The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING LUCY HALE & KUNAL NAYYAR
“A fun, page-turning delight.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love.” —Library Journal (starred review)
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over—and see everything anew.
“This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love–love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child
“Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—The Washington Post
“You won’t want it to end.” —Family Circle
“A natural for book groups.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“A reader’s paradise of the first order.” —The Buffalo News
“Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.” —Booklist
“A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
“Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” —Library Journal, starred review
From the Publisher
Add to Cart
Add to Cart
Customer Reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars 5,723
4.3 out of 5 stars 49,659
Price
$8.24$8.24 $7.99$7.99
Also by Gabrielle Zevin
“Brilliant and hilarious.” —Chicago Tribune A New York Times Bestseller | “Entertaining . . . Engaging and funny . . . Marvelously optimistic.” —The Washington Post
Publisher : Algonquin Books
Publication date : December 2, 2014
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1616204516
ISBN-13 : 978-1616204518
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.45 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #6,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #317 in Romantic Fantasy (Books) #473 in Literary Fiction (Books) #865 in Suspense Thrillers
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (49,659) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Original price was: $18.99.$7.99Current price is: $7.99.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING LUCY HALE & KUNAL NAYYAR
“A fun, page-turning delight.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love.” —Library Journal (starred review)
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over—and see everything anew.
“This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love–love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child
“Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—The Washington Post
“You won’t want it to end.” —Family Circle
“A natural for book groups.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“A reader’s paradise of the first order.” —The Buffalo News
“Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.” —Booklist
“A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
“Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” —Library Journal, starred review
From the Publisher
Add to Cart
Add to Cart
Customer Reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars 5,723
4.3 out of 5 stars 49,659
Price
$8.24$8.24 $7.99$7.99
Also by Gabrielle Zevin
“Brilliant and hilarious.” —Chicago Tribune A New York Times Bestseller | “Entertaining . . . Engaging and funny . . . Marvelously optimistic.” —The Washington Post
Publisher : Algonquin Books
Publication date : December 2, 2014
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1616204516
ISBN-13 : 978-1616204518
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.45 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #6,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #317 in Romantic Fantasy (Books) #473 in Literary Fiction (Books) #865 in Suspense Thrillers
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (49,659) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
7 reviews for The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel
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Original price was: $18.99.$7.99Current price is: $7.99.
Richard Seltzer –
You have to read this
“Every word the right one and exactly where it should be. That’s basically the highest compliment I can give.” p. 92 That’s what one of the characters in this book says about a book she loves. Those words apply to this book as well. I told my best friend/partner, “You have to read this.”On one level, this is a love story about two people who love books. “When I read a book, I want you to be reading it at the same time. I want to know what would Amelia think of it. I want you to be mine. I can promise you books and conversation and all my heart…” p. 154In addition. it is a book about books and what books reveal about the people who enjoy them.”People tell boring lies about politics, God, and love. You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, ‘what is your favorite book?'” p. 87In addition to the story itself, I enjoyed the book recommendations. I just ordered stories by Alice Munro and the Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson and Tamerlane by Poe.Other passages I highlighted:”A good marriage is, at least, one part conspiracy.” p. 155″It is the secret fear that we are unlovable that isolates us… but it is only because we are isolated that we think we are unlovable. Someday, you do not know when, you will be driving down a road. And someday, you do not know when, he, or indeed she, will be there. You will be loved because for the first time in your life, you will truly not be alone. You will have chosen to not be alone.” p. 157″We aren’t the things we collect, acquire, read. We are, for as long as we are here, only love. The things we loved. The people we loved. And these, I think these really do live on.” p. 251″No man is an island; every book is a world. p. 8″They had only ever discussed books but what, in this life, is more personal than books?” p. 8″The thing I find most promising about your short story is that it shows empathy. Why do people do what they do? This is the hallmark of great writing.” p. 187
John B. Rogers –
Lovely story, marvelous characterization
It was a struggle to read The Storied Life of A J Fikry because of the format I chose, but it was a more than worthwhile effort. Zevin weaves a wonderful story by creating marvelous characters. Other than A J, it seems at first that we’re heading toward caricature (Maya, Lambiase), but the characters surprise us. And the plot, likewise, seems headed toward a love affair between AJ and Amelia that is entirely predictable, but each of them is strong, so the predictability takes a back seat to the multi-faceted people. The twist (spoiler) is heart-rending but beautiful, because AJ, who starts in the prickly shell of of a literature esthete, keeps the good parts of shell but loses the rough edges through love. And then there’s Maya, the standard precocious child that inhabits so many books … except she turns out to be a lovely person. And Lambiase the local cop who develops a taste for literature. Alice Island could have been Martha’s Vineyard (the hill and the truck that kills Daniel) or Nantucket (the store being “right in the center of the main strip (…) the second or third place you come to after you get off the ferry”). But it has the feel of the Cape.And then there’s the literature part. The book is a writer-nerd’s pleasure. The countless arguments in my critique groups about what belongs in which genre and what is good writing, often carried out over wine and beer, are played out in AJ’s cranky dismissal of Amelia on her first visit: ““How about I tell you what I don’t like? I do not like postmodernism, postapocalyptic settings, postmortem narrators, or magic realism. I rarely respond to supposedly clever formal devices, multiple fonts, pictures where they shouldn’t be—basically, gimmicks of any kind. I find literary fiction about the Holocaust or any other major world tragedy to be distasteful—nonfiction only, please. I do not like genre mash-ups à la the literary detective novel or the literary fantasy. Literary should be literary, and genre should be genre, and crossbreeding rarely results in anything satisfying.”The writing was good and clear. A bit hard to follow for mechanical reasons (see below) and because point of view wandered a bit between omniscient and close third person. In addition to being well-written, it was an easy, short, tear-jerking read. And then there was the excitement of trying to read it. That Amazon cares not a whit about the material it provides was evident. I need an e-book, and Amazon was willing to give me one … free. Except what Amazon gave me was a cover and a demand for $2.99 from a little bookstore in New Jersey. The file I got had most of Zevin’s words in it, but presented as if they’d gone through a Cuisinart. Sentences jammed together, making it hard to determine who was talking. Clearly a ripped off copy, presumably a copyright violation. I read it anyway and enjoyed it.
Bobbie –
A grumpy bookshop owner finds a two-year-old girl abandoned in his store, and starts changing his life.I added this to the TBR queue after thoroughly enjoying ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’ by the same author. If anything, I loved this one even more. I feared it might be schmaltzy, but it wasn’t. Studded with mentions of other novels and short stories, with echoes of Silas Marner, life-and-literature-affirming, an easy read, but one that will linger in my mind. Great characters from an astutely witty author. I’ve sent off for her latest.
Navendu –
– Great flow- Easy language- Beautiful StoryI read a good novel after a long time and if you like an easy and feel good read this is the book
Janet B –
It is on Alice Island where you can find the only bookstore called Island Books. The owner of this bookstore is 39 year old A.J. Fikry. A.J.’s life has been given over to books. He is set in his ways on what he likes to read and expects everyone to like what he likes. He lives upstairs in the bookstore.Life has not been going well for A.J. Over a year ago, his beloved wife, Nic, died in a car accident and now, sadness and loneliness have taken over his life. His business is not doing well either. He is drinking a lot, living on frozen dinners, not exercising and becoming withdrawn. A.J. has a good relationship with his sister-in-law. Chief Lambiase, the police officer on Alice Island is a kind man with a big heart, who checks up on A.J. at the bookstore and ends up buying a book. The Chief likes detective stories, but A.J. wants him to try reading something different for a change. When a new Sales Rep from Knightly Press comes into the store to show A.J. the new releases, A.J. is rude and refuses all her suggestions. He wants to do business with the former Sales Rep, who knew what A.J. liked, but sadly, he passed away. Now Amelia Loman is the new Sales Rep. A.J.’s attitude doesn’t move her in the least. Amelia is not giving up on A.J.A.J. has plans of selling his bookstore and auctioning off his most valuable possession named Tamerlane, a rare collection of poems by Edgar Allan Poe worth 400,000$. It was locked in a glass case. When this is done, he can retire. On one of his nights of binging, Tamerlane is stolen right out of his home. It was not insured. He hurries to the police station to file a report of the theft. Chief Lambiase tells A.J. he will do all he can to retrieve it.A.J. doesn’t lock his door any more, because there is nothing left to steal. One day, he decides to go outside and when he returns, he finds a package in the back of the bookstore and with it, there is a note. A.J.’s life would never be the same. The people of Alice Island hear about this strange package and they are so curious that they have to go to the bookstore to see for themselves. Of Course, they couldn’t come without purchasing a book.The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is not only a story about books and the love of books, it is a story about the ups and downs in life and how we choose to cope. The story includes love, loss and second chances.Gabrielle Zevin has written a book with a story that is entertaining and uplifting. The main character A.J. along with the supporting characters are characters you won’t soon forget.We readers have busy and at times stressful lives. We need to make time for ourselves and to me, that means being transported to a different world with a well written book that has a good story along with interesting characters. Who can ask for anything more?
Ginger –
始めはページが進みにくかったのですが、途中から止まらなくなり最後はぽろぽろ泣いてしまいました。読んでよかったです。
Paul –
I enjoyed this book. The author has the ability to really paint a picture with words. I found it easy to follow the story as if a film was playing out in my head. Characters were well developed and not predictable. Although the time-lines seem to be inconsistent to some extent, it does not interfere at all. Highly recommended.