The Paris Bookseller

Kerri Maher

Jan. 2022 · Verkauft von Penguin

Über dieses E-Book

“A love letter to bookstores and libraries.”
—The Boston Globe

The dramatic story of how a humble bookseller fought against incredible odds to bring one of the most important books of the 20th century to the world in this new novel from the author of The Girl in White Gloves.

A PopSugar Much-Anticipated 2022 Novel ∙ A BookTrib Top Ten Historical Fiction Book of Spring ∙ A SheReads’ Best Literary Historical Fiction Coming in 2022 ∙ A Reader’s Digest’s Best Books for Women Written by Female Authors ∙ A BookBub Best Historical Fiction Book of 2022
 
When bookish young American Sylvia Beach opens Shakespeare and Company on a quiet street in Paris in 1919, she has no idea that she and her new bookstore will change the course of literature itself.
 
Shakespeare and Company is more than a bookstore and lending library: Many of the prominent writers of the Lost Generation, like Ernest Hemingway, consider it a second home. It's where some of the most important literary friendships of the twentieth century are forged—none more so than the one between Irish writer James Joyce and Sylvia herself. When Joyce's controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Beach takes a massive risk and publishes it under the auspices of Shakespeare and Company.
 
But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous and influential book of the century comes with steep costs. The future of her beloved store itself is threatened when Ulysses' success brings other publishers to woo Joyce away. Her most cherished relationships are put to the test as Paris is plunged deeper into the Depression and many expatriate friends return to America. As she faces painful personal and financial crises, Sylvia—a woman who has made it her mission to honor the life-changing impact of books—must decide what Shakespeare and Company truly means to her.

Bewertungen und Rezensionen

Young Sylvia Beach has always dreamt of writing books, but soon she must recognise that writing isn't hers. When in Paris, the American meets Susanne and Adrienne who run a bookshop and she is immediately fascinated by them. She decides to open a bookshop herself to provide Paris and its masses of expatriates with English books. A risky adventure in 1919, but her small store "Shakespeare and Company" is going to make history. Not only do the Roaring Twenties make Paris the centre of the literary world, the bookshop and Sylvia become its very own epicentre and when she comes across an extraordinary novel nobody wants to publish, she decides to do it herself thus making James Joyce and his "Ulysses" one of the greatest novels of the century. Kerri Maher tells the story of a young and adventurous woman who follows her instincts and is willing to risk a lot to make her dreams come true. “The Paris Bookseller” portrays an outstanding personality whose strong character can be felt in every line of the novel. On the other hand, the novel is a remarkable depiction of misogynist behaviour in the literary world and, on the other, also of strong women who can accomplish a lot when working together. I totally adored following Sylvia's way from naive American tourist to one of the most important characters in the literary world between the wars. Surely Paris was the place to be and she was there at the right time, but also her endeavour and spirit were decisive to make it the best known bookstore in the world. I wasn't aware of how hostile towards women the time and publishing industry was, quite interestingly, it wasn't people like Hemingway of whom I could have easily expected such a behaviour, quite the opposite, the educated and seemingly decent people were the most abominable. A great read which gives insight in a time already a century ago and most certainly a must read for all booklovers of classics and the great time a century ago.

Autoren-Profil

KERRI MAHER is the national bestselling author of The Girl in White Gloves, The Kennedy Debutante, and, under the name Kerri Majors, This Is Not a Writing Manual: Notes for the Young Writer in the Real World. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and lives with her daughter and dog in a leafy suburb west of Boston, Massachusetts.