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The Bookseller

by Cynthia Swanson

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8544625,084 (3.64)13
"A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel that will keep you turning pages into the early hours, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who wrestles to reconcile her daily life as a single bookstore owner with the alternate reality she suddenly begins to dream about each night, in which she is a happily-married wife and mother"--… (more)
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English (44)  Italian (1)  All languages (45)
Showing 1-5 of 44 (next | show all)
Kitty Miller is single. She owns a business with her best friend, Frieda, and she is pretty contented with her independent life and her cat. Then she falls asleep one night and finds herself in an alternate reality in which she is Katharyn, a married woman with children, a loving husband, and a much more complicated but fuller life. Dreaming of this life once is like taking a trip, but Kitty dreams of this life over and over again and the line between reality and dreaming begins to blur.

I adore authors who can take unbelievable, incomprehensible concepts and make them seem possible and real. Kitty as a character is interesting, believable and sympathetic. I began to care what happened to her and worry that she would be stuck in one of these lives when she wanted to live in the other. The plot and the tension build and when Swanson gives us the key to the puzzle, she does not cheat her reader with the manner in which she resolves this dichotomy.

I thought this novel was well-written and great fun. I could not figure out what would prove to be true until the last reveal and I liked that it wasn't a choice between one good life and one bad life, but a choice between two worlds in which something would be lost on either side. Kudos to Cynthia Swanson for a story well-told. ( )
  mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 |
Kitty goes to sleep and dreams of herself in a different life. The dreams are recurring. Which life is the real one? The one where she is Kitty, a single woman running a bookstore with her best friend, or Katharyn, happily married mother of triplets? I don't usually like books like this, but somehow this one worked for me. Characters are well drawn and likeable. I kept trying to figure out what was going on with Kitty/Katharyn. The ending is satisfying, although maybe a little too pat. ( )
  cherybear | Jul 9, 2022 |
More romance than mystery for my taste ( )
  Carmentalie | Jun 4, 2022 |
I really loved this book. Both worlds were intriguing, with fleshed out characters, and both had their upsides and downsides. As the MC's dreams become more involved and her memory losses increase, the suspense of wondering where she'd end up kept me reading late into the night. I can't remember the last time I read a book in just three days. It was engrossing and sweet with a strong character arc, and the author deftly ties the two worlds together in a plausible and satisfying ending. ( )
  WriterChris | Oct 5, 2021 |
I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

I'm going to start by saying that I am a little disappointed. I picked this book because the blurb sounded interesting and it was a Goodreads Choice award nominee. All in all I liked the book, but it was a bit boring and repetitive and confusing. That twist at the end though was great, I didn't see that coming at all actually, I thought that was going to go a whole different direction. ( )
  starslight86 | Jul 20, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 44 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Cynthia Swansonprimary authorall editionscalculated
Mazur, KatheNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Trust your happiness and the richness of your life at this moment.  It is as true and as much yours as anything else that ever happened to you.
—Katherine Anne Porter, Letters of Katherine Anne Porter
Dedication
For my parents, Dennis and Audrey Fisher, with love and gratitude.
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This is not my bedroom.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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"A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel that will keep you turning pages into the early hours, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who wrestles to reconcile her daily life as a single bookstore owner with the alternate reality she suddenly begins to dream about each night, in which she is a happily-married wife and mother"--

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Average: (3.64)
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1 6
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2.5 3
3 55
3.5 24
4 75
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