Monsieur Perdu is a literary apothecary operating a floating bookshop. He somehow knows which book will fix whatever ails his customers. He can't seem to find one to fix his broken heart, however. Twenty years after his lover left him with nothing but a letter, Perdu opens and reads it only to realize he'd made a terrible mistake in walling up his home and his heart. He unmoors his floating bookshop and heads to the South of France to find closure and hopefully heal.
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Okay, that's what the book is about in a nutshell. Now, how do I feel about it? It's hard to say. I struggled whether to give this book three stars or four (Goodreads review). Consider it a three and a half. The book was insightful and well-written with more than a few parts that begged to be highlighted. However, it did get slightly saccharine every now and then.

I would have given it a full four stars had the plot stuck closer to the blurb on the back. That was the story I wanted to read -- one that was a bit more supernatural, one about a man who dispenses literature to cure emotional maladies and, in the process, finds healing himself. But it wasn't. It veered off course and drifted elsewhere. And while where it went wasn't bad , I think I'd have preferred it go to my expected destination.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Read it for the spot-on insights into humanity. Read it for its lovely language. Read it for descriptions of food, friendship, and France. Don't let my cranky disappointment deter you from a perfectly lovely book.

'Imaging' auto-corrected to 'Imagine' in the 'location information' zone input. Now that's a place I'd be interested in going!

Left on the table in the waiting room with permission from the staff. :)