From the very first words of
this novel I was drawn into the world of Francie Nolan, age 10: Francie is a sensitive
soul, avid reader, and future writer.
This heartwarming story of her loveable
Irish-American family in Brooklyn in the early years of the twentieth century,
with its cast of richly drawn characters and documentary detail of the world
they live in, is funny, sad, touching, thought-provoking, and wonderfully well
told.
Betty Smithâs insight into the human conditionâand human psychologyâis
exceptional, and exceptionally well expressed, and her sense of humor keeps it
from ever being depressing, no matter how difficult the lives of the characters
sheâs describing may be.
Their vitality and love of life in spite of the
considerable challenges they face is contagious, and inspiring.Â
A special 75th anniversary edition of the beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the twentieth century.
From the moment she entered the world, Francie Nolan needed to be made of stern stuff, for growing up in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn, New York demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her familyâs erratic and eccentric behaviorâsuch as her father Johnnyâs taste for alcohol and Aunt Sissyâs habit of marrying serially without the formality of divorceâno one, least of all Francie, couldâŚ
I laughed out loud frequently while
reading this book and when I wasnât laughing out loud, I was smiling.
Susan
Collâs writing is satire, but it is very gentle satire: the authorâs affection
and sympathy for people is always clear, even as she is describing their
ridiculously bumbling ways. I love all of her novels but this one, as the title
suggests, is perfect for people who love books, set as it is in an indie
bookstore full to overflowing with characters who embody all the ways that
bookish people can be both loveable and ridiculous in their typically bookish
ways.
A perfect storm of comedic proportions erupts in a DC bookstore over the course of one soggy summer week-narrated by two very different women and punctuated by political turmoil, a celestial event, and a perpetually broken vacuum cleaner.
Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child's lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store.
Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors thatâŚ
As a dedicated Francophile, I
love books that celebrate all that is wonderful about the French, and this book
definitely falls into that category. It is, however, not blindly
celebratory.
Cathy Yandellâs love of France and the French is tempered by a
balanced view of French life: the stories she tells about her experiences in
France over a period of 40-some years provide insight into some of the ways
that American and French sensibilities (and habits and ways) can occasionally collide.
All of this is recounted with humor and affectionâfrom a soundly American,
French-loving point of view.
I also love this book for the abundance of
practical information about a variety of topics, including suggestions for good
contemporary French books, films, and recording artists.Â
What is joie de vivre, and why is it a fundamentally French concept?
In search of those ineffable qualities that make up the joy of living, this lively book takes readers on a voyage to France through forays into literature, history, and culture. How does art contribute to daily life? Why is cuisine such a central part of French existence? Why are the French more physical than many other cultures? How do French attitudes toward time speak volumes about their sense of pleasure and celebration? And finally, to what extent is this zest for life exportable? These and other questionsâŚ
This memoir chronicles the lives of three generations of women with a passion for reading, writing, and travel. The story begins in 1992 in an unfinished attic in Brooklyn as the author reads a notebook written in by her grandmother nearly 100 years earlier. This sets her on a 30-year search to find her grandmotherâs journals, and uncover the hidden interior lives of her mother and grandmother. Her adventures take her to a variety of locations, from a small town in Iowa to New York, Washington, London and Parisâand finally to a little village in France, where she is finally able to write the book that will tell her own story, intertwined with the stories of her mother and grandmother.
