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Summary
Summary
The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books--the only bookstore on Alice Island--has already lost his wife. Now his most prized possession, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances. The store itself, it seems, will be next to go.
One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children's section with a note from her mother pinned to her Elmo doll: "I want Maya to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about such kinds of things. I love her very much, but I can no longer take care of her." A search for Maya's mother, A. J.'s rare book, and good childcare advice ensues, but it doesn't take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, something of particular interest to the lovely yet eccentric Pterodactyl Press sales rep, Amelia Loman, who makes the arduous journey to Alice Island thrice each year to pitch her books to the cranky owner.
Author Notes
Gabrielle Zevin was born in New York City on October 24, 1977. She received a degree in English and American literature from Harvard University in 2000.
She has written both adult and young adult novels. Her debut, Margarettown, was a selection of the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers program. Her other works include The Hole We're In, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, and The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. Her young adult novel Elsewhere was an American Library Association Notable Children's Book. She has also written for the New York Times Book Review and NPR's All Things Considered.
She is the screenwriter of Conversations with Other Women starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart, for which she received an Independent Spirit Award Nomination. In 2009, she and director Hans Canosa adapted her novel Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac into the Japanese film, Dareka ga Watashi ni Kiss wo Shita.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bookstore owner A.J. Fikry is a bitter curmudgeon, but, as we soon learn, his sour attitude masks deep sadness and loneliness about the death of his wife. The mysterious arrival of a baby girl in A.J.'s shop with a note asking him to care for her brings about events that open his heart to love, hope, and life. Brick's empathetic narration captures A.J. perfectly in all his cantankerous and tender moods, and particularly when he rhapsodizes over books, in which he finds not only comfort and enjoyment, but a lens through which to interpret life. Brick voices A.J. in a way that sounds entirely natural-for example, when A.J. is trying to work something out, Brick speaks slowly, as though searching for the right words to express his thoughts, and then sounds startled and triumphant as A.J. has a realization. His warm, compassionate, thoughtful reading will draw listeners in throughout this gentle, sweetly satisfying tale. An Algonquin hardcover. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Zevin (Margarettown, 2006, etc.) chronicles the life of A. J. Fikry, a man who holds no brief for random acts, who yearns for a distinct narrative, who flounders about until his life is reordered by happenstance. Fikry owns Island Books on Alice Island, a summer destination off Massachusettsthink Nantucket. He's not yet 40 but already widowed, his wife, Nic, dead in an auto accident. Fikry drinks. Island Books drifts toward bankruptcy. Then, within a span of days, his rare copy of Poe's Tamerlane (worth $400,000) is stolen, and 2-year-old Maya is deposited at his bookstore. Fikry cannot bear to leave the precocious child to the system once it becomes apparent her single mother has drowned herself in the sea. He adopts Maya, spurred by her immediate attachment to him. That decision detours "his plan to drink himself to death" and reinvigorates his life and his bookstore. Add Amelia Loman, quirky traveling sales representative for Knightley Press, and a romance that takes four years to begin, and there's a Nicholas Sparks quality to this novel about people who love books but who cannot find someone to love. With a wry appreciation for the travails of bookstore ownersA. J. doesn't like e-readersZevin writes characters of a type, certainly, but ones who nonetheless inspire empathy. Among others, there are the bright and sweet-natured Maya, who morphs into an insecure but still precocious teenager; Lambiase, local police chief who finds in Firky the friend who expands his life; A. J's brother-in-law, Daniel Parish, a oncebest-selling author riding out a descending career arc; and Daniel's wife, Ismay, who sees A. J. as everything Daniel should be. All fit the milieu perfectly in a plot that spins out as expected, bookended by tragedy. Zevin writes characters who grow and prosper, mainly A. J. and Lambiase, in a narrative that is sometimes sentimental, sometimes funny, sometimes true to life and always entertaining. A likable literary love story about selling books and finding love.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this sweet, uplifting homage to bookstores, Zevin perfectly captures the joy of connecting people and books. A. J. Fikry, the cantankerous owner of Island Books, is despondent after losing his beloved wife and witnessing the ever-declining number of sales at his small, quirky bookstore. In short order, he loses all patience with the new Knightly Press sales rep, his prized rare edition of Tamerlane is stolen, and someone leaves a baby at his store. That baby immediately steals A. J.'s heart and unleashes a dramatic transformation. Suddenly, the picture-book section is overflowing with new titles, and the bookstore becomes home to a burgeoning number of book clubs. With business on the uptick and love in his heart, A. J. finds himself becoming an essential new part of his longtime community, going so far as to woo the aforementioned sales rep (who loves drinking Queequeg cocktails at the Pequod Restaurant). Filled with interesting characters, a deep knowledge of bookselling, wonderful critiques of classic titles, and very funny depictions of book clubs and author events, this will prove irresistible to book lovers everywhere.--Wilkinson, Joanne Copyright 2014 Booklist
Library Journal Review
A.J. Fikry's life is falling apart. His wife has died, his most valuable possession has been stolen, and his business-Alice Island's only bookstore, Island Books-is failing. Enter Maya, an orphan mysteriously left in his bookstore, who reconnects him to life and love. This book is set in a small community that is lovingly depicted and filled with charmingly quirky characters. Scott Brick's voice will be familiar to all but the most newbie audiobook listeners; he does an excellent job here. VERDICT Prepare to be enchanted by this work; bibliophiles and book industry people will especially love it. ["Funny, tender, and moving, it reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love," read the starred review of the Algonquin hc, LJ 2/1/14. See also "Editors' Spring Picks," LJ 2/15/14, p. 25.]-Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.