French Chic Book Club ~ The Paris Bookseller

Welcome to the second year of the French Chic Book Club! Each month I select a book for my fellow Francophiles to read. This month we will be reading, “The Paris Bookseller”.

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The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher

When bookish young American Sylvia Beach opens Shakespeare and Company on a quiet street in Paris in 1919, she has no idea that she and her new bookstore will change the course of literature itself.

Shakespeare and Company is more than a bookstore and lending library: Many of the prominent writers of the Lost Generation, like Ernest Hemingway, consider it a second home. It’s where some of the most important literary friendships of the twentieth century are forged—none more so than the one between Irish writer James Joyce and Sylvia herself. When Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Beach takes a massive risk and publishes it under the auspices of Shakespeare and Company.

But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous and influential book of the century comes with steep costs. The future of her beloved store itself is threatened when Ulysses‘ success brings other publishers to woo Joyce away. Her most cherished relationships are put to the test as Paris is plunged deeper into the Depression and many expatriate friends return to America. As she faces painful personal and financial crises, Sylvia—a woman who has made it her mission to honor the life-changing impact of books—must decide what Shakespeare and Company truly means to her.

Note: Many of us are doing our best to avoid purchasing from Amazon and a number of other large corporations, for a variety of reasons. I recommend checking the library or purchasing books from local book stores if you have them in your area. If not, Bookshop.org is a great option.

Bookshop.org

Amazon

If you’d like to discuss this month’s French Chic book selection, I’ll have a pinned post in my French Chic Facebook group where you can share your thoughts and observations.

Have you joined the French Chic group yet? If not, here is the link:

French Chic

Be sure to answer the membership questions so your request will be approved.