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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel by…
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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel (original 2014; edition 2014)

by Gabrielle Zevin

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
5,9015671,674 (3.98)390
Fiction. Literature. The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books-the only bookstore on Alice Island-has already lost his wife. Now his most prized possession, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances. The store itself, it seems, will be next to go.One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children's section with a note from her mother pinned to her Elmo doll: "I want Maya to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about such kinds of things. I love her very much, but I can no longer take care of her." A search for Maya's mother, A. J.'s rare book, and good childcare advice ensues, but it doesn't take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, something of particular interest to the lovely yet eccentric Knightley Press sales rep, Amelia Loman, who makes the arduous journey to Alice Island thrice each year to pitch her books to the cranky owner.… (more)
Member:vwinsloe
Title:The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel
Authors:Gabrielle Zevin
Info:Algonquin Books (2014), Paperback, 288 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***
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Work Information

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (2014)

  1. 60
    Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (sturlington)
  2. 51
    The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (bell7, BookshelfMonstrosity)
    bell7: Though one is set in contemporary times on a fictional island of the coast of Massachusetts and the other in post World War II England, both books show the importance of story and have an optimistic tone while dealing with some of life's challenges.
    BookshelfMonstrosity: A love of literature helps protagonists form unlikely but rewarding new relationships in these tender stories of personal redemption. The vibrant characterization, gently humorous tone, and whimsical, heartwarming narratives shine in compelling novels that illustrate the power of reading.… (more)
  3. 40
    The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald (Micheller7)
  4. 10
    Silas Marner by George Eliot (TheDivineOomba)
    TheDivineOomba: The Storied Life of AJ Frikry is based off of Silas Marner.
  5. 00
    Small Blessings by Martha Woodroof (Electablue)
  6. 00
    The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay (carriehh)
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» See also 390 mentions

English (571)  Italian (2)  French (1)  Dutch (1)  Finnish (1)  All languages (576)
Showing 1-5 of 571 (next | show all)
AJ is a widowed bookseller on Alice Island, drinking himself to death, until a toddler is left in his bookstore. With no-one else to take her, and her mother later turning up drowned, he adopts and raises her. Now that he's sobered up for Maya, he starts turning the bookstore around, and putting in orders with the beautiful saleswoman from Knightly books. A few other good characters and a lot of literary references - some books I've read and others I haven't. Tearjerker ending, but a happy ending for Island books. ( )
  nancynova | Mar 10, 2024 |
Great book. I loved all the references to classic literature. I think you're more likely to enjoy this book if you are a book lover, literature teacher, librarian, etc. lots of twists and great setting. I loved it, but not everyone will. ( )
  mjphillips | Feb 23, 2024 |
Drama
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
Charming story centered around a bookstore on a fictional island, but whose main theme is the redemptive power of love and the joys of reading. ( )
  bschweiger | Feb 4, 2024 |
Book Bub purchase-Very enjoyable read. Each chapter began with a review of a book. KIRKUS REVIEWZevin (Margarettown, 2006, etc.) chronicles the life of A. J. 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.Fikry owns Island Books on Alice Island, a summer destination off Massachusetts¥think Nantucket. He?s not yet 40 but already widowed, his wife, Nic, dead in an auto accident. Fikry drinks. Island Books drifts toward bankruptcy. Then, within a span of days, his rare copy of Poe?s Tamerlane (worth $400,000) is stolen, and 2-year-old Maya is deposited at his bookstore. Fikry cannot bear to leave the precocious child to the system once it becomes apparent her single mother has drowned herself in the sea. He adopts Maya, spurred by her immediate attachment to him. That decision detours "his plan to drink himself to death" and reinvigorates his life and his bookstore. Add Amelia Loman, quirky traveling sales representative for Knightley Press, and a romance that takes four years to begin, and there?s a Nicholas Sparks quality to this novel about people who love books but can't find someone to love. With a wry appreciation for the travails of bookstore ownersÂ¥A. J. doesn?t like e-readersÂ¥Zevin writes characters of a type, certainly, but ones who nonetheless inspire empathy. Among others, there are the bright and sweet-natured Maya, who morphs into an insecure but still precocious teenager; Lambiase, local police chief who finds in Firky the friend who expands his life; A. J?s brother-in-law, Daniel Parish, a once?best-selling author riding out a descending career arc; and Daniel?s wife, Ismay, who sees A. J. as everything Daniel should be. All fit the milieu perfectly in a plot that spins out as expected, bookended by tragedy. Zevin writes characters who grow and prosper, mainly A. J. and Lambiase, in a narrative that is sometimes sentimental, sometimes funny, sometimes true to life and always entertaining. A likable literary love story about selling books and finding love.
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 571 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (5 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Zevin, Gabrielleprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Biekmann, LidwienTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brick, ScottNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dompè, MaraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Estúdio InsólitoCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Guitry, AuroreTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
come on, sweetheart
let's adore one another
before there is no more
of you and me.
—Rumi
Dedication
For my parents,
who furnished my formative years with books,
and for the boy who gave me
The Stories of Vladimir Nabakov
all those winters ago.
First words
On the ferry from Hyannis to Alice Island, Amelia Loman paints her nails yellow and, while waiting for them to dry, skims her predecessor's notes.
Quotations
They had only ever discussed books but what, in this life, is more personal than books? (p. 18)
You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book? (p. 87)
Amelia knows she should hang up, but she doesn't. Some part of her wants the story. What is the point of bad dates if not to have amusing anecdotes for your friends?
Her mother likes to say that novels have ruined Amelia for real men.
In Amelia's experience, most people's problems would be solved if they would only give more things a chance.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Information from the Italian Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
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Fiction. Literature. The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books-the only bookstore on Alice Island-has already lost his wife. Now his most prized possession, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances. The store itself, it seems, will be next to go.One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children's section with a note from her mother pinned to her Elmo doll: "I want Maya to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about such kinds of things. I love her very much, but I can no longer take care of her." A search for Maya's mother, A. J.'s rare book, and good childcare advice ensues, but it doesn't take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, something of particular interest to the lovely yet eccentric Knightley Press sales rep, Amelia Loman, who makes the arduous journey to Alice Island thrice each year to pitch her books to the cranky owner.

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