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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel Paperback – December 2, 2014

by Gabrielle Zevin (Author)

4.3 41,279 ratings

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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING LUCY HALE & KUNNAL NAYAR

“A fun, page-turning delight.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love.” —Library Journal (starred review)

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over—and see everything anew.

“This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child

“Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—The Washington Post

“You won’t want it to end.” —Family Circle

“A natural for book groups.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A reader’s paradise of the first order.” —The Buffalo News

“Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.” —Booklist

“A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” —Library Journal, starred review

Review

“This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child

“Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.” —The Washington Post

“You won’t want it to end.” —Family Circle

“A natural for book groups.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A reader’s paradise of the first order.” —The Buffalo News

“A fun, page-turning delight.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.” —Booklist

“A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” —*Library Journal,starred review

About the Author

Gabrielle Zevin is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her eighth novel, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, spent more than four months on the New York Times Bestseller list, reached #1 on the National Indie Bestseller list, and has been a bestseller all around the world. She has also written books for children and young adults, including the award-winning Elsewhere.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Algonquin Books
Publication date

December 2, 2014
Dimensions

5.45 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1616204516
ISBN-13

978-1616204518
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Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone.
Highlighted by 9,162 Kindle readers
Someday, you may think of marrying. Pick someone who thinks you’re the only person in the room.
Highlighted by 4,688 Kindle readers
They had only ever discussed books but what, in this life, is more personal than books?
Highlighted by 4,120 Kindle readers

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Algonquin Books; First Edition (December 2, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1616204516
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1616204518
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.45 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #108 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #324 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- #458 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
4.3 41,279 ratings

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Gabrielle Zevin

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GABRIELLE ZEVIN is the New York Times and internationally best-selling author of several critically acclaimed novels, including The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young. Her most recent novel is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, a selection of the Tonight Show’s Fallon Book Club, the winner of the Goodreads Choice Award, a finalist for the Wingate Prize, and one of the best books of the year, according to the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, the Atlantic, Amazon.com, Oprah Daily, Slate, NPR, and many others. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is now a feature film with a screenplay by Zevin. Her novels have been translated into forty languages. She lives in Los Angeles.

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4.3 out of 5

41,279 global ratings

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JenniWCollier

Not a perfect novel or short story but 5 stars no less!

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024

Verified Purchase

This was a tug at your heartstrings kind of book. With dialog and descriptions that are more like a stream of consciousness that can change perspectives seemingly mid sentence. At first I wasn’t sure if I would like the book but quickly found I could not put it down. Read it and let me know if it was ironic to read on an e-reader…

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WildhorseMorgan

What could be better than a book about books?

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023

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What could be better than a book about books? I loved living with these characters and Alice Island for the duration of this novel. There were several good quotes, many good books I've yet to read mentioned, and I was left remembering what gives life meaning and purpose. A good read all around.

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023

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I love, love, LOVE this book! It's a funny, heartwarming, and wildly entertaining novel! Every book lover will enjoy this well-constructed ride.

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Samantha

Beautiful and cozy (while you cry into your blanket)

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2023

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The writing was absolutely beautiful and the book is fast paced. Super easy read and it had the most beautiful quotes. If you love a cozy bookstore read while also shedding a few tears… i’d say this one.

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chibilee02

Has It's Charm But Wanted To Like It More

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

As a bookworm, to read a book that celebrates all that entails about being one, can be both interesting and entertaining. There’s also something comforting knowing that there are others out in the world (reality and fictional based) who are in the same boat as you. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry I think is one of those books who does a great job of capturing the quirkiness and charm of us whose reading and books make up a big portion of who we are and our lives.

From the get-go, it’s quite obvious the book is going to center around books and reading. It’s in every nook and cranny in the story, from the characters themselves to the plot, one cannot escape the obvious. For anyone else, it may seem to be overkill or confusing. But to those who shares in A.J., Maya, Amelia and company’s passion, it’s par for the course and in many ways, reflective of our own feelings and quirkiness. That is where the book’s charm comes from. It’s easy to see parts of ourselves within these characters who share the same passion as we do. It’s something that’s celebrated and not used to have people stand apart from the general populous. In this book, if you are NOT a reader, then you are the one left out of the loop.

With all that said, the overall work left me wanting more. I just felt like the story moved at a fast pace where the author, Gabrielle Zevin, just coasted along on some of the finer details that would’ve added more depth to the story. I would’ve loved to have a deeper exploration of A.J.’s unique personality (I feel the book would’ve benefited if it was in first pov of A.J.) especially since his is an interesting mix of surly, conceited and likeability. I wanted to know the origins or at least how his thinking process worked. As it is, I spent a good portion of the beginning not really liking him which affected my feelings on the book (fortunately he became more charming the further I read). I also was caught off guard by some of the revelations later on in the story (e.g. Tamerlane, Ismay/Daniel/Marian/Maya connection, A.J.’s lifelong condition). To me, they just seemed to come out of nowhere, as if Zevin almost forgot about the events in the beginning and decided to provide explanations to them. They happened abruptly and I had to shift my focus to try to fit the new information into what I have known. If there little clues, mild mentions or something written throughout the story that let the reader know that something is not right and unfinished business still exists then perhaps everything else won’t seem so sudden and out of the blue.

I’ve heard about this book for quite a while and how many people loved it. I wanted to be one of those people, I wanted to like it more. This book is like thinking you’re seeing something from your peripheral vision, but when you fully turned to look, there’s nothing there. The whole reading experience for me was as if I sort of got what I was reading but in the end I didn’t get the full story. I got the surface but nothing else below. The only thing that made the book interesting were the characters’ love of reading and books. That specific feature made the book a comfortable and relatable read and provided that unique charm that only those of us who shares the same passion for reading and books can understand and appreciate.

15 people found this helpful

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sandy herself

In my heart!

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2023

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Couldn't have been more satisfied with a read. It's been a long, long tune since I've been so captivated. Just ad.

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~nik~

Pleasantly surprised!

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

I absolutely loved this book and the fact that it is a book about books. The story was great! The characters were well developed and immediately so, which is of utmost importance to me. I love Edgar Allen Poe. So, that made this book all that more interesting to me. I will find myself referencing this book for years to come bc of all the books mentioned in this story. I truly wish The Late Bloomer had been a real story though. I highly recommend this book! You will not be disappointed. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

One person found this helpful

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Brianna Baker

Sweet concept but rushed pacing

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

The characters were interesting enough, though a little cliche (an uptight grumpy book store owner meets a perky and lively young literary agent and falls in love reluctantly). She’s a bit of a manic pixie dream girl trope (don’t be such a boring grump and live a little). The most interesting element was when a baby is abandoned in his store unexpectedly, but for me that’s when the story pacing felt off. The main character’s indecision about what to do about the baby resolves itself with very little character development, and the same happens with the budding love story. The pacing made it hard for me to get attached enough to the characters to feel much towards the end.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

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Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

Our book club selection last month was The Wager, excellent non fiction, but ponderous at times because of the weight of today’s world. I am grateful to Ms. Zevin for A.J. et. al. I didn’t see us losing A.J.; however, the author did that so well, and didn’t he leave a wonderful heritage.The journey of the characters in this book was interesting and credible.

One person found this helpful

HENRYPIRES

Good gift

Reviewed in Germany on January 2, 2024

Verified Purchase

Happy wife happy life

Cj

Emotional rollercoaster

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2023

Verified Purchase

After reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, another of Zevin's books was high on my tbr, and although not revolutionary in concept,the writing style and characters made this novel a firm five stars.

Depressed book store owner AJ finds an abandoned toddler who he gifts with a love of reading whilst he builds a family to see him through his life.

Definitely a tear jerker, AJ is a typical jerk with a dark past whose heart is warmed by those in his life. Was I surprised by anything in the story? No. But it definitely was a satisfying and cosy story that I'm excited to read again.

One person found this helpful

Jayesh Gangan

Simply B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!

Reviewed in India on May 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

"It is so simple, I have figured it all out. The words you can't find, you borrow. We read to know we're not alone. We read because we are alone. My life is in these books. Read these & know my heart. We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works."

A.J. Fikry is a grumpy owner of Island Books. He's going through a tough time, his bookshop is failing, he has lost his beloved wife to an accident, & Edgar Allan Poe's Tamarlane - a rare & very old copy, has been stolen from his shop. Then one day someone drops off two-year-old Maya at his bookstore with a note attached to her asking the owner to look after her. His life changes from here on!

I have written this review several times in my head since the time I finished reading this book, but now that I am actually writing it, no words come to my mind. This book is simply so beautiful that it's tough to turn my feelings into words. This book, is a must read for everyone!

Every chapter in the book starts with a small & cute review of a book that A.J. Fikry loved & he's writing these reviews for Maya, so that she can read all of these books some time in her life!

As a book lover, what I really liked about this book was that it's really simple, characters delve into book discussions, which for me is heaven. I love reading a book where the characters talk & discuss books. There are some really funny moments as well, like when A.J. Fikry recommends an 82-year-old woman, 'The Book Thief' - a book which is narrated by DEATH. 😂

This book is a complete heaven for every book lover! 💛

"Every word is the right one and exactly where it should be. That's basically the highest compliment I can give."

4 people found this helpful

Cliente de Amazon

Buena narrativa

Reviewed in Mexico on January 11, 2020

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Un libro con personajes muy reales, lldnos de srntimienyos buenos , el personaje ptimcipal un gran ser humano con un corazon generoso y un final muy triste

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