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A review by candidceillie
The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler
3.0
Impressionable and idealistic, Esme Garland is a young British woman who finds herself studying art history in New York. She loves her apartment and is passionate about the city and her boyfriend; her future couldn’t look brighter. Until she finds out that she’s pregnant.
Esme’s boyfriend, Mitchell van Leuven, is old-money rich, handsome, successful, and irretrievably damaged. When he dumps Esme—just before she tries to tell him about the baby—she resolves to manage alone. She will keep the child and her scholarship, while finding a part-time job to make ends meet. But that is easier said than done, especially on a student visa.
The Owl is a shabby, second-hand bookstore on the Upper West Side, an all-day, all-night haven for a colorful crew of characters: handsome and taciturn guitar player Luke; Chester, who hyperventilates at the mention of Lolita; George, the owner, who lives on protein shakes and idealism; and a motley company of the timeless, the tactless, and the homeless. The Owl becomes a nexus of good in a difficult world for Esme—but will it be enough to sustain her? Even when Mitchell, repentant and charming, comes back on the scene?
A rousing celebration of books, of the shops where they are sold, and of the people who work, read, and live in them, The Bookstore is also a story about emotional discovery, the complex choices we all face, and the accidental inspirations that make a life worth the reading.
This book was enjoyable and well-written, and as a debut novel, I think it will do really well. However, I had a hard time dealing with Esme and her inability to actually do what was best for herself and her baby. The bookstore characters were what made the story worthwhile for me - George, Luke, poor Dennis, even the really odd customers. I'm not sure how the bookstore made any money, but it was really enjoyable to read.
Mitchell was a total douchebag, and I'm still not sure exactly what Esme saw in him in the first place. His family was atrocious and it was fairly obvious that neither he nor his family didn't give a damn about her. Some of the lines he used on her, I couldn't believe. The ending was a good one, although the name choice for the baby left me wondering at how sensible she really was. It was also really abrupt, and I felt like there should have been at least a few more pages, which is what brought the rating down to a 3 for me. Otherwise it would have been a solid three and a half stars.
Esme’s boyfriend, Mitchell van Leuven, is old-money rich, handsome, successful, and irretrievably damaged. When he dumps Esme—just before she tries to tell him about the baby—she resolves to manage alone. She will keep the child and her scholarship, while finding a part-time job to make ends meet. But that is easier said than done, especially on a student visa.
The Owl is a shabby, second-hand bookstore on the Upper West Side, an all-day, all-night haven for a colorful crew of characters: handsome and taciturn guitar player Luke; Chester, who hyperventilates at the mention of Lolita; George, the owner, who lives on protein shakes and idealism; and a motley company of the timeless, the tactless, and the homeless. The Owl becomes a nexus of good in a difficult world for Esme—but will it be enough to sustain her? Even when Mitchell, repentant and charming, comes back on the scene?
A rousing celebration of books, of the shops where they are sold, and of the people who work, read, and live in them, The Bookstore is also a story about emotional discovery, the complex choices we all face, and the accidental inspirations that make a life worth the reading.
This book was enjoyable and well-written, and as a debut novel, I think it will do really well. However, I had a hard time dealing with Esme and her inability to actually do what was best for herself and her baby. The bookstore characters were what made the story worthwhile for me - George, Luke, poor Dennis, even the really odd customers. I'm not sure how the bookstore made any money, but it was really enjoyable to read.
Mitchell was a total douchebag, and I'm still not sure exactly what Esme saw in him in the first place. His family was atrocious and it was fairly obvious that neither he nor his family didn't give a damn about her. Some of the lines he used on her, I couldn't believe. The ending was a good one, although the name choice for the baby left me wondering at how sensible she really was. It was also really abrupt, and I felt like there should have been at least a few more pages, which is what brought the rating down to a 3 for me. Otherwise it would have been a solid three and a half stars.