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Confessions of a Curious Bookseller
A heartening and uproariously funny novel of high hopes, bad choices, book love, and one woman’s best—and worst—intentions.
Without question, Fawn Birchill knows that her used bookstore is the heart of West Philadelphia, a cornerstone of culture for a community that, for the past twenty years, has found the quirkiness absolutely charming. When an amicable young indie bookseller invades her block, Fawn is convinced that his cushy couches, impressive selection, coffee bar, and knowledgeable staff are a neighborhood blight. Misguided yet blindly resilient, Fawn readies for battle.
But as she wages her war, Fawn is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, and a devoted if not always law-abiding intern—not to mention what to do about a pen pal with whom she hasn’t been entirely honest and the litany of repairs her aging store requires.
Through emails, journal entries, combative online reviews, texts, and tweets, Fawn plans her next move. Now it’s time for her to dig deep and use every trick at her disposal if she’s to reclaim her beloved business—and her life.
Without question, Fawn Birchill knows that her used bookstore is the heart of West Philadelphia, a cornerstone of culture for a community that, for the past twenty years, has found the quirkiness absolutely charming. When an amicable young indie bookseller invades her block, Fawn is convinced that his cushy couches, impressive selection, coffee bar, and knowledgeable staff are a neighborhood blight. Misguided yet blindly resilient, Fawn readies for battle.
But as she wages her war, Fawn is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, and a devoted if not always law-abiding intern—not to mention what to do about a pen pal with whom she hasn’t been entirely honest and the litany of repairs her aging store requires.
Through emails, journal entries, combative online reviews, texts, and tweets, Fawn plans her next move. Now it’s time for her to dig deep and use every trick at her disposal if she’s to reclaim her beloved business—and her life.
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First published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,498 reviews
December 9, 2020
Perhaps this should be renamed as “Drunken Emails from a Lonely Cat Lady”
October 3, 2020
poorly written epistolary novel with a misleading title and weirdly unlikable protagonist
December 11, 2020
I’ve never wanted to punch a fictional character in the face so much.
January 20, 2021
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaway and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a copy of this novel.
Fawn is the owner of a struggling bookstore in Philadelphia. Though Fawn has always made the best of things, her situation goes from bad to worse when a hip independent bookstore opens up down the block, creating competition where there once was none.
Told through a series of emails, letters, blog posts and tweets, also known as epistolary novel, this way of storytelling unfortunately made it hard to like and/or connect with any of the characters in "Confessions of a Curios Bookseller." Fawn came across as delusional, rude, and self-involved which made it hard for me to enjoy the story as I typically have to like the characters I’m reading about in order to like a novel. Further, none of the anecdotes Fawn found herself in were all that amusing (to be frank, I honestly couldn’t believe she was running her own business) and I kept thinking that had this book been told in a different format, the storyline might have flowed a bit better and I might have enjoyed it more.
For me, in the end, there was just something missing. That said, this might simply be my being the wrong reader for this novel.
Published on Goodreads on 1.18.21.
Fawn is the owner of a struggling bookstore in Philadelphia. Though Fawn has always made the best of things, her situation goes from bad to worse when a hip independent bookstore opens up down the block, creating competition where there once was none.
Told through a series of emails, letters, blog posts and tweets, also known as epistolary novel, this way of storytelling unfortunately made it hard to like and/or connect with any of the characters in "Confessions of a Curios Bookseller." Fawn came across as delusional, rude, and self-involved which made it hard for me to enjoy the story as I typically have to like the characters I’m reading about in order to like a novel. Further, none of the anecdotes Fawn found herself in were all that amusing (to be frank, I honestly couldn’t believe she was running her own business) and I kept thinking that had this book been told in a different format, the storyline might have flowed a bit better and I might have enjoyed it more.
For me, in the end, there was just something missing. That said, this might simply be my being the wrong reader for this novel.
Published on Goodreads on 1.18.21.
December 3, 2020
I picked this up from Amazon First Reads, enticed by the unique style and the claim of similarity to Ove/Eleanor Oliphant. Midway through I was picking up vibes of “You’ve Got Mail.” Unfortunately, it fell flat on all counts. The protagonist was unlikeable and stayed that way throughout. The intended redemption arc was too short and didn’t feel believable at all.
I almost gave up partly through, but I pushed on believing that it would get better. It didn’t.
I almost gave up partly through, but I pushed on believing that it would get better. It didn’t.
December 3, 2020
DNF at 29%
I have NEVER reviewed a book that I’ve not finished but I couldn’t with this one. I’m all for unlikeable characters, because you normally see SOME redeeming quality, but Fawn gave me nothing. I love an epistolary novel and the writing was fine, and maybe Fawn would have gotten better, but I couldn’t stand to get that far.
I have NEVER reviewed a book that I’ve not finished but I couldn’t with this one. I’m all for unlikeable characters, because you normally see SOME redeeming quality, but Fawn gave me nothing. I love an epistolary novel and the writing was fine, and maybe Fawn would have gotten better, but I couldn’t stand to get that far.
December 14, 2020
The main character is one of the most annoying characters I have ever encountered and it goes downhill from there.
November 14, 2020
I LOVED this. So quirky, well-written, and genuinely funny, such a great escape from reality. I enjoyed the format, loved every single character, even (no, especially) the ones that seem hard to love at first. I'll read this one again.
February 8, 2021
Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green is an epistolary novel. The protagonist is Fawn Birchill, owner of the Philadelphia bookstore by the name of The Curious Cat Book Emporium. Fawn runs her store with three very patient employees and is trying hard to keep her head above water, especially now that a competitor is opening up shop on the next block. Her entire life seems to be an uphill battle. I enjoy reading about feisty and cranky characters such as Olive Kitteridge but Fawn’s nasty disposition is simply unpleasant. The book is almost five hundred pages and I had hoped that the storyline would vary long before the end. It felt like reading a very long rant. This story might have succeeded as a short story but it feels stretched as a novel. This is my opinion only and I am sure that Confessions of a Curious Bookseller will appeal to many readers. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2020
This is the 326th book I've read this year, and by far the worst. This was my December selection for Amazon First Reads because it should have been a book I enjoyed. There's a bookstore, a cat and told in letter/email format- all things I love. However, Fawn is both an unreliable narrator and a truly terrible person. She is a pathological liar and does not seem to understand basic decency. When a competitor opens a new bookstore on the same street, I was rooting for him to put Fawn out of business. I wanted to give up on this book almost immediately, but made myself read the entire thing in the hopes of finding something redeemable about this character. While the author attempts to have Fawn make breakthroughs in the final pages, it does not redeem her character. I see where the author wanted to go and the message she wanted to convey, but it did not save this book.
December 9, 2020
Not the light-hearted, funny book I was expecting. Instead, a sad story of a woman who was very difficult to like.
December 4, 2020
Not going to lie. I haven’t gotten very far but I’m doubtful I will ever finish this book. Ever seen You’ve Got Mail? If not skip this book and go watch Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks fall in love over a similar premise.
February 23, 2021
Once again, I’m lured in by the title that contains the word bookseller (or bookstore or library, etc.). Not all earns their stars which is disappointing, but this one truly failed to entertain or engage.
It’s written in format that of letters, texts, emails. It is so one sided and inflammatory and caustic that it is not fun to read. The bookseller rants on about things, I think she had hallucinations, perhaps she’s had a bit too much wine, perhaps she is so full of herself that she does not open herself up to her staff, her customers/clientele, family or herself. This women is living in a daydream and it’s not pretty. She talks about herself a lot and talks about her cats a lot and whines a lot. Oh there’s also a lot of complaining about a toilet leaking onto the books in her shop. And complaining it costs too much to repair. Fantasizes over the plumber who is not at all interested in her. On and on we go. It’s exhausting.
Oh this is such a mess of whining, rantings and ravings and hallucinations and paranoia that the new book store down the street is out to put her out of business.
Quite honestly, there’s way too much madness going on in this book. If I knew anyone like this in my life, I would drop them like a hot potato. Someone who is so full of themselves and their business and selfishly could care less about others = toxic relationship. And who needs that in this world nowadays?
One blemished, tarnished, toxic star for this one. 😕
I do not recommend.
It’s written in format that of letters, texts, emails. It is so one sided and inflammatory and caustic that it is not fun to read. The bookseller rants on about things, I think she had hallucinations, perhaps she’s had a bit too much wine, perhaps she is so full of herself that she does not open herself up to her staff, her customers/clientele, family or herself. This women is living in a daydream and it’s not pretty. She talks about herself a lot and talks about her cats a lot and whines a lot. Oh there’s also a lot of complaining about a toilet leaking onto the books in her shop. And complaining it costs too much to repair. Fantasizes over the plumber who is not at all interested in her. On and on we go. It’s exhausting.
Oh this is such a mess of whining, rantings and ravings and hallucinations and paranoia that the new book store down the street is out to put her out of business.
Quite honestly, there’s way too much madness going on in this book. If I knew anyone like this in my life, I would drop them like a hot potato. Someone who is so full of themselves and their business and selfishly could care less about others = toxic relationship. And who needs that in this world nowadays?
One blemished, tarnished, toxic star for this one. 😕
I do not recommend.
December 3, 2020
Didn't like fawn
Although the format was a little Interesting I found that the owner of the book store was not funny but Devious and untruthful. I really didn't like her. I only read about 8% of the book before I just quit.
Although the format was a little Interesting I found that the owner of the book store was not funny but Devious and untruthful. I really didn't like her. I only read about 8% of the book before I just quit.
January 16, 2021
This was funny (darkly), interesting and kept me hooked right from the start. Organised as an epistolary, a series of email conversations, advertisements, posts on social media, reviews, chats, and random journal entries otherwise, the story moved on easily, narrating the story of Fawn Birchill, the curious bookseller. Fawn Birchill can be an easily hated person, I think because her character can be viewed as a dark portrayal, barring a few entries that show her other side as well, perception matters after all.
There are some beautiful lines on family, lost childhood, priorities, and empathy. Made me wonder, we only know parts of the exchanges, and still form a solid image of the characters, develop love and hatred for them, how opinionated and judging we are! That is exactly what I loved about the story too, a very good read, a very critical one too on the protagonist, that doesn't show an all positive or all negative person as the head.
One minus star is for the times when it felt dragging, could have been edited crisper.
There are some beautiful lines on family, lost childhood, priorities, and empathy. Made me wonder, we only know parts of the exchanges, and still form a solid image of the characters, develop love and hatred for them, how opinionated and judging we are! That is exactly what I loved about the story too, a very good read, a very critical one too on the protagonist, that doesn't show an all positive or all negative person as the head.
One minus star is for the times when it felt dragging, could have been edited crisper.
February 5, 2021
EDIT 5 FEB @2021: I've found a video book trailer for this book on the author's website, highly recommend: https://www.elizabethgreenwrites.com/...
No one is more surprised than me that I liked this book, having started it due to all the bad reviews! Let me explain. This book kept showing up on my feed with negative reviews and I eventually noticed one reviewer (carol) passionately challenged all the negative reviews and DNFs, arousing my curiosity. To be frank, I thought it was obnoxious to argue against someone else's opinions of the book and telling them they were wrong about what it was about. But my curiosity was piqued - what would prompt a reviewer to be so adamant about defending an apparently unlikeable protagonist? I even suspected she was a friend of the author.
So, armed with skepticism and a sense of contrariness, I downloaded the Kindle sample, expecting to hate the book and the protagonist and be gratified in writing the whole thing off as mediocrity, but as is obvious, that did not happen. I got sucked into the story and hoovered it up over the course of several hours. And I must admit that "carol" was right and I could see exactly where she was coming from.
So here is my take on this book:
- Yes, it delivers a different story to what people expect. I blame the cover and the categorisation. This is not a cute romance nor a fluffy beachy chicklit. The cover promises something akin to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill but it is most certainly not that and doesn't try to be. And what's with the Romance category? There is no romance here. None. Even the blurb is misleading with its tone and the aspects it chooses to highlight. If I had to design the cover, I'd pick either a slightly sinister black-and-white gothic looking cover with a dilapidated Victorian building in the background, or alternatively a lurid one with a surrealist picture.
- It's an epistolary novel. Meaning, it's written in the form of emails to/from the protagonist, her journal entries (my favourite part), various notes from different people, ads, blog posts and social media posts. The main character never addresses the reader directly. Personally, I found it enjoyable to sift grains of reality from the protagonist's (self-)delusion via this format.
- I'd say this is Grey Gardens meets Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. The protagonist is a lonely woman in her mid-50s with a tenuous grasp on reality, which only gets weaker as she encounters more and more challenges in every day life, and in particular challenges to her own identity and self-image. She thinks she is a successful businesswoman but it is clear that her business is hanging on by a thread. The bookshop itself is not the cozy, hygge-licious nor the funny and quirky stereotype, but more like Black Books (of the Dylan Moran fame): everything is falling apart, there's too much drinking and not a small dose of literary snobbery.
- Fawn, the protagonist, has created alternate realities for herself and acts according to her imaginary self-image, behaviour which varies between being funny, cringeworthy, frustrating and sad at different times. If you are fascinated by stories of fantasists (as I am), this may well float your boat. It reminded me of the two non-fictional portrayals of real-life fantasists, being The Woman Who Fooled The World: Belle Gibson’s Cancer Con, and the Darkness at the Heart of the Wellness Industry and Fake: A Startling True Story of Love in a World of Liars, Cheats, Narcissists, Fantasists and Phonies. It's kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion where you wait for the protagonist to wake up and face reality but instead they just dig themselves in deeper.
- Fawn is not an altogether likeable character but I admit I got quite fond of her as I got to know her. I am generally intolerant of unsympathetic characters unless they are strong or interesting, and thankfully Fawn is both. In the words of Little Edie of Grey Gardens, Fawn is a "staunch character". When everything around her is collapsing and going to hell in a handbasket, she does not give up and keeps coming up with increasingly absurd ideas to save her business. In the process, she grows as a person and finally develops a sense of perspective in relation to her past, her childhood, and who she is as a person.
- It is genuinely, lough-out-loud funny. A lot of the time it's funny in a dark way and mostly at the expense of Fawn. The incongruence of what her reality is versus what she thinks it is give rise to many an absurd moment. If you have a strong sense of the absurd, I think you'd enjoy the humour. There are also many pieces where Fawn pretends to write as someone else - whether it is faking positive reviews for her bookshop or negative ones for her competition, or faking glowing "day in the life" blogposts by her employees - these are pretty damn funny because she has no idea how transparent and ridiculous it all is.
- Overall, Fawn is a unique character that will stay with me for a while, but then I'm rather fond of eccentric older female characters. Four stars and not five because I found the ending a little too convenient and a little too happily-ever-after. Not that I begrudge Fawn a little lightness and optimism for the future, it just didn't fully ring true to me.
So I guess I should thank the negative reviews as for once they led me an eccentric heroine whom I shall miss, and to a story that I greatly enjoyed and found compelling. Now I am off to thank "carol" for her brave fight for Fawn, which spurned my discovery of this novel.
Publishers, the work experience kid who must have been in charge of picking the cover should be reassigned to coffee-making duties. Trust me.
No one is more surprised than me that I liked this book, having started it due to all the bad reviews! Let me explain. This book kept showing up on my feed with negative reviews and I eventually noticed one reviewer (carol) passionately challenged all the negative reviews and DNFs, arousing my curiosity. To be frank, I thought it was obnoxious to argue against someone else's opinions of the book and telling them they were wrong about what it was about. But my curiosity was piqued - what would prompt a reviewer to be so adamant about defending an apparently unlikeable protagonist? I even suspected she was a friend of the author.
So, armed with skepticism and a sense of contrariness, I downloaded the Kindle sample, expecting to hate the book and the protagonist and be gratified in writing the whole thing off as mediocrity, but as is obvious, that did not happen. I got sucked into the story and hoovered it up over the course of several hours. And I must admit that "carol" was right and I could see exactly where she was coming from.
So here is my take on this book:
- Yes, it delivers a different story to what people expect. I blame the cover and the categorisation. This is not a cute romance nor a fluffy beachy chicklit. The cover promises something akin to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill but it is most certainly not that and doesn't try to be. And what's with the Romance category? There is no romance here. None. Even the blurb is misleading with its tone and the aspects it chooses to highlight. If I had to design the cover, I'd pick either a slightly sinister black-and-white gothic looking cover with a dilapidated Victorian building in the background, or alternatively a lurid one with a surrealist picture.
- It's an epistolary novel. Meaning, it's written in the form of emails to/from the protagonist, her journal entries (my favourite part), various notes from different people, ads, blog posts and social media posts. The main character never addresses the reader directly. Personally, I found it enjoyable to sift grains of reality from the protagonist's (self-)delusion via this format.
- I'd say this is Grey Gardens meets Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. The protagonist is a lonely woman in her mid-50s with a tenuous grasp on reality, which only gets weaker as she encounters more and more challenges in every day life, and in particular challenges to her own identity and self-image. She thinks she is a successful businesswoman but it is clear that her business is hanging on by a thread. The bookshop itself is not the cozy, hygge-licious nor the funny and quirky stereotype, but more like Black Books (of the Dylan Moran fame): everything is falling apart, there's too much drinking and not a small dose of literary snobbery.
- Fawn, the protagonist, has created alternate realities for herself and acts according to her imaginary self-image, behaviour which varies between being funny, cringeworthy, frustrating and sad at different times. If you are fascinated by stories of fantasists (as I am), this may well float your boat. It reminded me of the two non-fictional portrayals of real-life fantasists, being The Woman Who Fooled The World: Belle Gibson’s Cancer Con, and the Darkness at the Heart of the Wellness Industry and Fake: A Startling True Story of Love in a World of Liars, Cheats, Narcissists, Fantasists and Phonies. It's kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion where you wait for the protagonist to wake up and face reality but instead they just dig themselves in deeper.
- Fawn is not an altogether likeable character but I admit I got quite fond of her as I got to know her. I am generally intolerant of unsympathetic characters unless they are strong or interesting, and thankfully Fawn is both. In the words of Little Edie of Grey Gardens, Fawn is a "staunch character". When everything around her is collapsing and going to hell in a handbasket, she does not give up and keeps coming up with increasingly absurd ideas to save her business. In the process, she grows as a person and finally develops a sense of perspective in relation to her past, her childhood, and who she is as a person.
- It is genuinely, lough-out-loud funny. A lot of the time it's funny in a dark way and mostly at the expense of Fawn. The incongruence of what her reality is versus what she thinks it is give rise to many an absurd moment. If you have a strong sense of the absurd, I think you'd enjoy the humour. There are also many pieces where Fawn pretends to write as someone else - whether it is faking positive reviews for her bookshop or negative ones for her competition, or faking glowing "day in the life" blogposts by her employees - these are pretty damn funny because she has no idea how transparent and ridiculous it all is.
- Overall, Fawn is a unique character that will stay with me for a while, but then I'm rather fond of eccentric older female characters. Four stars and not five because I found the ending a little too convenient and a little too happily-ever-after. Not that I begrudge Fawn a little lightness and optimism for the future, it just didn't fully ring true to me.
So I guess I should thank the negative reviews as for once they led me an eccentric heroine whom I shall miss, and to a story that I greatly enjoyed and found compelling. Now I am off to thank "carol" for her brave fight for Fawn, which spurned my discovery of this novel.
Publishers, the work experience kid who must have been in charge of picking the cover should be reassigned to coffee-making duties. Trust me.
December 8, 2020
I thought it was brilliant. It's true that Fawn is a terrible person but she is hilariously and hopelessly lacking in self awareness which made her endearingly brazen and absurd. She is the kind of person you find yourself cringing at; wondering how they have the nerve to even think they can get away with some of the things they do but her own actions trip her up more than help her which offers a satisfying counter to her awful behaviour.
The narrative is also honest in showing how awful and narcissistic she is and it punishes her for it until she is forced to change or at least give up. There are also moments where you can see her vulnerability and insecurity (though mostly of her own making) which make her feel very well rounded as a character.
The other characters also seemed to have well developed personalities and held their own against a character like Fawn.
The narrative is also honest in showing how awful and narcissistic she is and it punishes her for it until she is forced to change or at least give up. There are also moments where you can see her vulnerability and insecurity (though mostly of her own making) which make her feel very well rounded as a character.
The other characters also seemed to have well developed personalities and held their own against a character like Fawn.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2020
What a glorious read, thank you. For a few days, I was consumed and invested in Fawn's life and her book shop. Whilst no bibliophile myself, I have been related to persons who were and who coerced me to attend many book shops and behold, even BookTowns. Of course, I expect this was primarily due to qualification of driving and owning a car rather than my own literary leanings. This book took me back to the unique perfume that a large collection of old books can muster. Whilst this is not a particularly pleasant aroma, it most certainly is unmistakable.
I have never visited Philadelphia, but certainly, the urge to do so has been planted.
As for The Further Adventures of Fawn? she is most surely a superhero to cats and lonely business owners.
I have never visited Philadelphia, but certainly, the urge to do so has been planted.
As for The Further Adventures of Fawn? she is most surely a superhero to cats and lonely business owners.
January 18, 2021
I was looking forward to a fun, light-hearted read and since the title and concept of this book intrigued me, I dove into the rivalry between two bookshops.
Unfortunately, the main character, Fawn Birdill, is so unpleasant and mean spirited that I found it difficult to find anything redeeming in her whatsoever. The book seemed full of half-formed characters that contribute nothing to the plot. The email/text format annoyed me so much that I almost did not finish.
I could not wait for this to end. I cannot recommend.
Unfortunately, the main character, Fawn Birdill, is so unpleasant and mean spirited that I found it difficult to find anything redeeming in her whatsoever. The book seemed full of half-formed characters that contribute nothing to the plot. The email/text format annoyed me so much that I almost did not finish.
I could not wait for this to end. I cannot recommend.
January 16, 2021
The book is an epistolary novel and the title, really really made me want to read this. The entire book is written in form of letter. We all know, we love books that are related to bibliophile or Bookstores and we are all in.
Our main protagonist is Fawn Birchill, who is the owner of the a local bookstore. She is struggling to keep her father's legacy of this bookstore running smoothly.
Enters a new bookstore in the neighborhood block. So she is kind of stretched and pissed about the same thing. The new owner of the new shop sends her a very nice email and gesture to have coffee with her.
She refuses that with a very huge email bolstering about herself and her store. I mean I just want to tell her one thing, "girl, who will never succeed by demeaning others." I just hated to read this in the book.
Next comes her dynamic with Richard, a fellow librarian and her ex boyfriend. She has been very mean to her and has been practically tagging him along with a lie about his father's death.
Fawn is definitely not a great role model and if I have booksellers like her, then I am sorry I would choose not to visit a bookstore in future. However, the writing style is great. But the main character is who I have a major problem with in this book.
Our main protagonist is Fawn Birchill, who is the owner of the a local bookstore. She is struggling to keep her father's legacy of this bookstore running smoothly.
Enters a new bookstore in the neighborhood block. So she is kind of stretched and pissed about the same thing. The new owner of the new shop sends her a very nice email and gesture to have coffee with her.
She refuses that with a very huge email bolstering about herself and her store. I mean I just want to tell her one thing, "girl, who will never succeed by demeaning others." I just hated to read this in the book.
Next comes her dynamic with Richard, a fellow librarian and her ex boyfriend. She has been very mean to her and has been practically tagging him along with a lie about his father's death.
Fawn is definitely not a great role model and if I have booksellers like her, then I am sorry I would choose not to visit a bookstore in future. However, the writing style is great. But the main character is who I have a major problem with in this book.
December 1, 2020
So-So Epistolary with a Modern Electronic Twist
Before such things as Facebook and emails existed, authors sometimes wrote books called epistolaries, written strictly in letter form and other typically non-fictitious, nonnarrative prose. One of the most famous is Dracula, made up of letters, ship logs, telegrams, diary entries, doctor's notes, and newspaper clippings. (Other books have used letters to great effect, like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, even if the rest of the book is standard narrative prose.) This book takes that old writing format and adds a modern twist. It is told strictly in emails, tweets, texts, and other electronic forms of communication. Parts of it are certainly laugh-out-loud funny, but as a whole, I found it to be an unfulfilling way to show plot and development, though it is pretty good for showing characterization. Because essential elements were missing, however, I ultimately found myself disappointed in the book. Kudos to the author, though, for trying such a literary experiment.
Before such things as Facebook and emails existed, authors sometimes wrote books called epistolaries, written strictly in letter form and other typically non-fictitious, nonnarrative prose. One of the most famous is Dracula, made up of letters, ship logs, telegrams, diary entries, doctor's notes, and newspaper clippings. (Other books have used letters to great effect, like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, even if the rest of the book is standard narrative prose.) This book takes that old writing format and adds a modern twist. It is told strictly in emails, tweets, texts, and other electronic forms of communication. Parts of it are certainly laugh-out-loud funny, but as a whole, I found it to be an unfulfilling way to show plot and development, though it is pretty good for showing characterization. Because essential elements were missing, however, I ultimately found myself disappointed in the book. Kudos to the author, though, for trying such a literary experiment.
December 5, 2020
DNF. I got to 4% in before I closed it - it’s awful. It’s written in a series of emails/letters/notices which are awful to read - they jump about, the stop/start pacing is very blah, and as a means to introduce characters, it’s lacking. The protagonist is not likeable: she writes rude, meandering responses to one star reviews, dumped her boyfriend over email using her invalid father as an excuse - right after we find out she never visits her father - and generally? She is up on so high a horse that I care so little about what happens to her. Whatever awful conflict happens further on in the book will be well deserved.
Stopped reading, I wanted something cute and engaging, and this was not it. I very rarely don’t finish a book (this is my first DNF in two years) but honestly, this book isn’t for me.
Stopped reading, I wanted something cute and engaging, and this was not it. I very rarely don’t finish a book (this is my first DNF in two years) but honestly, this book isn’t for me.
December 6, 2020
My #freebook pick from #AmazonFirstReads this month! Couldn’t put it down. I could see others having mixed reviews but I found #FawnBirchill to be terribly charming in the way of #AManCalledOve - curmudgeons have their redeeming qualities, quirks, and lovely attributes. I find genuine characters refreshing and oh my! how I love a good #epistolary - such fun. I miss her already! Five Stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👌🏼 #ConfessionsOfACuriousBookseller #TheGrumpyMug #Philly #independentbookstores #smallbusiness #booksaboutbooks #booksaboutbookstores #2020books #bestreads #quickreads #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer ❤️📚
January 1, 2021
I got this book as an Amazon first reads. The title intrigued me, and the format was similar to Meg Cabot "The Boy Next Door" (which I loved). However I am currently at 18% of this book and I'm not sure I'll finish it. The main character is selfish, fake, and honestly narcissistic. Every format whether it be email or journal entry shifts and it's just hard to read and sympathize with her.
**Update** trudging through and currently at 47%. Honestly at this point I want to see if anything gets resolved and if someone calls the Fawn out on her BS. Surely someone will, fingers crossed
**Update** trudging through and currently at 47%. Honestly at this point I want to see if anything gets resolved and if someone calls the Fawn out on her BS. Surely someone will, fingers crossed
April 19, 2025
Library Blind-Pick 📚
Another one so soon? I know, but I couldn’t resist this delightful title - Confessions of a curious bookseller…how fun does that sounds? I just love to read about bookstores 📚
Initially, we are faced with an unusual and unexpected style of writing; this story is made up of emails, journal entries, online reviews, texts and tweets. At the beginning I thought this might get a little tiresome however, Elizabeth Green tackled the narrative perfectly and made for a very interesting and captivating read.
This was a fun read; even down to the name of the Fawn’s bookstore - The Curious Cat Book Emporium 😺 It is full of love and laughs, with just a touch of seriousness on the side.
Fawn, herself, is an interesting character. Strangely, I didn’t initially warm to her as much as I had expected. She is a quirky character (which I love) but also isn’t exactly truthful in many of her endeavours. However, throughout the course of the book she is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, a devoted intern, and a pen pal with whom she hasn't been entirely honest.
However, despite being entertained, this was a somewhat average read. I feel like it had a lot of potential, but fell short of what it could have been. I think this was particularly down to the fact the book was too long, and therefore, it was repetitive. Furthermore, I expected to like Fawn’s character more than I did. She came across more grumpy than quirky which was unfortunate because I really wanted to like her. As the book came to a close, she did become more likeable but sadly the ending was short and abrupt.
Overall, not a total loss but not one I would read again or, necessarily, recommend.
🌟🌟🌟
Another one so soon? I know, but I couldn’t resist this delightful title - Confessions of a curious bookseller…how fun does that sounds? I just love to read about bookstores 📚
Initially, we are faced with an unusual and unexpected style of writing; this story is made up of emails, journal entries, online reviews, texts and tweets. At the beginning I thought this might get a little tiresome however, Elizabeth Green tackled the narrative perfectly and made for a very interesting and captivating read.
This was a fun read; even down to the name of the Fawn’s bookstore - The Curious Cat Book Emporium 😺 It is full of love and laughs, with just a touch of seriousness on the side.
Fawn, herself, is an interesting character. Strangely, I didn’t initially warm to her as much as I had expected. She is a quirky character (which I love) but also isn’t exactly truthful in many of her endeavours. However, throughout the course of the book she is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, a devoted intern, and a pen pal with whom she hasn't been entirely honest.
However, despite being entertained, this was a somewhat average read. I feel like it had a lot of potential, but fell short of what it could have been. I think this was particularly down to the fact the book was too long, and therefore, it was repetitive. Furthermore, I expected to like Fawn’s character more than I did. She came across more grumpy than quirky which was unfortunate because I really wanted to like her. As the book came to a close, she did become more likeable but sadly the ending was short and abrupt.
Overall, not a total loss but not one I would read again or, necessarily, recommend.
🌟🌟🌟
Read
January 28, 2021ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an open and honest review.
Fiction : DNF
DNF @ 36%
I cannot review this book as I did not finish it. I could no longer struggle through this epistolary novel as our lead was insufferable.
Fiction : DNF
DNF @ 36%
I cannot review this book as I did not finish it. I could no longer struggle through this epistolary novel as our lead was insufferable.
January 28, 2021
So many reviewers here seem to have expected a soppy love story, with rival bookshop owners falling in love (ring any bells?) They gave up because Fawn wasn’t Mary Poppins or Meg Ryan.
I was drawn into it because of Fawn and her scathing emails and response to reviews!!! I loved it!
I find it really odd that fellow reviewers/readers are amazed, astounded and many confused at the format of the book. Yes it’s in email/letter form and so are other popular books - Bridget Jones, Inconceivable, (the hilarious) Diary of a Nobody, and more. Even Dracula (1897) was written with letter/telegram/ newspaper cuttings telling the story, a preform of emails/online reviews.
Also many readers had given up after only a few pages (!) and still review the book! I was drawn to Fawn from the beginning, such a unique and interesting character - we don’t all want Goody Twoshoes! I also wanted to know more about her. I’m so glad I did.
At first we think that she thinks she’s the ‘big I AM’. A new book shop is opening down the street but she has no fears as her shop is far superior, has been there 25 years and she’s an excellent, confident and successful business owner. Or so we are told.
We gradually learn that Fawn is like all of us. Putting on a brave face, has issues with her past and present, and relationship issues with her dad. We have humour, cringeworthy moments, sad times and some laugh out loud moments along with aarrgh Fawn, what are you doing???
The plumber comes to mend a leak, and suddenly Fawn believes they have clicked and is telling her mother she has a date, ...... we get to learn a lot about Fawn. Suddenly her professional, well written and often rude (she thinks truthful) emails have tipsy typos. She needs our sympathy.
I loved it. The email/diary/letter format is great and tells the story wonderfully without drawn out and unnecessary descriptions of people, places, expressions and feelings.
I was drawn into it because of Fawn and her scathing emails and response to reviews!!! I loved it!
I find it really odd that fellow reviewers/readers are amazed, astounded and many confused at the format of the book. Yes it’s in email/letter form and so are other popular books - Bridget Jones, Inconceivable, (the hilarious) Diary of a Nobody, and more. Even Dracula (1897) was written with letter/telegram/ newspaper cuttings telling the story, a preform of emails/online reviews.
Also many readers had given up after only a few pages (!) and still review the book! I was drawn to Fawn from the beginning, such a unique and interesting character - we don’t all want Goody Twoshoes! I also wanted to know more about her. I’m so glad I did.
At first we think that she thinks she’s the ‘big I AM’. A new book shop is opening down the street but she has no fears as her shop is far superior, has been there 25 years and she’s an excellent, confident and successful business owner. Or so we are told.
We gradually learn that Fawn is like all of us. Putting on a brave face, has issues with her past and present, and relationship issues with her dad. We have humour, cringeworthy moments, sad times and some laugh out loud moments along with aarrgh Fawn, what are you doing???
The plumber comes to mend a leak, and suddenly Fawn believes they have clicked and is telling her mother she has a date, ...... we get to learn a lot about Fawn. Suddenly her professional, well written and often rude (she thinks truthful) emails have tipsy typos. She needs our sympathy.
I loved it. The email/diary/letter format is great and tells the story wonderfully without drawn out and unnecessary descriptions of people, places, expressions and feelings.
December 12, 2020
Interesting book. It took me a while to get used to the format, no dialogue between people. Only, as many have said, emails, blogs and the journal of the main character. I soon realized that the distanced communication of emails between her and her employees, her friends and enemies and her family spoke to her discomfort in relationships with people. Her hatred of her father and jealousy of her sister was her juvenile and lopsided reality of an unhappy young person living in the body of a 50 something woman who would never realize her dreams and blamed everyone but herself for her failures.
Her head lived in another reality, where she corresponded as a wealthy lady of leisure, even while she was trying to survive on meager earnings in her dusty and moldy bookstore, in a building that was falling apart around her.
Fawn was not a nice person, though she thought she was. Hints are given along the way, especially in her journal, for her distorted view of the world and people around her. only toward the end, after what should have been a personal tragedy , did she begin to see her childhood and her family in a different light.
Of course she was an unreliable narrator, but that is soon made clear by her ranting and lies. I admit it was not hilarious but certainly amusing.
Something I do appreciate about any book is if it continues to evolve after I have completed it. This one did. Did anyone else wonder about her poor old tenant? Did she really exist? Was she actually alive (creepy thought of Psycho in my head)? Notice that she never opened that box of old Valentine candy. Was George really traveling with her? No one saw him but Fawn.
The curious book store and cat lady certainly still had bats in her belfry, but living in her world for a while became increasingly interesting. What, pray tell, would she do next? Give the book a try.
Her head lived in another reality, where she corresponded as a wealthy lady of leisure, even while she was trying to survive on meager earnings in her dusty and moldy bookstore, in a building that was falling apart around her.
Fawn was not a nice person, though she thought she was. Hints are given along the way, especially in her journal, for her distorted view of the world and people around her. only toward the end, after what should have been a personal tragedy , did she begin to see her childhood and her family in a different light.
Of course she was an unreliable narrator, but that is soon made clear by her ranting and lies. I admit it was not hilarious but certainly amusing.
Something I do appreciate about any book is if it continues to evolve after I have completed it. This one did. Did anyone else wonder about her poor old tenant? Did she really exist? Was she actually alive (creepy thought of Psycho in my head)? Notice that she never opened that box of old Valentine candy. Was George really traveling with her? No one saw him but Fawn.
The curious book store and cat lady certainly still had bats in her belfry, but living in her world for a while became increasingly interesting. What, pray tell, would she do next? Give the book a try.
February 11, 2021
I typically love books told through letters and emails. It's such a fun way to tell a story. But this one just didn't work for me.
First, I found the MC completely unlikable. And it wasn't just unlikable, she seemed to truly be an awful person. She complained about everything. She tried to hire professionals to repair her crumbling house and business and yet didn't want to pay them. She kept offering books or homecooked meals in exchange for the work. She would then become completely unreasonable and send nasty emails with snide remarks once they would explain that, unfortunately they were running a company too and would need to be paid.
She constantly lied to her customers. She would fully advertise and sell tickets to events with famous people that she just thought up in her own head. Then she would be surprised when whoever it was she wanted to arrive didn't respond or show up. She belittled her staff of teenagers for...just being teenagers. She bought them pizza and then honestly asked them to chip in money to pay for it. She tried to sabotage another book store by writing scathing reviews under false names on a local review site. Not even to mention the things she says and does to her family!
I kept reading thinking she would redeem herself. Then I kept reading thinking I'd get a butterscotch update. Then I was just reading to be done. I wish I had liked it this one.
First, I found the MC completely unlikable. And it wasn't just unlikable, she seemed to truly be an awful person. She complained about everything. She tried to hire professionals to repair her crumbling house and business and yet didn't want to pay them. She kept offering books or homecooked meals in exchange for the work. She would then become completely unreasonable and send nasty emails with snide remarks once they would explain that, unfortunately they were running a company too and would need to be paid.
She constantly lied to her customers. She would fully advertise and sell tickets to events with famous people that she just thought up in her own head. Then she would be surprised when whoever it was she wanted to arrive didn't respond or show up. She belittled her staff of teenagers for...just being teenagers. She bought them pizza and then honestly asked them to chip in money to pay for it. She tried to sabotage another book store by writing scathing reviews under false names on a local review site. Not even to mention the things she says and does to her family!
I kept reading thinking she would redeem herself. Then I kept reading thinking I'd get a butterscotch update. Then I was just reading to be done. I wish I had liked it this one.
December 4, 2020
Could not finish
Loved the idea but disliked the protagonist so much that I had to stop reading the book less than halfway through. I hope there is redemption in her future, but even given her kindness to stray cats ( not necessarily a good thing) and maybe to old ladies, there was no saving this character for me.
Loved the idea but disliked the protagonist so much that I had to stop reading the book less than halfway through. I hope there is redemption in her future, but even given her kindness to stray cats ( not necessarily a good thing) and maybe to old ladies, there was no saving this character for me.
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