THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERBest Books of Summer 2018 Selection by Philadelphia Inquirer and Library Journal“Part mystery and part drama, Meyerson uses a complex family dynamic in The Bookshop of Yesterdays to spotlight the importance of truth and our need for forgiveness.” —Associated PressA woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut … and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading.
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy—and one final scavenger hunt.
When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books—now as its owner—she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store’s shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy’s last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden—and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.
Bighearted and trenchantly observant, The Bookshop of Yesterdays is a lyrical story of family, love and the healing power of community. It’s a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to how our histories shape who we become.
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a Page Turner!. Loved Miranda and her journey
This is the second of her books I have read – don’t care for the style
I really enjoyed this book. Miranda Brooks gets news of the passing of her Uncle Billy who she hasn’t seen since shortly after her 12th birthday 16 years ago. Her Uncle Billy has left her Prospero Books, his struggling bookstore along with a trail of riddles, taken her on a scavenger hunt to find the answers to his disappearance. Join Miranda on her hunt for answers in The Bookshop of Yesterdays. Recommend.
Wonderful full of entertainment
A quest tale that also looks inward at a young woman’s life and those who are part of it. Told completely in first person.
Yesterday’s Bookstore takes a young woman on a scavenger hunt through her life. Many things were revealed to her
Great story. Fast read
interesting
A woman inherits a bookshop from an uncle who she greatly loved and admired in her formative years. They shared a love of books. He was a seismologist and the owner of Prospero Books. On her twelfth birthday, her mother and uncle have an argument and he disappears. Years later, she receives the inheritance and a message that takes her on a treasure hunt that reveals some very personal and surprising secrets. I enjoyed the bookshop, the discovery of clues, the revelations and the budding romance.
I loved the puzzles the main character had to solve! I really enjoyed the twists and turns as Amanda struggles to find herself. A fun read with a twinge of sadness.
A lot of repetition. Caught my attention around page 200.
somewhat slow, but at least the timeline changes worked well. Characters were good, a relaxing bedtime book.
Great book!
This is not my favorite type of book, but this was a good read, it held my interest till the end, even though it was somewhat predictable. Any book about a bookstore is always worth a shot!
Enjoyed the writing and character portrayal. Even though had envisioned where the story was going, it didn’t detract from the telling the of the story. Nice premise and nice delivery.
Predictable and the main character got annoying after a while
Loved this unusual story of past and present family situations. Highly recommend.
Many novels have a book store as a setting, but this particular novel incorporates literary allusions as well as literary quotes to the main character’s quest in her search for answers to her past. Enjoyable and clever.
I really wanted to like this book but the narrative was rather tedious and not well-written. It may have played better with an omniscient narrator, or perhaps changing character POVs between the back and forth timelines. At any rate, I got through the whole thing but it was a slog. Rather disappointing.
Sadly I felt the book was derivative, hackneyed and trite. The writer seems to have a very nice writing style but her idea is certainly not original and the main character was so self absorbed and selfish the book became unreadable for me. Perhaps her next work will be more original but I can’t recommend this one. Sorry.