 PUBLICATION YEAR: 2013
GENRE: Fiction
PAGE COUNT: 243
FORMAT: Paperback
AVAILABLE ONLINE : amazon
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I have not encountered many books which are based on the
themes of Reading Books. The only one that I have come across so far is “ The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak
which happens to be my all time favourite. So I was pleased to have found this book ” The Collected Works of AJ Fikry “
by Gabrielle Zevin in one of my local bookstores
.
The synopsis didn’t reveal much but the front cover is what
attracted me to this one. It had a picture of a man and a baby girl reading a
book in what looks like a library/bookstore. The blurb in the cover page is
given by the author of The Snow Child , Eowyn Ivey and it says ,
” Delightful. I read [it] in one sitting “
I couldn’t agree more
. Although I didn’t finish it one sitting ( I could have though) , it was
indeed a delightful read. This book is meant for booklovers like me and I am
glad I found this gem of a book.
The story follows a man called AJ Fikry who runs a bookstore
named ISLAND BOOKS. He recently lost his wife in an accident. He lives an
isolated life and the bookstore isn’t
doing great business either . However one day, he finds a baby girl named Maya
in his store and that changes his life drastically. This book chronicles the
life of AJ Fikry and the people associated with him. It shows how a book /story
has the power to bring people together and affects their lives in the most
significant way possible.
The main character AJ Fikry is a widower and prefers to live
a secluded life. He is quite opinionated
when it comes to people’s reading tastes and never misses an opportunity to
lecture people on bookish stuff. If I
were to meet such a person in real life, I would have hated him upfront but secretly admired and may be even loved him for his immense love and knowledge for books. He is the kind of
booklover whose each and every conversation revolves around books and reading.
But as he finds Maya , we see a different softer side to him. But that didn’t
stop him from speaking his mind.
Apart from AJ and the baby girl Maya , the book also had a
large cast of characters who were equally significant. I particularly liked the
cop Lambiose. He was a lovable person and it was heartening to see his
evolution from a non reader to booklover. The other characters included AJ’s in
laws and other staffs. I constantly
wished I was a part of this beautiful story. I could easily see myself a
character in this book. 😉
Every chapter gave a sneak peek into AJ Fikry’s diary entry which consisted
of titbits of a certain book and how it shaped up his life. These
books were mostly classics which I haven’t read . So, I had to look up the
story in order to get the reference. (I know .. I know... I am a Book NERD .!!😉
)
This book was filled with pop culture and classic book references.
I also got to know a little about the book publishing
industry, sales rep etc . There were book
clubs and book themed parties. There was also a restaurant that had a book
themed menu. I simply loved this world.
Speaking of things I learnt from this book – I learnt a new word “ anthropomorphizing”
. Seriously, how do you even pronounce it..!!! 😄
My favourite part of this book was all the book references. It
really warmed my heart. There is also a reference to the “The Book Thief” . I would like to mention a scene where AJ Fikry
is at a restaurant that serves book
themed food . He says –
“ When I was reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ,
I used to think that Turkish delight must be really tasty if it made Edmund
betray his family”.
The reason I mention this is because I was thinking the exact same thing about
Turkish delight when I was reading The
Chronicles of Narnia as a kid . Such references are a joy to read for
booklovers like me.
As far as the plot was concerned, the story wasn’t anything
extraordinary. It was pretty simple with may be one or two major plot twists.
The writing style was also simple. There were a few noteworthy quotes that were
beautiful.
The only negative about this book that I can think of is that beginners or non readers might not be
able to wrap their head around the various book references that is sprinkled
throughout the narrative.
It is a short fast paced book packed with varied emotions.
Apart from satiating your book love , it will also give a few life lessons on
second chance, love, marriage etc. It wasn’t a great literary book by any means.It
is not something that will blow your
mind away but it would definitely touch your heart.
It was such a heart-warming
read for me that I already plan on
revisiting this book soon.
A feel good book for all the booklovers out there.
RATING – 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑 ( 5/5 )
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