Reviews

Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer

haritread's review

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3.0

Personally i don't find Paris attractive, this book change this vision of mine. Wish to visit this place some day.

codexqueen's review

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informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

4.5

debi_g's review

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3.0

Mildly interesting and educational. Not quite bare enough to be compelling, yet not impartial enough to be called journalism.

itsmoti's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

drshakespeare's review

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5.0

Like bathing in a memory. The first chapter set-up is necessary, but isn't the whole book, so get through it. Most of the book is a cozy dream.

razha_shana's review against another edition

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5.0

منی که خیلی وقته ریویو ننوشتم و حتی یادم نیست چی جوری باید انجامش بدم وقتی این کتاب تموم شد احساس کردم انگار نمیشه درباره اش نگفت:)
(میشه گفت دردو دله و قربون صدقه بیشتر تا ریویو:>>>)
میدونستم قراره دوستش داشته باشم ولی اینقدر ؟ اصلا فکرشو نمیکردم...
توی کل ۳۷۰ صفحه کتاب میدیدم که این کتاب‌فروشی باهاشون چی کار میکنه
ادمایی که از سرتاسر دنیا اومده بودن؛داغون بودنا ولی اینقدر امید داشتن و با این همه بدبختی بازم هر روز لیخند میزدن
و هیچ چیز زیبا تر این نبود که داستان واقعی بود:) این دلگرم ترم میکرد
اینکه واقعی بودن انگار بهم دلگرمی میداد معجزه ممکنه.
من یک سال پیش این کتاب رو خریدم و کل مدت منتظر اون زمان مناسبش بودم و واقعا تایمی که برای خوندنش انتخاب کردم هم به زیباییش اضافه کرد...
روزای اخر سال، پر از سردرگمی و...
ولی به هر حال «زندگی اثری در حال تکمیل است»
*جرج و سیمون دوتا شخصیتی بودن که عجیب به دلم نشستن:)

ricefun's review

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4.0

For a book lover, Jeremy Mercer's memoir of living in Shakespeare and Co makes it sound like one big warm fuzzy hug. I suspect that there are more layers than that for those who have made this bookstore their home over the years. But the idea of an egalitarian utopia housed inside a famous bookstore is truly beautiful.

Mercer certainly has a pleasing writing style. I did find by the end that the book felt very one note to me and didn't transcend that feeling at any time. While I enjoyed the reading I wouldn't include this in my favorites category, though it does remind me that one of my bookstore pilgrimages is the modern Shakespeare and Co in Paris.

mmgh's review against another edition

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4.0

اولش خیلی خیلی حوصله سر بر بود.
ولی بعدش پیوسته و کم کم میخوندمش و کلی هم لذت میبردم.
راستش اولاش به شخصیتای کتاب حسودیم میشد که خیلی هاشون زندگیشونو ول کردن و اومدن دنبال ماجراجویی
ولی راستش بعدش دیدم من از این شخصیتای هنری که پول نداشتن مایه ی افتخارشونه نیستم. از اینایی که از حال فرداشون خبر ندارن. هیچ وقتم نبودم. نهایت ماجراجویی من سفر چند روزه است که توی اونم ساعات آخرش لحظه شماری میکنم برسم به تخت عزیزم
و you know what? That's totally fine!
حس میکنم دنیا به هر دو دسته نیاز داره هم آدمای هنری طور بی خیال به اینده.
هم من مهندس طور که از الان دارم به مشکلات و چالش هایی که توی یک سال آینده باهاش رو به رو میشم فکر میکنم وخودمو براش آماده میکنم

در آخر، پاریس شهریه که حتما باید ببینمش و میبینمش!

short_circuit's review

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dnf @ 18% 

not in the right mindset for this one, i’ll try again in the future

taleisin's review

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3.0

This book almost reads like fiction. The story of a crime reporter who flees (a possible drug charge and pissed off crime boss) to Paris and ends up living and working at the English language bookstore Shakespeare and Co. The store really does exist and has a long controversial history.

What I found most interesting, was how the inhabitants managed to exist on so little money and in such dire conditions. The building would surely have been condemned by most authorities. Judging by this book alone, I would think that Paris has a very comprehensive social welfare system (including publicly funded showers and soup kitchens). I also appreciated the wide variety of people availing themselves of it; showing that homelessness and poverty is not limited to a certain demographic.

The proprietor of Shakespeare and Co., George Whitman, is a personality unto himself. I could have done without the chapters devoted to his personal history, but he was a fascinating character.

All in all, an enjoyable read about a very unique experience.