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A review by catmom21
The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
3.0
3.5 stars. This book is engrossing, right up until about the last third. Kitty Miller begins having very realistic dreams in which she is in another world, still herself but slightly altered - she is now Mrs. Anderson, no longer called Kitty but her full name.
I'll admit that I much preferred Kitty's world, and kept hoping that was the "real" world. I was excited to see what would happen to Sisters, and how Kitty's life as a children's author would take off. So needless to say I was slightly disappointed when that ended up being the dream world. I suppose that's likely the point of the book - Mrs. Anderson invented this world because she was unhappy and shocked at the way her life had turned out, so she dreamed up a place in which her life had not taken the unfortunate turns she so regretted.
I could see this as being a coping mechanism in response to grief, and it's clear that perhaps the main character has some sort of psychological issue. If that's the case, though, I do think it was resolved somewhat too quickly and easily. Most of the time, people don't just snap out of it.
It was very well written, though as I mentioned by the last third I was ready for the "secret" to be revealed and to find out what was really going on. At that point it just got tiresome. I know that's probably to help us understand what the main character is feeling, but ultimately I don't need to feel everything she is - I was intrigued enough to read that far.
Overall I'd recommend to anyone who loves the idea of bookstores, and also the concept of a "twist".
Spoiler
I'll admit that I much preferred Kitty's world, and kept hoping that was the "real" world. I was excited to see what would happen to Sisters, and how Kitty's life as a children's author would take off. So needless to say I was slightly disappointed when that ended up being the dream world. I suppose that's likely the point of the book - Mrs. Anderson invented this world because she was unhappy and shocked at the way her life had turned out, so she dreamed up a place in which her life had not taken the unfortunate turns she so regretted.
I could see this as being a coping mechanism in response to grief, and it's clear that perhaps the main character has some sort of psychological issue. If that's the case, though, I do think it was resolved somewhat too quickly and easily. Most of the time, people don't just snap out of it.
It was very well written, though as I mentioned by the last third I was ready for the "secret" to be revealed and to find out what was really going on. At that point it just got tiresome. I know that's probably to help us understand what the main character is feeling, but ultimately I don't need to feel everything she is - I was intrigued enough to read that far.
Overall I'd recommend to anyone who loves the idea of bookstores, and also the concept of a "twist".