Title: The Paris Bookseller
Author: Kerri Maher
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction
Year of Release: 2022
Release Date: 25th January 2022
Rating 🌟🌟🌟
TW Suicide
RPP AU $32.99
PARIS, 1919.
Young, bookish Sylvia Beach knows there is no greater city in the world than Paris. But when she opens an English-language bookshop on the bohemian Left Bank, Sylvia can’t yet know she is making history.
Many leading writers of the day, from Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein, consider Shakespeare and Company a second home. Here some of the most profound literary friendships blossom – and none more so than between James Joyce and Sylvia herself.
When Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Sylvia determines to publish it through Shakespeare and Company. But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous book of the century comes at deep personal cost as Sylvia risks ruin, reputation and her heart in the name of the life-changing power of books…
Review
Paris 1919, A young woman by the name of Sylvia Beach is enamoured by the city of lights, she knows there is no place in the world she would rather be. Sylvia a bright young woman who has a love of books; so when she decides to open an English Language bookshop on the Left Bank in Paris, Miss Sylvia Beach cannot know she is making History, her achievements will be celebrated for years to come.
Famed authors such as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce frequent Shakespeare and Company doors often and friendships bloom between Sylvia and the Authors she greatly admires. The strongest bond is formed between Sylvia and Joyce.
When James puts pen to paper and Ulysses is born but becomes controversial and banned in the United States of America and Brittan because the content was considered too raunchy. Sylvia decides it is up to Shakespeare and Company to publish the title. Once word gets around the literary community that Sylvia Beach of Shakespeare and Company is the one who will be the one to publish James Joyce’s infamous Ulysses.
Will Sylvia Beach be able to bring a book to the world some would rather never saw the light of day? or will she walk away from it all and return to her homeland to be with her family?
 I was drawn to read The Paris Bookseller thanks to the promise of 1920’s Paris, France, and a bookshop and scandal.
Author Kerri Maher has done well to develop the characters used to bring The Paris Bookseller to life the main characters Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Moonier are three-dimensional, I think this helped move the story forwards a lot; it does take a few chapters for the plot to move into the conflict stage.
Sylvia Beach didn’t appeal to this reviewer too much, at times she came across as a little selfish, especially when it comes to Adrienne’s achievements, wants and desires. It didn’t seem to matter to Sylvia she seemed more interested in receiving than giving, any advice given by Adrienne was ignored for the most part this was a little frustrating. I couldn’t help but wonder if Sylvia was more interested in being alone until she needed Adrienne or their friends. If I were Adrienne Moonier, I’d have felt somewhat used.
Anytime I am given the opportunity to visit Paris within a book I find myself jumping at the opportunity, in the hopes I’ll find characters to remember as I love character-based stories; but when it come to The Paris Bookseller, I found they were pleasant but not memorable in the long term.
Having now finished the book I will say I personally wish I had researched the famed Authors and their works before beginning this read, I felt rather lost and felt like I was letting the book down by not being knowledgeable or even excited by the mention of them or by these titles. Â
The conflict that occurs when Ulysses is published certainly had my interest peaked, I also enjoyed the other members of the Beach family, especially Elenor Beach.
I found the relationship between Adrienne and Sylvia and the speed which it developed was predictable, however, I found the focus on friendship helped to balance that detail out.
The attention to detail does make the reader feel as if they are inside the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in 1920, and the food described when reading were the details that made this enjoyable.
Unlike most of the WW2 Historical Fiction, I read The Paris Bookseller was a peaceful read in the genre, I must admit I haven’t come across too many books in this genre that aren’t based on wartime.
In the later parts of the book, The Paris Bookseller manages to tug on the reader’s heartstrings, when I reached the closing chapters I was overly happy with how things turned out for Sylvia Beach. Thanks to the author’s note I felt like I got answers to some of the questions I had throughout the book.
I recommend this book to a mature audience, fans of Sylvia Beach, Shakespeare and Company any reader who enjoys books set in 1920’s Paris, readers who enjoy books with a mix of Fiction and non-Fiction.
With continued thanks to Hachette Australia for sending a copy of this title to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.