Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop: A Memoir

by Alba Donati

Under the Tuscan Sun meets Diary of a Bookseller in this charming memoir by an Italian poet recounting her experience opening a bookshop in a village in Tuscany.

Alba Donati was used to her hectic life working as a book publicist in Italy—a life that made her happy and allowed her to meet prominent international authors—but she was ready to make a change. One day she decided to return to Lucignana, the small village in the Tuscan hills where she was born. There she opened a tiny but enchanting bookshop in a lovely little cottage on a hill, surrounded by gardens filled with roses and peonies.

With fewer than 200 year-round residents, Alba’s shop seemed unlikely to succeed, but it soon sparked the enthusiasm of book lovers both nearby and across Italy. After surviving a fire and pandemic restrictions, the “Bookshop on the Hill” soon became a refuge and destination for an ever-growing community. The locals took pride in the bookshop—from Alba’s centenarian mother to her childhood friends and the many volunteers who help in the day-to-day running of the shop. And in short time it has become a literary destination, with many devoted readers coming from afar to browse, enjoy a cup of tea, and find comfort in the knowledge that Alba will find the perfect read for them.

Alba’s lifelong love of literature shines on every page of this unique and uplifting book. Formatted as diary entries with delightful lists of the books sold at the shop each day, this inspirational story celebrates reading as well as book lovers and booksellers, the unsung heroes of the literary world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Books About Books, Italy, Biography, Italian Literature, Biography Memoir

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2022

About the author

Alba Donati, pseudonimo di Alba Franceschini (Lucca, 1960), è una poetessa e critica letteraria italiana. Vive tra Firenze e Lucignana, un borgo di 180 abitanti, dove ha aperto una libreria.
Ha esordito su Poesia, nel 1993, nella rubrica di Milo De Angelis “I poeti di trent'anni”. Ha lavorato per Rai 3 e Rai Radio Tre ed ha tenuto per molto tempo rubriche di poesia su vari quotidiani.
Ha pubblicato: "La Repubblica contadina" (City Lights, 1997, Premio Mondello Opera Prima e Premio Sibilla Aleramo); "Non in mio nome" (Marietti, 2004, Premio Diego Valeri, Premio Carducci, Premio Pasolini, Premio Cassola); "Idillio con cagnolino" (Fazi, 2013, Premio Lerici-Pea, Premio Dessì, Premio Ceppo).

Reviews

[Maria Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡NO ME QUIERAS TANTO!

Ya sabes a lo que me refiero, a cuando tienes un proyecto que te hace mucha ilusión y tus amigos y allegados te sueltan ese: "pero ¿estás loca, tía?", "No va a funcionar", "Te vas a estrellar solita"💔

Vamos, después de oír estos consejos tan chulos y bienintencionados, tu proyecto se ha convertido en un caso de asesinato múltiple; hasta el más despistado a clavado su puñal. Pero, oye, de buen rollo, solo para evitarte un mal mayor.

Pero, vamos por partes, ¡como dijo Jack el Destripador!🤭

Imagina que estás en lo alto de una colina, en la vieja Italia. A tu alrededor, montañas, bosques y, sobre ti, un cielo azul. Si miras enfrente, veras tréboles plantados al margen de un camino de piedra que conduce a una pequeña librería que parece sacada de un cuento de hadas. A su alrededor, platos y tarros cuelgan de los árboles como fanales, mientras unas mesas te invitan a tomarte un té literario. Dentro, verás estanterías repletas de libros, taburetes con recomendaciones literarias, lámparas, flores, calcetines con citas de Orgullo y Prejuicio, calendarios de Emily Dickinson, mermelada que sabe a Alicia en el país de las maravillas...

EL ÚNICO PROBLEMA es que en Lucignana solo hay 180 habitantes. ¡Y solo a una loca se le ocurriría montar este negocio en un pueblo perdido en la Toscana😱!

Pero ¿qué pasaría si a pesar de esos buenos consejos tú decidieras abrir la librería y, encima, se convirtiera en un éxito❤️?

UN CASO REAL!
UNA LIBRERÍA REAL!
UN LIBRO PARA LOS QUE AMAN LA LITERATURA!

[Gabril · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Una libreria per 180 abitanti destinata al fallimento commerciale sulla carta, che diventa libreria del mondo, che intercetta, andando controvento, i propri simili nella tormenta e li porta a casa”.

A Lucignana, nel Prato Fiorito, in vicolo Sopra la Penna.

Alla fine di ogni capitolo una manciata di titoli non casuali.
Per ricordare alcune meraviglie lette e desiderare di leggerne molte altre.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect choice for readers of Shaun Bythell’s bookshop diaries. Instead of a lovable grump in Wigtown, Scotland, you get a tiny town in the Tuscan hills and a stock of mostly women’s literature and bluestocking gifts curated by an outspoken feminist poet in her sixties. She relied on crowdfunding to open the shop in 2019 – and again to rebuild it after a devastating fire just a couple of months later.

Set during five months of 2021, this gives a lovely snapshot of a bookseller’s personal and professional life without overstaying its welcome or getting repetitive. Donati has an adult daughter and a 101-year-old mother who was only just losing independence. Although she generally feels supported by the people of Lucignana, some 30% are naysayers, she estimates, and not everyone shares her opinions – she’s outraged when the council cuts down all the trees in the central square.

While keeping the focus on books, she also manages to give a sense of her family’s convoluted wartime history, local politics, and shifting Covid restrictions. I especially enjoyed hearing about her 25-year career in publishing; Edward Carey, Michael Cunningham, and Daša Drndić were ‘her’ authors and she has juicy stories to tell about all three.

Each entry ends with a list of that day’s orders. It’s fascinating to see which are the popular authors in translation – Maeve Brennan, Emily Dickinson, Fannie Flagg, Kent Haruf, Jenny Offill, Vita Sackville-West, Ali Smith – as well as plenty in various European languages. Sometimes, no doubt, the stock reflects Donati’s own taste. [A couple of the English titles are rendered incorrectly: “Longbourne House” by Jo Baker and “Woman, Girl, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo should have been caught before this went to print.]

In short, she’s a bookish kindred spirit (“I like books that make you discover other books – a virtuous cycle that should never be broken. The only eternity we will ever experience here on earth”) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her fairly uneventful yet rewarding days.

[Cuorediluce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perché hai aperto una libreria in un paesino sconosciuto? Perché avevo bisogno di respirare, perché ero una bambina infelice, perché ero una bambina curiosa, per amore di mio padre, perché il mondo va a scatafascio, perché il lettore non va tradito, perché bisogna pensare ai piú piccoli, perché mi sono salvata.

Questa è la frase che mi ha fatta innamorare di questo libro. Una coccola per l'anima.

Consiglio a chi è appassionato di libri di leggerlo, spero vi rimarrà incastrato nel cuore come è successo a me.

[The Frahorus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esiste una libreria in provincia di Lucca che è particolare: si trova su una collina e ha una vista mozzafiato: è la libreria Sopra la Penna, fondata e diretta da Alba Donati. In questo libro leggeremo un vero e proprio diario tenuto da Alba in quel periodo che ci ha colpito tutti, durante la pandemia del Covid e ci narra la sua vita giornaliera piena di libri, amicizie, incontri, belle persone, eventi storici, tè particolari e scrittori. La cosa bella è che lei ha avuto il coraggio di aprire una libreria in un paesino che conta 180 abitanti, da tutti definita una follia. Ma Alba ha creato un vero e proprio angolo di paradiso, con fiori, alberi e libri magici. Spero un giorno di poter farle una visita, ne sarei onorato!

[Stefano Cucinotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Che storia piena di grazia. Un diario leggero, ma incredibilmente profondo, una storia piccola, vicina ma sconosciuta. Una libreria minuscola che parte come un sogno personale e diventa il cuore di un paese, piena di vita, piena di vite. Un libro che parla di altri libri e va oltre, parlando di noi.
Vi meritate un pomeriggio in un giardino, con queste pagine in mano e il mondo fuori.

[Lucrezia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Onestamente non ho capito lo scopo di questo libro. C'è un intento? O semplicemente un susseguirsi di vicende, che suscitano nel lettore un'emozione che duri non più di una manciata di righe.

[Elentarri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This memoir was is a collection of "diary" entries from 20 January 2021 to 20 June 2021, briefly sketching out the establishment of a bookshop, and the inhabitants, of a small Tuscany village. The book was "ok". I found it a bit bland. The text was flat (not sure if this is a translation issue?), the contents comes across as a bare-bones sketch of events, and the characters have no meat on their bones. Nothing particularly exciting happens, even the fire in the bookshop did not raise a twitch out of me, the people aren't particularly interesting, and at the end of the day I won't remember anything I just read. OK, but bland and unmemorable.

[Pianobikes · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Las cosas no se nos ocurren, las cosas se incuban, fermentan, ocupan nuestras fantasías mientras dormimos”. ~ La librería en la colina de Alba Donati.

En este mundo de adicción a los libros, cuando topamos uno que versa sobre una librería, nos lanzamos en plancha sobre él. La librería de la colina no iba a ser un excepción pero para que no haya sorpresas os diré que es un libro escrito en forma de diario puesto que la autora ha querido plasmar su vida en esa librería que abrió en una colina contra viento y marea.

Esta historia solo tiene una pega y es que va a ampliar vuestra pila de manera considerable. En cada capítulo enumera los libros que ha vendido o que le han encargado y claro, somos como somos, todos nos llaman la atención.

Un libro de esos amables, para pasar un rato entretenido leyendo pero sin grandes pretensiones. Me ha gustado más por el hecho de que versa sobre libros que por la historia en si, quizá porque me ha parecido que está escrito como desde la distancia, describiendo solo hechos.

Lo podéis encontrar en #eBiblio.

[Lee Imagina Sueña · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro es diferente a lo que esperaba, no es una novela, más bien se trata del diario de Alba Donati, una poeta italiana que decide irse de Florencia y dejar su trabajo en el mundo editorial para vivir en Lucignana , un pequeño pueblo con menos de 180 habitantes, que es el pueblo de su niñez y familia y ahí poner una librería , mediante una campaña de crowfunding y donaciones de editoriales; es así como nace la librería Sopra la Penna.

La idea parece tonta, pero en el diario Alba nos va contando como a pesar del Covid , de un incendio que destruyó la librería en su 1er año y de lo pequeño de la población, como va realizando su sueño con la ayuda de la familia y del 60% del pueblo. Cada día, la autora, además de anotar lo que pasa y algunas cosas de su pasado. y de su familia, va anotando los pedidos de los libros que recibe y que lee.

Lo que me gusto
Este libro muestra como en la madurez podemos tener planes completamente diferentes a lo que hemos vivido, buscar la tranquilidad y dedicarnos a lo que nos apasiona y como la red de amistades y de la familia llegan a ser tan importantes para uno.

Lo que no me gusto
Menciona a muchas personas, pero no habla de ellas lo suficiente para poderlas identificar bien, llega un momento que te pierdes y no ubicas bien quien es quien.


Recomiendo el libro para leerlo con calma y disfrutarlo poco a poco, hay que recordar que es un diario no una novela, y por lo menos yo ( será por la etapa de vida en la que me encuentro) comprendí muchos de los puntos y decisiones de Alba.

Adicionalmente me gustaría invitarlos a que busquen en youtube la librería en la colina, es un lugar pequeñito y precioso , dónde se antoja pasar el día con una muy buena lectura.

[Amalia (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demasiado adictivo y, además, mi lista de pendientes ha crecido exponencialmente 🤗.
.
Too addictive and also my tbr list has grown exponentially 🤗.

[Beth Bonini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing requires extreme care. It forces you to speak the darkness and at the same time see the beauty that blossoms within it. And you need to really pay attention. Beauty is less conspicuous, you need to search for it, wait for it, flush it out - but when it does come it will floor you.

For many years I fantasised about opening a bookshop much like the one that Italian poet Alba Donati opened in her tiny ancestral village of Lucignana. There’s a funny scene in which she describes a group of young women from Florence who are taking photos, gasping with delight and commenting, “My mother would love this.” It’s entirely obvious that this is a bookshop that honours the literary goddesses - “Remember to celebrate Virginia, Emily, Jane, and all the others,” she says in her Manifesto for Aspiring Booksellers - while catering to a certain kind of reading woman. The kind who appreciates tea, flowers, a garden full of roses and a deeply knowledgeable and passionate bookseller.

This memoir is not a bit “twee,” though - despite the author’s love for “Mary Shelley” tea blends and curated bookshelves. During the first two years of the bookshop’s existence, Donati has to contend with both a fire and the frequent pandemic lockdowns. And despite her years of experience working in the publishing industry, Donati freely admits to the challenge of getting stock orders right and the need for volunteers to stay within a workable budget.

The content of the author’s dated entries ranges quite widely: sometimes touching on specific books or authors, sometimes getting philosophical, or practical, but also delving into family matters, history, ancestry and literary inheritance. Donati’s mother - who turns 102 in the period of time recounted here - makes frequent appearances within these pages. There is also always this sense of the connected nature of her reading experience and her own life experience; it reminds me of the conversations I have with my own bookish friends.

My mind goes to Annie Ernaux’s A Woman’s Story, to the different feelings she experienced when her mother died. Another fragile, modern daughter, another ancestral, rock-solid mother figure, another gulf between them. And guilt, too, flickering through it all, involuntary contractions of the soul that logic cannot defeat.

Donati goes on to say that “Annie Ernaux is the author I feel closest to in my own experience of writing,” and it is worth noting that this is no fictionalised “diary” but rather a very particular glimpse into the world of an Italian woman of letters. Despite her penchant for British women writers, Donati is Italian (and European) first and foremost - and that aspect or sensibility is what shapes this book of nonfiction. There is no “storyline” as such, other than the creation of the bookshop itself. While I particularly enjoyed the list of books “Today’s orders” she includes at the end of every diary entry, I frequently felt confused by her descriptions of family members and the village inhabitants.

Overall, a pleasure - and I have come away with a list of books to read.

I like books that make you discover other books - a virtuous cycle that should never be broken.

[Los libros de Bruno Los libros de Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lectura bastante disfrutable y fresca.
De manera personal la escritora va contando todo acerca de la decisión de poner una librería en su pueblo natal, así como problemas que van surgiendo y también anécdotas de sus clientes o familiares, vecinos.
Me gusta porque transforma un deseo en una actividad que ama realizar, conseguir títulos, cosas para los lectores y más.
Y como va contada a manera de diario, en cada uno de los días va agregando libros que pedirá para ponerlos en su librería ( es ahí donde mis pendientes han incrementado)
Muy recomendado para los amantes de los libros
Saludos a quien me lea :)

[chiara_librofilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima di iniziare il libro temevo di trovarmi dinanzi ad una storia smielata e piena di luoghi comuni e, invece, Alba Donati racconta con estrema sincerità e lucidità tutti gli aspetti del suo lavoro, compresi quelli meno positivi e così è possibile sognare ad occhi aperti ma anche riflettere.
La cosa più bella, per me, oltre all'aver appreso la storia di questo luogo meraviglioso, è quella di aver sottolineato e appuntato numerosi titoli di libri perché manco a dirlo: è un libro che ovviamente parla, tra le altre cose, anche di libri.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

'We are each on our own reading journey.' On December 7, 2019, poet Alba Donati opened a bookstore in the small town of Lucignana, Italy, where she was born. This journal chronicles her experiences from January 20 to June 20, 2021.

Of course there's a lot about books here, seeing literature from a different perspective--what books she loved and which spoke to her. At the end of each day's journal entry, she notes which books were ordered by her customers. But there's also much about life in the village, about her childhood, family and neighbors that is just fascinating. A nice immersion in the culture.

I read about this memoir in an article featuring books set in bookshops written by John Warner in the
Chicago Tribune. He never stirs me wrong with his book suggestions.

[Pandèmia de llibres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quina preciositat de llibre... Un oasis al mig del caos i del patiment.

Sí necessiteu tornar a creure en les persones i en el poder dels llibres aquesta és la vostra lectura.

Una lectura necessària per totes les amants de la literatura.

Tres dies de felicitat ✨

[Floflyy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alba Donati nous raconte la vie de sa librairie ouverte en 2020 dans son village d'enfance comptant 200 habitants. Perdu dans la montagne Toscane, le petit village tout en pentes, escaliers et vieilles bâtisses n'est pas pour autant sans vie.

Ses habitants forment une vraie communauté, un groupe, qui prend plaisir à s'engager et à aider Alba dans la tenue de cette librairie dans laquelle il est possible d'être "libraire d'un jour". L'autrice nous raconte l'incendie qui survient quelques jours après son ouverture, le COVID et les confinements et toutes les tribulations d'une librairie de campagne.

On sait quelles livres sont commandés, l'autrice nous propose des listes thématiques de lectures, des classements de bibliothèques, des poèmes à lire. C'est un livre sur la lecture et c'est ça que j'ai adoré. De part son expérience professionnelle passée (elle décide d'ouvrir sa librairie après avoir travaillé une trentaine d'année dans l'édition); l'autrice-libraire qui est également poétesse connaît beaucoup de livres et s'attache à nous les faire découvrir.

Une bulle de fraicheur dans un écrin magnifique, on ne passe "que" six mois en sa compagnie mais j'y serais bien resté des années.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I somehow hadn’t heard of Alba Donati’s Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop, despite it being the kind of memoir I always gravitate towards. Luckily, I spotted a copy in my local library, and found it to be the perfect reading for rather a rainy day, where I could transport myself to beautiful rural Italy through Donati’s words, which were translated into English by Elena Pala.

Prior to relocating to the small village of Lucignana in Northern Tuscany where she grew up, Donati lived a busy life in Florence where she worked as a publisher; this ‘made her happy but also left her feeling like a woman constantly on the run.’ A slower pace of life is something she strove for, and so she decided to open a small bookshop for the village’s 180 residents. As she writes in her first diary entry, ‘The idea for the bookshop must have been lying in wait, ensconced in the folds of that dark and joyous country we call childhood.’

The bookshop itself, which was named Libreria Sopra La Penna, opened in December 2019; Donati’s Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop begins over a year later, on the 20th of January 2021. Her second entry, written the following day, includes more background about her venture: ‘The idea to open the bookshop knocked on my door one night… It was the thirtieth of March 2019. I had the space: there was this little hill by the house where my mother used to grow lettuce… What I didn’t have was the money: opening a bookshop is expensive.’

It was lovely to see the tight-knit community’s effort involved throughout Donati’s reflections. When it began, the bookshop was ‘a project shared with 70 per cent of the village, volunteers doing shifts so that there would always be three people around at any given time…’. A lot of the money to enable the bookshop to open was also raised through a fundraising campaign.

As one might expect from this timepoint, Donati’s venture was rather affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns. She receives a lot of support from the online community in periods where the physical bookshop has to close, and visitors flock from local towns and cities as soon as lockdowns are lifted and it is open again. Throughout, Donati is never downbeat, although she is open about the myriad challenges a new bookshop faces in the modern world; rather, she is appreciative of everything around her, in terms of people, the natural world, and the books she so loves to read. Her focus on the small positives was a real breath of fresh air in the quite bewildering world of narratives occurring during the pandemic: ‘The pandemic (despite itself, I’m sure) gifted us these new rituals. It gave us our Sundays back, it gave us time with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Time for ourselves, for the little things.’

Something I found quite charming about Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop is that each entry ends with a list of the books purchased on that particular day, both in-person and online. If you are reading this review, I am sure that this little delight of a book will appeal to you, and I hope you enjoy the reading experience as much as I did. Even in translation, Donati’s voice is so soothing, and the book’s pace is delightful. Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop exemplifies just how magical books can be, and how they have the power to bond us together during the most difficult times.

[Come Musica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho scoperto Alba Donati quando la ascoltai per la prima volta a Mantova, al Fesitval della Letteratura di Mantova nel 2014, quando presentò la sua raccolta poetica Idillio con cagnolino, pubblicato nel 2013 da Fazi Editore.

In questo libro "La libreria sulla collina" riscopro Alba Donati come narratrice, in cui racconta il suo progetto, il suo sogno divenuto realtà: una libreria sulla collina, appunto, a Lucignana, un paesino di cento ottanta abitanti.

Notevole risonanza ha avuto in me incontrare durante la lettura la notizia della morte di Sergio Claudio Perroni:

"Alle dieci del mattino del 25 maggio del 2019 un uomo cammina in via Roma. Siamo a Taormina, da via Roma si vede la bellezza pura. Entra nel solito bar, chiede il solito caffè. L’uomo esce, riprende la via sul mare, tira fuori una pistola e si spara. Quest’uomo è Sergio Claudio Perroni, traduttore, editor, scrittore, caratteraccio, perfezionista, onirico, traduttore di Edward Carey. La sua morte mi ossessiona, non c’è giorno che non la pensi. La penso insieme a quella di Majakovskij per una semplice ragione. Sono suicidi attivi, coerenti, azioni, schiaffi ai benpensanti. Sono suicidi che rivendicano la purezza dell’arte, dell’ispirazione, sono in poche parole performance, nel senso piú vitale e autentico che si possa immaginare."

Il giorno dopo sarei partita per Roma e da lì in poi la mia vita si sarebbe rivoluzionata: ecco perché per me la morte di Sergio Claudio Perroni è stata un po' un giro di boa; non solo, è come se fosse stata la morte di un parente stretto. Perché questo fa la letteratura: per vie misteriose accomuna, unisce, lega.

E così fa Alba Donati, legando i due suicidi

"Il mattino del 14 aprile del 1930, il poeta russo Vladimir Vladimirovič Majakovskij esce di casa per rientrarvi poco dopo. È molto agitato. Indossa una camicia gialla chiara comprata a Parigi in rue de la Madeleine, pallida eco della blusa gialla delle prime performance. Alle 10,11 circa si spara al cuore."

Questo libro, che ho letto come un diario personale della scrittrice, una sorta di scrigno dal quale attingere titoli di scrittrici poco note, ha tanto da donare: c'è la forza di non rinunciare ai propri sogni, visioni che altri possono etichettare come pazzie; c'è il coraggio di ricominciare e ricostruire tutto dopo un incendio; c'è la valenza del passa parola e della comunità che sostiene; c'è lo spirito guida che unisce scrittrici e scrittori di ogni tempo.

"Il fatto è che per me questo posto sperduto è il centro del mondo perché lo guardo con gli occhi di una bambina che ha salito scale traballanti e vissuto in case gelide, in gelidi inverni, una bambina che ha riparato come poteva le cose rotte. Riparato: mi torna in mente il saggio di Seamus Heaney, La riparazione della poesia."

E non solo per lei.

Note a margine: 1. quest'anno sono stata in vacanza in Toscana, a Saturnia. Lucignana sarà una delle mie prossime mete vacanziere.
2. Sono curiosa di scoprire quali sono le vostre liste dei desideri (sui libri da leggere) dopo aver letto questo libro.

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of this bookshop but, somehow, it didn't quite 'gel' with me.

Returning home to the small village of Lucignana in Tuscany, Alba Donati turned away from her life as a publicist in Florence to make her dream of opening a small bookstore a reality. With almost everything against her - not least the small population of less than 200 - she manages to open and make the bookstore thrive, despite setbacks along the way. This is her story.

Opening a small bookshop in such a remote location seems like such a risky business, but I was surprised to find that it was crowdfunded - not once, but twice after a fire destroyed half the store and much of the stock. It all seemed terribly idealistic and, as someone who owned and managed a small business, I have to say that asking others to fund my dreams never occurred to me. How simple to start a store when your own money isn't at stake. That aside, it's admirable that so many people travelled so far to support this venture but it was always tainted for me and I struggled to find enthusiasm throughout the novel. Disappointing and, for me, a three star read.

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading about a bookshop is always a satisfying read. Alba Donation opened a bookshop in a small Italian town (180 population) in Dec 2019. As readers, we already know that she has Covid ahead of her and Italy was particularly hard hit. But of course it is a book of love. And books!

[Lamiya Goycayeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

İtaliyalı şair və naşir Alba Donati günlərin bir günü doğulub-böyüdüyü kənddə kitab mağazası açmaq qərarına gəlir. Ancaq bir əmma var. Kənddə cəmi-cümlətanı 180 nəfər yaşayır, bu azmış kimi, pandemiya başlayır.

Donati gündəlik tərzində qələmə aldığı 350 səhifəlik əsərində mağazasından, ziyarətçilərdən, qohumlarından, kənd camaatından, qorxularından, anası və atası ilə münasibətindən, yazıçılardan və mütaliəsindən, bütün nasazlıqları düzəltmək istəyindən, səmimi məhəbbətlə sevdiyi doğma yurdundan bəhs edir.

Vivyen Vestvuda paltar satan, Maqda Sabonu xəstəxanaya çatdıran bu qadın yolun sonunda (bəlkə də başlanğıcında) soyuq və tualetsiz evdə böyüyən bir qızcığazın arzularını gerçəkləşdirdiyi, əvvəlcə sığınacaq, sonra xilas tapdığı kitabları başqalarına sevdirdiyi üçün dinclik tapır. Və bu dincliyi ilə o qədər doğmadır ki…

[Ricardo Motti · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is very inspired by "Diary of a Bookseller" so I really wanted to like it. But.........

1. It's just not fun without the grumpiness and sarcasm of Shaun Blythell;
2. If you're doing a diary, it has to be about what happened that day. It can't be "today it rained... it reminded me when I was a child....". It's a D-I-A-R-Y, not 90% of flashbacks.

It really annoyed me. (But I still would love to visit the bookshop.)

[Agnes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get into this at all. Maybe poets’ diaries are not for me, but I could not figure out whom she was talking about half the time, there was no chronology or context, and I kept falling asleep after a page or two. Gave it 70 pages out of 190 and then gave up.


When I first saw this book:
Yes, I have obviously already pre-ordered this at my local independent bookstore. You know me so well!

[Sandra Van den Bosch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Onderhoudend maar niet meer dan dat. Te veel van hetzelfde. Al blijft het ook wel een droom van mij om ooit een kleine boekhandel open te kunnen houden🤗Vond de twee essays achteraan het boek, van Steven Van Ammel en Margreet de Haan, het boeiendst van heel het boek.

[Anna Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entranyable, molt entranyable. En forma de dietari, explica sobre la llibreria, sobre els problemes però també sobre l'amor a la feina. Al mateix temps, està contextualitzat en l'època del Coronavirus i va desgranant opinions i vivències personals, opinions... A cops m'he perdut una mica perquè al no haver llegit tal o qual autor no donava masses explicacions, però pot crear això, grans llistes d'autors i llibres pendents per llegir.
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Entrañable, muy entrañable. En un dietario, narra la evolución de la librería, los problemas pero también su amor al trabajo. Al mismo tiempo, está situado en la época del Coronavirus y va hilando opiniones y vivencias personales, opiniones... A veces me he perdido un poco porque al no haber leído tal o cal autor no daba muchas explicaciones, pero puede crear eso, grandes listas de autores y libros pendientes de leer.

[librosgatosyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si mi lista de pendientes ya era grande ahora colapsó 😅. Tiene tantas referencias y recomendaciones de libros, que anoté para buscarlos. Al parecer es una historia autobiográfica, con temas de su vida personal, familia y amigos. Me ha gustado bastante, al punto que ahora quiero ser librera también, o mejor aún, el sueño de todo lector... Tener una librería, en mi caso una librería/cafetería y galería de arte con gatos. Jajaja soñar es gratis. Este es de esos libros que te dejan el corazón contento, a pesar de la vida...

[Maria João (A Biblioteca da João) · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 de 10*

Opinião:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...

[Sophie Woodhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

so sweet ! the author is so passionate about literature and this diary is really about her love of books it’s very relatable haha. it was so wonderful to learn about how this community came together to make this dream happen and the bookshop sounds beautiful i really want to visit. i also enjoyed how observant the author is of small moments in life and the writing is like poetry.
the covid references and talk about tier systems were triggering lol and the author lovessss a name drop, she was also a little judgmental at times despite making it clear she gets very sad when people don’t like her

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come la stessa Donati scrive mi piacciono i libri che richiamano altri libri e diffondono la cultura. La libreria sopra la collina è quel paradiso che ogni lettore sogna. Quel posto dove puoi comprare libri, gadget sui libri, leggere con il sottofondo della natura e in mezzo ad essa ma soprattutto la possibilità di potersi confrontare sui libri e ricevere ottimi consigli. Il libro racconta l’atto di coraggio della scrittrice di aprire una libreria in un paesino con soli 180 abitanti. Ammiro il suo coraggio di lasciare tutto e inseguire il suo cuore. Spero di riuscire a visitare al più presto la Liberia Sopra la Penna e vedere il paradiso che hai creato. In bocca al lupo per tutto e spero che il tuo coraggio sia ripagato. Consigliatissimo, travate anche tantissimi altri libri da appuntare e qualche curiosità su alcuni scrittori. Il mio voto è 5/5 🦩