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A review by one4ale
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
4.0
2nd Read: I stand by my review below.
The book was short, sweet, and perfect for an afternoon oneshot read for anyone who'd enjoy a "cozy, fun" time.
I do not like this type of book and was prepared to write it off as a decent 3 star with a very predictable ending and tropey, non-unique and non-subversive plot about book lovers whose lives are shaped by books; though, two standout moments in the book did surprise me and left me surprised in hindsight how I did not see the obvious twists.
Besides these small moments, nothing in this book felt new or particularly worth a higher-than-3 (the ending wasn't particularly crazy and many characters didn't seem to develop overall [though that can be the fault of being a shorter story]), except that I found myself relating a lot to Fikry as a snob and picky reader, which let me feel more for the book as it is rather than what I want it to be.
A later excerpt basically sums up why I liked the book as much as I did:
The book was short, sweet, and perfect for an afternoon oneshot read for anyone who'd enjoy a "cozy, fun" time.
I do not like this type of book and was prepared to write it off as a decent 3 star with a very predictable ending and tropey, non-unique and non-subversive plot about book lovers whose lives are shaped by books; though, two standout moments in the book did surprise me and left me surprised in hindsight how I did not see the obvious twists.
Besides these small moments, nothing in this book felt new or particularly worth a higher-than-3 (the ending wasn't particularly crazy and many characters didn't seem to develop overall [though that can be the fault of being a shorter story]), except that I found myself relating a lot to Fikry as a snob and picky reader, which let me feel more for the book as it is rather than what I want it to be.
A later excerpt basically sums up why I liked the book as much as I did:
"In terms of plot, the twist is a latecomer and not enough to redeem the story's flaws. 'The Bookseller' really shouldn't be on this list - it is not an exceptional Dahl offering in any way. Certainly no 'Lamb to the Slaughter' - and yet here it is. How to account for its presence when I know it is only average? The answer is this: Your dad relates to its characters. It has meaning to me. And the longer I do this (bookselling, yes, of course, but also living if that isn't too awfully sentimental), the more I believe that this is what the point of it all is. To connect, my dear little nerd. Only connect."This is, of course, not a 5 star despite all that. That is my attempt to be objective of the quality of a book that I rate with subjectivity in mind.