Scan barcode
katmarieholt's review against another edition
4.0
This made a great audio book! Easy to follow while driving and intriguing enough to make the time pass quickly. It didn’t end the way I expected and it would be interesting to go back and read it again with the end in mind. I think the theme of a woman being pulled in 2 directions and wondering what life could’ve been like is very relatable. And of course the lengths our minds will go to to protect us is amazing.
graggirl's review against another edition
3.0
There were things I really enjoyed about this book and parts that rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't like the writing style of the beginning and the end. This is what left me with three stars as a rating. For me this book hovered between 3 and 4 stars.
The story was compelling albeit a little predictable. The characters were mostly likable. But, parts of it felt too 1950's cliche and lacked depth. This book is worth a read and definitely is a great vacation/beach read!
It has an interesting and engaging premise and the main character has the right amount of conflict that you can drift along the story with her.
This book does have some stereotypical notions about family life and career, and also about raising a high needs child. The book also seemed to throw in aspects of Frieda's character just to make her timely, I didn't like the way this was done. I could sense where the author was going but felt it should have been done differently. Worth a read!
The story was compelling albeit a little predictable. The characters were mostly likable. But, parts of it felt too 1950's cliche and lacked depth. This book is worth a read and definitely is a great vacation/beach read!
It has an interesting and engaging premise and the main character has the right amount of conflict that you can drift along the story with her.
This book does have some stereotypical notions about family life and career, and also about raising a high needs child. The book also seemed to throw in aspects of Frieda's character just to make her timely, I didn't like the way this was done. I could sense where the author was going but felt it should have been done differently. Worth a read!
agemme10's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a little confusing as it shifted from reality to dream.
I can't say that I was satisfied with the ending...I was expecting a more obvious aha! moment as to why she was having these dreams.
Not a horrible book though; it kept me curious and engaged
I can't say that I was satisfied with the ending...I was expecting a more obvious aha! moment as to why she was having these dreams.
Not a horrible book though; it kept me curious and engaged
toesinthesand's review against another edition
2.0
Different but I just couldn't get into it. I'm not sure I'd be that blasé about waking up in a different life all the time.
ashley44's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
karieh13's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed "The Bookseller". I am a huge fan of books that manipulate time/present alternate realities. In "The Bookseller", a woman named Katharyn/Kitty finds herself dreaming of an alternate version of her life.
During the day she works with her best friend in their bookshop, goes home to her cat, and is very close to her parents. She enjoys the freedom of a single life. At night, once she is asleep, she finds herself as a married woman named Katharyn. She is married to a handsome, kind man named Lars, she lives in a custom home, has children and doesn't work outside the home. There is much of this dream life that she loves - Lars seems wonderful and their life together seems picture perfect. But the more dreams she has, the more she experiences of this alternate world, the more she learns that nothing is perfect. No life is perfect.
Her lives are similar enough that there is a great deal of intersection. She lives in the same town, at about the same time (the two versions are about 6 months apart). But in each - there are differences. She's made different choices, different life-changing events have or have not happened - and she finds herself struggling to keep a hold of what is real - what her true life looks like and what she really wants.
I usually make notes and mark quotes as I read a book. But this one was so engrossing and I was so eager to find out what happened next that I read it in two days with nary a note.
This is not only a book that gives Katharyn the chance to see "what if" - it also gets to the heart of how life changes us. How the events that occur, or don't occur, in our lives shape us and guide our choices. "The Bookseller" also takes a look at the person we are at our core. Who we truly are, regardless of circumstance, and how we deal with what lives we have.
This was a great book and a very enjoyable read.
During the day she works with her best friend in their bookshop, goes home to her cat, and is very close to her parents. She enjoys the freedom of a single life. At night, once she is asleep, she finds herself as a married woman named Katharyn. She is married to a handsome, kind man named Lars, she lives in a custom home, has children and doesn't work outside the home. There is much of this dream life that she loves - Lars seems wonderful and their life together seems picture perfect. But the more dreams she has, the more she experiences of this alternate world, the more she learns that nothing is perfect. No life is perfect.
Her lives are similar enough that there is a great deal of intersection. She lives in the same town, at about the same time (the two versions are about 6 months apart). But in each - there are differences. She's made different choices, different life-changing events have or have not happened - and she finds herself struggling to keep a hold of what is real - what her true life looks like and what she really wants.
I usually make notes and mark quotes as I read a book. But this one was so engrossing and I was so eager to find out what happened next that I read it in two days with nary a note.
This is not only a book that gives Katharyn the chance to see "what if" - it also gets to the heart of how life changes us. How the events that occur, or don't occur, in our lives shape us and guide our choices. "The Bookseller" also takes a look at the person we are at our core. Who we truly are, regardless of circumstance, and how we deal with what lives we have.
This was a great book and a very enjoyable read.
emrache's review against another edition
2.0
Nope, this book was not for me. I kept hoping for it to get better, but it just didn't. And it felt like the fact that it was set in the 60s gave the author the excuse to not treat mental illness and issues of diversity with the sort of consideration and thoughtfulness that they deserve. It felt like lip service rather than anything of substance.