Even the stories have stories in gabrielle zevins thoroughly charming novel, the storied life of a. The protagonist of gabrielle zevins novel the storied life of a. Fikry, the recently widowed and irritable owner of island books, is given the chance to turn his life around. Fikrys life, told in shortstory narrative form over the course of two parts and chapters. While i love these stumbling across every one of these bookish delights, it is rare that i find a book from my tbr. She has also written books for children and young adults.
It makes a ton of references to other books, and so i wanted to catalog all. Fikry basically kicked off my summer reading this year i felt like id been drowning in a sea of mediocre books, and after this one was the cover book for bookpage, i downloaded a copy from the library and took it along to the beach house in may and. All of the books and short stories mentioned in the. The story is an affirmation of the important role books play in our lives and the ability they have to transform us all. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. All of the books and short stories mentioned in the storied life of. This is a charming and heartwarming story of the power of books and reading, and the redemptive nature of love. These are the books he references taken straight from the authors website. I was so impressed by the authors knowledge of literature, and i loved how she wove the stories into the story of a. Just finished the storied life of a j fikry what a jewel of a book. The bookstore is on nantucketesque alice island, quiet in the winter and streaming with tourists in the summer. Fikry has a little bit of mystery and a little bit of romance, but is at its core a love story. It is as enchanting a book as you will read this year.
Fikry gabrielle zevin, 2014 workman publishing 288 pp. Needless to say i was super excited to grab this ditty. In the storied life of aj fikry, each chapter begins with a book recommendation that illustrates something important aj wants to share with his daughter. Fikry 2014 by gabrielle zevin on the faded island books sign hanging over the porch of the victorian cottage is the motto no man is an island. With his wife gone, a rare book stolen, and both his bookstore and love of life in serious decline, only something extraordinary could alter the sagging fortunes of a. So she leaves maya, drowns herself, and thus the story of one mans awakening and a childs growth.
Fikry was the most fun i had reading a fiction book since the start of this year. Gabrielle zevin has written a wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very. At the beginning of the novel, he is a man in his late 30s who is recently widowed and owns the only bookstore on a small island near cape cod, massachusetts. I just recently read gabrielle zevins the storied life of a. Fikry seems the last person on alice island to whom one would entrust a toddler named maya. Vampires have been in literature ever since vlad the impaler dracula so its not new. Funny, tender, and moving, it reminds us all exactly why we read and why we. I have begun enjoying young adults books so i can share them with my granddaughters who are avid readers. Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both. Feel free to add your additions and thoughts in the comments. Hes not yet 40 but already widowed, his wife, nic, dead in an auto accident. Open the doors at bookseller aj fikrys island books and find. Zevins first novel elsewhere was published in 2005.
What a charming story i was hooked from the beginning, and was enthralled throughout. Gabrielle zevin is a new york times bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. Any page references refer to a usa edition of the book, usually. From the enticingly adorable front cover to the ferry boat ticket bookmark that was tucked beneath it, i was so intrigued that i could hardly wait to get started. But he owns a bookstore, which is exactly the environment her distraught mother wants for the child. Fikry is about a middleaged man who owns a failing independent bookstore on alice island off the coast of massachusetts.
If you love books and read one book this fall, please, please, please let it be the storied life of a. Fikrys life is not at all what he expected it to be. Fikryclick on the chapter title for the references in the corresponding chapter. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. Of course, they couldnt come without purchasing a book. Chatelaines book club author, gabrielle zevin, shares the inspiration behind her latest novel, the storied life of a. Fikrys stubborn and bitter personality is on full display at the start of the story when he learns that his favorite publishers agent has died. The collected works of a j fikry by gabrielle zevin book. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of algonquin books. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of poe poems, has been stolen.
As surprising as it is moving, the storied life of a. I particularly liked the literary references, as the choices the author made anchored the book in time. Its a wonderful little hug of a book about books, and i was kind of enchanted with it. People tell boring lies about politics, god, and love. Fikry is not only a story about books and the love of books, it is a story about the ups and downs in life and how we choose to cope.
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. In fact, the book is a real treasure with books and literary references. What he discovers one night among the childrens books, howev. Fikry s introduction to each chapter with reflections on a book, to the sweet irony of plot twist that sometimes parallels a story reference, the book is filled. Aj fikry is the widower bookseller of island books. Fikry was a common presence on book blogs a few months ago and i finally got around to reading it. Filled with so many literary references and a lovely list of books that ive added all to my tbr, this book is about love, loss, friendship and most importantly the love. I was intrigued by the summary, and loved the idea of an independent bookseller being the central character.
It is cute, quirky, funny, sadhearttuggingly sadand i loved every minute of it. Fikry at its heart, gabrielle zevins new novel is a love letter to the joys of reading. This snobbish, snarky, middle aged, widower lives in a small apartment right on top of the store. Part i lamb to the slaughter the diamond as big as the ritz the luck of. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of poe poems. The book titled the collected works of a j fikry aka the storied life of a j fikry could have even been named as the epistles of a j fikry. Fikry s stubborn and bitter personality is on full display at the start of the story when he learns that his favorite publishers agent has died. Fikry, the bookseller, is in his forties, widowed, still grieving, blunt, severely opinionated about what makes a book good and which books he is willing to sell in island books. Fikry reminds us what saves us all from a life of loneliness and isolation. Books mentioned in the storied life of aj fikry show list info. Now meet its owner a j fikry, who could make anyone feel unwelcome at any given time. Im 72, so maybe my love of curmudgeons stems from that we old folks are often misunderstood.
Short stories are listed by title, but shown under the book cover that they were published in if not published separately. What compelled me to give it a go was seeing this next quote shared online. It was compiled from the stories mentioned at the beginning of each chapter of the novel. Fikry owns island books on alice island, a summer destination off massachusettsthink nantucket. Fikry is a 20 novel by gabrielle zevin that centers on the titular character, owner of a bookshop on alice island, a fictional island off the coast of massachusetts. This broad approach is more about showing the patterns and development of a life as the title itself suggests than about tight plot development, although theres certainly. Fikry by gabrielle zevin discussion questions discussion questions provided by the publisher q1. Fikry by gabrielle zevin published by algonquin books on april 1, 2014 genreslists. These are all of the books and short stories mentioned in gabrielle zevins the storied life of a. Eccentric book banter tickles the reader, bringing a bookseller to life through humor and dialogue.