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A review by thebisexualbooknerd
Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer
4.0
I wanted this to be the best book I've ever read and it was. Not that. It was good, but it had some odd flaws that made it just an average memoir.
Some backstory - I have been to Shakespeare & Co. (Twice actually, but within 24 hours, so count that as you will.) It is a magical place that every book lover should absolutely visit if they have the ability. There is something uniquely hallowed about its winding halls. This book did that beauty justice. It captured the experience of being in a place whose magnificence is an open secret. It's like being in a cathedral for bibliophiles - outsiders may be able to appreciate it, but it strikes a certain holy chord for believers. (In case you're wondering, I was the only one in my traveling party who was fully immersed in the experience when I visited. One friend came close. Everyone else poked around for a minute, then waited outside, then became annoyed at us for taking so long and left us there to souvenir shop. It was around then that my dislike of those people began to cement itself. But I digress.)
So why is this not the greatest book ever? Like it's a biography of one of my favorite places on the face of the earth, why do I not heartily endorse it? Well... maybe because it's not really that. Yes, it does talk a lot about the history of Shakespeare & Co., and the founder, and the author's experiences living there. But it's also about the rest of the author's life, which is not especially interesting. Maybe it's because we have very different experiences with life, and books, and writing, and everything in general. More likely it devotes an inappropriate amount of time about his attempts to get laid and/or develop a relationship while living at the bookstore. (I say inappropriate not because I have problems with casual sex; I don't. I do, however, have problems with straight white dudes assuming their experiences are fascinating and universal. In this case, they are neither.) Whatever the reason, I had a hard time sympathizing with him.
Do I recommend it? Sure. It's your run of the mill memoir, not a tender biography of place. But if you're interested in the bookstore and want to get a basic sense of what it's like, this will do you fine. Especially if your expectations aren't as high as mine.
Some backstory - I have been to Shakespeare & Co. (Twice actually, but within 24 hours, so count that as you will.) It is a magical place that every book lover should absolutely visit if they have the ability. There is something uniquely hallowed about its winding halls. This book did that beauty justice. It captured the experience of being in a place whose magnificence is an open secret. It's like being in a cathedral for bibliophiles - outsiders may be able to appreciate it, but it strikes a certain holy chord for believers. (In case you're wondering, I was the only one in my traveling party who was fully immersed in the experience when I visited. One friend came close. Everyone else poked around for a minute, then waited outside, then became annoyed at us for taking so long and left us there to souvenir shop. It was around then that my dislike of those people began to cement itself. But I digress.)
So why is this not the greatest book ever? Like it's a biography of one of my favorite places on the face of the earth, why do I not heartily endorse it? Well... maybe because it's not really that. Yes, it does talk a lot about the history of Shakespeare & Co., and the founder, and the author's experiences living there. But it's also about the rest of the author's life, which is not especially interesting. Maybe it's because we have very different experiences with life, and books, and writing, and everything in general. More likely it devotes an inappropriate amount of time about his attempts to get laid and/or develop a relationship while living at the bookstore. (I say inappropriate not because I have problems with casual sex; I don't. I do, however, have problems with straight white dudes assuming their experiences are fascinating and universal. In this case, they are neither.) Whatever the reason, I had a hard time sympathizing with him.
Do I recommend it? Sure. It's your run of the mill memoir, not a tender biography of place. But if you're interested in the bookstore and want to get a basic sense of what it's like, this will do you fine. Especially if your expectations aren't as high as mine.