georges writes also under three pen-names, for ex “Jean Bagnol”, a double-andronym for provence-based mystery novels.
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