In one of
my reviews, I mentioned that I’m a sucker for novels about books and
bookstores, so a friend recommended this gem.
Thank you, Allison!
In 1959 in
a Suffolk village, Florence Green, a kind-hearted widow, decides to buy a run-down
building that has stood vacant for years and open a bookshop on the premises. Unfortunately, a local high society matron
has appointed herself the village’s cultural doyenne and has plans to convert
the building into an arts centre.
Florence proceeds with her bookshop, not fully understanding the forces
aligned against her.
The book is
an indictment of those with clout and connections who abuse their power for
their own selfish purposes. Violet Gamart
is the best example of the me-first attitude of the entitled who are “un-used
to discipline.” She has a pet project and uses no end of machinations to
undermine Florence. She threatens a
lawsuit when Florence’s customers obstruct the flow of traffic; she sends
educational officials to question the young girl Florence hires as an
assistant; and she influences her nephew, a member of Parliament, to put forth
a Private Bill with implications for the bookshop. Of course, in each case, “It was impossible
to say who was responsible for this detail and that.”
Shown is
life in an insular village resistant to change.
That village is aptly named Hardborough.
Local businesses feel threatened and resent her success. Many of the villagers are indifferent; the
banker, from whom Florence must acquire a loan, typifies the mentality of
many: “’Don’t misunderstand me . . . I
find a good book at my bedside of incalculable value. When I eventually retire I’ve no sooner read
a few pages than I’m overwhelmed with sleep.’”
The poltergeist that inhabits the bookstore can be interpreted as a
manifestation of the resistance to change that pervades.
Of course
Florence does have her supporters.
Christine is a delightful character:
unpretentious and loyal.
Unfortunately, she is also bested by the system. One cannot but wonder whether a failed exam is
really the reason for her not being promoted to the grammar school. Florence
also has an ally in Mr. Brundish, a descendant of one of the most ancient
Suffolk families, and he certainly tries to help her in a scene that has the
reader cheering him on.
Naturally,
the reader becomes one of Florence’s supporters too. Who cannot admire her courage and
determination in the face of the many challenges she faces? Her ability to put people in their place is also
admirable. Her one-word letter to her
duplicitous attorney is perfect! Her
downfall is that she is reactive rather than proactive because “She blinded
herself, in short, by pretending for a while that human beings are not divided
into exterminators and exterminates, with the former, at any given moment,
predominating.” She is happy with
herself because “she always acted in the way she felt to be right” but “She did
not know that morality is seldom a safe guide for human conduct.”
It is the
last sentence that stays with me. Though
so sad, it is the perfect sentence to end this book. Of course, there are few imperfect sentences
in this book about the imperfections of human nature.
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