The Paris Bookseller

by Kerri Maher

'A vivid evocation of the famous female-owned Parisian bookshop... Kerri Maher writes a love letter to books, bookstores and booklovers everywhere' Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network

'I was completely enthralled' Natasha Lester, author of The Paris Secret

The captivating story of a trailblazing young woman who fought against incredible odds to bring one of the most important books of the twentieth century to the world. For readers of The Paris Library, The Age of Light and The Paris Wife.

PARIS, 1919.

Young, bookish Sylvia Beach knows there is no greater city in the world than Paris. But when she opens an English-language bookshop on the bohemian Left Bank, Sylvia can't yet know she is making history.

Many leading writers of the day, from Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein, consider Shakespeare and Company a second home. Here some of the most profound literary friendships blossom - and none more so than between James Joyce and Sylvia herself.

When Joyce's controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Sylvia determines to publish it through Shakespeare and Company. But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous book of the century comes at deep personal cost as Sylvia risks ruin, reputation and her heart in the name of the life-changing power of books...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Books About Books, Historical, France, Book Club, LGBT

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2022

About the author

KERRI MAHER is the USA Today bestselling author of four historical novels including THE PARIS BOOKSELLER and ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CALL. Often listed in most-anticipated and best-of lists, her novels have been described as "gorgeous" (Beatriz Williams) and "storytelling at its finest" (NPR). She also wrote a memoir of her writing life under the name Kerri Majors, THIS IS NOT A WRITING MANUAL. Signed copies of her books are available through Wellesley Books.

She loves to connect with readers personally on Instagram and her Substack newsletter, "sandcastles with kerri maher."

Reviews

[MarilynW · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

This was a fun historical fiction for me. At first, while real life American Sylvia Beach was unmoored and not knowing what she really wanted to do with her life, I had trouble getting into the story. But once Sylvia opens her own Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, in 1919, I was captivated by the writers and other creative people who made her store a meeting place. I googled most of the famous names and some I had never heard up, not because I needed more information to enjoy the story but because the story made me interested in the people.

I knew nothing about Sylvia until I read this book. She met James Joyce in 1920, and offered to publish his controversial and banned masterpiece, Ulysses. Sylvia struggled financially thanks to Joyce and his willingness to drain her dry with his demands for Sylvia's time and more money and eventually abandoning all that Sylvia did for him, when he signed on with another publisher. But it's very clear that Sylvia still thought that her sacrifices were worth it, that she thought her reputation and the success of Shakespeare and Company owed much to the work of James Joyce.

I came to appreciate many of these artists more after reading the story. At the same time, suicide is a running theme in the later part of the book, both among the artists and their families. Some suicides aren't mentioned in the book but are part of the later lives of the people we meet in the story. Be sure to read the author's notes at the end of the book. I always enjoy knowing how an historical fiction author may have taken liberties with dates and fact, to make a story flow more smoothly. I thought these author notes were especially interesting and I appreciate getting to read them.

Pub: January 11, 2022

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

[El Librero de Valentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay libros en los que pesa más lo que se cuenta que cómo se cuenta y este es el caso de La librera de París. Desde las primeras páginas disfruté descubrir a una joven amante de los libros que se convertiría en un referente mundial, siendo la primera editora de Ulises de James Joyce. El libro está plagado de títulos de la época, de nombres de escritores que llegaron a París buscando reconocimiento, de la aventura que significó levantar una pequeña librería y convertirla en un espacio de encuentro para lectores y escritores. Anoté, subrayé, investigué y termine la lectura con ganas de acercarme a cada uno de los autores mencionados.

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books, bookstores, fellow book lovers, writers, this book is a veritable feast for anyone who loves to read. It’s fabulous historical fiction that made me feel as if I had just opened up a time capsule of the fascinating times of 1920’s Paris ! Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, James Joyce whose book Ulysses is a big part of this story, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others .

Add to that a pretty accurate account of an amazing American woman’s life. Sylvia Beach finds a place for herself that wasn’t possible in 1920’s America. It’s about these writers, James Joyce in particular, as Sylvia Beach brilliantly and courageously takes on the challenges of publishing Ulysses when the obstacles in America were impossible at first to overcome. There are many layers here, but center of the story is the remarkable Sylvia Beach.

Coincidentally, I finished reading this on February 2nd, 100 years after Sylvia Beach’s publication of Ulysses in Paris on February 2, 1922!

I received a copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley.

[Margaret M - (having a challenging time and on GR as much as I can) · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘She’d taken a gamble, and it had been the right one. It had all been worth it. This moment, this book, this writer, this city.’

With the historical setting in 1916 Paris, and from the legendary Shakespeare and Company comes the infamous book by James Joyce. Ulysses. A book that divided opinion and was scandalised then censored across the world.

With an abundance of historical facts and with renowned authors like Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound and Scott Fitzgerald, Sylvia’s bookstore becomes the epicentre of literature and a meeting place for these celebrated authors which lends a touch of magic to the story. In fact it is the story.

What was telling was how Slyvia's life changed forever for having dared publish such a narrative. Risking ruin, reputation and her business.

This was a nice read but I did not love it. I was put off by the constant name dropping which substituted any real storyline. As a result, it lacked any real substance, plot and entertainment and simply relayed a lot of historical facts about the publication of Ulysses and the struggle of Sylvia Beach to bring it to the world of literature.

Well written, more of a documentary but a good beach read.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paris Bookseller does a great job of painting the time and place of Paris in 1918 and into the 1920s and 30s. It also contrasts Paris with the US, especially as the US enacted the Volstead Act and sought to outlaw anything that smacked of indecency. In stark contrast to my thoughts of the Roaring Twenties was the actuality that the US was still more a cauldron of bourgeois sensibilities that led to prohibition and banning Ulysses. Paris, on the other hand, had decriminalized same sex relationships during the French Revolution.
Maher fills her story with quite a few of the “names” of the day - Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Ezra Pound and especially Joyce. She captures the personalities and makes it easy to see these great names as real people.
Sylvia Beach opened Shakespeare and Co., a bookstore in Paris devoted to selling and lending books written in English. When no American or English publisher would consider printing Ulysses, she undertook it, even though she had never published anything before. It almost led to her undoing, as Joyce continued to revise the manuscript even after it was being set for print. The book continues to be a thorn in her side, as bootleg copies undermine her ability to profit off the book.
Joyce, like many artists, is temperamental, demanding and horrible with finances. Sylvia puts up with him, at a cost to her own health and purse. In the end, he uses her badly, forgetting that without her, the book would never have been published.
I recommend this for fans of historical fiction. Make sure to read the Author’s Note which outlines her life after the book ends in 1936.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

[A.E. Chandler]

DNF after two chapters.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Not every star is like the étoile polaire, chérie. Some are more elusive, more subtle. But they are no less brilliant, no less important."

The Paris Bookseller is almost a biography of Sylvia Beach, an American who moved to Paris and opened up the bookstore called Shakespeare and Company. Here, she became the literary central for especially American writers who after WWI moved to Paris. Especially when Ulysses by James Joyce had trouble being published and was banned in America, Sylvia steps in to save the day and become the first to publish the groundbreaking novel.

This novel is so well-researched! I am really in awe with how much work Maher must have done to get all of the details of Sylvia's life so correct. And I stand by what I just wrote that this is pretty much a biography of her life, more than it is a historical fiction.

And I think that is why I didn't enjoy this novel that much. It is a hard balance to strive between fact and telling a story, and it just fell flat for me here. I didn't believe in any of Sylvia's relationships: every conversation felt so stilted, and I don't think that people really speaks that way to each other. Especially, all of the males felt 100% interchangeable to me; I could hardly keep them straight. And that is weird since most of the people in this novel are famous writers and artists that should be able to spring alive from the pages. We have tons of their writings - both fictions as well as letters and diaries - to make their thoughts and actions come to life, but they all felt like cookie-cutouts to me. Also, every time we would begin to have a more meaningful conversation between for example Sylvia and her lover Adrienne, it would always just scratch the surface before they just began to have sex. It did not make me believe in their relationships at all. The only relationship that I vaguely believed in was between Joyce and Sylvia (and it was only the last part of the novel that really brought it to life, I think).

In general, I did have a problem with the writing. It is accessible (I mean, I read the entire novel in a day so it can't be that bad), but I failed to get invested at any point. What I love about historical fiction is the possibility of being transported to a different time and experiencing something that I never can in real life. But apart from some references to laws and of course all of the famous characters, I didn't really think that I got any kind of atmosphere to really experience Paris in the 1920s (which is a shame because it is one of my favourite time periods to read about!). Suddenly, there would be a reference to air sirens during WWI, and I would be completely shocked that this novel didn't take place right now.

I certainly seem to be in the minority regarding my feelings towards this book, and if it your first foray into the literary scene of Paris in the 1920-30s, I think you can do worse than this one. It just didn't deliver in a way to satisfy my tastes.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book in a slow lazy kind of way. I had been so looking forward to it, even without anticipating a clear theme or synopsis. Paris, books, historical fiction, what could be better? I picked it up the day before going on vacation, whereas I had planned to take 7 books for 7 days. When this one delightfully showed up at the library just in time, I said to myself - great! 8 books in 7 days. When I got to my tropical paradise, and proudly displayed my books, my father said, do you have one for me? I said, pick one out, but my guess is this is the one you are going to love! He did choose it, and boy did he love it. I couldn't pull him away from it for three days, and he is anxiously awaiting my review! For one, he loved all the little french phrases in there, and the bits of the culture, as well as the famous authors - the whole experience. I loved that he loved it, and that we were going to share it together. So first I talk with you guys about the experience of the book, and then later today with him, over a metaphorical cup of coffee. I so love to share books with my Dad. He thinks my mother will love it too.

The Paris Bookseller is the true story of Sylvia Beach in the 1920's through 1936, who was an American in Paris, who set up a bookstore (Shakespeare and Co.) for expats and aspiring writers. She became the first publisher for James Joyce's Ulysses. But other prominent figures in the book include Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Henry Miller, Gertrude Stein, many others, and there were even a few references, although abstractly, to Albert Einstein. It was a remarkable story of what was happening with books and writers and publishing during that time in Paris. But there was another story with what was happening for Sylvia. Sylvia was a gay woman in 1920's Paris, and had a love affair with a French Bookseller who was also an artist and sculpturess of emerging literature at the time. The world Adrienne and Sylvia created as a young lesbian couple in 1920's Paris, was all about being outside of the norms and the emergence of new artistry, and female development and empowerment. That was absolutely the competing and parallel story in the book. Which was about the relationship of Sylvia to James Joyce, but also Sylvia with Adrienne, with herself, her sisters and parents, with Paris, with books, with culture, with the times, you name it. It was very well done, and very flushed out, and really a lovely read. One I would recommend. Not just as an ode to book lovers and readers, but lovers of all kinds.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me the best historical fiction is that which is immersed in fact and real characters and I thoroughly enjoyed this fictional novel based on the life of American Sylvia Beach who established the famous 'Shakespeare and Company' English language bookshop in Paris in 1919. It would go on to become a Mecca for writers and artists, not just from America and Great Britain but from all over the world in the 1920s and 30s. Not only did Sylvia stock a wide range of great fiction in English, but she ran a lending library and gave help and advice to new arrivals on where to stay and where to eat. Maher brings to life many of the fledgling writers like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein (who would later shun her), Ezra Pound, and not least James Joyce, who became her customers and friends. When Joyce's new book Ulysses was banned from publication by a conservative America immersed in prohibition and censorship, after being wrongly labelled obscene, Sylvia took on the task of publishing it herself in France.

Maher describes a Paris between the wars that is colourful and vibrant with artists flocking to it. There they found life was free and easy and inexpensive, with great food and wine reappearing in the aftermath of the war. Not only was there no prohibition in France but same sex relationships had also been decriminalised and gay couples could live together openly without the censure they would have experienced in America or England. Sylvia first met her long-term lover Adrienne Monnier not long after she arrived in Paris at Adrienne's bookshop, a well known meeting place for writers and artists. Adrienne would not only encourage Sylvia to open her own bookshop but also supported her through the years dealing with Joyce and his manuscript, despite her feelings that Sylvia did too much for him at the cost of her health and finances.

Joyce's time in Paris, his publication issues with Ulysses and his relationship with Sylvia has been thoroughly researched by Maher. She describes the effort Sylvia put in dealing with Joyce, who could be difficult and demanding, in getting his manuscript ready for the printer as well as the strain on her finances that resulted from Joyce's negligence of his own financial affairs and nearly bankrupted 'Shakespeare and Company'. Through it all Sylvia held on to her unwavering belief that Ulysses was a book that must be published.

The author's notes on the fates of Sylvia, Adrienne and 'Shakespeare and Company' also make for interesting reading and could almost be a whole story in themselves.

[Alex.andthebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cudownie było poznać tę historię w ten sposób. Niesamowita kobieta!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction story is a window into the life of a remarkable woman who defied convention in almost every area of her life. She then went on to publish one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century, Ulysses by James Joyce.

Set in Paris during the Jazz Age, this story follows American expat Sylvia Beach, who opened the original Shakespeare and Company bookstore in 1919…

Which…Became one of the most influential English-language bookstores of the era.

The author takes readers into an experimental period in Western literature…

As well as…Gives readers a sense of this amazing woman attempting to find herself and purpose within a society that was typically patriarchal with heterosexual conventions.

How…Can we as readers not love a story about books? Or familiar famous authors walking through these pages?

Or…Appreciate a fictionalized telling of an interesting time in history?

That…Is set in Paris?

Captivating. Compelling.

With…Exquisite writing.

And…Inclusive of women that isn’t portrayed in a shocking or traumatic way.

If you are looking to travel to Paris, love literature with a historical perspective, this might be the read for you.

Also...There is much to be learned in the Author's Notes.

[Jennifer (not getting notifications) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books about books. I also love the history of Shakespeare and Company, the original store and the current one. For these reasons alone “The Paris Bookseller” was a must read for me. While I’m glad I read the book, Sylvia’s obsession with Joyce and Ulysses wore me down. One of the best parts of the book was the Author’s Notes at the end.

[Joan Happel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This absorbing biographical novel tells the story of Sylvia Beach and her iconic Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. Settling in Paris at the close of WWI, Sylvia is at a loss as to what to do with her life. She befriends Parisian bookstore owner Adrienne Monnier and is introduced into a society comprised of the great literati of the time. In addition, Sylvia finds that Paris is a haven for those who prefer the same sex relationships that have become illegal in other places. She decides to open an English bookstore and lending library catering to the many expats at tourists flocking into the city of lights. Before long her business is thriving and her relationship with Adrienne has developed into a deep love affair. Shakespeare and Company becomes the meeting place for the soon to be famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. Sylvia’s most important client becomes James Joyce. With his new book, Ulysses, being banned in other countries, Joyce has not been able to find a publisher. Sylvia decides to champion this momentous novel and its author by publishing it herself despite never having ventured into the field before. Joyce proves an recalcitrant client, making changes to his tome even while it is at the publishers and arguing about profit percentages. Sylvia’s work with Joyce almost is her undoing both financially and emotionally; and may end the fragile friendship between herself and Joyce.

This wonderful work of fiction is well-researched with a powerful sense of time and place. The Paris of the 1920s and 30s comes alive in the author’s deft hands, and the readers are transported back to Sylvia’s Shakespeare and Company, sitting beside the great writers of the time. I highly recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction, biographical fiction, and the expat world of Paris between the wars.

Thank you to Berkely Publishing Group and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

[Natasha Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about Paris and bookshops was bound to find a place in my heart but this one has the pièce de résistance: the character of Sylvia Beach. I was completely enthralled by Beach’s life and her tenacity in founding the first English-launguage bookshop in Paris, while also publishing James Joyce’s epic but controversial Ulysses. With an abundance of delightful cameos from all of your favourite literary heroes as well as a fascinating rendering of Paris’s glory days during the 1920s and 30s, this novel will transport you as only the best historical fiction can.

[Taury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher is about an author and a publisher trying to publish a book “Ulysses” that has been banned in the United States. This was a fun read. Such as finding out being homosexual in Paris was legal in the 1900s. This was a big thing to me. Never knowing anywhere was so progressive during that era.

An American, Sylvia Beach opened a bookshop, Shakespeare and Company when James Joyce approach her to publish his book controversial book, “Ulysses.” As Sylvia struggled financially to survive as James Joyce continues to make demands of her during the 20-30-40s.

[Margitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting part of history, when Sylvia Beach opened Shakespeare and Co in Paris. In 1922, she published Ulysses of James Joyce.

Here is an interview with her on Youtube .

The book was banned in America, a market that Irish author James Joyce desperately needed to ensure the success of his book. When Sylvia Beach decided to publish the book in Paris and illegally smuggle copies into the USA, she changed the history of literature in the English-speaking world. Prior the publishing of the complete book, Ulysses was excerpted in The Little Review in 1918–20, at which time further publication of the book was banned, as the work was excoriated by authorities for being prurient and obscene. Most of the reviews were scathing, condemning the content as vulgar, obscene, pornography, which lead to the banning. The controversy had the opposite effect. It stirred a massive interest in Joyce's Ulysses. The banning of the book did more for it's promotion than the content.

In 1956, Sylvia Beach wrote Shakespeare and Company, her own memoir, covering the inter-war years, describing the circumstances in France, and sharing her memories of all the American expats who were well-known authors gracing her shop and who also became friends.

I first could not get into the book. The ambiance, modern in writing and style, did not gel with me. Lack of real atmosphere, creative prose, and other elements establishing a captivating prose dumbed down my experience of the book. However, this documentary fiction, or fictional biography, ended up interesting enough to read.

What a fascinating women she was.

It was a good choice to read this particular book on Women's Day. This morning I was reading several websites about remarkable women. She was not mentioned in any of the articles, but a good biography is available on Wikipedia. After closing the book, I was so glad that I got to read her story. She made a difference in her own remarkable way. Although the world did not know her, many authors did, and everyone who got to know her, loved her. That's so enough for me.

NOW FOR THE BORING STUFF. You have my permission to skip it, please and thank you.
However, thank you if you decided NOT to. :-))

NOTE TO SELF
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF PIFFLE
The Ripple Effect:
Ulysses of James Joyce was an interpretation of Homer's Odyssey—a 'modern' parallel; a scaffolding for Ulysses. Most scholars regard Ulysses as a masterwork of Modernism, while others hail it as the pivotal point of Postmodernism.

The original work by Homer, through projection and interpretation, centuries later, landed up as being something completely different in the hands of James Joyce, which added an anti-Semitic, anti-Christian flair and some salacious details to the characters.

United States v. One Book Called Ulysses was a 1933 case in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dealing with free speech. At issue was whether James Joyce's novel was obscene. In deciding it was not, Judge John M. Woolsey opened the door to importation and publication of serious works of literature, even when they used coarse language or involved sexual subjects. The decision was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit,on August 08, 1934, but it is Judge Woolsey's trial court opinion which is now often cited as an erudite and discerning affirmation of literary free speech.

So Sylvia Beach's decision to publish Ulysses in the first place, underscored what Judge Woolsey declared in his verdict: Woolsey, who read Joyce’s tome in its entirety, declared that “in spite of its unusual frankness, I do not detect anywhere the leer of the sensualist.” He went on to declare the novel “a serious experiment” in which “Joyce has attempted—it seems to me, with astonishing success—to show how the screen of consciousness with its ever shifting kaleidoscopic impressions . . . affects the life and behavior of the character which he is describing.” Furthermore, “It is because Joyce has been loyal to his technique . . . that he has been the subject of so many attacks and that his purpose has been so often misunderstood and misrepresented.

I was just thinking how interpretation of literature by other authors, as well as in film, can render the original story almost unrecognizable, minimize or replace the historical context, and totally redefine the original intent of a story, or even misrepresent the original context. Does one writer really have the right to rewrite or alter another writer's work and claim freedom of expression, or even claim the right to freedom of interpretation?

No work of literature can be fully appreciated or understood without historical context. What may seem nonsensical or even offensive to contemporary sensibilities, might actually be interpreted in a completely different manner by considering the era it is from.

A good example is Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," published in 1885. It is considered an enduring work of American literature and a biting social satire. But it is also criticized by modern critics for its casual use of a racial epithet to describe Huck's friend Jim, a freedom-seeking enslaved person. Such language is shocking and offensive to many readers today, but in the context of the day, it was​ the commonplace language for many. Language can confirm historical context.

Where does creative freedom ends? Just about every creation has an artistic genesis. In a recent online debate, a Swedish newspaper was criticized for publishing a satirical graphic of a Chinese flag in which the red stars were replaced with virus icons, depicting China, geographically, as the origin of the virus. It offended Chinese people all over the world. The newspaper defended their right to free speech. The graphic replaced words in expressing an opinion of a historical event.

Another thought: a current interpretation of Persuasion by Jane Austen, in a recent Netflix movie, rendered the original intent almost unrecognizable. Austen was hunched over her small writing desk in the village of Chawton during England’s Georgian era as she wrote Persuasion. The viewer, however, most likely will be lying in bed, watching the Netflix movie, interpreted by a totally different writer in another totally contextual era.

Then there is the works of dearly beloved Bard of Avon. In the 400-year commemoration of his death, an 'interpretation' festival was organised worldwide in different media. Fascinating productions and literature resulted.

In this Bard commemoration period, Ian McEwan's Nutshell interpreted Hamlet as a fetus being attacked by the phallic intruder, almost in an infanticide attempt, of his mother's lover. Is it allowed to interpret this novel as Readable Banality, or Readable Vulgarity, or as Kerri Maher says of Ulysses: Today, Ulysses is entirely free in the home of the brave, and the way is paved for other works of literature to be daring and experimental without fear of censorship.

Which brings as back to Maher's poetic freedom to create a story in the LGBTQ+ - genre, in which Sylvia Beach's life can be creatively, imaginatively, be used as scaffolding to bring her life into the current social and cultural context of the author. The work was not meant as a literary masterpiece, but rather a political celebration of one of the echo chamber's own heroines. To add weight to the characters, poetic freedom was needed to fictitiously explore and add spice to the characters' personal experiences. There is after all, much more creative freedom allowed in biographical fiction than in a non-fictional biography, where facts are more important.

The Ripple Effect: Fascinating, if you think about it.

[Rosemary Standeven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was keen to read this book – not because I am a James Joyce fan (I have never read ‘Ulysses’, and I doubt I ever will) – but because I was fascinated by the idea of a single American woman opening up an English language bookshop in Paris in the 1920s AND being the first person to publish such an influential book as ‘Ulysses’.
The book was about Sylvia Beach, her shop ‘Shakespeare and Company’, her travails with James Joyce – and so much more.
It was a really beautiful romance between Sylvia and Adrienne Monier (another ground-breaking single female bookshop owner, this time French), who were drawn to each other through their love for books and literature, and their beliefs that women capable of so much more than the traditional roles of wife, mother, servant …They both believed that people should be free to love whom they choose, and write what and how they will. Censorship was rife in the USA at the time (hence the banning of ‘Ulysses’), prohibition was in full swing, and homosexuality illegal, whereas France was much more liberal on all counts. So, no wonder Sylvia – and many fellow Americans – were drawn to an exuberant Paris that sparkled with culture old and new. That Paris was also inexpensive at the time, added to the appeal.
It is also a story of friendships, legal wrangles and betrayals. The clientele of ‘Shakespeare and Company’ were a who’s-who of the leading lights of early 20th century literature: James Joyce, Earnest Hemmingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, André Gide to name but a few. They all frequented the shop – as purchasers, as lending-library-card-holders – but also as friends, to meet and discuss literature. Many other famous authors were linked to the shop and Sylvia: Gertrude Stein; Alice B Toklas; George Bernhard Shaw, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean‑Paul Sartre … I loved the idea of Ezra Pound fixing wobbly chairs and shelves in the bookshop, and would have been ecstatic to have listened to T S Elliot reading ‘The Wasteland’ at one of the soirees.
The printing and publication of ‘Ulysses’, and the subsequent legal wrangles regarding copyright and distribution form a large part of the story. James Joyce becomes ever more demanding:

“That he is a very great writer but not a great man.” Was that what she’d (Adrienne) said? When they first talked about her publishing Ulysses? … “But he is such a genius.” “Geniuses are not always good husbands.”

Nor did Joyce turn out to be a good friend nor a good associate, bringing Sylvia and ‘Shakespeare and Company’ close to bankruptcy on several occasions, and seldom appreciating the tremendous effort that Sylvia put in on his account – though he did eventually redeem himself (a bit!)
The book us very well written and remarkably easy to read. It is a work of fiction, though very well researched, with a keen sense of time and space that was Paris in the 20s and 30s. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books and literature – whether you have read any of the authors mentioned or not, and also to those who want a bit of romance in their books.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by either the author or publisher.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE PARIS BOOKSELLER by Kerri Maher

I was half way through this book before I realized it is essentially an accurate and lengthy biography of Sylvia Beach and her English language bookshop. Beach and her Paris shop, “Shakespeare and Company”, hosted many of the writers and thinkers of the early half of the 20th century. She came to fame with her publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses when no one else would publish it. In fact, America had declared it pornography and prevented it from being published or sold in the US. The novel also covers her relationship with Adrienne Monnier and Monnier’s French language bookshop. Both women were sponsors of American, French and British writers.

The novel is well researched and well written but gets bogged down in the details. Joyce, Ulysses, Hemingway and Pound by themselves along with Beach could have made a fascinating tale that moved more quickly and kept the reader’s interest from flagging. Still, the history alone makes the book worth reading. Personally, I could have done with a hundred fewer pages.

3 of 5 stars

[Marius Citește · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nu pot spune ca mi-a plăcut atât de mult. Plusul acestei cărți constă în faptul că autoarea s-a documentat destul de mult în scrierea ei, așa am aflat de parcursul romanului "Ulise", cum a fost scris, cum a apărut și cum a ajuns la cititori. În rest replicile și celelalte personaje nu m-au convins deloc. În fiecare conversație totul este atât de artificial și nu cred că oamenii chiar vorbeau așa unii cu alții in anii '20-'30.

[Els Book Hunters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obrir una llibreria anglosaxona a París com la Shakespeare and Company després de la Gran Guerra no sembla la idea més lucrativa del món. Una idea només apta per a valentes com la Sylvia Beach, que la convertirà en un dels centres neuràlgics de la cultura i la literatura al barri llatí, i en punt de trobada per a molts escriptors de l'època. Un dels projectes més ambiciosos que durà a terme serà la publicació de l'Ulysses de Joyce, obra mestra de l'autor censurada a Anglaterra i els Estats Units, i que farà de fil conductor de bona part de la història.

Tot i les seves quatre-centes pàgines, el llibre passa d'una revolada, és de lectura àgil i tendre. A estones he ajudat a la Sylvia a omplir les lleixes de la Shakespeare and Company, i mentre em relatava els títols que tenia o que algú li havia agafat en préstec, m'ha resultat inevitable pensar en 84 Charing Cross Road. També he estat amb ella rere el taulell o asseguda a les butaques, xerrant amb Joyce, Hemingway, Pound i tants altres. Una generació perduda, d'entreguerres, esperançada, poc conformista i disposada a lluitar contra les adversitats.

'La llibretera de París' és un homenatge a l'amor, en tots els sentits. L'amor cap als llibres i la literatura, que fan que la Sylvia s'embarqui en el projecte de la Shakespeare and Company quan sembla que té totes les de perdre. L'amor a l'ofici de llibretera, a donar vida a les llibreries i convertir-les en un punt de trobada bohemi i liberal. L'amor com a tal, lliure, desacomplexat i sense prejudicis. I París embolcallant-ho tot, un marc inconfusible, i la sensació que la història no podria haver succeït en cap altra ciutat. París era una festa. Havia de ser París.

(LAIA)

[simona.citeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte care m-a surprins în mod plăcut și poate cea mai frumoasă pe care am citit-o recent.

Acțiunea este strâns împletită cu viața scriitorilor, viața într-o librărie și aducerea la lumină a unei opere literare importante.

Mi se pare că pe vremuri se vorbea tare frumos despre cărți, cu un limbaj mult mai bogat și cu emoție. Eu asta am simțit și pentru asta am apreciat foarte mult cartea.

A avut dozele potrivite de acțiune, suspans, surpriză, personajele au fost foarte bine construite și povestea a respectat foarte mare parte din evenimentele reale.

[Lavinia Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

O carte care m-a surprins în mod plăcut.
Fiind o ficțiune istorică, eram tare curioasă ce e adevărat, ce e înflorit de autoare (oh, și au fost muuulte:)) ) și chiar a reușit să creeze un tablou frumos, original și magic al anilor de după Primul Război Mondial în Paris.
De la deschiderea primei librării cu cărți în engleză în Paris până la publicarea cărții Ulise, pe atunci interzisă în SUA, personajul nostru Sylvia e o femeie puternică, plină de motivație și tărie de caracter. Am adorat să o urmăresc în acțiune, să-i simt tulburările și emoțiile. Relația ei cu persoana iubită dar și cu ceilalți oameni arăta ce persoană bună și plină de gânduri bune este.
Povestea a fost scrisă bine, cu descrieri amănunțite, dar fără să te plictisească. Paginile au evocat fricile și greutățile vremii de atunci.
Recomand cartea iubitorilor de ficțiune istorică & romance, e ce trebuie :)

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This right here is what I love about historical books. I learn so much from them that I would have otherwise never known,
American woman Sylvia Beach who lives in Paris dares to open an American book selling company in Paris. It was named Shakespeare and Company.
More than just a bookstore, it had a lending library and many famous authors came there to unwind and write including Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. Now Joyce had a book that was banned everywhere else and Sylvia Beach helped him with the publication of it. This book was Ulysses.
Book loving historical fiction lovers who want to read about the life of Sylvia Beach and Shakespeare and Company will enjoy this one.

Pub Date: 11 Jan 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely UTTERLY fascinating!!! I couldn't put this book down, it was such an immersive experience into the life of 1920s Paris literary scene told from the real life perspective of Sylvia Beach, an American expat who opens the first English language bookstore in Paris and goes on to publish James Joyce's Ulysses. This book was perfection for my book-loving historical fiction soul.

I did not know most of what happened and loved learning about this intrepid, gay bookseller who gives up everything to bring American literature to Paris readers. In doing so her bookstore becomes the center for some of the most prolific and famous of 1920s writers including Ernest Hemmingway, James Joyce and Gertrude Stein. HIGHLY recommended, especially for fans of The Paris Library or The Paris wife. This was also great on audio narrated by Lauryn Allman. My first book by Kerri Maher and definitely not my last as she has just moved on to my auto-buy author list. If you enjoy historical fiction or books about books this is a MUST READ!! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

[Burca Melania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silvia Beach împreună cu ajutorul prietenei si partenerei sale de viață Adrienne Monnier, pune bazele celei mai cunoscute librarii din Paris numita Shakespeare and Company.
Inspirată de prietena sa, Silvia Beach, aduce în a sa librărie ceva unic în aceasta țară pe care o îndrăgește atât de mult și anume cărți tipărite in limba engleza.
Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce si F.Scott Fitzgerald sunt doar câțiva scriitori care se numără printre clientii librariei.

Librareasa din Paris se axeaza pe povestea publicării celebrului roman Ulise ce a stârnit numeroase controverse la acea vreme si scoate în evidenta relațiile sociale și politice specifice secolului XX.

Mi-a plăcut tare mult această carte si m-a facut tare curioasă de a citi romanul Ulise scris de James Joyce 😊.

[Niki · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
The dramatic story of how a humble bookseller fought against incredible odds to bring one of the most important books of the 20th century to the world in this new novel from the author of The Girl in White Gloves.

I really wanted to love this book becaue it sounded so good! But I had a hard time getting into and felt I put it down more than I picked it up. It just wasn't the right book for me and I ended up not finishing unfortunately.

[Darlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was an interesting story buried deep. Rich, fascinating, real historical characters were rendered flat and uninteresting.

[kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really liked learning about shakespeare and company along with joyce’s ulysses, but this book lacked character development. it felt like a lot of name dropping instead of getting to know the characters and their placement in this book. there would be what seemed like important struggles in the book, but it was never really expanded on and then the next paragraph, that struggle was resolved. i was really looking forward to reading this book, but it was a letdown.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. DNF.

[Georgiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

O scrisoare de dragoste dedicată vremurilor trecute, unui Paris apus, dar și tuturor iubitorilor de cărți din lume.
Mi-a umplut inima de bucurie acest roman, și ochii de lacrimi, pe alocuri. Foarte frumos mi-i s-a părut, Sylvia a fost cu siguranță o eroină, relația sa cu Adrienne, cât și cele cu prietenii săi scriitori, sunt dătătoare de speranță.
Recomand romanul iubitorilor de ficțiune istorică, nu e o vreo capodoperă, dar e o poveste frumoasă, care te îndeamnă să visezi cu ochii deschiși.

“Poți să trăiești și fără să te pierzi pe tine.”

“A avea o librărie înseamnă mult mai mult decât să vinzi niște fraze. Înseamnă să pui frazele potrivite în mâinile potrivite.”

“Noua artă nu neagă ce a fost înainte! Nu. Este o deschidere, o poartă de grădină care dezvăluie o cale către ceea ce urmează.”