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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

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ISBN13: 9781616204518
ISBN10: 1616204516
Condition: Standard


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Staff Pick

A. J. Fikry, proprietor of Island Books — an irascible, unpleasant sort of fellow — suffers the theft of his prized copy of Tamerlane: a book so rare, it has recently sold for $400,000. Yes, he left the door unlocked. Shortly thereafter, a baby is abandoned in his bookstore, with pleas to Fikry to raise the baby surrounded by literature. Fikry suffers from epilepsy. Hmmmm, this is sounding a bit familiar, eh?

This book is a lovely nod to George Eliot's classic Silas Marner, about an unlikable epileptic who loses his money after leaving his door unlocked, and then raises a baby he finds. See? Hilarious (and particularly fun for anyone working in the book field), this is laugh-out-loud funny. Until it isn't. Then it's sweetly sad and sort of heartbreaking. But, this quirky and smart, book-filled ride is "unputdownable" (sometimes this is the only descriptor that works, despite how much of a cliché it is), and you will love Zevin's breezy but poignant style. Fikry's own shelf-talkers are an amusing diversion throughout (and a great lesson in how not to write a shelf-talker). Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be.

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. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over — and see everything anew.  


Review

"Funny, tender, and moving, it reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love." Library Journal (Starred Review)

Review

"[A]n entertaining novel, modest in its scope, engaging and funny without being cloying or sentimental....marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both." The Washington Post

Review

"Filled with interesting characters, a deep knowledge of bookselling, wonderful critiques of classic titles, and very funny depictions of book clubs and author events, this will prove irresistible to book lovers everywhere." Booklist

Review

"The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us what saves us all from a life of loneliness and isolation: our sense of empathy; our ability to love and be loved; our willingness to care and be cared for. Gabrielle Zevin has written a wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time." Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

About the Author

Gabrielle Zevin is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her eighth novel, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, spent more than four months on the New York Times Bestseller list, reached #1 on the National Indie Bestseller list, and has been a bestseller all around the world. She has also written books for children and young adults, including the award-winning Elsewhere.

4.5 4

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.5 (4 comments)

`
PCAnderson , September 02, 2015 (view all comments by PCAnderson)
Zevin's story is romantic, sweet, fun, with a touch of mystery enough to engage your mind, and a dash of heartbreak for perfect balance. Her characters are well-crafted--I especially loved her description of Amelia as a "big dandelion of a girl." Read it, you will feel nice inside.

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Melinda Ott , July 23, 2015 (view all comments by Melinda Ott)
Some books are just more "bookish" than others. I know that sounds crazy--how can books be more or less bookish?--but it is true. This is a book for people who love books, and who understand the power of literature. A.J. Fikry is a prickly fellow when we first meet him, still reeling from the death of his wife several years earlier, and determined to drink himself to death. Then, things change and, due to circumstance, he begins to let a few more people into his life. I liked that A.J. was rather prickly when we first met him and, even though his life circumstances change dramatically, he still maintains a bit of that prickliness. Too often, characters make an unrealistic transformations where they go from angry, bitter, what have you to bundles of joy and rainbows. A.J. is not like that....he is who he is. I loved the fictional island of Alice. Zevin created a quaint town and brought it to life without going all Lake Wobegon on it (Lake Wobegon is great, but a town as "full" of that would not have worked there). There were a few "townsfolk" who were brought into the main narrative, which was just enough for a novel of this scope. I was immediately sucked into the narrative in a way where I was happy to just go along with what has happening,so I didn't think too much about what was coming next in the plot. Because of that, I personally didn't find the plot predictable, but I can't speak for others. There were a couple minor things that bugged me. Some of the time jumps were just a bit too long for my tastes. I would have preferred more time jumps of less time that less time jumps of greater time. There was also a character, who was set up to be a major player, that was cut out of the plot rather abruptly and, in my opinion, in a clumsy manner. Still, these complaints are minor and they don't change the fact that this is one of the most enjoyable books I've read all year. I would recommend it to any reader.

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njcur , July 02, 2015 (view all comments by njcur)
Very enjoyable, quick read. Sweet book. A book for readers. I especially enjoyed the fact that most of the books mentioned were ones I knew. Good characters. Made me want to visit Alice. I had some trouble following the passage of time, but it didn't disrupt the flow too much.

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maytree , January 03, 2015
I loved this book, after I read it at the library I went out and bought it and read it again. I am going to leave a more detailed comment on your other page for this book, where there are three comments already. I was hoping someone who reads this could answer this question for me. The cover with the red storefront is perfect for this book and also quite lovely to look at. It makes me think of Island Books without knowing it is their storefront. The library book and the book I bought have the other cover which I find quite ugly. I almost didn't read the book because of it. Who makes these decisions? Which cover came first. We see this often and those of us not in the industry often wonder why they change and if there is anything we can do to get the cover we prefer when ordering books? Silly comment to you guys I guess. But I've often wondered.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9781616204518
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
12/02/2014
Publisher:
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Language:
English
Pages:
288
Height:
.70IN
Width:
5.40IN
Thickness:
1.00
Author:
Gabrielle Zevin
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Subject:
General Fiction

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Add to Cart
$10.50
List Price:$16.95
Used Trade Paperback
Ships in 1 to 3 days
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QtyStore
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1Hawthorne
6Local Warehouse

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