Press enter after choosing selection

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Zevin, Gabrielle. Book - 2014 Fiction, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Zevin, Gabrielle None on shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.2 out of 5

Cover image for The storied life of A. J. Fikry

Sign in to request

Location & Checkout Length Call Number Checkout Length Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor
4-week checkout
Fiction 4-week checkout Due 04-02-2024
Malletts Adult Books
4-week checkout
Adult Book / Fiction / General / Zevin, Gabrielle 4-week checkout Due 04-07-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books
4-week checkout
Adult Book / Fiction / General / Zevin, Gabrielle 4-week checkout Due 04-10-2024
Traverwood Adult Books
4-week checkout
Adult Book / Fiction / General / Zevin, Gabrielle 4-week checkout Due 04-13-2024
Westgate Adult Books
4-week checkout
Adult Book / Fiction / General / Zevin, Gabrielle 4-week checkout Due 04-22-2024

When his most prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, is stolen, bookstore owner A. J. Fikry begins isolating himself from his friends, family and associates before receiving a mysterious package that compels him to remake his life.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Meaningful submitted by thatgreenbean on June 14, 2014, 8:34am I loved this book! I picked it up thinking it would be a light read and, although it only took me 2 days to read it, I got punched in the heart with how meaningful it was. This novel is about a quirky man who owns a bookstore, but its deeper themes are about what makes family and how reading connects people. I highly recommend this novel!

Fiction about Books! submitted by sdunav on June 16, 2014, 2:23pm Interesting short novel about a depressed bookseller and his family and friends on a (fictional) Martha's Vinyard-type island. There's a lot of stuff about classic books, short stories, and the publishing business, and a bit of a slow-moving romance along with some parenting stories. I liked it but didn't absolutely loooove it like some people (this is a big seller right now). There were a few cliches in the plot that annoyed me too much for me to embrace this book and rave about and want to keep it forever and re-read it in a few years.....but I did enjoy most of it.

Loved this book submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 27, 2014, 1:55pm Ohhhhhhh, wow. This was absolutely beautiful. I read it from the library, but will be getting a copy for my shelf.

I'm not sure there was anything about it that didn't appeal to me: the mystery of the first edition that I wasn't sure was going to be resolved, A.J.'s reviews and what we come to understand them to be, his transformation over time, the way we learn about the island community through the book store, and mostly A.J himself (and branching into Maya, over time and eventually through her writing).

Simply astonishing. I worried when I heard that it was a book that referenced so many other books that it was one of those books where you had to have read them to understand, but it isn't. (Stories about college English majors are often like that.) If you can *appreciate* a book and a bookstore, then this is a wonderful world to dive into.

And A.J.'s first time at a restaurant with someone (I won't say who) sparks a conversation so wonderful, so beautifully written, that I read it three times in a row, just to savor it.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....

It was OK submitted by crazypockets on July 4, 2014, 5:20pm In between an "it was ok" and a "liked it." A good, fast, well-written read with some solid literary reference backing that was also the first more or less accurate depiction of what the book business is like nowadays (except for the whole publisher sales rep thing...does that actually happen in the real world?). But the end didn't totally fit and felt a little forced, and there just seemed to be something missing.... I also am getting incredibly tired of this trend of present tense writing, so that didn't help to sell this for me.

A Book for Book People submitted by katysfirstapt on July 28, 2014, 1:59pm This book captured what it was like to work in a bookstore and love every crazy second of it. There were so many passages in this book that just spoke to the common thread that runs through every person that loves their time as a bookseller. The romance of the story is ok, to me it was more of a romance between book people and the books, or about the passion of books and loving those holy spaces that are filled with them. The actual "romance" I could have lived without, but it serves to advance the timeline. All in all, I loved this book, and it spoke to me in a way I've been missing since I am no longer a bookseller by trade. This story just feels like a love letter to those holy spaces filled with books and stories, and to the people who delight in sharing the stories with others as their calling in life.

Great Book Club Pick submitted by ssmyth on July 16, 2016, 6:48pm My book club really enjoyed this book. There are great characters and many book references. There are some very funny parts to the book! Our favorite is the book club held at the book store in the book. The police on the island make up most of the club. Very funny!!

Awesome submitted by kelleyc on July 26, 2016, 7:18am I love a book about books! Such a delight to read.

A delightful read submitted by TeacherN on June 15, 2022, 5:08pm With so much darkness in the world, this novel was a shining light. It made me feel happy.

so great. this is literally so amazing! submitted by angie. on July 10, 2022, 9:48pm so great. this is literally so amazing!so great. this is literally so amazing!so great. this is literally so amazing!

Really good submitted by jolietimm on June 17, 2023, 9:16pm While I found it to be a little predictable, I thought it was a really sweet story! It was a good, quick read with interesting characters and a charming setting that quickly draw you in.

Pretty great, but not amazing submitted by bahr on July 10, 2023, 7:19am I found the topics explored by this book, and the setting, to be delightful and really enjoyed some of the characters. I never felt like the main character’s struggles felt like struggles. Yes he had hardships but I felt like he moved past them too easily. Maybe spending more time on that would make the book too long. It isn’t bad writing it just seemed too easy for him. Don’t get me wrong it was a great book to read and I do recommend it.

Cover image for The storied life of A. J. Fikry


PUBLISHED
Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2014.
Year Published: 2014
Description: 260 p.
Language: English
Format: Book

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9781616203214
1616203218

SUBJECTS
Booksellers -- Fiction.
Bookstores -- Fiction.
Widowers -- Fiction.
Abandoned children -- Fiction.
Man-woman relationships -- Fiction.