Rating: 
Summary: Don't Shop at This Book Shop
Review: The novel The Book Shop by Penelope Fitzgerald definately does not deserve more than a five on this scale. Florence Green moves to a new town, Harborough, to start her dream of opening up a book shop. She believes that this shop will be put into good use by the townspeople. one of the young neighbors, Christine, helps Florence fix up the shop. While doing all these tasks Christine and Florence get their hopes up, and can almost smell sucess. The reader learns about the cruelty of this town. These people obviously have a hard time adjusting to new people and surroundings. Mrs. Gamart is a neighbor who seems to try her best to make things uncomfortable for Florence. The hostility along with the rest of the town's just makes things harder and make opening harder. Fitzgerald's contemporary style of writing helps make the novel easy to follow. The animal motif used throughout the novel keeps the reader interested. The struggles of the eel and the heron compare with the main character's struggles with the book shop. "She had once seen a heron flying across the estuary and trying, while it was on the wing, to swallow an eel which it had caught. The eel, in turn, was struggling t escape from the gullet of the heron and appeared a quarter, a half, or occasionally three-quarters of the way out. The indecision expressed by both creatures was pitable." Florence's money, time, effort and life go into this new shop. The little problems like repairs and trying to earn the trust of the people in the town of Harborough keep the book moving. Florence lives in the town for ten years and does not realize what the town wants until it's too late. It seems that the time in Harborough might have been a waste of ten years of a life. The plot needs more of a climax. The novel is way too predictable. In the first chapter Florence says "Why do you think a book shop is unlikely? Don't people want to buy books in Harborough?" This foreshadows the entire book. The story should take read! ers by surprise but it falls short. The novel emphasizes the cruelty and hostility that a small town can possess toward newcomers. The hostility is stronger because Florence tries to change a town that is happy just the way it is. The pace moves way too slowly which flat-out makes the book boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Love/Hate Relationship
Review: I loved this book right up to the ending. And when it ended, I hated it. I felt like tossing the book as far from me as I could. How dare she end the book there. I wanted retribution but instead I just got life.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult
Review: I am almost through with "The BookShop". I found the writing difficult to understand. The plot I found to be lame: her pressures of the art center, her young 10 year old helper, "Lolita" . . . I have not gotten emotionally attached to anyone in this book to say the least.
Rating: 
Summary: Exquisitely crafted
Review: With an economy of prose, Fitzgerald conveys the best and worst in the human spirit. She is a writer I will seek out again.
Rating:
Summary: Perfectly Crafted Story About The Human Spirit
Review: One of the ten best books I've ever read. The characters are drawn in just enough detail to be recognizable; the contrast between goodness and mean spiritedness is clear, yet all the characters are flawed. A poignant story with a powerful message that stays with you long after you've read this book. The Kurkus Review said something about it being not as deep as The Blue Flower. I disagree completely. This book is about real life, not about some ethereal vision.
Rating: 
Summary: A short, well-written book whose ending hits hard.
Review: This is a very well written, enjoyable book. I was surprised by the ending - it hit me a bit hard. It was realistic in a way that we often don't expect our stories to be anymore. The author does a good job of painting a picture of the town this book is set in - especially considering the brevity of the book. Well done and worth the quick read.
Rating:
Summary: A quiet, clever little book
Review: Although I probably would not recommend this book outright, I certainly wouldn't disuade an interested person from buying it; the lack of a Hollywood ending makes up for much. In short, _The Bookstore_ is much like the town in which its story is set: sleepy, plain, but not without its charms.
Rating:
Summary: Short gem of a novel, funny and sad
Review: The town of Hardborough is a hard scrabble town and a tough place to open a bookstore. Florence Green's experiences with the locals, the "rapper" (poltergist), the gentry, her ten year old assistant Christine, and a new novel called "Lolita" are told in short, deft strokes. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: Although it took Amazon.com 19 days (!) to get this book to me, I was delighted to find that it was worth the _long_ wait. The characters are wonderfully drawn, remarkably well so for such a short book. I am pleased to have found a new author whose work I look forward to exploring!
Rating: 
Summary: A book of ordinary character....
Review: is how I would describe Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop". It traces out the pattern of quiet lives in a small English town, especially that of Florence Green. Mrs. Green wants to pursue her dream of owning a bookshop (she worked in one as a child) and pushing her life forward in a new direction. The book entails her trials and tribulations of getting her shop up and running, and this is the context in which she interacts with other characters in the book (my favorite is Mr. Brundish). The Bookshop is not a plot-driven book, preferring to sketch out character studies, and offer observations about the pettiness and triviality in small town life. However, I didn't feel I was able to get to know Mrs. Green as much as I would have liked - to get inside her head more.Readers who enjoyed Mme. Bovary, Main Street and Waterland should take the short drive to Ms. Fitzgerald's "Bookshop", being well-acquainted with the lay of the land. For the general reader, while "The Bookshop" is not a great book in my opinion, it is definitely a good one, well worth taking a look at. The book is like Florence Green herself: she may not be everything we've wished for, but she is certainly great company. I look forward to re-reading "The Bookshop" and Ms. Fitzgerald's other writings. (just my 2 cents - your mileage may vary).
|
