The Good Mayor

by Andrew Nicoll, Zoltán Komló (Translator)

The Good Mayor is a magical debut novel. It is a love story and a story about love.
Set in the little town of Dot in a forgotten part of the Baltic, it tells the story of Tibo Krovic, the good and honest Mayor of Dot, and his love for his secretary, the beautiful, lonely, but married, Mrs Agathe Stopak.
In the quiet, respectable town of Dot there is nothing that Tibo can do about his love for Mrs Stopak but, one day, when she accidentally drops her lunch into a fountain, everything changes and their lives will never be the same again.

The Good Mayor is a story of love, loss, magic, friendship, wonderful food, a brass band, an Italian witch, a large lawyer, an occasional dog and a car chase at walking pace. Beautifully written, this is one of the finest debut novels in years. Read The Good Mayor and fall in love again.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Book Club, Magical Realism, Ebooks, Novels

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Born in Dundee, Andrew Nicoll has lived all his life within the same few streets by the sea. Once a forester, now a journalist, Nicoll has covered the Scottish Parliament for 'The Sun' for the past ten years. A poet and short story writer before he turned novelist, Nicoll has published numerous stories and poems over the years. His first novel, 'The Good Mayor,' was written during eighteen months of commuting to work by rail. Published by Black & White in the U.K., by Harper Collins in Australia, and by Bantam in the Unites States (September 09), 'The Good Mayor' has been sold to 17 nations and translated into 13 languages. Andrew Nicoll was awarded the Saltire Prize for the First Book of the Year in 2009, and is working to complete a new novel.

Reviews

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well written there's a danger of falling in love with the author. Particularly when he says things like "Naked and plump and luminously beautiful..."

um... where was I?

Oh. It's a love story. And more. You'll be asked to indulge in a bit of fantasy. You'll be asked to forgive and forget. You'll be glad you did. Fresh and witty, yet full of honest observations on human nature, The Good Mayor is a delight.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently I'm not "quirky" enough for this novel. I picked it up because I read somewhere that it was a readalike of Chocolat, a book I love. In fact, Joanne Harris does offer a blurb for this one. However, stuck with it through several monotonous scenes - although the descriptions were fanciful - of the mayor longing for his secretary. Then she sleeps with someone she's hated (with the excuse that the mayor is moving too slow for her - and she's married!). I started skimming from there.
When she TURNS INTO A DOG, for no good reason other than she wants to, is when I gave this one up. I guess I have too much of a sense of reality to deal with this quirkiness.

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars. Review is up on the blog https://atakefromtwocities.wixsite.co...

THE GOOD MAYOR is a compelling, morally grey tale depicting tangible lives in a historical European context. I couldn't predict where the story was going, nor could I look away.

In the town of Dot, a fairly bustling town in the Baltic, resided the 'Good Mayor', Tibo Krovic. Everyone called him good and so he was. He admired from afar, through the office door, his secretary Agathe Stopak. This story took a winding, lovely build from a professional relationship into something more. The routine working day between these two, emerged into a desperate love, with thoughts, little said, occasional touches, many lunches and no action. The feelings were mutual and despite Agathe's marital status, I was invested.

"Tibo couldn't help being kind. They warmed each other with those little gifts - kindness and beauty. They are precious. They are always in short supply."

I thought I knew where this story was going, I didn't. There were plot twists, there was warm, fuzzy and beautiful love, tempered by pitiful heartache. There were side characters to like such as the coffee shop owners with their supernatural sight and those to hate such as the Stopaks. I couldn't fathom Agathe or Tibo's decision-making at times and felt frustration but continued to hang around for this unpredictable ride, rather helplessly.

As the book sprinted to the end there was a rather weird story direction that I still don't quite comprehend and the wrap up was a little rushed but I feel an overall satisfaction in this read. It felt different to many of the books I've read of late and so, a unique and unusual story is always welcome. I don't know if I would call this women's fiction or historical fiction with a strong romantic theme, maybe both. THE GOOD MAYOR is worth giving a chance and I would definitely read this author again.

Thank you Black & White Publishing for this early copy.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good guys win. Don't act surprised--it's billed as a love story after all.

At first, I loved this book because it was so lovely and loving and in love. It was almost silly-cute and completely unrealistic. Like some kind of literary ballet, complete with twinkling and tremulos. But I was only half-way through the book--hell, it couldn't have gone on like that forever! I KNEW something bad was bound to happen. And then it did. Something bad. Something really really bad. Something...REALISTIC!

What the fuck???????????

YOU RUINED MY BALLET! How dare some Mr. Right Now come in off the street and ruin the perfect courtship? How dare sex replace love? How dare Agathe get scared and how dare she have doubts and how dare she make wrong decisions? How dare real life come in, stomping around and putting dirty footprints all over my clean white pages of this work of FICTION??? And this was fresh-laid marley, too. I'm mad at you, Truth! Look what you did to Agathe! And poor Tibo Krovic!!! Only Anna Karenina might know what it is to suffer like you've suffered, ol' Tibo.

*sigh*

I'm glad the bits of magic brought me back to a willing suspension of disbelief. And the bits that stroked my hair and snuggled me and reassured me and snuck a tutu or two out from the wings--those bits were good. I think my heart stopped beating once or twice out of pure sadness, but somebody came and massaged it back to life. I'm pretty sure it was deus ex machina.

I still haven't fully recovered.

[Marisa Fernandes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Amor, Ponto e Vírgula" é um romance incomum e original, carregado de exotismo. A narradora é a Santa Walpurnia, uma virgem barbuda, padroeira da cidade de Ponto localizada algures no Báltico. E a história passa-se essencialmente entre o Presidente da Câmara, Tibo Krovic, e a sua Secretária, Agathe Stopak, por quem está secretamente apaixonado há já algum tempo. Ela é casada, mas vive infeliz porque apesar dos seus vários esforços o marido só quer a companhia do álcool quando chega a casa...

A verdade é que apesar destas premissas aparentemente simples e comuns, a história ganha contornos especiais do início ao fim. Walpurnia está sempre a ser chamada, há bruxas e feitiços e personagens que evoluem da sua forma humana para dálmatas...! E a história de amor que se desenvolve entre Tibo e Agathe é muito bonita, mas está longe de ser linear... De um momento para o outro, Agathe passa a ser objecto de desejo de mais outro homem na história. Porém, enquanto um nutre por ela um bonito amor, ou outro só sente desejo e não tem amor!

A escrita é bela, leva-nos a sonhá-la até por causa da própria forma como é contada e também nos deixa a pensar sobre as implicações de se: gostar de alguém e mantê-lo em segredo sem avançar no dito momento, porque nunca o encontramos e estamos sempre à espera de uma altura melhor, e com isso perder a oportunidade; escolher alguém por quem temos atracção física, mas não verdadeiro sentimento, porque a pessoa por quem temos algum sentimento "não se mexe", ficamos a achar que o sentimento não é correspondido, o tempo passa e não temos a vida toda; e de se permanecer numa relação em que não só não nos sentimos realizados, como nem somos felizes... Questões com que, certamente, nos iremos cruzar pelo menos uma vez na vida (mesmo que isso não se passe connosco é muito possível que possamos conhecer alguém que já esteve ou virá a estar em circunstâncias semelhantes).
*
"É assim que o amor é: dá a tudo um sabor novo, pinta tudo com cores diferentes, acaricia os nervos com uma sensação aguda que faz lembrar picadas de agulha, torna o entediantemente mundano novamente suportável."(p.158)

[Vaso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very romantic book, that describes the love of the city mayor. A love, that the mayor doesn't want to admit....

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πολύ τρυφερό βιβλίο που είχα διαβάσει παλιότερα....

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read the synopsis of this book I thought it sounded good. However when I read it the rhythm of the book was such that it seemed like there was 50's tv show music in the background making it hard for me to read and distracting me. I thought the characters were almost cartoonish and I couldn't connect to them. In the end the book just wasn't for me.

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marking ten years since The Good Mayor won the Saltire First Book Award, Black & White have just published a brand-new edition of this international bestseller. It has been published in 20 different languages and has sold in approximately 23 territories.

The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll is a novel that I can honestly say is THE most quirky book I have EVER read. It is described as ‘a novel of love, loss, magic, friendship, wonderful food, a brass band, an Italian witch, a large lawyer, an occasional dog and a car chase that takes place at walking pace’

From the very first page it was obvious how very different this book would be…

‘These days, not many people visit Dot. Not many people have a reason to sail so far north into the Baltic, particularly not into the shallow seas at the mouth of the River Ampersand. There are so many little islands offshore, some of them appearing only at low tide, some of them, from time to time, coalescing with their neighbours with the capriciousness of an Italian government, that the cartographers of four nations long ago abandoned any attempt to map the place.’

Littered throughout with fictitious places of a grammatical nature such as Dot, Dash, Umlaut and Ampersand, The Good Mayor is a treat for your imagination. This is a book that you slowly navigate as you lose yourself in the magic of Andrew Nicoll’s writing. Dot is a town of wonder, populated by a very unconventional folk but in particular with one very appreciated and gentle man, Tibo Krovic, the Mayor of the town. Tibo Krovic has been the Mayor of Dot for many years, garnering great respect from all. His fairness, his work ethic, his general demeanor, his patience with every single person he encounters, has earned him the affectionate title of Good Tibo Krovic, The Good Mayor.

Tibo Krovic lives alone, with routine being a very important aspect of his day. He gets up at the same time each morning, stopping at The Golden Angel where he will order ‘a strong Viennese coffee with plenty of figs, drink it, suck one mint and leave the rest of the bag on the table.’ He walks into the council chambers of the Town Hall and continues up a green marble staircase to his office, where he carries out his mayoral duties in the presence of his secretary Mrs. Agatha Stopak. Tibo is in love and has been for some time with this woman, this perfect woman, who symbolises everything that Tibo desires. He studies her daily, longingly, but he keeps his thoughts to himself, as Agatha Stopak is married and Tibo respects this however frustrated it makes him feel.

One day Agatha Stopak’s lunchbox falls into a fountain and life for Tibo Krovic changes forever. He sets off on a journey of love and loss, a journey filled with passion and mysticism, a journey of hope. As a reader we experience these sensations with Tibo. We witness Agatha, as her life begins to unravel. We are introduced to an Italian woman with other senses, a strega, a witch. This woman can sense things, she feels things, she knows things and, through her, Agatha and Tibo’s relationship has a chance to flourish…..

The Good Mayor is a novel filled with pure magic and beauty. A difficult book to pigeon-hole, magic realism is probably the best genre, the best fit. Dot is a town where anything can happen, a place where hidden forces hide in the cracks of people’s homes and in the hearts and minds of it’s inhabitants. Tibo Krovic and Agatha Stopak are unusual characters, as are all the folk featured in this novel, but at the heart of their story are very real themes, that of love and romance, of hope and of friendship.

The Good Mayor is the perfect read for all who seek the unconventional, the peculiar. It is pure escapism. It is quite an extraordinary read, a very fantastical read, an eccentric read, filled with a lovable array of characters who inhabit a curious town, a forgotten town in a forgotten part of the Baltic.

‘The men of Dot needed no maps to navigate the islands which protect their little harbour. They found their way through the archipelago by smell. They guided themselves by the colour of the sea or the patterns of the waves or the rhythm of the current or the position of this eddy or that piece of slack water or the shape of the breakers where two tides crossed. The men of Dot sailed confidently out of their harbour seven centuries ago, taking skins and dried fish to the ports of the Hanseatic League and they sailed home yesterday with cigarettes and vodka that nobody else need know anything about….’

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky and engaging love story between an unhappily woman and her boss, the good Mayor of Dot. Whimsical and charming, it's an old fashioned love story with colorful characters abounding in the mythical world of Dot (which is next to Dash and at odds with Umlaut, their neighbors on the other side.

[Dragos C Butuzea · Rating 4 out of 5]

primar + secretară = love

Iată ce ştiu eu despre viaţă. Am învăţat că în lumea asta nu există atât de multă iubire încât să ne permitem s-o risipim. N-avem voie să irosim nici măcar un strop. Dacă avem norocul s-o găsim, oriunde am găsi-o, trebuie s-o păstrăm şi să ne bucurăm de ea cât de mult putem, pentru cât de mult timp putem, până la ultimul sărut. (p.296)

asta spune primarul „cel bun“, personajul principal al romanului lui andrew nicoll. evident că dacă spune asta e înşelat în dragoste, şi cum naiba - pe sfânta walpurnia cea bărboasă! - să nu fie când e un căcăcios romantic şi minunata sa secretară de care e in love, o fi aducând ea ecouri îndepărtate ale unor coruri de îngeri, tot de coţăială are nevoie. aşa că se-aruncă, mincinoasa şi curva şi nenorocita (cum avea primarul să gândească despre ea), în braţele unui neisprăvit, însă viril din cela care nu ştie prea multe, cum o prinde, cum o...

ei bine, primarul „cel bun“ e un fel de hamlet, care mai multe vorbeşte decât face - a little more conversation, a little less action - iar când face, are de executat un adevărat ritual. aşa că ba o invită pe iubita sa secretară la masă, ba îi urmăreşte pe sub uşă micuţele şi grăsunele degeţelele, ba îi scrie bileţele cu subînţelesuri, de-abia hăăt, o şi pupă. totul pe zeci de pagini pe care le citeşti cu indulgenţă, simpatie şi ironie. evident că, înşelat, „se răzbună“ ca şi hamlet - cum anume nu spoilăruiesc (e de-ajuns un dan c. mihăilescu aici), dar menţionez că e de râsul curcilor.

cartea asta a nu este la fel de amuzantă ca prima, însă e mai bine scrisă, şi e mai frumoasă poate pentru că e mai romantică - asemenea bietului primar răbdător şi înşelat - şi mai mitologică, are un aer de poveste. până şi oraşul în care se petrec toate e utopic. însă pe toate acestea le treci cu vederea, şi mergi corconiceşte pe firul întins al paginilor, după povestea primarului „cel bun“ şi al iubirii sale.

vă spun doar că e cu happyend, şi, aşa cum scrie şi autorul, pentru povestea asta e mult mai important felul în care e istorisită decât ceea ce se întâmplă. (p.371)

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to give this book five stars some days and two stars other days... I settled on 3.5 stars. I was really back and forth on whether or not I like this book. Ultimately I decided that I do like it. If I give up my pre-concieved notions about how romances are supposed to play out, if I remember that the story is in the telling, and if I stop worrying about whether or not I agree with the character's choices and just sit back and enjoy the words then I actually liked it very much.

The first half is so charming and a joy to read. By the end it's downright strange, but still very well told. There is even something to be learned about love and goodness. If someone were to ask me about the plot it seems such a shallow little book, but there is actually much to discuss and a lot to wonder about. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it at that.

I can see why some people would be turned off to this book... I almost was. However, when all is said and done, I really enjoyed reading it.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel came out a year ago in the U.K., and will be out in the U.S. in September from Bantam. It's highly unusual in its structure and style, sort of like a magical realist novel set in the North. But that doesn't describe it well at all. It's quite delicious (if a bit slow-going at first)...the mayor of a town named Dot (Ampersand, Dash, etc. are other place names) is in love with his secretary, who is married...the novel explores unrequited love, romance, lust...and ends not quite happily but perhaps hopefully...It's rich in layers: about life, love, possibility, opportunities missed and others taken...It's beautifully written and very romantic, in the very best sense of that term.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sweet, gentle love story filled with magic and humour follows the relationship between the Mayor of a small town called Dot.

This book was great up until the last 100 pages or so, then it became very strange, in an unnecessary way.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a quirky little read this is!

Set in the fictional town of Dot which I wish were real as it sounds very nice indeed! A major falls in love with a local woman. This is no straightforward romance. No Sir. What follows is a quirky, unique little story with a nod to the magical realism and forgotten legends. There's the hint  of supernaturalism too. Sounds odd? It's not your typical story that's for sure but it's charming, lovely to read with prose that makes you laugh and cry and chuckle the rest of the time.

Characters are charming so much so I wanted to give them all a hug. Will they ever get together? That mayor is a slow learner. Agathe is not much better (well she is married  tsk tsk) But it's the journey through the landscape of romance that is the biggest draw here.

You can hear the author smiling and chuckling with his characters as you read.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an unusual read.

The story is about a mayor who is in love with his married secretary. After the death of her child died, the secretary's marriage is not what it has been and she is lonely.

This book did not go in the direction I thought it would. It definitely has a touch of mysticism about it. For a start the lady who operates the cafe is a magic woman and seer. The story is told from the perspective of the spirit of the local saint.

It was interesting in places but towards the end it kind of lost me a bit. It was also a bit long and I think some of the ruminations of the parties could have been cut down a bit.

I think it is worth a read if you don't mind the magical realism genre.

[Mer · Rating 3 out of 5]

No es un mal libro, aunque tampoco ha sido lo que yo esperaba. En ningún momento se me ha hecho pesado pero las cosas pasan muyyyyy lentamente. Muchas hojas se van en lo descriptivo que es, aunque no llega a aburrir porque en realidad está escrito estupendamente.

Más en: http://bitacorademislecturas.blogspot...

[Helen Sews-Knits · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually no I deserve to mark this one as read 50% in and get my credit back. In my own narrative of this book they embrace at the bandstand, she bends forward her buxom figure wobbling seductively as she tells him her husband has died of drink, they marry and she feels the weight of all her sadness fly away from her like a little fluttering bird. good night.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing storyteller. This book is absolutely phenomenal. It will make you laugh, make you cry and sometimes both at the same time. Do not kiss this book.

[Alexander Stamelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Δεν ξέρω από που να αρχίσω και που να τελειώσω με το εν λόγω βιβλίο. Λοιπόν θα τα πάρω τα πράγματα από την αρχή γιατί είμαι πολύ εκνευρισμένος.

Ο Δήμαρχος Ταιμπο είναι ερωτευμένος με την γραμματέα του την Αγαθή. Η Αγαθή είναι μια μεγαλοξεκολιάρα και ο καθένας μπορεί να το καταλάβει από το σημείο που λεει ότι είναι πικραμένη με τον αντρα της...και είναι πικραμένη γιατί δεν την πηδάει. Βέβαια το ότι δεν την πηδάει είναι σχετικό μιας και η Αγαθή έχασε το παιδί τους και ο τύπος λόγω του θανάτου του παιδιού του έπεσε σε κατάθλιψη. 6 μήνες μετά τον θάνατο του βρέφους η Αγαθή ήθελε πηδήματα, και ο άντρας της που τα έφερνε και δύσκολα οικονομικά έσκαγε μέσα του. Τι έκανε αυτή η "Αγία" γυναίκα (έτσι την παρουσιάζει ο συγγραφέας) ? Άρχισε λοιπόν να καυλαντίζει με τον προιστάμενο της και αυτός για μήνες την έβγαζε κάθε μέρα έξω για φαγητό και ρομαντικές βολτούλες (ερωτευμένος βλέπεις ο καημένος). Μια μέρα ξαφνικά επειδή ο Ταιμπό δεν έπιασε το λογοπαίγνιο της Αγαθής (που μόνο Αγαθή δεν είναι), μένει ρέστος μιας και η Αγαθή τσαντισμένη πηδιέται με τον αχαιρευτέτο και ακαμάτη πρώτο ξάδελφο του άντρα της που φιλοξενούσαν εκείνη την περίοδο. Επειδή είναι τίμια κιόλας, μετακομίζει στο σπίτι του ξαδέλφου, εγκαταλείποντας τον άντρα της και φτύνοντας κατάμουτρα τον καημένο ερωτοχτυπημένο δήμαρχο.
Ο ξάδελφος δεν είναι κανάς μαλάκας. Σαν σωστός σατράπης νταβάς της τα παίρνει και σε αντάλλαγμα της δίνει ονειρικά πηδήματα. 3 χρόνια περνάνε και ο τρόμπας ο δήμαρχος εκεί κολλημένος με την μεγαλοξεκολιάρα και κάπου εκεί ο συγγραφέας αποφασίζει να κάνει απόψυξη στο ψυγείο του και ανακαλύπτει κάτι Lsd που είχε καβατζώσει εκεί στα τέλη των '90ς ! Σου λεει σιγά μην καταλάβω τίποτα...θα έχουν λήξει και τσααααφ κουμπώνει όλη την καρτέλα...μένουν λίγο περισσότερες από 100 σελίδες για να τελειώσει το βιβλίο και το άκουσμα είναι βαρύ και ασήκωτο. Τα δάχτυλα του φεύγουν σαν σαίτες πάνω στο πληκτρολόγιο και αποφασίζει ότι η μεγαλοπουτανάρα η Αγαθή θα μεταμορφωθεί σε σκύλο ! Ναι, σε σκύλο αλλά όχι ότι κι ότι...θα είναι σκύλος Δαλματίας και θα μιλάει κιόλας ! Αν διαβάζει κανείς αυτές τις γραμμές πιθανότατα θα σκέφτεται ότι γράφω μαλακίες ή αν όντως λέω την αλήθεια.
Ένα θα σου αγαπητέ/ή...απλά γκούγλαρε το όνομα του συγγραφέα και δες την φάτσα του. Το αν είναι μαλάκας ή ακουσμένος από παραισθησιογόνα το αφήνω στην δική σου κρίση !

ΥΓ: Το βιβλίο αν είχε ένα τέλος που να έβγαζε νόημα θα του έβαζα 4 αστέρια. 2 αστέρια και αυ��ά με πολύ γενναιοδωρία...500 σελίδες ήταν αυτές ρε πούστη μου...και μέχρι την 380 μου άρεσε...αλλά μετά ο καργιόλης είπε να μας κάνει κλύσμα.

[Bookaholic]

entru mine, romanul scriitorului scoțian Andrew Nicoll a fost o experiență literară surprinzătoare de la prima până la ultima pagină. Povestea de iubire dintre bunul primar al orașului Punct (situat alături de Cratimă și în veșnică dușmănie cu orașul vecin, Umlaut), Tibo Krovic, și frumoasa lui secretară, doamna Agathe Stopak, este ca o păturică dintr-aia făcută din bucăți disparate de material și a cărei frumusețe constă în faptul că, deși amestecă lucruri atât de diferite, rezultatul final reușește să fie nu doar omogen, ci și foarte plăcut. Cam așa e și cu A fost odată ca niciodată, Nicoll se joacă cu convențiile literare, jonglează cu ele, cu personajele și cu cititorii deopotrivă, iar ceea ce iese e o poveste, în același timp, (aparent) banală și insolită.

Banală pentru că, practic, nu-și propune să fie altfel decât celelalte povești de dragoste ale lumii. Insolită pentru că, în ciuda stereotipiilor de care se folosește, reușește să te surprindă neîncetat. Pe măsură ce dai paginile, te cam prinzi de forma pe care ar trebui s-o ia povestea (șeful îndrăgostit de secretara sa, cât de original, nu?), dar nu știi la ce fel de final să te aștepți.

O poveste care începe cu „A fost odată ca niciodată” (în paranteză fie spus, interpretarea asta pornește de la titlul în română al cărții, cel din engleză fiind un pic mai prozaic, The Good Mayor), așadar, o astfel de poveste se poate termina, previzibil, cu „au trăit fericiți până la adânci bătrâneți” (dar parcă ar fi prea simplu) sau, ca orice basm modern, poate alege să încalce convențiile și să nu le permită protagoniștilor să-și trăiască până la capăt iubirea (dar atunci ar fi prea trist). Soluția găsită de scriitor e, însă, atât de simplă și de elegantă, încât îți pare bine că a reușit să te păcălească până la ultima pagină. (continuarea cronicii: http://www.bookaholic.ro/a-fost-odata...)

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was neither interesting nor painful to read; all I felt was embarrassment for the author for this uneven pastiche of a story. There were a lot of words which came to mind when I was reading and the first was "filler" because there was an awful lot of it; why say something once when you can repeat it five or more times. I felt like I was reading a draft sometimes where some phrases and ideas were tried in different ways and in the end, the author decided to include all, and put them in a row as if he were afraid we wouldn't get the point. The second word was "unoriginal" because it was all fairly predictable terrain and not only was nothing added to it but he decided to get cute: neighboring towns named "Dot" and "Dash" with a rival town named "Umlaut". Apparently, even Scotland gets into the anti-German act by lending their punctuation to fight but since this was set in a thinly-disguised version of Scotland - there was nothing Baltic about Dot, not even the character's names - it was no surprise that the author got a few digs in at the continent, even to the stereotypical Italians. The last word or phrase might be "journalist" because the story was written with so many cute devices dropped in and abandoned at various points that it had the feel of a stringer writing a story with an aim to please and sell rather than tell a story. At some points, he leans heavily on a voiceover from a bearded martyred female saint - a dig against the Papists? - and then he drops in a lot of magic to get over prickly plot points and finally just pans out like a television camera from things he'd rather not write about (or can't.) This had the feeling of a bad made-for-television feel-good holiday film and instead of feeling good, I just wanted to get to the credits and get it over with.

[Stephanie Pâquet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am...
I don't know how to choose the right words?!?!
Let me tell it that way: one minute I was reading a wonderful masterpiece. Everything about it was perfect. The slow-burn, the longing, the fact that they can't get the moment right, etc.
I couldn't put this book down. I started it around 11pm and I was nearing the end around 2am. I was smiling. I was emotional.
But then you get to page 303.
(by the way , this book ends at page 352)
...and....
the magic ends.
In fact, the author killed the magic with....too much magic.
The plot got way out of hands. You read the first few lines following pages 350s and you say 'Oh what a beautiful metaphor'.
But it goes on and on... making me feel uncomfortable.
All throughout the book there's a level of whimsical and magic and gorgeousness, and all of this is broken in the last few pages.
I know many will disagree with me.
But I also saw many people on Goodreads thinking the same as me...
I even read the last part again this morning, thinking MAYBE I was tired and didn't get it.
nope.
The last part got wild. Insanely out of characters.
Don't get me wrong: one of my all-time favorite book is Boris Vian's Froth of the Daydream. But I like to know what I'm reading. And I feel that with The Good Mayor, I was thrown a surprise ending that came out of nowhere.
Yes there is a happy ending, but in this particular case the happy ending upset me more than if it would have ended badly.
It was all about the slow-burn, the long journey through love...and I am still very confused as to how the story got told towards the end.
It upset me that something that was so extraordinary ended so...weirdly.

YES I do recommend reading it because up until page 300 it WAS PERFECT.
But I have to give it 4* just because there are 50 confusingly weird pages at the end.

[Jorge Negrete Beltran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puedo decir que el Buen Alcalde es un libro lleno de momentos de anhelo, en donde el deseo es lo último que importa y en el cual cuando llega el momento de actuar ya es demasiado tarde. Sin embargo también es un libro donde la esperanza muere al último y te demuestra que si algo está destinado a pasar, va a pasar.
Lo que más me impacto de este libro, es la facilidad con la cual te puedes adentrar en la rutina diaria del Buen Alcalde, Tibo Krovic y el gran parecido que tiene con alguien que lleva una vida de oficina. Quizá lo siento así por que me identifique con él en algunas líneas.
Tibo Krovic en el amor es como cualquiera, con dudas y enhelos y deseos reprimidos, deseos que se encuentran a flor de piel en todo momento y más aún cuando tiene convivencia con la Señora Stopac.
Puedo decir que me lleve una gran sorpresa con el final de este libro, que a pesar de ser esperado, jamás te imaginas el camino que Tibo y Agathe recorrerán para por fin estar juntos.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book, up until the last 40 pages, which seemed a bit random and rushed for me. I think those last pages stopped it from being one of my all-time favs. That and they didn't take the cat with them.

Having said that, what an extraordinarily inventive and beautifully lyrical debut!

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were only 9 reviews on good reads when i decided to read this book and they were all good. Therein lies my mistake - dont judge a book on a good reads rating. I struggled through the first chapter or so and then finally found the book readable but the ending was atrocious..............i wouldnt recommend it but give it 2 stars because at least i could finish it.

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off very promising, but collapsed into disturbing transformations into Dalmatians, indecisiveness about whether it was magic realism or just lyrical, and a bond between the two main characters that was described but not, in the end, felt.

[Toadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wonderful love story and a great mix of romance and gentle humour.

the characters and their situation were so real and the magic that makes everything right filled my heart with longing

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was beautifully written and a delightful quirky love story.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seit zwanzig Jahren ist Tibo Krovic in Agathe Stopak verliebt. Doch die Sekretärin des Bürgermeisters hat in der gesamten Zeit nichts von den Gefühlen ihres Chefs bemerkt. Zeit für die Magierin Mamma Cesare, sich der Sache anzunehmen.

Der gute Bürgermeister von Dot ist in seine Sekretärin verliebt. Aber eben weil der der "gute" Bürgermeister ist, spricht er ihr gegenüber nie von seinen Gefühlen, denn Agathe ist verheiratet. Erst als Mamma Cesare den Stein ins Rollen bringt, nähern sich die beiden zaghaft einander an.

Genau das ist das Problem. Der Schubs von Mamma Cesare hat etwas ins Rollen gebracht, was so wahrscheinlich nicht oder noch später passiert wäre. Auch wenn es zuerst so aussieht, als ob aus Tibo und Agathe ein Paar werden würde, haben sie doch beide unterschiedliche Vorstellungen, wie sich die private Beziehung entwickeln soll. Das kann nur schiefgehen und bringt Unglück. Glücklich waren die beiden vorher auch nicht, aber zumindest zufrieden. Aber jetzt gibt es keinen Weg mehr zurück zum Vorher. War die Einmischung wirklich richtig.

Einmischungen von Dritten sind immer heikel. Wenn sie dann noch in einer Geschichte passieren, von der ich nicht wusste, ob es eine Liebesgeschichte oder eher etwas aus der Sparte Humor sein soll, kann es eigentlich nur schiefgehen.