Chic
lit isn’t a genre that I normally read.
However, a book about a bookstore with a charming British girl for the
main character piqued my interest. The
description of the book describes the bookstore as an all-night haven for some
quirky characters. I do love quirky
characters. So I figured, why not?
Esme
Garland is a young British woman who has come to Columbia University to do her
PhD in art history. As intelligent as
she is, Esme is naïve about life in general and love in particular. Her social skills aren’t always the greatest
either. She falls for Mitchell who is also scholarly and intelligent. He is charming and romantic and plays Esme
like a fine violin. The only words I can
think of to describe him are obnoxious, contemptible and schmuck. He is definitely a grade A highbrow schmuck,
but a schmuck nonetheless.
Essentially
the story centers on Esme’s unplanned pregnancy and how she deals with her life
suddenly veering off course. Anyone who
has herself been or had a friend in this position is familiar with the range of
emotions and decisions that Esme deals with as part and parcel of the circumstance. Many
of us also know someone who has been dumped by a lover, more than once, yet
will return to the relationship at any given opportunity. That’s Esme – there are times you just want
to shake her so she will wake up. But
you can’t and she doesn’t - until she becomes a mother.
In
order to be able to support herself once the baby arrives, Esme gets a job at
the Owl, a second hand bookstore. This
is where we meet a handful of secondary characters that come and go through the
story. This aspect of the book you are
either going to love or hate.
Personally, I enjoyed the diversions provided by these characters but I suspect
others may see them as detractors from the main event.
Being
privy to Esme’s thoughts, her quick wit and occasional lack of filters makes
for an endearing character and an amusing read. I enjoyed
how Meyler uses Esme’s knowledge of art, Luke’s (works at the bookstore) knowledge
of music, and George’s (bookstore owner) knowledge of literature to contrast
and compare different ways of looking at life in general and in detail. There are numerous references to great works
of art and music and numerous literary references threaded through the dialogues,
but you don’t need to be familiar with these references to understand the
points that are being made, at least I don’t think so. After all this is chick lit, an examination
of womanhood not of philosophy or the classics. If you like, allow your eyes to
glaze over, yawn or flip the page at these parts; that’s what I always do when things
get too sappy in a book.
Overall this is an enjoyable
read from a new author who shows potential.
For those who are interested,
I am providing two links:.
The first is to Bookshipper,
a blog written by a friend who loves chick lit.
http://bookshipper.blogspot.ca/The second link is to a short article in USA Today about this book and a brief bio on Deborah Meyler.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/08/14/deborah-meyler-the-bookstore/2608937/
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