The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

Although an accomplished author in her native Germany, George is just now seeing her first novel translated to English. From his floating bookstore along the Seine, the Literary Apothecary, Jean Perdu intuits the perfect book to heal whatever heartbreak afflicts his customer-patients. Yet it is his own that he cannot heal as he lives a Miss Havisham-like existence, blocking off rooms in his apartment and even avoiding thinking the name of a former love. However, an encounter with a new tenant forces him to read an unopened letter, and the devastating contents compel him to finally leave Paris and sail south so that he may finally move past his heartbreak. While the pacing lags occasionally, George's writing is strongest when describing the wonderfully provincial towns off the Seine River, highlighting a France often forgotten behind the noise of Paris. Books triumph as instruments of healing but also as beacons, connecting strangers at the most fundamental level. Through its well-drawn characters, this novel carefully explores these relationships between lovers, friends, and family, and the painful sacrifices made selflessly for them.--Bertz, Monica Copyright 2015 Booklist

Jean Perdu runs a book shop located a barge moored on the Seine in Paris. When a broken heart shakes Perdu from his moorings, he embarks on a journey down France's storied waterways accompanied by Max Jordan, his neighbor and a young author whose early success has paralyzed his creativity. Voice actor West beautifully demonstrates Perdu's evolution over the course of the novel, from an aloof loner to a reluctant father figure, while also providing the voice of Max, his pitch rising at the end of nearly every sentence like it's a question, then growing in confidence, and a little bit of mischief, as Max rediscovers his muse. The other two performances are less successful, not because actresses Bering and Campbell aren't excellent (Bering in particular has a perfect French accent), but because the novel itself gives them so little time compared to Perdu. A Crown hardcover. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Fifty-year-old Jean Perdu is a literary apothecary on his barge bookshop moored on the Seine in Paris. Gifted at prescribing just the right book for what ails his devoted customers, he is unable to cure his own heart, broken two decades earlier when Manon, the married love of his life, vanishes after leaving behind just a letter that Perdu refused to read-that is, until now, with devastating consequences. Walking out on his first tender encounter with a woman in 20 years, Perdu flees south, setting sail with Max, a young, best-selling author with writer's block, as his uninvited guest. Triumph over tragedy is played out in the beauty of France's canals, in the quirky goodness of its people, and in Perdu's determination to seek forgiveness and reclaim joy. Verdict George's exquisite, multilayered love story enchanted Europe for more than a year, and the U.S. publication of this flawless translation will allow gob-smacked booklovers here to struggle with the age-old dilemma: to race through each page to see what happens next or savor each deliciously enticing phrase. Do both; if ever a book was meant to be read over and over, this gem is it.-Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor, MI © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This newly translated German bestseller is a warmhearted, occasionally sentimental account of letting go of the old loves to make room for new. Parisian bookseller Jean Perdu has lived in a time capsule of his own grief. Twenty-one years ago, his lover, Manon, left, leaving behind only a letter to explain herselfwhich Jean never opened. Ever since, Jean has devoted his life to his floating bookstore, the Literary Apothecary, a barge docked on the Seine. He can diagnose a shopper's ills (ennui, disappointment, a range of fears) and select the correct literary remedy. When heartbroken Catherine moves into his building, Jean brings her an old table and a stack of books to cure her crying. In the table Catherine finds Manon's unopened letter and demands Jean read it, or she will. The two fall into kissing, and Jean, buoyed by Catherine, finally reads Manon's letter, but the truth is heartbreaking. Manon returned to her home in Provence (and her husbandit was complicated) to succumb to the cancer she had been hiding. Her last request was for Jean to visit before she died. Jean, overwhelmed by news of her death, his tragic error, his wasted life pining for a dead woman, lifts the Literary Apothecary's anchor to finally make the journey to Manon. Stowed away is his neighbor Max, a young novelist running away from his fame. The two navigate the canals of France selling books for food, engaging in adventures small and large, all against the backdrop of quaint villages and bittersweet memories. They take on some passengers: a roguish Italian who has been searching the waterways for his long-lost sweetheart; and a renowned novelist. As Jean makes his way to Manon's home (all the while writing love letters to Catherine), he prepares to ask for forgivenessfrom the memory of Manon, from her husband, and from himself. A charming novel that believes in the healing properties of fiction, romance, and a summer in the south of France. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Although an accomplished author in her native Germany, George is just now seeing her first novel translated to English. From his floating bookstore along the Seine, the Literary Apothecary, Jean Perdu intuits the perfect book to heal whatever heartbreak afflicts his customer-patients. Yet it is his own that he cannot heal as he lives a Miss Havisham–like existence, blocking off rooms in his apartment and even avoiding thinking the name of a former love. However, an encounter with a new tenant forces him to read an unopened letter, and the devastating contents compel him to finally leave Paris and sail south so that he may finally move past his heartbreak. While the pacing lags occasionally, George's writing is strongest when describing the wonderfully provincial towns off the Seine River, highlighting a France often forgotten behind the noise of Paris. Books triumph as instruments of healing but also as beacons, connecting strangers at the most fundamental level. Through its well-drawn characters, this novel carefully explores these relationships between lovers, friends, and family, and the painful sacrifices made selflessly for them. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Fifty-year-old Jean Perdu is a literary apothecary on his barge bookshop moored on the Seine in Paris. Gifted at prescribing just the right book for what ails his devoted customers, he is unable to cure his own heart, broken two decades earlier when Manon, the married love of his life, vanishes after leaving behind just a letter that Perdu refused to read—that is, until now, with devastating consequences. Walking out on his first tender encounter with a woman in 20 years, Perdu flees south, setting sail with Max, a young, best-selling author with writer's block, as his uninvited guest. Triumph over tragedy is played out in the beauty of France's canals, in the quirky goodness of its people, and in Perdu's determination to seek forgiveness and reclaim joy. Verdict George's exquisite, multilayered love story enchanted Europe for more than a year, and the U.S. publication of this flawless translation will allow gob-smacked booklovers here to struggle with the age-old dilemma: to race through each page to see what happens next or savor each deliciously enticing phrase. Do both; if ever a book was meant to be read over and over, this gem is it.—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor, MI (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A bookseller embarks on a quest for his own happy ending in George's novel. Jean Perdu's Literary Apothecary is unique among Paris bookshops, and not just because it's a barge moored on the Seine. Perdu has the uncanny ability to prescribe the perfect book to cure any spiritual malady: heartbreak, loneliness, ennui. But for 21 years—ever since the woman he loved walked out of his life—Perdu has lived an ascetic, routine-filled existence, and he's never opened the farewell letter she left for him. When he's finally compelled to read it, the unexpected contents spur him to hoist his anchor and take the bookstore barge on a trip upriver to Avignon, in search of closure and forgiveness. Max Jordan, an eccentric young author paralyzed by writer's block, hitches a ride as the boat is pulling out of port. Along the way the pair encounters a host of other quirky characters, who feed Perdu incredible cuisine, help unravel a long-unsolved literary mystery, and teach him to feel joy again. Though George's prose is sometimes a bit overwrought and the "physician, heal thyself" plot device has been done to death, her cast of engaging characters keeps the story moving. Her sumptuous descriptions of both food and literature will leave readers unsure whether to run to the nearest library or the nearest bistro. Agent: Cecile Barendsma, Janklow & Nesbit Associates. (June)