aixcentric

Last summer, this book caught my eye while browsing in a second-hand bookstore in Edinburgh: it seemed to be very Paris-centred and I put it back on the shelf, preferring to read books set in Provence; but something made me go back into the shop and invest my £3, and I was happy I had done, as Provence certainly comes into this story!  Here’s the outline:

‘On a beautifully restored barge on the Seine, Jean Perdu runs a bookshop; or rather a ‘literary apothecary’, for this bookseller possesses a rare gift for sensing which books will soothe the troubled souls of his customers.

The only person he is unable to cure, it seems, is himself. He has nursed a broken heart ever since the night, twenty-one years ago, when the love of his life fled Paris, leaving behind a handwritten letter that he has never dared read. His memories and his love have been gathering dust – until now. The arrival of an enigmatic new neighbour in his eccentric apartment building on Rue Montagnard inspires Jean to unlock his heart, unmoor the floating bookshop and set off for Provence, in search of the past and his beloved’.

It’s a very whimsical story with a pretty large ‘suspension of disbelief’ needed as far as the plot goes, but quite a page-turner….perhaps we all need a good dollop of France-soaked escapism right now?  Anyway I was happy I’d invested my £3 at the charity shop!