DNF @ 11%

The Paris Bookseller is the kind of book I want to *have* read, but I don’t actually enjoy reading. This is no fault of the author, but the fault of who I was when I picked it up in 2021.

I enjoyed the glimpses of a possible romance, but it wasn’t enough to hold my attention and really want me to open the book again after I put it down.

I think many readers will enjoy this book. Those who want to feel like they are right there on the streets of France in the 1920s. Those who enjoy reading about famous authors and those who spend time with them. And those who enjoy reading about people who find community while experiencing marginalization.

For me, I tend to enjoy books where the plot is the driving force as opposed to the characters and their development.

(A 3 star DNF for me is a book that is well written, that I think many people will enjoy, and one that I didn't so much dislike, as just find "ok." With the multitude of books I have access to, I prefer to read books I LOVE rather than ones I tolerate.)

A little bit of fiction a little bit of fact. I loved the story and how they tied in some real facts about some of the authors in the bookstore. This was fun and inspiring and a little sad.

C'est magnifique!
This historical fiction novel ended too soon for this reader. It's a wonderful story that sweeps you up in the life of Sylvia Beach, owner and founder of Shakespeare & Co, a bookstore in Paris that sold books from the US and UK in English. (The current Shakespeare & Co in Paris is a different owner but opened as an homage to Beach's store).

Intriguingly, the bookstore launch was in the heady Parisian artistic times between World War I and World War II. Shakespeare & Co was soon a regular haunt for people like Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and most notably, James Joyce. The friendship between Joyce and Beach soon turned into a business relationship as Beach was first to publish the Joyce masterpiece, Ulysses. What a feat it was to bring the book to publication and then to sell it (it was banned in the United States). As if this story line wasn't enough, there is another layer that is going on simultaneously. It focuses on the relationship between Beach and Adrienne Monnier, owner of the equally admired bookstore, La Maison des Amis des Livres.

All of this is just a taste of what is waiting for you in this book. You should read it, you will not be disappointed.

This was a fantastic historical fiction novel -- I highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of the genre, or who's curious to explore it. I loved reading about the origins of the iconic Parisian bookstore (a must-read for anyone who's visited it!)

I love books about books/booksellers/bookshops! I think they are perfect for book lovers, and this historical fiction novel is lovely! Especially with the Paris setting. It made me want to travel to Paris.

A historical fiction treat, this richly imagined novel takes you back to 1918 and 1920s-30s Paris, where the real-life Sylvia Beach, a gay American woman, takes on the challenge of publishing James Joyce's novel Ulysses. Plenty of now-famous people figure into the story including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein,. A fascinating account of an amazing woman’s life and a feast for book lovers, readers, and lovers in general.

I didn't finish this book all the way through but I did enjoy what I read of it. The references to authors and artists of the time period made my English major heart flutter, but the pace of the plot was quite slow. Overall, it was very well written with many snippets and quotable lines.

Oh, this book! What's not to love: Paris, books and bookshops, writers, a woman on a quest to find herself. This is the perfect book for people who love reading and travel. Love the combination of personal strife/triumph and historical fiction. This is escapism at its finest and would make an excellent gift.

THE PARIS BOOKSELLER is an intrinsically beautiful story perfect for book lovers. Spending time within these pages was a gift the author gives to her readers.

Despite some rather mixed reviews I’ve seen, I can happily says that I found The Paris Bookseller to be an absolutely wonderful read! I loved it from start to finish.

In a nutshell, this story is centered around Silvia Beach, the woman who opened Shakespeare and Co. in the 1920’s and everything that came along with it. I had no idea about it’s history going in and learning about it was absolutely fascinating. Learning new things is an element that’s important to me in my HF reads, and this book definitely checked that box. This story is rich with detail and it’s clear that the author did her due diligence in researching all the aspects to it.

This was such a fun read and highly immersive, that paired with great storytelling, a dreamy Parisian setting, and lovely characters, added together to make it one huge, memorable read for me. I would absolutely encourage you to pick this book up if you love books about books or are simply looking for some excellent historical fiction.

Many thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy.

This book was simply lovely. It was a beautiful historical fiction love letter to anyone who loves books and bookstores.

This book introduced me to Bohemian Paris in the 1920s that I knew .very little about. The Paris Bookseller was mostly a historical biography of Sylvia Beach, and her relationship with Adrienne Monnier. The 2 women were among the many avant garde of Paris and the continent who flaunted the conventions and morality of the era.
The women established an English language bookstore along with author talks, and provided a meeting space for American and English speaking expats to enjoy each other's company.
I was surprised at the number of authors mentioned who crossed the threshold of Shakespeare & Co - Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and I found their participation in the bookstore activities interesting. I knew that there was some controversy about Ulysses, but this book brought out the controversy and conflicts surrounding its publication. The stories of these famous people (and the publication of Ulysses) were for me, the most interesting parts of the book.
I felt that the book was too long and the relationship between the two women developed quickly, but I just didn't care about them. I was bored with the dinner parties and the affectation that Sylvia especially displayed, and the details of their relationship and its development. I guess that it just wasn't my favorite type of book.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think I would have found this more of a must read-- possibly to read more than once-- if I weren't a little overdosed on this ersa amd setting

I really wanted to like this book because it is about Sylvia Beach and the publication of Ulysses. However, it was a very slow moving novel and the plot seemed nonexistent. Still, I recommend this for fans of The Joyce Girl, The Paris Wife, and The Bookseller’s Secret!

While a transportive read, the character depth left the reader wanting more. Definitely a well known tale, Maher found a way to shine light into the personal life of Shakespeare and Co.'s owner Sylvia Beach.

I went back and gave this book another chance with a reread. and I found that it wasn't my cup of tea. This author has a great story but there were some situations within the book that I didn't much care for.

A well-researched and interesting work of historical fiction that explores the life of Sylvia Beach as publisher and book owner. I wasn't familiar with her life and found it fascinating. There are many real authors who were part of ?Sylvia's world. It is impressive to me that Karri Maher boldly brought many real people together in her novel. The history of this time period as well as the nature of writing and book stores is so different from today and came to life in this book.

This historical novel based on a real person was engrossing. Sylvia Beach came to Paris in the early 20th century, shortly before World War I began. She had early intentions of becoming a writer, but found that she wasn't able to make the words come. She became involved with the literary community in Paris, authors from many countries, including her own United States, and those that worked with them. She soon fell in love with a Parisien bookseller, Adrienne Monnier, and it wasn't long before the two became a couple. With the acceptance of same-sex relationships in Paris, and the large literary community there, Sylvia felt very much at home. Adrienne encouraged her to start her own bookshop, for English language books, and Sylvia opened it in 1919. Run on a shoestring budget, it soon drew a community of writers including Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and Ernest Hemingway. Sylvia was passionate about good books, and she included a lending library model as part of her bookstore, offering the privilege for a small annual fee. Thus those who couldn't afford to buy books could still enjoy the numerous English works available. Sylvia made real friends among these writers, and I enjoyed seeing the intimacy of some of these relationships, such as Ezra Pound repairing the secondhand furniture Sylvia used in her shop.
The book also goes deep into the complex relationship Sylvia had with James Joyce. She loved his books, and when he had difficulty finding a publisher for Ulysses, she offered to publish it. While Joyce had a strong relationship with the mother of his many children, it was also a fraught one. She didn't like the drinking that he indulged in, and he had health issues, and a tendency to live beyond his means. Sylvia was passionate about getting Ulysses to publication, but she found the relationship with Joyce difficult to manage, and sometimes felt used by him.
Paris and its literary community, both native and ex-pat, comes alive in this novel and you can imagine it as it was, a group of friendly people trying to help each other and find their own successes along the way.
The novel takes us up to 1936, and includes an Author's note that tells us of Sylvia's life following this.

Lovely tale that made me want to go to Shakespeare and Company even more. I want to be able to live through these characters so badly.

Did not finish. I wanted to read about the famous bookstore, not a tangled love affair. A real shame because I was very much looking forward to reading about this richly historical place.