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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
Audiobook7 hours

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Written by Gabrielle Zevin

Narrated by Scott Brick

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books-the only bookstore on Alice Island-has already lost his wife. Now his most prized possession, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances. The store itself, it seems, will be next to go.One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children's section with a note from her mother pinned to her Elmo doll: “I want Maya to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about such kinds of things. I love her very much, but I can no longer take care of her.” A search for Maya's mother, A. J.'s rare book, and good childcare advice ensues, but it doesn't take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, something of particular interest to the lovely yet eccentric Knightley Press sales rep, Amelia Loman, who makes the arduous journey to Alice Island thrice each year to pitch her books to the cranky owner.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 1, 2014
ISBN9781622313549
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
Author

Gabrielle Zevin

Gabrielle lives in New York City. She is the author of one other book for young adults, Elsewhere, as well as an adult book, Margarettown. Gabrielle is also the author of the screenplay for the film Conversations With Other Women, starring Helena Bonham Carter.

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Rating: 4.447398843930636 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    It's a nice idea, who can't like a book set in a bookstore? On a tourist island? Run by a guy who will only buy stock of literary fiction?
    No mass market schlock, self-help or crappy cookbooks for him.
    And what's more tragic than a youngish widower-bookstore owner who really loved his dead wife? Yes! Abandoned children! All good children's books have abandoned/orphaned children.
    Trite, predictable, manipulative, superficial, simple.
    Liberally sprinkled with names of authors and books throughout, shelf-notes-like personalised blurbs of well-known/loved books -- but this is window dressing. Talking about great books doesn't make it a great book. It only minimally alleviates the boredom.
    Sorry. I feel guilty for dissing it.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it. Anyone who loves bookstores should read this book.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This caught me off guard but in a good way. Loved it and it was a great read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lovely novel. Well written and I enjoyed the narrator's voice and cadence.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    People who love to read and love books will easily be won over by cranky A.J. Fikry as he begins a period of illumination in his life. Owner of the only book store on a small New England island, summer tourists bring in the most revenue. One fall, A.J. finds an unexpected package left for him, one that changes his life and direction of the book. Each chapter in both sections are prefaced with a shelf-talker description about a short story. I liked them, because it served to show my how lacking my knowledge of that genre is.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is a book for Librarythingers if ever there was one. Ever daydream about owning an independent bookstore on a beautiful island? Do you enjoy reading about bookstores and books and people who love books? With interesting characters and some romance thrown in?A.J. Fikry is a man in his late 30s who lost his beloved wife to an accident and is unmoored. His bookstore, on Alice Island off the coast of Massachusetts, is failing, and a bottle is his nightly companion, as he longs for oblivion. He's a grumpy, opinionated reader, and lays into poor new sales rep Amelia, when she tries to get him to carry books she loves from the Knightley Press catalog. “I do not like postmodernism, postapocalyptic settings, postmortem narrators, or magic realism. I rarely respond to supposedly clever formal devices, multiple fonts, pictures where they shouldn’t be — basically gimmicks of any kind. . . . I do not like genre mash-ups à la the literary detective novel or the literary fantasy. Literary should be literary, and genre should be genre, and crossbreeding rarely results in anything satisfying. I do not like children’s books, especially ones with orphans, and I prefer not to clutter my shelves with young adult. I do not like anything over four hundred pages or under one hundred fifty pages. I am repulsed by ghostwritten novels by reality television stars, celebrity picture books, sports memoirs, movie tie-in editions, novelty items, and — I imagine this goes without saying — vampires.” Hmm, I wonder why his bookstore is failing?All his self-destruction changes with two developments - a valuable book, that he was planning to sell to fund his retirement, is stolen from his apartment above the store, and a two year old girl is left for him with a note requesting that he raise her in the bookstore. As he does what he can to help the little girl, he finds himself pulled back into life and the community. Two year old Maya adores him, and blossoms into a lovely, precocious teenager with a yen to write. The police officer who first helps him, Lambaise, becomes a close friend and increasingly adventurous reader. Other characters struggle - self-absorbed Daniel Parrish's first book was a still-read bestseller, but his career has been on a downward trajectory ever since, and his wife Ismay (A.J.'s sister-in-law) is isolated, disenchanted and sad. Helping care for Maya brings some spark to her life, and appreciation for A.J. When A.J. finally reads one of the unlikely books Amelia the sales rep has recommended, his admiration for her grows.Tragedy and death rise up in the book, but beneath it all pulses a love for life and books. Zevin is a successful young adult author (I liked her Elsewhere), and this is her second foray into adult literature. It's a fast-paced Valentine to the reading life, and the quirky people who love books so.“People tell boring lies about politics, God, and love. You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book?”“He wants to laugh out loud or punch a wall. He feels drunk or at least carbonated. Insane. At first, he thinks this is happiness, but then he determines it's love. Fucking love, he thinks. What a bother. It's completely gotten in the way of his plan to drink himself to death, to drive his business to ruin. The most annoying thing about it is that once a person gives a shit about one thing, he finds he has to start giving a shit about everything.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It's a book that I'd wanted to read for some time. The young sales agent of a fictional publishing house visits A.J. Fikry's bookstore, a small account on an island in New England. The first meeting doesn't go well. Fikry's gruff and rude, upset at the news that the previous sales agent had died. Amelia's warm recommendation of a memoir written by an elderly widower is pushed aside. Though Fikry later regrets his rudeness, it takes some time before he warms to the young Amelia and before he revisits the book. Fikry noticed that she was both attractive and not particularly stylish - think 90s style - and regrets his rudeness. Fikry's small bookshop barely breaks even but he does have a valuable and rare Edgar Allen Poe first edition which is stolen. Fikry stops locking his store door after the rare edition disappears. One day soon after he finds an infant left in his care. The mother leaves a note explaining her decision and asking him to care for young Mia. Against all odds, Fikry finds that caring for Mia suits him. The love and close friendship between Fikry and Mia is made the book stand out for me. Mia grows up in the bookstore, loving books, developing her way of analyzing them even before she can read. Mia lives and breathes books, not surprisingly she starts writing as well. Mia's presence proves a gift in more ways than one. Fikry becomes less isolated - the neighbors come into his shop to see Mia and they often chat and leave with a book or two. Slowly, Fikry and Mia work their magic and build a community around the bookshop. I found myself wishing I could drop by their bookshop and, failing that, wanting to become a regular at my neighborhood bookstore. Overall, The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry is a tribute to books and reading, a story of love and hope and friendship. I read the entire book while at the Outdoor Reading Room and the experience reminded me of the many things that I love about NYC.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book has been on my periphery for a while...first recommended to me by a friend of mine on Goodreads (thank you, Susan!). I was delighted to find it on the Bestseller shelf. I zipped through this and loved it. A.J. owns a bookshop that is not doing well. His wife died a few years previously, and he is depressed. Isolated and living alone in his bookshop, A.J. is in a funk. He meets Amelia, a publisher rep who travels to bookstores in her territory to sell books, and is quite rude to her. The townspeople of Alice notice, and with help from the police chief, his sister-in-law, and the arrival of a mysterious package, A.J.'s life changes. This was a delightful read. Lots of great bookish references. Fun!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was a cute story. Somewhat predictable. Somewhat interesting characters. I was expecting more. It is billed as fiction, not teen lit. Zevin's books for teens were more interesting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sweet quirky story about a grumpy middle aged man who has faced hardships. A baby is left in his bookstore and then the mother is found dead.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Have never heard of Gabrielle Zevin before and i like reading about books and anything to do with them so had to try this one. I even suggested it for our book discussion group. I really did enjoy it and recommend it for any book lover.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this novel. I liked the characters and the way they interacted with each other. Something about the quaintness of the writing always made me pick it back up and want to read more. One thing I thought was lacking was any type of real excitement. The book just goes on, there isn't much build up when something big happens...it just sort of happens and then it's over. For me, this is a meandering book for a rainy (or snowy) type of day.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I worked in a bookstore after I got out of school. I'd thought it would be the best place in the world for me, a crazy book lover, to work. I mean, how could working with books make me unhappy? But I didn't reckon on the public and all of the things that were not about books, like vacuuming the store, tidying the children's section (yet again), counting down the cash drawer at night, and dealing with the public (it really does deserve a second mention). But if I am not cut out for working at a bookstore, I do still enjoy reading about them and the book obsessed folk who populate them. Gabrielle Zevin has grounded her newest novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, in a small independent bookstore, filled it with book lovers, and peppered it with literary references. A.J. Fikry owns Island Books on Alice Island. He's a crusty and particular widower whose beloved, friendly wife took care of the community side of the bookstore before she was killed in a car accident. He only continues to live because he has no other choice but he keeps everyone at arms length, snapping at Amelia, the publisher's rep sent to work with him, and planning to sell his pristine copy of Poe's Tamerlane in order to close the store and retire into his much-deserved unhappiness. But after a drunken binge, Tamerlane disappears, scuttling those plans, and shortly thereafter everything in Fikry's life is upended. This novel is very much a love letter to book lovers and to independent bookstore owners. It celebrates the power of story and the importance of books and bookstores. Zevin has sprinkled it with literary references and allusions, from the notes A.J. writes to Maya about his favorite short stories which preface each chapter to smaller, more hidden bits within the text itself. And for this gentle paean to books, the novel feels a bit like home. But it is also overly sentimental about love and loss, many of the characters are formulaic, there are big jumps in the timeline, and the ending is predictable. I so wanted to love this like everyone else has but while I found it sweet, I didn't love it. Yes, it is about hope and rebirth of sorts and the ways in which love for a person or people can change even the hardest heart but the Grinch did it better. If it wasn't for the setting of the book and the literary bent, I don't think it would have gotten all the accolades that it has gotten from the book community. It was a easy and charming powder puff of a read if you don't look too closely, floating happily along admiring the concept behind it rather than examining the actual content too deeply. It just could have been so much more.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really liked this book. It was such an easy read, yet it contained so much food for thought. Sure, there was some unrealistic stuff, but I loved how Maya pulled AJ from his widower's funk and in return AJ provided Maya with the childhood every intellectually curious kid wants.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was a somewhat enjoyable quick read, but too formulaic and too annoying to merit more than three stars. It is the story of a crotchety book store owner whose heart is softened by a toddler who is abandoned in his bookstore and he decides to adopt. Mostly the book is about books and the people who love them.

    The story and characters lacked depth at times and the book seemed to have too much pandering to the hearts of readers by putting in all these analogies about a love for books and reading. So much of the writing seemed to be there just so libraries, bookstores, and book clubs would have no choice but to promote the book. At times it seemed like the point was to give people who love reading something to feel self-righteous about. Maybe there is nothing wrong with that. But even being someone who loves reading, it annoyed me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Much ta-do about the narrator in this little gem, But I found him a comfortable friend sitting in the passenger seat reading a touching story about a bookseller who had lost everything, then gained the
    As a reader who fancies books about books, I loved the life of Aj, his references to other authors and literature, and the evolution of Island Books.

    Well done! I have the hard copy shelved in my personal, ever growing, library.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I truly enjoyed this book! I loved how the characters developed over time! I also really love how the author gives titles to other books throughout that I can explore after reading. I highly recommend this book!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A book for readers, booksellers and people who believe in love.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A. J. Fikry, owns and operates a charming bookstore, on Alice Island. It is the kind that rarely exists today, having given way to the monster-sized edifices that are home to booksellers today. Fikry is well read, the quintessential bookstore owner; he knows authors and book styles, can recommend books to his customers based on their likes and dislikes. He has his own particular fixed likes and dislikes, often quoting from books to make a point. His life is defined by and through books. He communicates through their words with messages that he passes on as wise tidbits of knowledge. A. J. is still grieving over the loss of his wife, killed in an accident, and he resorts too often to liquor as a pain reliever. He is feisty and cantankerous and doesn’t seem the type to “make friends and influence people” very easily. As a matter of fact, when Amelia (Amy), appears in his store to present the winter book list of Knightly Publishers, he is rude and indifferent, even when he learns she is replacing the former salesperson who has died. That night, however, truly saddened by the death of that man, he binge drinks, and when he wakes up from his drunken stupor, he finds that his most valuable book, Tamerlane, a book that was to guarantee his secure retirement, has disappeared. Then he discovers a child that has been abandoned in his store. The mother is nowhere to be found. All that he finds is a note entrusting Maya to his care. Maya seems older and wiser than her years. Her influence on him is enormous.The story that evolves, as he and the child bond and Amelia becomes more and more of a steady visitor, is very tender, somewhat romantic and also humorous, although it does seem to be hiding behind a mask that seems indifferent, simplistic and even mundane, at times. Emotions are quite matter-of-factly laid bare, leaving no doubt as to how the characters feel as they help to make each other more complete. It makes the story even more appealing and comfortable to read. Human feelings and reactions are explored from the vantage point of adults and from the eye of a precocious, bright, rather well-adjusted child, who has been raised very well, rather unexpectedly, by this inexperienced, insecure man, lonely and somewhat lost without his wife who used to operate the Alice Island bookstore with him. The fictitious Alice Island is a rather appealing place, reminiscent of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard (for those who know of Cape Cod and the Islands), which can also be reached by traveling on a ferry that leaves from Hyannis, MA. Life is laid back and unhurried on both the real and the fictitious island. This is a beautiful story about love, loss, relationships, friendships, and even bias is briefly and subtly explored. Race seems to be a tiny underlying subject, but I am not sure why, unless the lack of emphasis is to indicate and reinforce the idea that the race of a person is meaningless, as color has no bearing on any of the relationships, nor should it. The characters exist outside the barriers that are often presented when race becomes the focus rather than the abstract. They simply interact and exist in this imaginary storybook kind of a world, almost free from modern day contrivances.The story is guided by quotes from books as A. J. leaves notes around for those he loves. It concentrates on the development of beautiful, sincere friendships and a natural love of parent and child coupled with a warm sense of devotion and loyalty. These traits assume far more importance than money, the loss of material things, the revelation of what could be life-changing secrets and even facing illness and death. Rather it dwells on the beauty within people, their ability to face their demons and their ability to forgive and forget. What seems like a simple story is really quite profound as secrets are revealed to the reader and mysteries are solved. Still, life is ultimately dealt with and the tale comes to a warm and satisfying conclusion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I can’t say much more than I love A.J. Fikry. This was a beautiful story & I loved all of the main characters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a must read. AJ is a quirky man who’s passion is books. Books hold the meaning of life.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Read this! My father was a book seller. Touching, sweet, funny, surprises! This book has it all. BOOK NERDS UNITY!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A.J. Fikry is the cranky owner of Island Books. Depressed for the past two years following the death of his wife, Fikry is lonesome, angry and a bit of a literary snob. He doesn’t just stock any old book in Island Books, where “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” Only those titles that satisfy his old-fashioned tastes are on the shelves, which may explain why his store is failing. A treasured book, which doubles as his retirement fund, has gone missing. To make matters worse, a two year old girl has been abandoned at Island Books. So while not technically a mystery, there is a lot to be solved. Who is the child? Who stole Fikry’s valuable edition of Poe poems? How can his store, and his life, be turned around?

    Fikry is a great admirer of the short story, and each chapter in the book is named after a story that Fikry himself quickly reviews or summarizes. And so we get snippets from Roald Dahl, Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor and J.D. Salinger. More than tributes, these brief passages provide Fikry an opportunity to philosophize on how his worldview is similar to or different from the story in question, and they frame each portion of the book very well. It is a powerful novel about the power of novels. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a book for people who love books, who recognize a story well-told for what it is, and for the power it contains.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    For me the best feature of The Storied Life of AJ Fikrye were the references to other books and short stories featured within this noteworthy novel. I found it intriguing in how the author utilized some authentic titles and passages to express AJ’s thinking, and how she also referenced a fictional memoir entitled ‘The Late Bloomer’ by Leon Friedman, as being Amelia’s favorite work. I loved the twist that developed, resulting from this supposed memoir of an older gentleman. Other than my attraction to the use of contemporary, as well as classic pieces of writing within the story, I thought that the first half of the book moved along rather sluggishly, followed by a quick resolution at the end, which made me feel like the plot had been delivered, and now abruptly it was time to bid the reader farewell. Within the story, I loved the way that Maya came into AJ’s life, slowly transforming AJ into a responsible, caring father, from a self-serving, miserable drunk. And because I am a consummate romantic, I also enjoyed the quirkiness of Amelia, and her developing relationship with AJ, which some critics have compared to the qualities of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Overall, I thought that The Storied Life of AJ Fikrye was a pleasant story with some interesting twists in the plot. For me, it was not as emotionally gripping as Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, but I so enjoyed being transported to the community of Alice Island where Island Books served as a meeting place for intellectual discourse and engagement with enchanting books. The setting itself was enough to lure me into reading this story!As I read the novel, I was most moved by AJ’s attempt to share his philosophy of life with Maya, although she is unable to discern what he is saying at the time. He tells her, “We aren’t the things we collect, acquire, read. We are, for as long as we are here, only love. The things we loved. The people we loved. And these, I think these really do live on.” I was so moved by his statement, as I believed it to be the major point of this amazing story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I managed to read this book in one day, granted I was snowed in, but I found it captivating. I love books and anything to do with books. Whenever I find a story about books, bookstores or libraries, I usually jump on it. I was thrilled by the description of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, a book about a bookstore (Island Books) and it's quirky bookseller/owner (A.J.). I anticipated a good story, but was blown away by a book that topped all my expectations. The book is beautifully written with a storyline that will capture most anyones heart. Each chapter begins with a short story suggestion made by A.J. to his daughter, along with his reasons for choosing that particular story. Of course this also leads the reader into the next section of the book. With each chapter I found myself becoming more and more entranced with the characters and Island Books.The author does a marvelous job of creating a story that you want to hear. She makes many references to books and authors, both current and classic. I loved this! She is also great with weaving her story together flawlessly. While it is a magically told story, it is still very realistic. For a day, I found myself watching the lives of these very special people in this small Northeast town, and I am richer for it.I recommend this book to all bibliophiles like myself and, frankly, anyone else as well. It is a beautifully crafted story that is perfect for young and old alike. I thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a cute book. It was so charming and I was kind of sorry it wasn't longer. I would have enjoyed spending more time with these characters. A book for book lovers and anyone that loves books
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    You are going to want to read this one. This novel is as charming as it is honest, and does not shy away from real life. There is no over-the-top sentimentality. It's characters are deep and well developed, and you will know them well by the end of the novel. Our author introduces us to A.J. Fickry, owner of the small Island Bookstore. This bookstore is failing, and A.J.'s life is no more successful than his business. It is the story of a widower who is a loner with little purpose, and the child who enters his world alone and in need. The Storied Life of AJ Fickry is character-rich and charming, and has deep and meaningful prose that all readers will recognize as somehow familiar, as well as insightful. For example, AJ reflects through a journal entry and expresses to his daughter, "...The things we respond to at twenty are not necessarily the same things we will respond to at forty.. and vice versa. This is true in books and also in life.” ~AJ Fickry.Our characters experience life realistically and at times, somewhat harshly. You will find that this book effortlessly floats forward through time with you beside it, and I promise, you will walk it on home. And the ending....jeez. Those of us who like to review our audible selections really need to find a some kind of "red alert" system so that future readers can be warned when they are listening to a book whose last chapter should not be read in public. Could not one of you given me a heads up in your review?? I finished the book during a commute, and had to sit there in my car to collect myself before walking into work 10 minutes late.In the words of Barbara Park's character, Junie B. Jones, kindergartner extraordinaire: "My eyes had wet in them."
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not quite a short story collection and not quite a novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is a metaliterary story of A.J. Fikry, widower, bookstore owner, and the new and perplexed caretaker of a toddler abandoned by her mother.

    The chapters are separated by short story recommendations from Fikry, along with personal notes and observations and thematically tied to the chapter they precede. Fikry himself is ornery, an unrepentant snob, and yet somehow lovable all the same. The other characters are less well-developed, but are still enjoyable to follow.

    What truly makes this one stand out is the meta touches. Here, a nod to the curious reader, there, a sly wink to the observant one. It was personally satisfying to be reading and say, “Oh, I know that story referenced!” and then see how nicely it dovetails with the chapter. Zevin rewards the well-read reader without slipping into pretentiousness.

    That balancing act seems to be her main strength. Throughout most of the book, Zevin walks another fine line, this one between sweet and twee, with only the occasional misstep. It was only towards the end that I felt she stumbled into the latter, and I found the ending more saccharine than moving, but I am also a jaded cynic.

    Overall, it was a pleasant read, with just enough intellectual stimulus to keep you satisfied.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm a bookseller. I own a small-town bookstore with my sister and I can't think of a more perfect book for this year of selling books than A.J.'s story. I want to read it again with the words in front of me as I listened to it this time. There are so many quotable elements, so many book recommendations to scribble down, and I cried...more than one time. I hope I can bring this kind of magic to people in my book world and I hope I can convince others of the necessity to READ THIS NOW!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow. GZ is a true wordsmith. Made quarantine more bearable.