A review by andrewspink
De boekenfluisteraar by Carsten Henn

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It was difficult to know what to make of this book. On the one hand, the subject matter, books and bookshops, is great. On the other hand, it reads largely more like a children's story than a book for adults. The characters are rather simple and the plot is mostly very predictable,  including the ending. However, there are some nice phrases and passages. "There is only one difference between a novel with a happy end and one without,  and that is the point at which you stop telling the story".  The passage in the graveyard is definitely not for children.
There are also some strange anomalies.  The book is set in the present day, or at least not too long ago (the girl has a mobile phone), but there is a factory which has a reader to entertain the workers. 
Last year I stayed in an Airbnb called Münsterblick. Nice that the old people's home had the same name!
In summary,  mixed feelings about this book.