This novel set in the south of France tells the story of a family that sets up a mobile library, dedicated to bringing learning and a life of the mind to the small villages in the area. Narrated by a voice who identifies itself as "Love", much of this story is told in soliloquy on the nature of Love, Fate, Intelligence and Death. It took me awhile to sort out the point of view, and ultimately I lost interest in that aspect of the story. The middle part of the story, where the voracious child reader begins to absorb new books was delightful. I'm not a big fan of this genre, and this book will likely be more appealing to those who are.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nina George’s The Little Village of Book Lovers opens with a brief prologue excerpted from George’s earlier The Little Paris Bookshop. Paris bookseller Monsieur Perdu hands his last copy of Sanary’s Southern Lights to a writer who has asked what Perdu does when he “can’t go on.” Recognizing the young man’s distress, Perdu instructs him to read three pages each morning before getting out of bed. Readers of The Little Paris Bookshop may recall that Perdu’s effort to identify the mysterious author Sansary plays a major role in that novel. Although having read The Little Paris Bookshop will add to the enjoyment of reading George’s latest, The Little Village of Book Lovers can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Set in a remote area of southern France primarily during the late 1960s to mid-1980s, The Little Village of Book Lovers is narrated by an allegorical character. The invisible Love chooses if and when he will touch each person, making love possible. Other allegorical characters, such as Fate, Death, and Logic, may act first or may later complicate individual love experiences.

Even as a young child, the central character, Marie-Jeanne, can see a glow on people whom Love has touched. George peoples the book with quirky, mostly lonely people who exhibit that glow but have not yet found their match or have found someone, lost at and given up on love, and who now remain unaware that Love has touched them again, providing a second chance. Then one day. Marie-Jeanne's foster dad has a risky idea.

The Little Village of Book Lovers brings to life the people and landscape of rural southern France, an area largely wanting to retain its traditional way of life. With many touches of magical realism and a look at reading, love, and human nature from many angles, Nina George gifts her readers with the mysterious book that Monsieur Perdu handed distressed writer Maximilian “Max” Jordan.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for an advance reader copy of Jean Perdu’s no-longer-mysterious literary remedy for loneliness and insecurity.

I loved “The Little Paris Bookshop” and so was excited to find this one was coming out. It’s quite different, and yet still captures much of the first novel. You don’t have to have read the other to read “Village”, but it will give you more insight into the beginning chapter that sets up the book itself.
In many ways, it’s hard to describe just exactly what it was I liked about this book so well. It is narrated mostly by Love, with brief moments from others like Fate, Death or an old Olive Tree. There are moments where you aren’t really following the story at all, but instead seeing the world from what it must look like on the other side of the emotions – we see things from Love’s point of view. And it’s utterly fascinating.
I will admit, I worried in the beginning. This book has a slow, slow start. It doesn’t necessarily pick up the pace until you hit about 55% of the way through the book. Instead of being plot driven, it is much more about the characters, specifically Marie-Jeanne. We start the book when she is just a babe (occasionally with glances further back in time), and proceed till she is in her pre-teens, and then a bit more forward, until finally she’s, I think, in her thirties at the end. It is by no means action packed or suspenseful, nor paced in the normal way. Because, I think, life nor love is like that. So if you go into the book with that outlook, you’ll be much more prepared to accept it for what it is.
It shows so deeply that Love is complicated, messy, heartbreaking, warm, simple, torturous, easy to miss, and maybe even easy to find. In small moments of everyday life, in big moments, and daily trials, we are shown how people try to fight love, or find it, or rail against not having it. We see pieces of peoples’ hearts as they observe the person they love, and we see people learn about themselves and face their own fears where love is concerned. It isn’t focused on only romantic love either, but love between family members, friends, and communities.
We see people find their soulmates (with a little intervention) and others realize that they had them all along. It is heartbreakingly soul filling to read. In some ways it can help you to take a new perspective on Love itself. Part of me wishes there were really the embodiments of Love, Fate, Logic, Chaos and more walking around and filling people up random amounts of emotions and traits. Nina George does the impossible in showing us so many facets of Love (and LGBTQ+ rep too), while also showing the absence of Love itself.
Past discussing in detail all about love – I want to mention the beautiful descriptions we are given. Nina George writes of places in a way that makes you feel you are there. It inspires the want to travel to see them all in person. From small beach restaurants to lonely hotels in the mountains, Marie-Jeanne’s world may be small, but you’ll feel a part of it. It takes place in France, in the 1960s.
Last but not least, I must mention the books. It is titled “The Little Village of Book Lovers” after all. The mobile library does not take off until about halfway through the book, so again, remember it is slow paced. But it is through books that so much happens within the novel. From discussions on what the authors meant, to how authors write, to what the books mean individually to a person, and to a community at large. Nina George does a fun job of conveying how books can change your mind, open up your world, and give you a way to look at things from a different perspective. The villagers were a bit scared at first of books, and indeed many resisted outright, until Francis and a few others helped him wear them all down. He takes a great chance with his “bookabus”, but it certainly pays off. For a book lover, occasionally book seller, and lover of learning, I enjoyed this part very much.
I read this as an eBook, and I can say this may be one of those rare times where I really want a print copy specifically so I can mark it up. This is a book that demands annotation – from the prose to the lyrical writing, to the wonderful quotes contained within.
So, I think, dear readers, that you must be prepared. Based on other reviews I have seen, you’ll either love it completely or give up at the halfway mark. I hope some of you find what I did in its pages.

This book wasn't what I was expecting, and that really colored my view of it. I was expecting a romance, and that's not what I got. I wasn't a fan of the narrator, or the plot really.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am so disappointed. I had such high hopes for this book. I love Nina George but this just missed for me. The characters were just "OK" for me and the plot was mediocre. I am not sure I am going to purchase this for my library. I will have to think on that...

Thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity to review this one. Unfortunately this one was not for me but everyone is so subjective with books that this might be for you.

I dnf'd this book at around 25%. I didn't realize this was a companion book to a book I hadn't read before. So right off I felt like maybe I was missing something. But I struggled so much with the way this book was written. I made it 25% in and I still don't really follow what is happening. Which was really disappointing, because I love stories that are narrated like this - in this case it's love, but I think also fate and death - and there is part of my issue - I was never clear on who is narrating the story.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
Readers get to read the book Southern Lights shared in the author's novel -The Little Paris Bookshop. The book opens with a scene in that shop where Monsieur Perdu passes the book on to a customer seeking ease from heartache. From here, the story unfolds with various emotions taking on human characteristics. Love tells this story and serves as the narrator and friend to the main character, Marie-Jeanne. Readers meet her as a baby and watch as she grows up with her foster parents. We see how she experiences life and speaks with Love and her dearest friend the olive tree. Readers can draw their own conclusions on what this tree represents. Marie-Jeanne has a special gift and can see the bonds that connect true loves to each other though she does not have this glow herself. Each chapter tells a vignette in this community's life and intertwines the characters to show how much they grow and learn. I appreciate the message that reading encourages growth and moving beyond ourselves and our local traditions.
It's a delight to read the book referred to in George's other novel and see what encouraged Perdu and helped him heal.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Ballantine Books, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review; all opinions are my own.

Genre: Magical Realism, Fantasy, Books about Books, Romance
Spice Level: Sweet

This was my first book by Nina George.
Somehow, I didn't realize emotions like Love and Fear were going to be personified.

Once I figured that out, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The connections and ways people remember books, the joy of holding a book, how books can be revolutionary, and all the other feelings you might have about books are here.

It's absolutely delightful to follow Marie-Jeanne and her journey of seeing love but not having it. She wonders if something is wrong with her. (Haven't we all wondered that at some point?) It's such a human story of love that might be new, or tempestuous, or patient, or old, or even testy.

I highly recommend this book! It's a fast read and absorbing.

Happy reading!

This was such a sweet book that made me want to take a holiday and get lost in stories and villages - sipping coffee and reading books. This was a perfect summer read!

Thank you so much Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I found this novel delightful, it was atmospheric, and this being narrated by love and death along with others was a unique experience. The perspective of love was my favorite. It was a powerful message. You can’t always understand love fully but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dive in headfirst anyway. I don’t want to say too much because to avoid spoilers, but I really enjoyed this, and I would recommend this.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC of The Little Village of Book Lovers.
I will read anything that has to do with the love of books and sharing the love of reading with others which is why I was drawn to this book instantly. We sprinkle in a little magic, a quaint town, and loves light and you have the makings of a cute read. This was an easy read and a pallet cleanser for me with all of the thrillers I read. It’s not my typical read, but a very sweet little novel.

This was a pretty nice book. The premise is very sweet and a great concept. I think if someone is looking for a sweet hopeful book about love that is beautifully written, I think this is the read for people.

Though there were some good elements to this book, this was the book for me. I appreciate the setup and the writing, but was a very slow start. It felt like there was a lot of fluff even though the book is so short already. I thought there were some great characters in the book, but we didn't get to spend nearly as much time with them as I would have liked. The personification of the olive tree and Love, Fate, Logic, etc. seemed to be sprinkled in without doing much for the story.

Overall, this is a decent book, but not one that I was too interested in or found myself too excited about.

I read this as a part of an arc and it was adorable. It was unique and different from other books I have read. I mean a book about book lovers, in an adorable town where it felt like I was there?!?!? I was hooked.

Like The Little Paris Bookshop, The Little Village of Book Lovers is a love letter to books. I found this book to be so lovely and beautiful that it brought me to tears, not from sadness but from the overwhelming presence of Love. This novel describes the influence of literature and love on the people of a small French village. Guided by Love and a young girl, relationships are revealed by glowing lights and influenced by matchmaking powers.
This story has fantastic elements about love, revolution, books, humanity, wonder, and language. It is simply fantastic! I adored this book!



Thank you to Penguin Random House & NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy.

I found this novel hard to follow. I was unable to connect to the storyline and struggled to understand what was going on.

There is no mistaking that this book is a companion to The Little Paris Bookshop as it kicks off with Jean Perdu, the bookseller. I loved that book and expected more of a connection to it, and I was disappointed that Love is the narrator.

The story was more about matching lovers to each other than matching books to readers. Marie-Jeanne, the foster daughter of the Elsa and Francis, learned as a young girl that she had the talent for matchmaking. Francis, a delivery man turned lending library librarian, learned the power of books by practicing Perdu’s ability to recommend books to readers. “He realized that people might read the same book but to each of them it was different. Valerie (the other lending library librarian) had described it as scouring powder, but to this man it was….What was it exactly? A long-lost friend. It was amazing.”

Unfortunately, that was the most interesting part of the book. Thanks Random House for the ARC. You publish some of my favorite books.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishers for a complimentary copy of this novel! This is a very unique and inspiring novel. It is an explosion of descriptive lyrical paragraphs! A joy to read! It is a book about Love, narrated by Love and other of life’s eventualities! An Olive Tree even narrates some passages! This book is a book about books! It is a book that gives insight into how Fate, Reason, Logic, Love, Desire, Pleasure, Despair, Passion, Love, Death, Creativity, Lust, Intelligence, Fear, Humor, and others, make a mark on human life!!!
Available July 25, 2023!

This was such a fun and sweet read. It makes me want to get lost in a quaint town and wander in and out of book stores and cafes. This was a perfect hammock book!

In the Little Village of Book Lovers, Nina George crafts an interesting portrait of abstract concepts we all struggle to understand. Narrated by the emotion of Love we are carried through the processes of falling in love, finding, losing love, and maintaining love during our lives. Other emotions such as fear, jealousy, anger, pride, and fate make their voices heard. George uses the mysticism of orphaned Marie-Jeanne and her mobile library to capture ordinary people's romantic potential.
#thankyourNETGALLEYforthischarmingARC!