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