AUTHOR: Robert Hillman
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam
PUB. YEAR: 2019
SETTING: Australia
FORMAT: ARC
FORMAT: ARC
RATING - 3.5/5
Set in rural Australia 1968, Tom Hope, a man still in his early 30s is a broken soul. He's a hard working farmer, introvert and his wife of less than 2 years (Trudy) has left him. He's devastated and to make matters worst when she returns, she's pregnant with another man's child.
Tom learn's to love the baby boy, named Peter, and then experiences another set back when Trudy leaves him a second time to join a Jesus cult. This time she leaves Peter as well while Tom is left to figure out how to care for a young child only. Then is true Trudy style a few years go by and she's ready to take her son with her.
When Tom is at his lowest point, Hannah Babel arrives in town to open a book shop. She's a wounded soul as well. Hannah has experienced much pain as a Hungarian-Jewish woman, who survived Auschwitz a quarter of a century earlier. The couple quickly fall in love but when Peter comes back into Tom's life, Hannah is not prepared or receptive to the idea of all of them being together.
The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted is a story of love, loss and redemption. There's a lot sadness within the pages, especially the parts that alternate back to Hannah's dark past. I'm not sorry I read this one but, this was my second sad read in a row after just finishing, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, so at times I just had to put this one down after just a few pages. This was another book that took me longer than anticipated to complete.
I read and reviewed this one back in July and reacted to it pretty much the same way you did. The book's two main characters have to be two of the saddest people I've ever encountered in a single novel. They wanted to be happy and they knew how to achieve happiness - they just could not get it done because of what happened to them before they met.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was going to be a "bookstore book," and I wish it had been. But all in all, it's kind of a literary romance novel or some such thing, and I thought it was well written if depressing.
Sam, You said it all ----"They wanted to be happy and they knew how to achieve happiness - they just could not get it done."
DeleteI think I was expecting something different as well.
Too much sad is just too much sad sometimes, I agree.
ReplyDeleteYes, Judy and my books seem to be full of sadness lately. Hope to start Stephen King's new one tomorrow or, something NF?
DeleteWe understand and agree with the too much sad sentiment.
ReplyDeleteYes, and I prefer happy if you know what I mean?
DeleteI think I'd have to be in the right mood to read this book.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Too much sad.
ReplyDeleteYeah it seems more sad than a book shop kind of story. Guess I'd have to be in the right frame of mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I definitely need to ration sad books or I start to not like them.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely sounds like a book that pulls at your heart-strings. I do have this one waiting for me and I do want to read it so just need to remember to have some light-hearted reads to go with it!
ReplyDeleteI read and reviewed it for another website, but oh boy, I am sorry that I didn't like this book.
ReplyDelete