A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse

416 pages
Published in 2010 by Europa Editions
New York, NY

The Plot:
A quaint little bookshop called The Good Novel, which specializes in selling only novels that are deemed truly worthwhile pieces of literature by the owners and a secret advising committee, has opened its doors to the world from a quiet corner of Paris, France and is proving to be quite the successful enterprise... Until anonymous threats and mysterious attacks are made upon the owners, the secret committee and the store itself threatening it's very existence. (To learn more about A Novel Bookstore's plot visit Europa Editions for a full summary.)

My Thoughts:
Nearly a year ago I first stumbled upon A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse while browsing the various book blogs I subscribe too. Each review basically said the same thing: A Novel Bookstore is not only a unique read for those who love books, but it is one that should be read. I tucked it away to read at a later date. That time finally arrived this past week when, at a loss for something lighthearted to read, I randomly chose A Novel Bookstore from my library's shelves.

From the vague memory I had of the reviews I had read I thought I was picking up a modern mystery novel that involved a bookstore. A book about books, just the summer read I was looking for... And for the first few pages that's exactly what I believed I was reading. The book opens with three attacks upon members of The Good Novel's secret committee members, but as I read on I quickly realized that A Novel Bookstore is not a lighthearted who-dunit mystery, but rather a mix of drama and philosophy, with a thread or two of a love story woven in.

My only complaint with A Novel Bookstore is that while the plot is unique and exceedingly clever it does tend to plod at several points. There were several times where I felt the author got side-tracked in side stories or little details that mattered little to the story development, but I pressed on because I was curious as to the outcome of the story. Would The Good Novel survive the attacks? Who was behind them? What would become of the owners and the committee members. Of course, to make matters worse for me as I read, the author tossed around dozens and dozens of titles of good novels and authors (of good novels) that were mostly French and most of whom I'd never even heard of. I suppose this was supposed to spark in me the desire to track down these books and read them so as not to be a bibliophile who has read very few "good novels," but for me it just was a bit overwhelming. Perhaps if I'd heard of half of the authors (my fault for not being French???) I might have felt less so.

At any rate, I did find myself finishing this bittersweet story and realizing that even though it wasn't the lighthearted mystery I had expected to read, it was still a book that I had reasonably enjoyed. On more than one occasion it had caused me to stop and think.

For example, the very concept of a bookstore that only sells books that are deemed "good" by the owners (or an advising committee), is this bad? Are they pushing an elitist mindset? No, I don't think so. For anyone wishing to read something not available at such a bookstore they need only shop elsewhere. Who cares if you read a mixture of really good literature and so-so novels. If I could draw an analogy I'd say a bookstore like The Good Novel is similar to an organic food store. If a shopper is looking for a specific organic food item they might find it at a general grocery store, but they will almost certainly find it at an organic food store. That doesn't mean the general grocery store is "bad" for selling only a few organic items or that the organic food store is "best" because they don't sell any generic food items. They each have their own clientele with the occasional cross-over. Bringing it back to bookstores the same comparison could be made between a bookstore selling only "good literature" and those that sell a mixture of the good with the pulp and even a smattering of the bad. To shop at one or the other doesn't make you an elitist, its simply a matter of a consumer shopping at the store where they will best fine what they seek. And if they cannot find what they want they'll simply shop elsewhere for that item.

As I read I did stop to wonder -- if I had access to a bookstore like The Good Novel would I shop solely there? I doubt it. For me, I need to a mix in my reading -- the good and the fluffy. The classic and the best-seller. It's just the type of reader I am.

Over all, I found A Novel Bookstore to be a thought provoking read. Not a classic in and of itself, but a very clever story and one that caused me to stop and think. That's much more than I can say about most modern novels I've read of late.


Related Links:

The Good Novel
Lauren Cosse (Wiki Bio)
Europa Editions

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

My first encounter with Jules Verne was many years ago when my mother read aloud to my siblings and I the novel Around the World in Eighty Days. I remember enjoying the book, but for some reason have always steered clear from reading any of Verne’s works myself. But the recent adaptation of Journey to the Center of the Earth starring Brendan Fraser sparked interest. I wanted to see the movie, but felt I should first read the book. And it’s a good thing I did, I've since learned that the movie is a modern-day sequel of sorts and only loosely based off the novel.

The novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth, opens in 1863 Germany and is told through a first person narrative of Harry with the occasional journal entry and various conversations between Harry and his uncle, Professor Hardwigg, as well as other supporting characters. At the start of the book Harry and his uncle discover a secret manuscript hidden by the famous 13th century scientist, Arne Sknussemm. By a stroke of luck Harry solves the secret message in the manuscript which reveals directions for the journey of all journeys – an expedition to the center of the earth.

Professor Hardwigg, an impatient and very optimistic man, desires to set off on the journey immediately and begins packing his trunks, with or without Harry.

Harry, who tends toward the overly cautious and pessimistic view, is reluctant to join his uncle on what he considers an insane and impossible journey. In a way, Journey to the Center of the Earth is a "coming-of-age" story for Harry, albeit different than most because he is rather the reluctant hero. Harry does join his uncle, but spends the first half of the novel trying to convince his uncle that it is a fool’s journey and should be abandoned.

The two are joined by Hans, their Icelandic guide, who unlike both the Professor Hardwigg and Harry, is a quiet and steady character. In fact, he is described late in the novel as being both "patient and phlegmatic" –- a very accurate description as he speaks little more than a dozen words in the entire story and shows little to no emotion resulting in what I found to be a rather two-dimensional character.

Along the way the three men encounter many difficulties and dangers -- both mineral and animal -- and it is through these "adventures" that Harry grows and matures and transforms from a reluctant adventurer to a hero.

I was surprised to find the novel (written in the early 1860s) based heavily on evolution (the ice age, prehistoric animals and man, extinction through evolution, etc.) I've since learned that Jules Verne was inspired by Charles Lyell's Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man, a book supporting the anti-Biblical worldview of evolution and natural selection. This was a bit of disappointment to me as I feel Jules Verne could have made an even better novel had he stuck to a Biblical world-view of Creationism, but apparently not everyone feels as I do -- Journey to the Center of the Earth is considered a classic and is still in print nearly 150 years later.

Overall I found Journey to the Center of the Earth to be an interesting read. I admit, some of the scientific dialog went over my head, but I enjoyed the story as a "sci-fi adventure". And evolution aside, the very concept of a journey to the center of the earth at a time when little was known or understood about the earth makes for an exciting and fascinating tale, one that combined with good writing is sure to become a classic. Jules Verne was considered the King of Science Fiction and it is clear he had an amazing imagination. The only "dull" part of the book for me was towards the middle when it seemed the characters would forever follow the labyrinth of tunnels, but I pressed on and was rewarded as the story picked up in the last chapters.

I may pick up another of Verne's works, but for now I've satisfied my curiosity. On a scale of one to five, 1 being horrible and five being excellent, I would rate Journey to the Center of the Earth a 3.5. I liked the book, it was "ok" -- but it wasn't a favorite. I enjoyed it more than I anticipated, but don't plan to add it to my personal collection (I borrowed my copy from the library).

With that said, I would recommend this book to readers who have seen or plan to see the recent film adaptation and to fans of sci-fi literature, particularly those with an interest in earth science. But for those sharing my worldview of Biblical Creationism, I caution them to be prepared to find a story that holds a different worldview. As for the reader who is just looking for a Jule Verne novel to read I would suggest they consider first reading Around the World in Eighty Days.