Booooorrrrrriiiinnnnngggggg⦠I figured out the family secret by the third chapter and skipped to the last three chapters just to make sure.
If you've come this far, you know the storyline: Miranda inherits her uncle's failing bookstore in LA. She enjoyed scavenger hunts with him as a child and after his death, he has presented her with numerous clues to solve a family secret.
This is an interesting read, not compelling but if you love old, independent bookstores, you will likely enjoy. The variety of characters and scavenger hunt clues kept my interest.
Even though the characters--including the MC-- in The Bookshop of Yesterdays are not always likeable or even sympathetic, they are, in the final analysis, quite human, and isn't that really what a good author strives for -- characters that are real and human? Well, perhaps a couple of the minor characters (Charlie and Lee) are sympathetic. Given that, the story was a veritable page-turner for me--a mystery with no crime, an intellectual and literary scavenger hunt, a family drama replete with romance and tragedy. It is a fitting and enjoyable nod to Shakespeare's The Tempest.
A wonderful read woven with mystery, family drama, romance and lovely, relatable characters. I especially like the book references and quotes intertwined throughout the story.
I live in LA so I know all the places Miranda speaks of; that added some interest for me. Otherwise it's a medium good read about a girl solving a family mystery. A quiet read, but engaging.
