I enjoyed The Paris Bookseller very much. It's not my usual read, and I'm not sure where I got the recommendation. But I'm glad I read it.
The Paris Bookseller is Sylvia Beach, an actual historical figure. Sylvia moves to Paris in the 1910s, mostly because it is a more tolerant environment for a lesbian. She ends up opening a bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, which is the first in Paris to sell English books. She gains quite a clientele of ex-pats, including famous names such as Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway.
James Joyce becomes one of Sylvia's best friends and when his book, Ulysses, is banned in the United States, Sylvia decides Shakespeare and Company should publish it. Sylvia works very hard and sacrifices much to see this book published.
The story moves slowly but is written well, so I enjoyed getting to know Sylvia intimately. She also develops a romance that gets her through many trials. I enjoyed getting to experience Paris during the twenties and into the thirties, with the difficulties of the Depression. I wanted to know about Ulysses and even read the first three (of eighteen) sections. It is very "stream of conscious" and contains so many allegories that I didn't understand that I quit. I get the idea, although didn't read enough to understand why it was banned.
It helped me to know that The Paris Bookseller is basically a true story. Only a few characters are fictional. Everything that happens really happened, although the timeline was altered slightly in a few spots. Beach is a fascinating character, flaws and all. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have been very interested in this book if it weren't based in truth.
If you are at all interested in Sylvia Beach or the Paris literary scene during the 20s, pick up The Paris Bookseller.
Published by Berkley, January 11, 2022
eARC obtained from NetGalley
336 pages
Rating: 3.5/5
Oh sorry this wasn't a bit better for you. I had been eyeing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not brave enough to try Ulysses, though we have a copy on our bookshelf. Maybe some day if I have a lot of uninterrupted time. I agree this one moved a bit slowly, but it was one I was in the right mood for!
ReplyDeleteWow this is the third review of red of this book in a week. You liked it the least but I am still intrigued.
ReplyDeleteParis in the 1910s and '20s sounds like a great backdrop for this story. How great that it's based on a real woman who sounds like quite a pioneer.
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