Cover Image: The Librarianist

The Librarianist

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Member Reviews

This book hit close to home as it gave me a glimpse into my own retirement plan. I own hundreds of books with the dream of retirement granting time to demolish my TBR. Heartwrenching story.

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Author Patrick deWitt captures the work life of a librarian in this funny novel. Any librarian who has worked in a public library will smile when reading about these library personalities. The story of Bob, his love, Connie, and their friend Ethan, is engaging. The plot takes as big turn in several chapters when readers learn of Bob's childhood in the late 1940s with a single mother and his own adventures when, at eleven years old, he ran away from home. Recommended for readers who like quirky characters.

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The setting of the novel and its title intrigued me; it’s set in Portland, OR, near where I live and I love books and libraries. Is this a book about books? About loving reading? About libraries?

No, it isn’t. It isn’t about any of that, not at all.

If there is any relation to books at all, it is that the novel is about the chapters that make up the narratives of our lives. Well, Bob Comet’s life, to be specific. Bob is a quiet man, a retired and retiring kind of man, who becomes entangled in the drama and lives of the residents of a kind of retirement home near his own. While there, his interactions with the attendants and residents force him to reconsider the trajectory and decisions of his own life.

In the course of his discoveries about himself, he finds he must witness a direction his life did not take, a love lost and unrecovered.

The Librarianist is a melancholy glimpse into life and its traumas, large and small. This novel makes me think of rain in the Pacific Northwest: ever-present and daily probable, quietly dripping dripping dripping, a small cluster of molecules that is incredibly important to life. Like rain, the quotidian in The Librarianist is vital. The life that unfolds in this novel reminds me of the verdant luxury of green in moss, pine, conifer that emerges after the flush of rain.

Readers who love Stoner by John Williams or Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov will appreciate the life deWitt writes for us.

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A retired librarian finds a lost elderly woman, and returns her safely to the nursing home where she lives. He encounters some interesting characters there and begins volunteering to entertain and socialize with the seniors. While we follow our ex-librarian through some adventure and misadventure in this present timeline, we also flash back to periods from his younger life and love.

The premise of this is so endearing and interesting, bound to be full of mischief and mayhem crafted by the somewhat senile or outright eccentric cast! But no…. this is anything but. The prose is dry, the plot is so slow it barely moves, the charming and cheeky characters are few and far between. Overall, I found this so lackluster I would find myself mid-chapter completely unaware of what I had been reading. Now of course, my ability to focus is my own responsibility, but I prefer to have a little more help from the author!

I am sorry to say, I was unable to finish this book. I hate to give up on a book that has been generously given to me, but I have to protect my peace and my happiness. Reading is something I do for the joy of the written word, and there was no joy at all in this, in fact it made me a bit depressed that something with so much promise fell so flat. I don’t mean to be cruel, but I do feel strongly that I was betrayed.

Because I did not finish this book, I will not be sharing my review on my Goodreads account, but I did want to send feedback at least- if only to get this off my chest!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, ECCO, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!!

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Stopped @ 50%. Had potential to be really incredible, with deeply moving characters and complex imagery. However, the pace of the story was far too slow and the cast of characters too broad. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

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Patrick deWitt is a master of deadpan humor, which you'll find in this endearing story about a retired librarian.

There is a tangent early on that was confusing at first, but it all comes together in the end.

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Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped. The synopsis beautifully outlines the book; however, it led me to believe it would be more about Bob’s life and career as a book lover and librarian. In fact, only a small portion of the book touches on his career, or more accurately, on his decision to become a librarian.

The book starts on a somber note, and there are too many side characters, which the reader never gets to know as much as I would have liked. Truthfully, most of the characters were odd, and I did not feel a connection to any of them.

I may have DNF this one if I hadn’t received an ARC and felt responsible for leaving a review.

Overall, I had difficulty figuring out what parts of the story the author meant to be funny. Bob recounts several major turning points in his life, but unfortunately, in my opinion, this made the novel feel like disjointed stories, presenting very different tones. I did enjoy the portion of the book where Bob recalls running away from home as a child. It was here that I could appreciate the humor being woven into the story, and it felt very much like a Wes Anderson film. I couldn’t help but wish the rest of the book matched the tone of these few chapters.

On a positive note, I listened to the audio for most of the book, and the narration was very well done.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ecco, for the ARC.

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The book "The Librarianist" was an arc, which I appreciate, and was excited to read. All opinions are my own. The plot of the story is of a retired librarian who volunteers at a senior center. It starts off with Bob's experiences at the senior center, then flashes back to him being a kid, and also his marriage. It was a little slow and was hard to follow for my personal taste. But it was still an enjoyable read.

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A character driven story about a retired librarian who finds himself volunteering at a senior center at the end of his life. The story is written in past and present fragments of Bob’s life that seem a bit disjointed and irrelevant. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

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People who love books will immediately be drawn to Patrick deWitt’s novel by its title and cover, my favorite of 2023. The cover’s vintage library card will be familiar to readers of a certain age and hints at what you can expect inside: a look back at a gentle introvert’s life story.
Bob Comet reminded me immediately of a Fredrik Backman hero without the hard, curmudgeonly exterior. A retired librarian (still not sure why this was converted to “librarianist” in the title. He loves librarians?), Bob volunteers at a senior center, meets some people with whom he has a connection, and reminisces about his own life history.
Bob is a likable character, but many of his putative friends do him dirty, and his tepid response is a bit unsatisfying. You want Bob to tell someone off, meet a fun-loving senior lady in a convertible, and ride off into the sunset. Sad to say, this kind of resolution is not what we get. If you, like me, are hoping for a Backman-esque ending, you may be disappointed. But Bob’s pluck is endearing, and I find myself thinking about him weeks after I finished the book.

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I like books about books and people who love books. While this could seem slow at times, I think I would have loved the audiobook even more. I like the little mystery and the story of our protagonist. Good read from a good author.

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The Librarianist is a poignant character driven novel by Patrick deWitt. Released 4th July 2023 by HarperCollins on their Ecco imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audiobook, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in early 3rd quarter 2024 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The narrative moves very slowly and develops over time, but the prose is lyrical and luminous and so well crafted. It's not an action driven book in any meaning of the word, and the disparate characters are often head-scratchingly oblique to the story, but it is certainly capable of holding readers' interest.

Although marketed as a story about stories (and how living a life *for* literature can make people miss their own life stories), there are very few actual stories or book tie-ins to be found here.

It's an odd and polarizing novel; readers will either love or hate it. Bottom line: it's very well written, develops very slowly, and seems to drag at several points.

Four stars. Definitely one for fans of introspective, introvert characters who will enjoy the prose and not mind the meandering narrative.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Librarians are the gatekeepers of the tales and stories that we all want to experience. This is the beautiful and poignant adagio of one gatekeeper's life.

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I enjoyed this book, but I had several false starts (hence why this review is late)! The premise led me to believe the story would take place in the present day, with Bob looking back and reflecting on his past, but the vast majority (more than three-quarters?) is set in his childhood and early adulthood. I didn't dislike this, but it disoriented me the first few times I tried to read it, and overall led to a different kind of book.

I'd describe The Librarianist book as quiet and cozy and slow-paced, with moments of charm and humor - certainly a character study. The running themes were community and belonging and trust, and I think fans of Fredrik Backman - especially Anxious People - would really enjoy it. Patrick DeWitt has a similar writing style, and the overall vibe is similar in that there are big existential questions, but you're never forced to seriously worry things won't turn out mostly alright.

Thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Well developed characters but lacking plot. The story of Bob who works in a library and encounters other quirky characters throughout his life.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the ARC to review!

Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy this book. I feel like the description I saw didn't really match the novel itself. It was described as humorous in a self-deprecating way and seemed to be a lot more about Bob's attempts at bringing his skills as a librarian to the retirement home where he volunteered. However, this book would be more accurately described as three vignettes from periods of Bob's life.

It took me a long time to get into this novel--it wasn't until the end of the first section that things were even remotely interesting. The second "vignette," where Bob meets Connie and Ethan, was the novel's most interesting part, but it ended too soon. The third "vignette," where Bob runs away from home, was also interesting but literally served no purpose to the novel. It was frustrating as a reader to have three almost distinctly separate tales in Bob's life when they were hardly connected to one another, especially when the novel just ends abruptly. Where is the climax? The falling action, the resolution? The novel's lack of structure was disappointing and left me feeling like I wasted a lot of time with a book that didn't go anywhere and was missing a purpose.

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I had read an excerpt of The Librarianist and thought the book would be right up my alley, as the saying goes. The premise appealed to me: a retired introverted male librarian unexpectedly finds himself volunteering at a local “retirement” home/senior center. I enjoyed the first part of the book which was present day/2005-6. Then the book takes us back to when Bob Comet (the titular librarian) was young and relates how he met his wife and so on (1942-1960). Those chapters were also interesting. But then, about halfway through the book, the author takes us on a long detour (1945) which I felt bore no connection with the rest of the book. He finally brings us back to 2006 for the last 10% of the book. I kept waiting for the 1945 events to have some relevance to the rest of Bob’s story, but unless I missed something, there was nothing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Jim Meskimen, did a good job with the various voices. All opinions are my own.

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Patrick deWitt's "The Librarianist" presented an intriguing premise that instantly appealed to me: a story centered around Bob, a retired librarian with a lifelong passion for books. My anticipation was high, expecting a narrative rich in literary references and engaging character development. However, the book, even with its moments of brilliance, ultimately fell short of its potential.

The story revolves around Bob Comet, who, after finding a missing senior citizen, starts volunteering at a senior center. This setup leads to flashbacks exploring two significant periods in Bob's life before returning to the present. The narrative's pace is noticeably slow, which, in my opinion, could affect the reader's ability to remain engaged.

Despite these criticisms, "The Librarianist" does possess an understated charm. It invites readers to ponder the simplicity and beauty of an ordinary life well-lived. Bob Comet's journey, characterized by moments of sorrow, joy, loneliness, and companionship, is depicted with heartfelt warmth and humor. The non-linear narrative, while challenging to adapt to, enriches the story, revealing the layers of Bob's character as it oscillates between past and present.

The novel emphasizes that a life need not be defined by dramatic upheavals or extraordinary events. Instead, it celebrates the quiet, often overlooked experiences that shape a person's worldview. This message, conveyed through beautiful prose and a relatable protagonist, is where "The Librarianist" truly shines.

In conclusion, while "The Librarianist" may not fully meet the expectations set by its premise, it remains a poignant and thoughtful exploration of life's quieter moments. It's a book that has its own magic, capable of inspiring introspection, even if it might not captivate all readers due to its pacing and character choices.

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A lovely, normal, everyday character is at the center of this one. It was interesting reading about his young, middle, and later life. The author connected the pieces well and made you want to root for Bob consistently. This is the kind of literary fiction I love, where the observations about life are spot on, and you're a little sad, and you laugh a little, and you just keep reading.

Secondary characters, especially those in the retirement home, were memorable.

My only gripe is the ending, in that there wasn't one.

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When I read the synopsis of the book,The Libraianist, I thought what a great idea. A retired librarian who uses his skills to become a volunteer at an assisted living home. I was enjoying this slow paced novel until the story went off into several chapters of the main character childhood. I felt like this could have been 2 separate novels. The novel is slow paced, but it became so slow that I had a difficult time staying involved with the plot. Thanks to #Netgalley for the advance ebook.

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