💛 Besides her love for reading, she loves to imagine the lives of her fellow metro passengers, through books they read every day. There's a woman who always cries when she gets to page 247 of the same book she always read on the Metro. Then, an ornithologist who loves reading book about insects, and a lady with her cook book. Juliette's imagination brings colors to her otherwise bleak existence.
💛 Her life changes when Juliette passes a different road to office, and notices a curious little bookstore with a book wedged on its gate. Intuitively she enters the tranquil courtyard which feels like another world from the hustle bustle of Paris. There she becomes acquainted to Soliman, the bookshop owner, and his daughter Zaide, and without realizes what's happening, Juliette agrees to be a passeur.
💛 Soliman's bookshop isn't an ordinary one. He hired passeurs who match books with people they see - books that they would need or books that match their personalities. The kind of occupation that suits Juliette perfectly and correlated to what she's been doing lately on the Metro. But her biggest life change didn't happen until Soliman asked her to move into his house to take care of little Zaide while he's away.
💛 This is the kind of book without much of a plot. Its strength lays on the beautiful writing and its deep understanding of human struggles and the power of books to heal or guide human lives. I would love it better if it tells us more about the bookshop and the passeur concept. Are the secondhand books passed on to people freely, or should they pay for them? Because Juliette only passes them on to people, there are never any transaction. And if they are free, then how the bookshop keep itself running? If the books are sold from the shop, but some of it are passed on to readers, there are no hints of business along the story. These aspects made the story less relatable to me, though I love the bookshop itself - the tranquil hushed-up atmosphere which seemed to transport me to a secret alley in Paris which is hidden from tourists.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
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hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace
Looks like a nice light read… good to see books written by French authors.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Kudos to those translators too!
DeleteThis is a quieter novel, but I really liked it. Probably because it has both books and Paris in it. :D
ReplyDeleteTrue. I felt transported back to Paris and its metro... :)
DeleteIt sounds absolutely delightful. Sometimes those slow-paced novels are just so calming, especially when books are part of the story.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Carissa. In this case, the narrator's voice (I read the audiobook) is calming too, perfect for this story.
DeleteThe ambiance seems lovely. I'm always curious at what people on the métro or train are reading, lol
ReplyDeleteYes, it's the ambiance that I loved the most of this book. Especially every scene on the metro.
DeleteI have this one on my list but it won't be available from the library for quite awhile. Maybe I can read it for Novellas in November. LOL
ReplyDeleteGood idea! Hope you'll love it when you get to read it.
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