Saw the review of this book in The Star newspaper sometime back and I thought it was a fiction. So made a search when I was in Kinokuniya one day, lo and behold, it was in the travelogue section. Although I am more a fiction person, I still gave it a try because the book is about a bookshop, the one thing that has quite a place in my heart, and indeed I was not disappointed. Even sweeter, it was all true...
As someone who can spend a few hours "lost" in bookshops, Shakespeare & Co. sounds like a dream come true. Reading through Mercer's eyes and I could almost see the place for myself, the residents, the tea parties, and of course the beauty and tranquility of Paris. True, life seemed pretty difficult at times but to have that freedom of just reading a book a day or midnight story tellings by the Seine under the shadow of the great Notre Dame or even taking a metro/train to go over to England, Ireland, Spain is something I would yearn for.
How I wish to drop by the shop, maybe even spent a week or two in the companies of interesting would-be writers, poets, and four walls of BOOKS! But first, I need to save enough for a trip to Paris from almost a 1/4 of the globe away...
For now, I can only be contented with a 360° virtual tour of the shop at http://www.sav.org/shco/ .
My Rating: 
2 tots:
Hello! Like your choice of books :) Would love to know how you feel about China Dreams...
By the way, may I also suggest A Free Life, by Ha Jin - it's a fantastic book, and you may like it...I definitely did! :)
Thanks! China Dreams is still in progress hehe, will let you know once I'm done ;)
A Free Life sounds interesting too, perhaps I will check it out once the long queue of awaiting books gets shorter =)
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