Rating: 
Summary: Good portrait - but not for everyone...,
Review: As a follower of "bookstore biographies," I felt compelled to read Lynne Tillman's history of Books & Co. and its founder/owner Jeannette Watson. Tillman paints a singular portrait in that she allows us to see the bookstore through the eyes of so many different people. The booksellers, publishers, customers, writers and even those who were involved in the struggle that led to its demise all get their chance to state their case through the use of extensive quotations. There also emerges an interesting portrait of Jeanette Watson, the driving force behind Books & Co. - an enthusiastic bookseller with a few off-beat interests. Unfortunately, while some books of this genre manage to attract a wider audience than one would expect, I suspect that by being so specialized this will be of most interest to bookstore devotees. Another problem was the lack of any sort of division of the text into chapters - even some sort of chronological headings would have helped in this regard. I also found the voice in which it was written somewhat jarring as Lynne Tillman is given credit as author but writes the entire book in Watson's voice - as if it is a first person account. Maybe I'm being too picky, but I found that a little distracting. Still an interesting read for those interested in the day to day world of bookselling.
Rating: 
Summary: Self-Centered
Review: As a follower of "bookstore biographies," I felt compelled to read Lynne Tillman's history of Books & Co. and its founder/owner Jeannette Watson. Tillman paints a singular portrait in that she allows us to see the bookstore through the eyes of so many different people. The booksellers, publishers, customers, writers and even those who were involved in the struggle that led to its demise all get their chance to state their case through the use of extensive quotations. There also emerges an interesting portrait of Jeanette Watson, the driving force behind Books & Co. - an enthusiastic bookseller with a few off-beat interests. Unfortunately, while some books of this genre manage to attract a wider audience than one would expect, I suspect that by being so specialized this will be of most interest to bookstore devotees. Another problem was the lack of any sort of division of the text into chapters - even some sort of chronological headings would have helped in this regard. I also found the voice in which it was written somewhat jarring as Lynne Tillman is given credit as author but writes the entire book in Watson's voice - as if it is a first person account. Maybe I'm being too picky, but I found that a little distracting. Still an interesting read for those interested in the day to day world of bookselling.
Rating:
Summary: An oral history of independent bookselling...
Review: At its most basic, Lynn Tillman's "Bookstore: The Life and Times of Jeanette Watson" is an oral history of the life cycle of one independent bookstore, in this case Books and Co. in New York. Spanning the mid-'70s to late '90s, the book is a collection of reminscences by booksellers, writers, and patrons of the bookstore intercut with the "memoir" of the store's owner, Jeannette Watson. (In a strange twist, the memoir is written by author Lynn Tillman from interviews held with Ms. Watson, which is a little jarring. Maybe Ms. Watson had an aversion to taking credit for a ghost writer.)The book chronicles years that marked a decline in independent bookstores around the country. It is fanciful and nostalgic -- anyone who has ever worked in either publishing or a bookstore will appreciate its accuracy and the affectionate tone. It is also full of suggestions for lesser known literary reads; a nice tear out list of 50 of the store's lesser known finds is found at the book's end. I enjoyed the book without loving it. I'm sure many book lovers will find it a worthy escape from the usual.
Rating:
Summary: Felt like a Books and Co. regular customer
Review: At its most basic, Lynn Tillman's "Bookstore: The Life and Times of Jeanette Watson" is an oral history of the life cycle of one independent bookstore, in this case Books and Co. in New York. Spanning the mid-'70s to late '90s, the book is a collection of reminscences by booksellers, writers, and patrons of the bookstore intercut with the "memoir" of the store's owner, Jeannette Watson. (In a strange twist, the memoir is written by author Lynn Tillman from interviews held with Ms. Watson, which is a little jarring. Maybe Ms. Watson had an aversion to taking credit for a ghost writer.) The book chronicles years that marked a decline in independent bookstores around the country. It is fanciful and nostalgic -- anyone who has ever worked in either publishing or a bookstore will appreciate its accuracy and the affectionate tone. It is also full of suggestions for lesser known literary reads; a nice tear out list of 50 of the store's lesser known finds is found at the book's end. I enjoyed the book without loving it. I'm sure many book lovers will find it a worthy escape from the usual.
Rating: 
Summary: The story of a great independent and literary bookstore.
Review: Bookstore is the story of a woman, Jeannette Watson, who made her dream come true by opening her own bookstore, Books & Co., in New York City in 1978 and kept it alive through thick and thin for 20 years. The economics of the business and a nasty landlord finally drove it out of business, but for its 20 years it was a haven for writers, readers and lovers of literature. With an introduction by customer Woody Allen, Bookstore is filled with stories told in the first person by the people who read there and the people who bought there. It is a poignant and sad story that is ultimately a triumph of one woman and her dream over the crass commerce that is bookselling today. Books & Company lives on in this fantastic volume.
Rating:
Summary: Nice little story
Review: I always enjoy books about books or bookstores. This one was pretty good. The writing style was refreshing and did not go into too much useless details about the book business (i.e. financial aspect,etc). I was amazed at all that was accomplished by Jeannette Watson and thought the book was very interesting. A great read for all who love to browse bookstores and ever wondered about how they came to be.
Rating:
Summary: Felt like a Books and Co. regular customer
Review: I bought this book thinking I would save it to read during one of those rare times that I didn't have anything else to read. That time came sooner than expected, but as I started reading Bookstore, I found that I hadn't given it the credit it deserved. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the twenty year account of Jeannette Watson's bookstore ownership from the time it was just an idea until the day the doors closed forever. Although, the lack of chapters or any sort of division in content was foreign to me, I loved the way it was put together with words that seemed to come from Jeannette Watson's personal journal (written by Lynne Tillman) as well as quotes from famous authors and regular customers. By the time I got to the end of the book, I felt like I'd visited the store regularly even though I've never even been to New York City where the store was located. I could almost smell the atmosphere as it was described and as it was decided to close the store, I grieved right along with other customers who saw the closing of the store not only as a personal loss, but a loss for community as well. Although, I don't condemn the bookstore chains in any way, it's very unfortunate that there isn't room for the independently owned bookstores to survive alongside them. I've always felt that to be true...but even more so after reading Lynne Tillman's Bookstore. If you've ever dreamed of owning a bookstore, you will love this book as you live vicariously through Jeannette Watson's own dream come true!
Rating:
Summary: A book for book and bookstore lovers
Review: If you've ever dreamed of owning a bookstore or if you just have a passion for books and bookstores, you should read this book! Its inspirational but also shows how much hard work is involved--you'll definitely gain a greater appreciation for your local independent bookstore (if you're lucky enough to still have one). Lynne Tillman did a wonderful job of intersplicing pithy quotes in just the right places in the narrative, which is in the first person from the store owner's viewpoint. The Fran Lebowitz quotes will be of special interest to those who live in NYC--they made me laugh out loud!
Rating:
Summary: Must Reading for Booklovers & Booksellers
Review: Lynne Tillman's 1999 book "BOOKSTORE" about the New York City independent bookstore Books & Co. and its founding owner Jeannette Watson is must reading for any booklover who can't resist the treasure hunt in whatever environment that presents itself, and for any bookseller who delights in the total preoccupation of books. Ms Tillman's book is an excellent biography of a successful, compassionate bookseller and an insightful history of the mid-to-late 20th century book business. It is both immensely enjoyable and, for me, a bit sad to read; my wife and I owned a smaller independent bookstore of a similar name Ñ Books & CO Ñ that specialized in quality pre-owned hardback books and, coincidentally, was closed in the same year (1997). We didn't know, then, about Jeannette Watson's Books & Co. and took our name from Marks & Co, the English bookstore featured in Helene Hanff's marvelous book "84 Charing Cross Road" and in the equally delightful film of the same title Ñ "Co" represented the English bookstore's silent partner Cohen; our "CO" represented nothing at first and, later on, stood for "Collectibles" when our business expanded to include antiques and collectibles as theme objects for our books. As Jeannette Watson attests, those were wonderful years for both bookstores and booklovers. We certainly enjoyed them.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings...
Review: This book is primarily an extensive assemblage of quotes and reminiscences from the various and sundry parties connected with Jeannette Watson and/or Books and Co. What this book did was give me a crash course into the world of Literature as High Art as defined by the guardians of cosmopolitan New York "high culture." They are indeed an intellectual, highly educated, well-read crowd. Yet I cannot seem to get past the needless pretentiousness and arrogance that inevitably goes along with it. I could make many harsh, critical and obvious observations about Jeannette Watson and how she reveals herself (and is revealed by others) within the pages of Bookstore (other than this one). But instead I'll take the (sort of) high road and say that she comes across as a person who sincerely loves reading and enjoys literature, be it hi-brow, low brow, or anything in between as long as it talks to her, as it were. And that is wonderful. But the book itself comes across as a self-congratulatory toast to a group of elitists who, for a time, kept the wolves of mainstream pop culture at bay (not that this is in itself bad - mainstream pop culture IS the societal equivalent of cotton candy - good for an occasional snack, but a lousy meal). The irony is, that what did Books and Co. in was another scion of highbrow culture - a New York art museum. So what are we left with? Probably the loss of a good bookstore that need not have gone out of business had its owner been more financially savvy (another irony in itself). The anecdotes are sometimes interesting, and it is an interesting birds-eye view on how to (in some cases) and how not to (in others) run a bookstore.
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