The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

(5) I read this in basically two sittings. (does that make it a novella or a novel, AJ?) This is one of those books that any dedicated reader will surely love. A grouchy bookstore owner on an Island that seems to be Martha's Vineyard undergoes an amazing change of fortunes after what seems to be coincidence and bad luck. But nothing in stories is ever a coincidence, is it? This is part love story, part parent-child drama, part mystery even. With literature shoutouts, twists, foreshadowing, and other clever winks and nods to fiction writing. For example, each chapter is a short-story recommendation with a card, the bookseller's personalized recommendation, introducing the chapter.

The story is delightful and the writing is pitch-perfect. show more Almost, but not quite a fairy-tale. I think in many ways some of what one may choose to criticize about the novel - too much serendipity, sentimentality, a bit contrived - was almost done intentionally as a gentle parody of, well, a novel.

Very sweet. very engaging. I kept getting up to see gratifyingly that my little boys had fallen asleep surrounded by their chapter books and all felt right with the world. show less

I've read a few of this author's other works previously, and while I enjoyed them immensely, it was nothing compared to my love of this book. It's not that it's a light piece of fiction fluff to wile away an afternoon. It's not that it's full of happiness, and rainbows, spouting messages of good will to all, and a dozen books for every shelf. In fact, the lead character is rather curmudgeonly, set in his ways, and unlikely to change any time soon. He's been touched by life and not always in a good way, so the store he calls his home is his domain; all others that don't care for his way of "ruling" know where the door is and to avoid it hitting them on the backside on their way out. He often oversteps the bounds of propriety, thus his show more favorite flavor ought to be foot, and yet because of his lack of caring about socially acceptable behavior...it's not. He's just off the wall enough to make you care, and the changes he goes through (however unwillingly) as his heart opens up (thanks to a rather smart little cookie dropped inside his door) and his world is changed for the better (in part thanks to a not so accurately penned worked and the fab lit agent that turned his attention towards it and her), are remarkable enough to make it stick with you long after the final page is turned. show less

For those of us who consider our favorite books family members, for those who make friends with the characters in the books they read, for whom a treasured excursion is to a book store or library, for those who love not only the story, but the feel of pages-- the call of the words on a page, this is a marvelous find. There's something about a well done curmudgeon that I adore, and AJ Fikry, with his gentle thaw while never quite losing his unique outlook on life, totally captivated me and my literary heart. The rest of the characters are wonderful, and evolve in a totally realistic, human way. Gabrielle Zevin, incorporated both books I love, and books for me to add to my reading list, which is always a plus. And, I got to enjoy all the show more literary references (who didn't see The Book Thief coming when that customer complained about the book Fikry sold her?), and puns (A good mandarin is hard to find? How perfect). Plus, she's got six books under her pen that I can go back and explore, should I want to. I only wish that The Late Bloomer was a real book. Sounded like a good'un.
An interview I heard with the author on NPR is here.
Now, I'm off to update my reading wishlist.

Tags: books-about-books, heard-interview-with-author, i-heard-about-it-on-npr, i-liked-it, made-me-laugh-out-loud-for-real, made-me-look-something-up, made-me-think, read, read-in-2015, read-on-recommendation, thank-you-charleston-county-library show less

There is not much to say about this book. I loved everything about it except the cover which looks like it was designed for a religious tract. The only explanation I can come up with for this dull cover is a misplaced sense of irony.

"The Storied Life Of A. J. Fikry" tells of how a bereaved bookstore owner's life is saved when a baby girl is left in his store. It is not the plot that matters, although it is artfully constructed and satisfyingly complete, but the emotional journey of the characters and how that journey is mediated by their shared experience of books.

Now that description makes the book sound as dull as its cover, which is to say that it gives a completely misleading impression of what it feels like to read this book.

It show more feels like coming home, like spending time with a good friend, like curling up on the sofa of an independent bookstore with a book you've fallen in love with from the first page. The book is packed with humour, mostly of the self-deprecating kind, and more than a little sadness, mostly of the "why do I read books that make me cry in public?" kind.

It's about love, reading books, friendship, talking about books, fatherhood, selling books, marriage, sharing books and about living a life where our feelings for the people we love are amplified and given voice by the books we read.

It runs a little towards the sentimental in a Jimmy Stewart in "Harvey" kind of way but in a self-aware way that gave me permission to relax and enjoy it.

The book is beautifully read by Scott Brick, who never puts a foot wrong. Click on the SoundCloud link below to listen to him read.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/175139421" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] show less

The Collected Works of A. J. Fikry is a thoughtful and quietly moving novel about grief, renewal, and the enduring importance of books. Gabrielle Zevin’s restrained prose and gentle humor make A. J. Fikry’s emotional transformation feel genuine rather than sentimental. I found the novel both comforting and insightful, particularly in its affirmation of how literature and human connection can subtly but meaningfully change a life.

There's nothing like crying over a book in the break room over lunch. (Luckily, my co-workers just thought I had a cold.)

I was immediately pulled into the world of Island Books. A.J., Amelia, Maya, Lambiase, Ismay, Daniel...I loved them all despite their flaws. Each chapter begins with A.J.'s thoughts on a short story thus making this one of my favorite kinds of books: A book about books & readers. And there's so much more I want to say about this book but I don't have the words to say it because I am not a writer. Basically, I want all of you to read it so we can talk about how wonderful it is.

I highlighted so many good parts -- so many truths about the reading experience -- as I was reading the eGalley (provided by the publisher via show more Edelweiss) that I'm so sad it's going to expire and I'll lose my highlights...it just means I'll have to read it again when I buy my own copy.

I have a really difficult time writing about books that I love, but if you like books about books or have always wished you could work in a bookstore or love books about small-towns or just love books, then you should definitely read this one. show less

I stumbled upon this book by chance after searching for books about books. I had never heard of it, never read anything by the author so was quite blind when I dove in, not knowing what to expect. I can confidently say this is now on my top ten favorite lists. If you're a reader of even the casual sort you'll find yourself in these pages, in these characters. The last bit of the book threw me, was not emotionally prepared for the turn the story took.

I really fancied Gabrielle Zevin's narrative style and every single character had depth and demanded reactions from the reader which is what I always look for.

I closed the library edition for the last time and went online straight away and bought my own copy so I can read it again and show more again. I will note, I this is not the type of book I normally read yet I loved it more than I could have imagined.

If this has been on your list for a while (as it was for me) don't hesitate, pick it up and dive in you wont regret it! show less