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The Little Paris Bookshop
The Little Paris Bookshop
Author: Nina George, Simon Pare (Translator)
Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can't seem to heal through literature is himself; he's still haunted b...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780553418774
ISBN-10: 0553418777
Publication Date: 6/23/2015
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 34

3.2 stars, based on 34 ratings
Publisher: Crown
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Little Paris Bookshop on
Helpful Score: 7
There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remediesI mean booksthat were written for one person onlyA 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: thats how I sell books.

Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can't seem to heal through literature is himself; he's still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened.

After Perdu is finally tempted to read the letter, he hauls anchor and departs on a mission to the south of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Joined by a bestselling but blocked author and a lovelorn Italian chef, Perdu travels along the countrys rivers, dispensing his wisdom and his books, showing that the literary world can take the human soul on a journey to heal itself.

Internationally bestselling and filled with warmth and adventure, The Little Paris Bookshop is a love letter to books, meant for anyone who believes in the power of stories to shape people's lives.

This was a book lovers pure delight! The wording was just so true, lovely and perfect. At first I thought the setting was a tad strange but then realizing that the bookshop was an old barge the guy had --- add boats to books and Im in heaven! The owner of the bookshop only sold books to people who could match them! It was delightful, loving, entertaining and at times downright funny. Get three guys rambling around on an old barge that hadnt been moved in 20 years with books all aroundjust heavenly!
plum-marie avatar reviewed The Little Paris Bookshop on + 117 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Well I loved the cover and the concept-books being prescribed for readers based on emotions or feelings they were dealing with. I also loved the idea of a boat bookstore! Those concepts were there in the book but as for the core story line I felt drained along with Perdu. You feel his emotions, grief, and all the in between. I wouldn't recommend this one unless a person was mourning the loss of a great love and in search of how to start over. I didn't care for the theme throughout that one person can not be enough and faithfulness isn't important. It seemed the author conveyed that those who were faithful (Catherine) lost a part of themselves in being so and that to be truly alive and in the moment (Manon) you had to be open to not committing to one person. I don't agree. Anyway it is a sad story about loss, love, and starting over [with a fair amount of adultery thrown in].
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reviewed The Little Paris Bookshop on + 1436 more book reviews
Loved this little gem and don't know why I let it languish on my bookshelf for so long. Basically, this is a story about, Jean Perdu, who grieved for over twenty years for his lost love, Manon Basset. He was so hurt when she left that he never opened a letter she left for him. When he does all over twenty years later he knew what an egotistical fool he had been because he found she was dying. Now he sets out to repair his heart and find a way to live the rest of his life, traveling with his barge to the areas where Manon grew up and once lived.

Fascinating characters include Catherine, a neighbor whose husband put her suitcase outside the door and locked it; Luc Basset, Manon's husband; Cuneo, a fellow traveler looking for his lost love; and Samy, the author of a book that helped Perdu, through the years. As the trip unfolds, Perdu visits Manon's family, who share her diary with him so he has insight into her last days. Cuneo and Samy fall in love and Jean realizes he must reconnect with Catherine, his charming neighbor.

The author shares so much wisdom about life. Let me share just one with from page 188: "I became myself when my son died," he said falteringly, "because grief showed me what's important in life. That's what grief does. In the beginning it's always there. You wake up and it's there. It's with you all day, everywhere you go. It's with you in the eveing; it won't let you go at night. It grabs you by the throat and shakes you. But it keeps you warm. One day it might go, but not forever. It drops by from time to time. And, then eventually...all of a sudden I know what's important - grief showed me. Love is important. Good food. And standing tall and not saying yes when you should say no."
PatchesMom avatar reviewed The Little Paris Bookshop on + 91 more book reviews
it is a great read...!!!
eadieburke avatar reviewed The Little Paris Bookshop on + 1613 more book reviews
What I liked about this book - the bookstore owner knows and matches the perfect book to the person, he picks certain books to heal peopleâs emotions. The bookstore was a barge which sailed on the river and took on interesting characters. What I didnât like - romance not my favorite genre, writing was too wordy and descriptive, boring in parts. This book is a 50-50 gamble! Half the people love it & half are not too excited about it! Take a chance


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