A beautiful novel filled with the full, well-lived life of Bob Comet, a lifelong librarian, now retired in his 70's, Bob is trying to fill his days as he approaches the end of them. told in three distinct parts, the story provides us glimpses of Bob's retirement, early adult life, and experience as an 11-year-old. Bob is a quiet but captivating protagonist who shows us that we can find an extraordinary life, no matter our lot.



Many thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the eARC.

This was a nice character driven novel, but I don’t know that it worked overall for me in the end. I really enjoyed the first two sections - Bob in his retirement years and Bob in his early 20s - but struggled to find meaning in the third section focused on the 4 day runaway adventure in Bob Comet’s youth. It was entertaining in its way, but didn’t seem to do anything else for the rest of the story.

This was my first time reading deWitt, but I understand he’s known for his character work. There were some really fun characters in The Librarianist, too! Some, especially in that third section in his youth, were a bit over the top but the dialogue was still entertaining.

I was looking for more wrap-up to the different portions of the story in the final section of the novel, but that’s ok. Lastly, I really thought books or the library would be a bigger part of the story than it was! Bob Comet is s librarian, but other than him meeting a few key people while at work and some side mentions of his love of books…it doesn’t come into play much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco Press for a digital arc to review. All opinions are my own.

"The passage of time bends us, it folds us up, and eventually, it tucks us right into the ground."

Patrick deWitt presents a look at a not-so-extraordinary, yet fascinating life.

I loved this tale of a retired librarian who after years of quiet solitude stumbles into a world of genuine characters. The book nearly made my "Best of the Year" list, but lost a star for one overly long childhood flashback that featured some over-the-top thespians. Still, most of the book is a gem.

In "The Librarianist," by Patrick deWitt, seventy-one-year-old Bob Comet is an introverted retiree. As a youngster, he cultivated a love of reading that led him to earn a degree in library science, and in his twenties he married the love of his life, Connie. He was shocked when she ran off with his close friend, Ethan.

Unfortunately, Bob is not the kind of person who bounces back from a devastating betrayal. After Connie leaves, he gives up "on the notion of knowing anyone, or being known." One day, he decides to try something new. He applies to become a volunteer at the Gambell-Reed Senior Center, where he befriends the manager, Maria, and the center's quirky residents.

The novel begins promisingly, with amusing passages of wry humor alongside scenes of sadness and despair. However, there is an unnecessary and lengthy flashback to eleven-year-old Bob running away from home and spending time with an eccentric pair of actresses. This section slows down the narrative and adds little to the proceedings. Towards the end, our morose hero makes a startling discovery that had the potential to be meaningful and poignant, but for some reason, deWitt downplays this intriguing revelation. I had high expectations for "The Librarianist," but found it difficult to engage with its lost and lonely souls.

Patrick deWitt's latest novel, THE LIBRARIANIST is a beautifully told story with a mix of literary and humor centered around a librarian, now retired when the past connects with the present leading him down memory lane.

An excellent story—superbly and fluidly told.

Bob Comet is seventy-one years old (a septuagenarian), has spent a lifetime with books, and is a retired librarian who lives alone in Portland, Oregon. He has been married once to Connie, and she left him for his best friend, Ethan, not long after they were married some forty-five years ago. They both betrayed him. Bob's mom died when he was 23, and she left him the childhood home. He never had any children.

He is a simple man, introverted, who enjoys his books, reading, solitude, walks, and does not have any close friends. He has few regrets.

Each day he walks. One day he goes into a 7-Eleven convenience store and sees a woman who looks lost. She is not talking but he sees the lanyard ID around her neck that shows she is a resident of Gambell-Reed Senior Center. He returns her and speaks with Maria, who works in the office. He decides he wants to volunteer here and read to the residents.

He gets all the proper checks and paperwork, but the residents do not care about being read to. Many have problems the center is not equipped to handle and are understaffed. Maria suggests he leave the books and home and just come and visit. That seems to work! He enjoys making new friends; they take walks, play games, and go to the diner.

Then the same woman goes missing again. Bob finds her. Then he learns her name, past, and how she became the way she is. Bob is shocked. This leads him back to his past.

The author takes us back to when he met his wife, Connie, and his best friend, Ethan. This leads him to revisit the past, where we slowly hear Bob's life story.

Told in alternating timelines: 2005-2006 (present), 1942-1960 (past) until the day Bob decides to sell his house and move into the senior facility.

As a child and teen, Bob had been afraid of becoming an adult; this is a response to an idea his mother had unwittingly instilled in him, which was that life and work both were states of unhappiness and composure. She never understood Bob. We then capture him later when his life changes and his past resurfaces.

Bob was a brilliant boy, and I loved reading about him running away from home at age 11 via bus and train, meeting the two showwomen with the dogs, working for them, and staying at the hotel. This was so much fun!

I hoped we would catch up with the ladies again before the end of the book since Bob did not say his goodbyes. This was a fun adventure! I also liked the young window sales guy who helped him. I liked Maria and the seniors, and I did not care for Connie—I felt she would not be suitable for Bob from the beginning. He lost the two closest to him.

What a charming book! The author pens a heartbreaking yet heartwarming story with insight and compassion blended with wit and humor. Beautifully imagined and character-driven, I highly recommend it if you enjoy literary fiction—a moving portrait of an older man's struggle to hold on to his most precious memories.

A gem! An uplifting novel about looking deeper into the heart and soul to form bonds with the last people we'd expect—only to discover that they're the ones who need it most.

For fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde So Long Chester Wheeler ), Elizabeth Berg Arthur Truluv- Earth's the Right Place for Love, and Fredrik Backman And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

Thanks to Ecco for a gifted ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5 Stars
Pub Date: July 4, 2023
July 2023 Must-Read Books

The Librarianist is a thoughtful, slow burn of a novel centered around Bob Comet, who we meet as a 70 year old man, retired from his career as a librarian and living alone, and spending his time reading and walking. It is on one of these walks that he encounters Chip and the nearby Senior Center. About 25% of the way in, we learn Bob’s backstory and from there, the novel develops.

Meeting Bob as an elderly man and learning about some pivotal moments in his life reminds the reader that we all have our stories. As someone who loves to read and loves libraries, this book really appealed to me. And whoever designed the cover is a genius!

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

It took me a while to get through this one. It had a very slow start at the beginning. I also found myself not really liking some of the characters at first either. But after I pushed through the first 15 percent, I found the book growing on me.

"The Librarianist" follows retired librarian, Bob Comet that is 71 years old. Bob lives in Portland, Oregon and lives a solitary and lonely life. When he comes across a mute and confused woman he returns back to the senior center she lives in. Bob then finds himself volunteering to read some of the patients that live there stories. He's pretty much told many have tried to come and volunteer, and quickly realize this isn't for him. But Bob isn't just someone. He's a man whose lost a lot and is still here.

I think you have to be in the right frame of mind for this book. At times it is very sad (no spoilers) and you have to wonder where the story is going. But I thought deWitt did a great job with this.

The main reason for the 4 stars is as I said, the book starts off real slow and the story is not told in chronological order which sometimes works/does not work for books. It does for this one, but once again, the slow start and the way the story is told may drive some readers up the wall.

I really enjoyed the ending and it reminded me a bit of A Man Named Ove. But Bob is not super cranky and you don't have the urge to smother him a half dozen times while reading a chapter.

Bob is a 71-year-old retired librarianist he’s an ordinary guy his life is structured but when he runs across a lady named chip who is just standing in the pharmacy staring at the energy drinks he intervenes to help this will lead him to a volunteer position at a home for the elderly who will make friends but ultimately it will bring back a blast from his past. We get to know about his life throughout the book he was once married to Connie and he once had a best friend Eathan throughout the book we learned who were these people and how did Bob lose contact. It also covers other parts of his life throughout the 50s until present day. This is a very interesting story .I thoroughly enjoyed. I found myself not wanting to stop reading this book and I highly recommend it a definite five star read. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher that I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

4.25⭐

The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt is a quiet, contemplative novel that revolves around seventy-one-year-old retired librarian Bob Comet. When we meet Bob, he lives alone in his mint-colored house in Portland, Oregon, surrounded by his books and his memories of a life lived with dignity and mostly, in solitude. Divorced after a brief marriage over forty-five years ago, he doesn’t have any close friends or romantic entanglements. He lives a simple, lonely yet seemingly content life. One day he sees an elderly woman, lost and wandering in a shop near his home. An ID card with her address on it indicates that she is a resident of Gambell-Reed Senior Center. Bob eventually decides to volunteer at the Center, hoping to fill the time in his retirement as well as indulge in sharing his love for literature with the residents. Though everything doesn’t quite go according to plans, Bob does find himself spending time with the residents of the Center. A chance revelation that has a connection to his past does create a stir in his life and Bob finds himself mulling over the past and exacting change in the way he contemplates his future.

The author writes with insight and compassion. The non-linear narrative takes a while to get used to and the pace is on the slower side which suits the story. Bob Comet is a simple man who loves his books and has enjoyed his life as a librarian, but he has never considered his life to be particularly eventful, barring a childhood escapade and his failed marriage. We follow Bob’s story moving back and forth between past and present, with glimpses into the people and events that shaped Bob’s life and we follow Bob as he gradually becomes a part of the community at the Center. All his memories are not happy ones but have contributed to Bob’s way of life. His experiences and interactions with his new peers inspire Bob to reevaluate the way he has perceived his life, the people in it and himself. This story emphasizes the fact that not everyone’s life has to be defined by dramatic change or shocking turns, but a life well-lived can be the result of the seemingly inconsequential events one has lived through along with the moments of sorrow, joy, loneliness and companionship we commit to memory. Beautifully written, full of heart with a good dose of humor, this is a beautiful story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Many thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on July 4, 2023.

I really wanted to get something out of this book. I love books. I would have been a librarian if not a teacher. But I couldn’t get behind this character. He pushed himself into an interesting group of people without seeing any of them. Over a very long book, he starts to expand his life through these people. It just didn’t work for me. It was far too long and drawn out.

Thank you @netgalley for an eARC of this book.
The beginning of this book reminded me of All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me. The tone and flow felt similar. I actually heard the narrator’s voice from that memoir (Author Patrick Bringley) as I was reading along.

For me, the beginning and ending of this book was the most interesting, but the middle did not hold the story up enough for me. The flashback scene to his childhood runaway moment felt entirely unnecessary to the overall plot, and I just wanted it to end already. I also just about hated every character in this book. There’s some redemption at the end and maybe I wasn’t supposed to like them? But this book just started one way and ended up taking a completely different path than I thought it would. Which is often okay, but this didn’t quite do it for me.

This was a cute story, with charming quirky characters and not much of a plot. This is largely about Bob, who is a retired librarian and starts volunteering at a retirement village to fill the time. The story is basically about his relationships with the people he meets there, as well as some flashbacks to his childhood and young adult-hood. 
*
This is totally and completely character driven, if you need a strong plot then you should stay far far away. There is one twist, but not much ends up coming out of it. 
*
That said, I did enjoy reading this -- I liked the writing, how the characters were developed. I expected this to fall into a story like A Man About Ove, since it kind of had that feel to it at the start, but it ended up being pretty different. I really liked how unique each character was, and I loved the idea of a person growing into themselves at any age. 
*
It's not going to hit the top of my list, but I liked it!

Special thanks to Ecco Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I liked this book. It's a very lighthearted book when you're looking for a book with very little stress, but also it's a very pleasant book. The main character Bob reveals layers of his life bit by bit. This was a nice change for me. It was a little slow and I think it could've been better if it were short stories.

Not my genre, but pleasant especially for people who have an elderly person in their life.

I absolutely loved this book. The main character was super relatable and I had a blast reading this book. I wish I could read it again for the first time. My patrons will LOVE this book.

3.5 stars

In 2005, seventy-one year old Bob Comet leads a quiet life. Every day, the retired librarian wakes up in his mint-colored Portland, Oregon house, and spends his time reading, cooking, eating, tidying, and walking. Bob has no friends, no family, and feels no craving for company. Bob had a very fulfilling career, and now communicates with the world by walking through it and reading about it.

Then one day, Bob pauses in his daily walk to stop at a 7-Eleven for a cup of coffee. Inside the store, Bob sees a white-haired woman - who appears to be mesmerized - staring at the cold beverages. The woman has a laminated card on a string around her neck, that reads, "My name is Chip, and I live at the Gambell-Reed Senior Center." Bob guides Chip back to Gambell-Reed where he meets the manager, a friendly lady called Maria, who gives Bob a tour of the premises.

Bob becomes a volunteer at Gambell-Reed Senior Center, and gets acquainted with both residents and day users. These include:

Chip: the semi-catatonic woman Bob helped home from the 7-Eleven; Chip runs away as often as she can, but never very far or very fast.

Brighty: an inquisitive lady who's been married five times because she likes a big party.

Linus Webster: a lively fellow who whizzes around in a wheelchair; Linus was once as handsome as Paul Newman, but ruined his appearance with dissolute behavior.

Jill: a day visitor who can't feel her thumbs and likes to do jigsaw puzzles.

Bob's interactions with the people at Gambell-Reed greatly enrich his life, and provide some adventures as well.

Between scenes in the present, there are flashback's to Bob's past. These depict experiences that greatly influenced the librarian's life.

👨‍🔧 As a youth, Bob became friendly with a middle-aged autodidact named Sandy, who was a librarian. Sandy inspired Bob's ambition to become a librarian himself.

👨‍🔧 At the age of eleven, Bob ran away from home and had an exceptional adventure with two variety show artists named June and Ida.

👨‍🔧 When Bob was a young man, he fell in love with a woman named Connie and made a best friend called Ethan. The interactions among these three led to the best and worst times in Bob's life.

Everything comes full circle toward the end of the book, when Bob comes face to face with some surprising truths.

The novel is a bit slow-moving, but I enjoyed this character study that contains both comedy and drama.

Thanks to Netgalley, Patrick deWitt, and Ecco for a copy of the manuscript.

I loved this one! I found Bob to be such a relatable character and I loved how details of his life were slowly unraveled throughout the book in the best ways. I was so shocked by the reveal of how he reconnected with Connie at the senior center--I wasn't expecting it. I loved switching back between timelines, it was engaging and a fun way to develop the characters. This book is very dear to me because in my regular life I work with older adults and at senior centers and I love to learn more about their back stories and histories. It's amazing the stories they will pull out of nowhere and you come to cherish these memories. I loved all the characters in this book and library setting was perfect for book lovers, of course. Highly recommend.

This was a pleasant easy read that's perfect if you're looking for something without too much stress. There's a little tension, a bit of adventure, and a sweet resolution. It read to me like a mix of short stories, or maybe that some of this would have worked better as a mix of short stories rather than put together into a novel. I'm not sure this will stick with me, but I don't regret the reading experience.

This is the first book that I have read by Patrick DeWitt but I know that he is a beloved author and I am a sucker for books where an older main character looks back over their entire life. The Librarianist follows Bob, a simple librarian who by all measures has lead a very quiet life, and who stumbles into a home for the elderly while out on his daily walk. He is seventy himself so find companionship amongst the unique residents. As he gets to know these people better, he also looks back over his own life which includes some unusual adventures. I loved the writing style of this book as it felt very much like a book written seventy or so years ago. I also really liked Bob and felt that the author had created a real person. I have a lot of patience for a “quiet” book but I felt that at times, the slowness of the book veered into sluggishness and boredom. This book does inspire me to look into DeWitt’s backlist, though, and I am not sorry that I read it.

I received a digital advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a joy to read, a beautiful story about a man coming to terms with the end of his life and trying to make his final days as fulfilling as all the days that came before. The moments of humor were paired perfectly with moments of honesty, compassion, and a beautiful showcase of humanity. Patrick deWitt has a way with words that I have yet to encounter with any other author and I always feel lucky to read another work of his.

A quiet man starring in a quiet story promised some insight into an introvert’s life. Divided into thirds, the first part about his current life situation as a 70+ year old was the most interesting to me. He demonstrated a caring and respectful personality, was likable, and I was curious to learn his background. However the second part concerning his young adult years showed an insecure, unbendable personality that was difficult to like. By the third part about a childhood incident, it seems only loosely connected to the earlier story. I felt little/no emotional connection which disappointed me. There were smile-inducing moments throughout which were a plus in this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC to read and review.