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on April 20, 2014
On my of my road trip, I picked this book up because it had a story about a bookstore owner, which I hope one day to become. Never heard of the author, but I will always give a author and book a try. There is only a few words to say about this book -
I LOVE IT!!! I LOVE I!!!! and I LOVE IT!!!! more
A. J. Fikry is a lonely (his wife died two years earlier), snappish and cantankerous bookstore owner of Island Books in Alice Island. Sales has hit a slump and one of the most expensive book in his store, Tamerlane by Edgar Allan Poe, has been stolen. He has given up on the store, the people in the small community and the love of the books in his store and his heart. His books are how he has lived his life. His life experiences, relationships with bookstores, books and, in some cases if he really likes their work, authors, is really what I'm sorta made of. A life where when you read a book, you either lived it or what to live it. You talk, walk, breath, sing your day based upon the book you just finished reading or remember reading years ago.
It becomes a part of your memory where when you run into someone or something, you refer it to a book that had an impact on your life and that's how A. J. Fikry lived his life. Life just sucks for A.J. and I truly understand why, but one day out of the blue, a small package arrives at his store, a over the top and eccentric publication press sales women comes calling, and a chief of police who did not read much, until he was forced, not really forced, just wanted to keep an eye on A.J., became a savior and friend. Each word, each saying, each sub-story brings you closer to a book and another book and another. Inter wind into each character, especially A.J., is life at a bookstore or life in and out of a book. You will laugh, cry, become pissed and will love bookstores, especially independent book stores, over and over again. I literally cried when I finished this book, not because of something bad or good that happened in the book, but because I wanted to read more about each of the characters and see their lives unfold into the future.
If you love or even like small independent bookstores, buy this book, now!!!
A. J. made me feel so happy with my love of books, so very happy.
This book reminds me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel and The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey MooreThe Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat
Now my problem is finding another book to read. It's so hard to find another book to read after you read such a damn good book with simple and great writing. It's so ding dong hard.
I LOVE IT!!! I LOVE I!!!! and I LOVE IT!!!! more
A. J. Fikry is a lonely (his wife died two years earlier), snappish and cantankerous bookstore owner of Island Books in Alice Island. Sales has hit a slump and one of the most expensive book in his store, Tamerlane by Edgar Allan Poe, has been stolen. He has given up on the store, the people in the small community and the love of the books in his store and his heart. His books are how he has lived his life. His life experiences, relationships with bookstores, books and, in some cases if he really likes their work, authors, is really what I'm sorta made of. A life where when you read a book, you either lived it or what to live it. You talk, walk, breath, sing your day based upon the book you just finished reading or remember reading years ago.
It becomes a part of your memory where when you run into someone or something, you refer it to a book that had an impact on your life and that's how A. J. Fikry lived his life. Life just sucks for A.J. and I truly understand why, but one day out of the blue, a small package arrives at his store, a over the top and eccentric publication press sales women comes calling, and a chief of police who did not read much, until he was forced, not really forced, just wanted to keep an eye on A.J., became a savior and friend. Each word, each saying, each sub-story brings you closer to a book and another book and another. Inter wind into each character, especially A.J., is life at a bookstore or life in and out of a book. You will laugh, cry, become pissed and will love bookstores, especially independent book stores, over and over again. I literally cried when I finished this book, not because of something bad or good that happened in the book, but because I wanted to read more about each of the characters and see their lives unfold into the future.
If you love or even like small independent bookstores, buy this book, now!!!
A. J. made me feel so happy with my love of books, so very happy.
This book reminds me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel and The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey MooreThe Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat
Now my problem is finding another book to read. It's so hard to find another book to read after you read such a damn good book with simple and great writing. It's so ding dong hard.
on January 5, 2016
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.
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.
on February 4, 2015
A.J. Fikry is rudderless. Wife Nic has just died in an auto accident, his bookstore Island Books is barely keeping its nose above water. Life is pretty grim when in walks his new Knightly Publishing rep Amelia Loman with the list of winter books. He’s not welcoming, to put it mildly (grief and social niceties are usually at odds); rebuffed, Amelia leaves assuming she won’t be calling on Island Books again any time soon.
But before things get better, they get worse when A.J.’s prized possession, a first edition of Poe’s Tamerlane, is stolen. Then—a toddler is left on his doorstep with a note from her mother: “I want Maya to grow up to be a reader … I love her very much but I can no longer take care of her … I am desperate …” and quick as you can say “Silas Marner” A.J. is a dad. A bumbling, curmudgeonly, single dad who despises Elmo and has never changed a diaper.
And, yes, readers all—The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a modern day Silas Marner. The references come fast and furious. Maya enters through an unlocked door. Both Marner and A.J. suffer from some sort of seizure disorder that leaves them, well, blank, for a few moments. Maya opens A.J. to the warm embrace of the Alice Island community and the love of a woman. While he lost his earthly treasure, he gained a more precious gift. Any more parallels and I’d need to insert [spoiler alert]—but then if you know Silas Marner, you know how the plot unfolds in A.J. Fikry.
Gabrielle Zevin’s novel is fast and fun and scattered with did-you-catch-‘em literary references. (A.J. goes on a date to a restaurant named Pequod, for instance) Each chapter begins with a short book review written by the store owner. The trials and tribulations of life in an independent bookstore were spot on from what I remember about my own book selling days. And, yes, friend, it was right up my alley.
[more at thisismysymphony.net]
But before things get better, they get worse when A.J.’s prized possession, a first edition of Poe’s Tamerlane, is stolen. Then—a toddler is left on his doorstep with a note from her mother: “I want Maya to grow up to be a reader … I love her very much but I can no longer take care of her … I am desperate …” and quick as you can say “Silas Marner” A.J. is a dad. A bumbling, curmudgeonly, single dad who despises Elmo and has never changed a diaper.
And, yes, readers all—The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a modern day Silas Marner. The references come fast and furious. Maya enters through an unlocked door. Both Marner and A.J. suffer from some sort of seizure disorder that leaves them, well, blank, for a few moments. Maya opens A.J. to the warm embrace of the Alice Island community and the love of a woman. While he lost his earthly treasure, he gained a more precious gift. Any more parallels and I’d need to insert [spoiler alert]—but then if you know Silas Marner, you know how the plot unfolds in A.J. Fikry.
Gabrielle Zevin’s novel is fast and fun and scattered with did-you-catch-‘em literary references. (A.J. goes on a date to a restaurant named Pequod, for instance) Each chapter begins with a short book review written by the store owner. The trials and tribulations of life in an independent bookstore were spot on from what I remember about my own book selling days. And, yes, friend, it was right up my alley.
[more at thisismysymphony.net]
on June 27, 2016
At first Mr. Fikry is hard to understand and harder to like. That changes when he finds an infant on his door step and a note atttached to her. Despite his brusque manner, the child works a change in him and his life and community.
I don't want to go in to plot too much since I believe it's best to just read it, but I liked the back story that came out of how Fikry ended up with the child and why her Mother was gone. I also liked the consequences of the revelation and the effect that it had on the characters involved.
I thought this book to be very grounded. The characters were complex and developed along the way. The setting was perfect and the growth realistic without pandering. I also found this very charming.
The charm of the bookstore and the characters really pulled me in. I read this book far faster than I would've liked. This was a savory charming read.
Some of my book club group found it mediocre and that life doesn't happen like that. But I believe that life is very complex and unusual things happen every day. There were comments of the story not going anywhere, but this is a story of living and how a life was lived. Not everyone will be famous or well known or remembered by thousands, but there is still merit in that life and still lessons to be taught. There is still wonder and beauty and charm in the world and this tale shows that to you.
I don't want to go in to plot too much since I believe it's best to just read it, but I liked the back story that came out of how Fikry ended up with the child and why her Mother was gone. I also liked the consequences of the revelation and the effect that it had on the characters involved.
I thought this book to be very grounded. The characters were complex and developed along the way. The setting was perfect and the growth realistic without pandering. I also found this very charming.
The charm of the bookstore and the characters really pulled me in. I read this book far faster than I would've liked. This was a savory charming read.
Some of my book club group found it mediocre and that life doesn't happen like that. But I believe that life is very complex and unusual things happen every day. There were comments of the story not going anywhere, but this is a story of living and how a life was lived. Not everyone will be famous or well known or remembered by thousands, but there is still merit in that life and still lessons to be taught. There is still wonder and beauty and charm in the world and this tale shows that to you.
on January 10, 2017
A.J. is just a loveable curmudgeon. I found myself thinking "I've felt exactly like that before"., but I lacked the courage to express my feelings whereas this wasn't even a consideration for A..J. The story is very unlikely, I guess. when A.J. adopts an infant abandoned in his bookstore. The larger story is about adapting and changing one's life and finding that life improved and even enjoyable.. The love story with Amy is quirky but satisfying. One wouldn't expect these two "characters" to have the usual romance.. The author keeps A,J. authentic, allowing him to mellow a bit,without abandoning himself. That Maya is precocious is obvious. The twist at the end pulls everything together and explains some unanswered questions, and the author deals with death in a non-maudlin way
Several of the reviews I read compared this book to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society", but I did not make that connection. Perhaps the tone of the two books is similar but they shared nothing else as far as I was concerned except both were a pleasure to read.
In reading I realized how many books I have neither read nor heard of.
Several of the reviews I read compared this book to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society", but I did not make that connection. Perhaps the tone of the two books is similar but they shared nothing else as far as I was concerned except both were a pleasure to read.
In reading I realized how many books I have neither read nor heard of.
on June 24, 2017
A delightful read in a style reminding me of e.l. doctorow or john irving (the cider house rules) the story is charmingly odd, as are the characters whom you come to know by their actions and dialogue. the author uses an economy of discriptive language to tell his story. you can imagine no other character playing his/her role than the one the author chose to carry the story. the reader knows they are being taken on a journey but you don't feel the weight of a heavy plot line. the storied life of a. j. fikry isn't cute or quirky. the characters are serious people living real lives who embrace one anothers idiosyncrasies. each character is or becomes a better person for having the other in he/her life.
on April 17, 2015
I enjoyed the humor, and the growth you see take place in some of the characters. Reading is my passion, and so I can relate to how the characters compare their lives to stories. The book flows well, though huge chunks of time are skipped to move the story forward. But... I could not help but hate some of the hopelessness that these characters felt, lacking in faith, and sometimes embracing empty choices. I also felt the author sometimes chose silly antics in order to avoid emotion, sorrowful occurrences just to elicit emotion, and the inclusion of politically correct topics in order to appeal to the masses. There is some sexual content, but nothing super offensive. For those of you with inquiring minds, there is "colorful language" as well. I give it three stars - for the laughs, for some of the creativity, and for the tears I cried that the main character did not have something more solid to hope for in the end.
TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon June 17, 2015
If you love reading, books, and bookstores, this is a novel that will grab your heart. Some reviewers have referred to it as 'simple' or 'easy' but I don't think that is necessarily a negative attribute. This is a book about heart and love and, thrown in for good measure, the world of books.
A.J. Fikry lives on Alice, an island just a ferry ride away from Hyannis on Cape Cod. He owns the only bookstore on the island but lately he's been more interested in drinking his life away than selling books. He is grieving the death of his wife who dies in a tragic car accident. She was the out-going one, the people person, and A. J. is a bit of a misanthrope who, left to his own devices, would live on frozen Indian food and alcohol. Amelia is a publishing house representative who visits Alice to sell the season's newest offerings. A.J. treats her poorly and she is not sure whether she will ever return to his store.
Hidden in A.J.'s safe is a copy of Poe's first book, something he inadvertently acquired at a farm sale. He knows that it is worth a fortune and he sees it as the key to a comfortable retirement. However, it is stolen, and instead of this ruining his life he is freed up for opportunities that he never imagined possible. He becomes showered with opportunities that I will not reveal in this review except to say that the story is gloriously rich in literary references, inter-connectedness, and love.
The novel has all the components of a fast read but it has a rare richness to savor over time. I finished the book with a smile and with a tear in my eye, wishing that it hadn't ended.
A.J. Fikry lives on Alice, an island just a ferry ride away from Hyannis on Cape Cod. He owns the only bookstore on the island but lately he's been more interested in drinking his life away than selling books. He is grieving the death of his wife who dies in a tragic car accident. She was the out-going one, the people person, and A. J. is a bit of a misanthrope who, left to his own devices, would live on frozen Indian food and alcohol. Amelia is a publishing house representative who visits Alice to sell the season's newest offerings. A.J. treats her poorly and she is not sure whether she will ever return to his store.
Hidden in A.J.'s safe is a copy of Poe's first book, something he inadvertently acquired at a farm sale. He knows that it is worth a fortune and he sees it as the key to a comfortable retirement. However, it is stolen, and instead of this ruining his life he is freed up for opportunities that he never imagined possible. He becomes showered with opportunities that I will not reveal in this review except to say that the story is gloriously rich in literary references, inter-connectedness, and love.
The novel has all the components of a fast read but it has a rare richness to savor over time. I finished the book with a smile and with a tear in my eye, wishing that it hadn't ended.
on May 21, 2017
I read this on my first weekend after school ended. Once I don't have to deal with so many real people it is nice to encounter those who do not ask as much of me. Not that these characters were not interesting, but they were also not very challenging. I think the main characters in this book would have described it as tying itself up very neatly.
It is an enjoyable read and has inspired me to pick up some of the titles mentioned as well. This is an admirable quality in a book, to inspire more reading.
It is an enjoyable read and has inspired me to pick up some of the titles mentioned as well. This is an admirable quality in a book, to inspire more reading.
