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The Bookshop

By Penelope Fitzgerald
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald is a poignant tale set in a small English coastal town during the late 1950s. The story follows Florence Green, a widow who decides to open a bookshop in an old, damp house, which attracts both support and opposition from the local community. As she perseveres against social and business challenges, her venture highlights the town's underlying tensions and the transformative power of literature.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate stories about resilience and determination set in a quaint English village. It delves into the challenges of starting a new venture and the intriguing dynamics of small-town life, with a blend of wit and poignancy. This tale may appeal to those who enjoy character-driven narratives and historical settings.

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Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

In a small East Anglian town, Florence Green decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop.

A powerful literary fiction novel shortlisted for the Booker Prize

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

New jacket re-issue of Penelope Fitzgerald's Booker Prize-shortlisted novel.

This, Penelope Fitzgerald's second novel, was her first to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It is set in a small East Anglian coastal town, where Florence Green decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop.

'She had a kind heart, but that is not much use when it comes to the matter of self-preservation.'

Hardborough becomes a battleground, as small towns so easily do. Florence has tried to change the way things have always been done, and as a result, she has to take on not only the people who have made themselves important, but natural and even supernatural forces too. This is a story for anyone who knows that life has treated them with less than justice.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald is praised for its stylish narrative and low-key yet effective delivery, showcasing a sympathetic yet astringent approach in portraying its self-effacing heroine. Set against a damp East Anglian backdrop, the book delights readers with a gallery of odd yet vividly animated characters, creating a compelling and humorous tapestry of human quirks in a small-town setting.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780006543541

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 March 1993

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Fourth Estate Ltd

Contributors:

  • Introduction by David Nicholls

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 11.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 130g

Pages: 176

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penelope Fitzgerald

About the Author

Penelope Fitzgerald was the author of nine novels, three of which - The Bookshop, The Beginning of Spring and The Gate of Angels - were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. She won the prize in 1979 for Offshore. A superb biographer and critic, she was also the author of lives of the artist Edward Burne-Jones, the poet Charlotte Mew and The Knox Brothers, a study of her remarkable family. She died in April 2000.

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