The Bookshop of Yesterdays

By Amy Meyerson

Book Overview

Look for Amy Meyerson's new novel The Imperfects , a captivating literary page-turner. THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Best Books of Summer 2018 Selection by Philadelphia Inquirer and Library Journal "Part mystery and part drama, Meyerson uses a complex family dynamic in The Bookshop of Yesterdays to spotlight the importance of truth and our need for forgiveness." -- Associated Press A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading. Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy's bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda's twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda's life. She doesn't hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy--and one final scavenger hunt. When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books--now as its owner--she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store's shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy's last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy's past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda's mother has kept hidden--and the terrible secret that tore her family apart. Bighearted and trenchantly observant, The Bookshop of Yesterdays is a lyrical story of family, love and the healing power of community. It's a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to how our histories shape who we become.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778319849
• ISBN13: 9780778319849
• Release Date: June 2018
• Publisher: Park Row
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

3 stars

THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson What I loved most about this were all the literary references to classic books/authors (of course!) and the descriptions of the eclectic neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles. The nostalgia of my childhood and hometown was strong while I was reading. That said, I found the story itself to be incredibly slow moving. Despite the initial excitement of Miranda finding and solving the first clue, the way the next clues, new characters and revelations unfolded became tedious. While that may have been because I figured out the secret halfway through, the story itself just didn’t hold my interest. This could have been great if it didn’t take so long to get to the point. Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

Struggled to get through

Sadly I didn’t love this book. The summary sounded interesting but it was so slow and repetitive for the first half - there are a ton of literary references if you’re into that, but almost to the point of being annoying. I forced myself to finish but it’s not a book I would recommend.

A lovely adventure

This book includes so many elements that I enjoy: complex mother-daughter relationships, found family, bookshops, enemies becoming friends, family secrets, treasure hunts, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure, and would highly recommend giving it a read.

Good; not great

This book was a good novel but for some reason or another took me forever to get into it. To me it felt like the whole first half of the book was slow or redundant. I enjoyed the premise of the book and the scavenger hunt was intricate and delightful. The last half of the book had all the action and, at times, felt like a completely different book. There are lots of literary references as well that were enjoyable.