Play Book Tag discussion

The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman - 4 stars

Historical fiction set in a small town in Australia in the 1960’s and flashing back to Europe during World War II. Three characters’ stories are told: Tom Hope, a soft-spoken sheep farmer, Hannah Babel, a Jewish woman whose son and husband died at Auschwitz, and Peter Carson, the young son of Tom’s first wife who is taken by his mother to live with a religious cult.

I thought the author conveyed a genuine sense of place and loved the descriptions of sheep farming. I felt an emotional attachment to the nuanced characters. The plot gained momentum as it progressed. The title is a bit misleading, as the story is not set in the bookstore. It plays a role in the plot but is not the central focus. Hannah is attempting to establish a bookstore as a form of restitution for books burned by the Nazis. It also serves as a symbol of shattered lives being rebuilt. I don’t think it is coincidence that one of the main characters is named Tom Hope, as hope for the future is a common thread among the primary stories. Other themes include fear of abandonment, the will to survive, and the healing power of love.

I felt the author was successful in portraying the guilt and psychological impact of the trauma Hannah experienced during the war. Each of the main characters is faced with trauma and all respond differently. I thought the book went a bit off-kilter toward the end and found the scenes of child abuse incredibly disturbing. I felt it was a well-written attempt to convey the human struggle to connect individual consciousness to a deeper meaning in life.

I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher via NetGally in return for a candid review.

Link to my GR review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Love your review. This sounds like a good read.

Nicely done review. Fun to have an advanced copy and be one of the first.

I've put this on my TBR - there goes the whole plan to trim it!!

I am intrigued by getting the advanced copies from NetGalley. I signed up for this and received one, but the print was incredibly small. I could not change the font size and turning the pages was clunky. Is this because of my device (I was reading on my phone) or are all of the advanced copies this way?

Thanks, everyone!

J.W., I obtained a version for my Kindle and the print size was fine. I have never had a problem with font size on any of my past NetGalley ARCs. There are sometimes issues with grammar, punctuation, or formatting since the book has not been formally proofed yet.

Joy D wrote: "Thanks, everyone!

J.W., I obtained a version for my Kindle and the print size was fine. I have never had a problem with font size on any of my past NetGalley ARCs. There are sometimes issues with ..."

Interesting. Maybe the issue was that I got a PDF version instead of say a Kindle version. I might have to give it a second try. Thanks!!