Flint Memorial Library (North Reading)

The storied life of A.J. Fikry, a novel, Gabrielle Zevin

eng

no index present

fiction

The storied life of A.J. Fikry

855583286

Gabrielle Zevin

a novel

The irascible A.J. Fikry, owner of Island Books, the only bookstore on Alice Island, has already lost his wife. Now, 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

Part I. Lamb to the slaughter ; The diamond as big as the ritz ; The luck of roaring camp ; What feels like the world ; A good man is hard to find ; The celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County ; The girls in their summer dresses -- part II. A conversation with my father ; A perfect day for bananafish ; The tell-tale heart ; Ironhead ; What we talk about when we talk about love ; The bookseller