Amazon.com
Since 1977, Penelope Fitzgerald has been quietly coming out with small, perfect devastations of human hope and inhuman (i.e., all-too-human) behavior. And now we have the opportunity to read "The Bookshop," her tragicomedy of provincial manners first published in 1978 in the U.K., but never available in the U.S. The Bookshop unfolds in a tiny Sussex seaside town, which by 1959 is virtually cut off from the outside English world. Postwar peace and plenty having passed it by, Hardborough is defined chiefly by what it doesn't have. It does have, however, plenty of observant inhabitants, most of whom are keen to see Florence Green's new bookshop fail. But rising damp will not stop Florence, nor will the resident, malevolent poltergeist (or "rapper," in the local patois). Nor will she be thwarted by Violet Gamart, who has designs on Florence's building for her own arts series and will go to any lengths to get it. One of Florence's few allies (who is, unfortunately, a hermit) warns her: "She wants an Arts Centre. How can the arts have a centre? But she thinks they have, and she wishes to dislodge you."
Once the Old House Bookshop is up and running, Florence is subjected to the hilarious perils of running a subscription library, training a 10-year-old assistant, and obtaining the right merchandise for her customers. Men favor works "by former SAS men, who had been parachuted into Europe and greatly influenced the course of the war; they also placed orders for books by Allied commanders who poured scorn on the SAS men, and questioned their credentials." Women fight over a biography of Queen Mary. "This was in spite of the fact that most of them seemed to possess inner knowledge of the court--more, indeed, than the biographer." But it is only when the slippery Milo North suggests Florence sell the Olympia Press edition of "Lolita" that Florence comes under legal and political fire.

Fitzgerald's heroine divides people into "exterminators and exterminatees," a vision she clearly shares with her creator--but the author balances disillusion with grace, wit, and weirdness, favoring the open ending over the moral absolute. Penelope Fitzgerald's internecine if gentle world view even extends to literature--books are living, jostling things. Florence finds that paperbacks, crowding "the shelves in well-disciplined ranks," vie with Everyman editions, which "in their shabby dignity, seemed to confront them with a look of reproach."

From Library Journal
Florence Green, a widow, has lived for ten years in a small village in Suffolk, England. With a modest inheritance, she plans to open the first and only bookstore in the area. Florence purchases a damp, haunted property that has stood vacant for many years but encounters unexpected resistance from one of the local gentry, Mrs. Gamart, who has a sudden yen to establish an arts center in the same building. Florence goes ahead with her plan in spite of Mrs. Gamart and meets with some small success. However, Mrs. Gamart surreptitiously places obstacles in Florence's way, going so far as to have a nephew in Parliament write and pass legislation that eventually evicts Florence from her shop and her home. This work by veteran writer Fitzgerald (The Blue Flower, LJ 3/1/97), originally published in Great Britain, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1978. Both witty and sad, it boasts whimsical characters who are masterfully portrayed.

Pre-numbered label used for registration.

INTERNATIONAL BOOKRAY FORMING:

1. Erishkigal -- US/US == Done
2. Booklady331 -- US/anywhere == Done
3. Catsalive -- Australia/anywhere == Done
4. pennydainty -- Scotland/UK or Europe == Done
5. LyzzyBee -- UK/Anywhere == Done ** New ray started

Took me a little to get into the book but in the end I enjoyed the book. I think it would make a good TV movie. Maybe it already was.

arrived in todays mail. Yay-That was fast! But I'm confused booklady--I'm listed in the middle but it came here first...do I send on to Australia or scotland?

Note: I changed the order of the bookray.

I liked this book alot. The writing/language is rich and sensuous, intelligent, often amusing... characters, large and small, are finely drawn. i came to care about Florence Green, whose quiet, hopeful strength is admirable...but she proved too naive for the (all too real) cruel ambitions of others.


thank you , booklady331, both for sharing this book I'd never have encountered otherwise, and for being willing to let me join even when I couldn't send overseeas-- You are a gem!! I'll get it to the PO tomorrow.

Oh--and thank you for the bookmark!

Received 7/20 from Erishkigal. Waiting for Catsalive to send me her address so I can ship it off.

7/25 on its way to catsalive

Thanks, booklady331. It's not too far down the list.

How very sad. Poor Florence, sweet-natured, naive, and un-businesslike. She needed a business partner, someone to protect her from herself. Instead, all she received was careless cruelty. She was left with nothing but loss and shame.

It's a nice piece of prose & I wouldn't mind sampling another of Fitzgerald's novels some time.

Thanks booklady331. I will post this to pennydainty today.

arrived today safely from Oz. Will get to this as soon as I can. It looks very readable so I am looking forward to this one. It is my first ever bookring I have taken part in so it is all very exciting.

Nice insight into the 1950's middle classes of England. I did feel sorry for Florence, to have your dreams crushed when all you were trying to do was good for your fellow villagers - life is not fair. It was nothing like my time working in a bookshop, only the getting so much busier at Christmas time rang true. On it's way to the next person on the list happy travels little book.

Received today with thanks - 10 minutes after I finished my last bookring! I don't mind if they come in like this! It's also small, which is good.

Loved the collection of bookmarks and postcards from its travels. Oh - and GREAT envelope Pennydainty, perfect for mailing without bulk (we are a bit obsessed with this in the UK due to new, size-related posting charges!), where did you get it?

I will get onto this over the weekend. Is this a ring or a ray - is it to come back to booklady or go onwards? if the latter, I will re-ring it to get some more JE's and postcards!

A quirky little book, as most of Fitzgerald's are, investigating what happens when Florence Green tries to open a bookshop in the tiny seaside town of Hardborough. Her warehouse leaks, her cellar is damp, and the place appears to be haunted. Added to that, she crosses her socially powerful neighbours and has to hold a horse's tongue (still attached)

I was at the end of this ray and am going to offer it on a further ray as I think I can get some more readers for this beautifully written and atmospheric novel.

BOOKRAY!





Usual rules apply...

Make a journal entry when you receive the book
Contact the next reader for their address when you are almost done
Post a review when you've read the book - please try to send it on within a month of receipt if you can
Make a journal entry or controlled release notes when you send the book on

PARTICIPANTS

Inver Scotland (UK)
redhouse UK (anywhere)
Hengameh Iran (anywhere)
Mrsgaskell Canada (anywhere)
Jnpert US (Overseas surface)
Scotsbookie Scotland (UK)
Playinghearts UK (anywhere)
Heaven-Ali UK (anywhere)
vainilla79 Spain (EU)
mallary France (EU)
Joanazinha Netherlands (anywhere, surface)
sherlockfan NZ (NZ/Aus)
Bellamack Australia (Aus)< ---- it's here - ray now finished and I look forward to seeing where it goes next!

This one's ready to go now - PM'd Inver for the first address...

RELEASE NOTES:

Posting to Inver today.

Will try to get to this as soon as I can. Almost finished another ring and this will be next. Strange to see a piccie of Aberdeen harbour in an enclosed postcard with the book, seeing that it has come back to Aberdeen and that is where I am!

23/10/06 Starting reading today.

28/10/06 Finished the book today. Took a wee while to get into it. I'm afraid it was one of those books I'm not sure if I enjoyed it or not! Did feel a bit sorry for the hard working Florence. All she wanted to do was something nice for the community. Found Redhouse addy on RABCK.com so will get it in the post this week.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent on to next person in the bookring for this book.

Arrived safely thank you.
I'll be starting this within the next couple of days.

I finished this a few days ago and am just awaiting Hengemahs address before sending it on to Iran.
I really enjoyed this odd quirky little book. This is Penelope Fitzgerald at her best.

By the way the synopsis on the first page of this journal has it wrong. The town where the story takes place is in Suffolk not Sussex.
I live on the coast of Suffolk and can imagine back in the fifties little places like this still existed.
Suffolk nowadays has gained a somewhat arty reputation, I expect Aldeburgh and Snape have something to do with this, and also there are an astonishing number of authors living here. We are close enough to London to be able to reach it by train in just over an hour, but still somewhat out on enough of a limb to be cosidered a backwater to some.
I have a picture of Hardborough in my head, anyway.

The picture on this page is the mouth of the River Deben between Felixstowe and Bawdsey, where there is some very odd coastal erosion going on.
This is only about 5 miles from my house

Sent to Hengemah via air mail 20/11/2006

the book is here. thanks for sharing.

thanks for sharing the book. i'm going to contact the next person.

sorry for the delay.on its way to canada.

It's pouring with rain here today - the perfect kind of day to find a book in one's mailbox! And all the way from Iran! I just finished the book I was reading earlier today so the timing is perfect - in fact I've already started ...

This little novel was a gem and I was drawn in from the first page. Although it was a sad tale overall, and not for those seeking an action-packed plot, I thoroughly enjoyed the gentle humour and witty observations along the way. I will have to look up some other titles by this author.

Thank you for sharing LyzzyBee and thanks also to Hengameh for sending it on to me!

I have jnpert's address and hope to send this off tomorrow.

RELEASE NOTES:

On it's way to jnpert by airmail.

Arrived home after a vacation and the postman dropped off a pile of mail that was being held for us. The Book Shop was at the bottom of the bunch. I apologize for any delay due to my holiday, but will put this book to the top of the pile.

Thanks to mrsgaskell for the lovely postcard!

It's exciting to see this little book continue to travel. Hope everyone enjoys the book.

Finished the book late last night. I really enjoyed the excellent writing and the descriptions of small town life. How sad I felt for Florence- she was so innocent and earnest, yet so unprepared for being in business.

I have the address for Scotsbookie so will pack this off and head to the post office early in the week.

Sent my husband to the post office with this today. From what he said, it sounds like surface mail is no longer an option, so he sent it airmail.

Enjoy the book!

Arrived safely this morning, thank you Jnpert. #1 on Mount TBR

An enjoyable read, I felt sorry for Florence, coming up against Mrs Gamart ruthlessness was very unfortunate. Apart from Florence the other two characters I really enjoyed were Christine & Mr Blundish.

Just off to PM Playinghearts & will get this off on its travels again.

Popped in the post to playinghearts this morning. Enjoy!

Received from Scotsbookie a few days ago,thank you!

Arrived today - this looks like a charming little book and I am looking forward to reading it soon.

This was a charming little book, and the first Penelope Fitzgerald I have read. This is a novel about a middle aged woman. her small dream, and the disappointment she feels when things don't turn out quite as she had hoped. Running a bookshop in an English village - haven't we all dreamed of that? Haven't we all been let down by people or had our hopes cruelly dashed? Florence could be any one of us, and that's what makes this book so touching, and so memorable. I look forward to reading more by this author.

this will be on its way soon.

RELEASE NOTES:

I received the book today, I will read it as soon as possible!
Thank you!!

I finished it a few days ago. I felt so sorry for poor Florence... I think most of us, who love books have always thought about running a bookshop...
I will contact mallary right away.
Thank you for sharing!

Arrived a few days ago, I can't wait to read this!
Thanks for sending it.

The Bookshop arrived at my place today. Thanks mallary for sending it and Lizzybee for making this a ring. Looks like a nice read!

What an extraordinary little book! I loved to read about the courage of Florence to start a bookshop and was as devastated as she must have been when it failed to work out. And mostly so because of other person's meddling.
I hope she has found a save haven for herself.

I will PM the next participant for her address and send the book on its way again.

RELEASE NOTES:

Crossing the world to another reader. Safe travels!

It has arrived safely, thanks Joanazinha. Very securely wrapped and completely undamaged by the sometimes ravages of the post.
Looks good and I should be able to get onto it reasonably soon. I'm halfway through a 450 pages novel and one Jodi Picoult that I'd been waiting for since 2006 arrived yesterday. Otherwise this one will be next. A brief skirmish indicates that I'll really enjoy it.

The small size of this book encouraged me to pick it up ahead of a thicker Jodi Picoult awaiting my attention, and during the course of reading "Other People's Lives" for a touch of reality. The contrast with OPL and this book could hardly have been greater, Very Upper Class Scottish/English society and down-to-earth everyday small town Suffolk. Both contained power mad people.

This was a quirky little book. I admired Florence's dream and felt really sad for her. Christine's ten year old going on thirty character was very compelling and a good foil for Florence.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Thanks for including me in the ring. I have BellaMack's address so it will be posted shortly.

RELEASE NOTES:

Posting to BellaMack, probably Monday

The book arrived today with a beautiful postcard and bookmark. Thank you Sherlockfan. I am intending to offer this book to other bookcrossers either in my You've Gotta Read This Bookbag which should start off another round next month, or via Aussie VBB.

I really enjoyed reading this book, wonderful characters. Even though Violet Gamart was such a nasty old bag, I was surprised at the depth of the townfolk's betrayal at the end.

Have passed the book on to crimson-tide who I notice has finished it and loved it too :)

It appears I struck it lucky as this book didn't reach the Bookbag or the VBB . . . BellaMack gave it to me last weekend as I was passing through St Helens. Good thing too, as I read it on the plane heading back home. It certainly is a very well travelled little book.

A quick and easy read with gentle writing and mostly gentle people, apart from the horribly vindictive Violet (Mrs) Gamart. What a nasty malevolent piece of work she was! I enjoyed reading the book - who wouldn't enjoy such beautiful and understated prose - but finished it feeling sad and angry. Angry at the power and influence some people (usually those with money) have and sometimes misuse.
And so life goes on.

That's two books in the past week I've read with a major female character having the name of Florence.
:-D

I'll now find a way for this little gem to continue its travels.

Reserved for the OZ VBB - Round Nine

Update 7th June:
Chosen by livrecache. Will be posted on Monday 9th June. ~~~ done.

Ooh, I so love well-travelled books!

I chose this one from the Oz VBB because I've enjoyed other books by this author. I didn't read the link. Now I'm really looking forward to reading this book, but I have a heap of book rings to get through first. Once they're read, I'll be on to this, and then I'll be able to keep this book travelling.

Thanks crimson-tide, and everyone else involved in this book's journey.

I finished this book this morning. I don't think that I have much to add to what others have said. It's a beautifully written, sad and evocative tale. I enjoyed Fitzgerald's somewhat sparse style, which also managed to convey humour and profound insights.

This book is now going to be part of, somewhat late, the Down Under book exchange.

Yay! Look what I received in the post today, along with a calendar for 2009.

Thank you very much Livrecache.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Now, I should begin this by apologising to Bekoh, to whom I had promised this book (I had entered it in Freelunchs' Oz virtual book box, and Bekoh had selected it), and had taken so long in posting it to.

I had been running about with work and a rather naughty baby boy who was choosing not to sleep at night (he seemed to think he and I should while away the dark hours at play!), and had been unable to concentrate and read anything. But, surprisingly, our little boy decided to surprise us all by sleeping from 7pm-7am since Good Friday.

Hurrah! Now I would like to take credit for it, but really, I still don't know what happened... anyway, I've been able to read a few of the promised books from my tbr pile - including this one.

I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed this little book. The class differences of the inhabitants of Hardborough had me shaking my fist, the down-to-earth practical wit of Christine Gipping made me smile, and the whole-hearted courage of Florence was a pleasure to encounter.

Thank you very much for sharing this book with me Livrecache.
I've since posted it on to Bekoh, and I just hope that she (guessing that Bekoh is a she) enjoys it also.

I'll be keeping my eye out now for more by this author and may even give Balzac a go too after reading that little blurb on the back of the book (which I can't quote here, as the book has left my hands).

This was mailed to me a few weeks ago but I forgot to journal it - sorry.