In The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted, author Robert Hillman spins a heart-wrenching and heartwarming tale of human resilience in the face of loss and despair. Hillman skillfully delves into the complexities of human relationships, portraying the characters with depth and authenticity. The chemistry between Tom and Hannah is palpable, and their journey together becomes a testament to the healing power of love and the ability of literature to connect souls.

Although the title of the book drew me in, the story was too dark and slow for me to finish. It is filled with trauma and the experiences in Auschwitz are crushing. For me, I was not able to finish nor would I recommend due to the content.

This is a lovely layered look at what we believe about our relationships and how they can be defined by pasts that are not our own and futures we can't quite envision.

I so wish the title of this book had been different. It almost seems like it was purposely titled this to draw in readers like me, lovers of bookshop novels, but then it did a major switch and really WASN'T about a bookshop, not really. So, this was for a reader who simply wasn't me. It was pretty dark, not really about a bookshop in the typical sense, and left me with a bleak feeling.

If you want a book that puts depression and a cloud over everything then The Bookshop of the Brokenhearted is for you. This novel has a disjointed and dark ebb and flow, falling back into time of World War II, focusing mostly on the Auschwitz death camp, where Hannah and her Jewish family were forced to go, and leaping forward to 'modern' times of Australia in the 1960's, and the tragic and simple life of Tom and his sheep farm. Back and forth the reader goes, between past and present, through both Tom and Hannah's eyes.

Though both Tom and Hannah each deal with their own unimaginable horrors, I found it hard to connect with either of them. Peter, the sweet little boy that endures the unthinkable with his unstable mother, is who captured my heart, and spurred me on to continue to give this book a chance. Honestly, without him, I most likely would've added this to my DNF list. Peter's plight was truly gut-wrenching, and I found myself praying for him, wishing he didn't have to endure such pain.

Darkness shrouds the narrative, and I didn't feel like the story had a good rhythm. The constant tossing of the narration between Tom, Hannah, and Peter was at times confusing, and the writing was lacking in some areas, but the descriptions of the settings were piercing, transforming my minds eye to this unique farmland.

A warning: there are adult themes, and descriptions of unfavorable acts, like sex and physical abuse, but thankfully they are not too graphic, leaving much to the imagination.

I truly believe if I could've connected more with the characters I believe I would've enjoyed The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted more. This is truly a dark and heartbreaking read that was a struggle for me, no matter how much I tried to connect.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. This title was unfortunately too sad for me & I couldn't get through it. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

I enjoyed the book but nearly as much as I expected. I found Trudy to be completely unlikable and beyond redemption. The cult felt forced into the book and awkward. While Tom was likable he was also a doormat for the women in his life so by the end of the book I simply no longer cared what happened to him. I enjoyed the story but the characters left me disconnected.

The best way I can describe this book is...truly amazing! It was not long after I started reading this book that I instantly fell in love with Tom. He is soft spoken and humble but so kind. The way he cared for both Hannah and his son, Peter was great. It was easy to see how Hannah fell in love with him.

Speaking of Hannah; she amazed me as well. The way she pushed through adversity was wonderful. I like Hannah was excited to see Tom become so enthralled by reading books. While, their relationship was slow moving; it was filled with real love.

There was never a moment that I did not love about this book. It was like finding a treasure. Mr. Hillman has the gift as a storyteller. The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted is like a warm hug. The characters in this book will envelop you and have you calling them friends. Readers have to read this book. Not to be missed.

This book was not for me. I don’t like books that take place during the Holocaust (for personal reasons), and I somehow missed that in the description, and it just put me off. Also, I found the plot to be kind of a mess and I didn’t care for most of the characters. I finished reading because I needed to know what happened to Peter.

The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman is a beautiful book full of adversity and love. It’s not an easy novel to read because of its characters’ deep-seated problems, but well worth the time spent to get to the end. I was enamored by the lyrical quality of the writing that painted a picture of Australian farming during the 1960s so mesmerizing and real.

Tom Hope marries a woman who can’t be happy living with him on his farm. Trudy leaves and comes back a year later, pregnant with another man’s child. Tom loves this boy so much that even when Trudy leaves again to live at her religious encampment, he cares for the boy as his own. How can he move forward when Trudy takes back the one thing that matters to him most?

Next, we meet Hannah, a Holocaust survivor. Oh my.

Hannah’s past life is filtered into the story in bits and pieces. Her current joy and light always contradicted by the horrors of her past. I could only hope it would end well for her. I felt deeply for Tom and Hannah. They both went through so much. There’s nothing normal about either one of them, so their stories are intriguing. Even though Tom could be thought of as a boring farmer, he’s curious and caring, plus very inventive and hardworking. I was afraid for them throughout most of the book. Their pasts seemed about to collide and I wasn’t sure they’d survive it.

From the beginning, Tom is a sad man, forced to do what he hates for the love of the women in his life. Hannah is crazy – driven beyond sense by the horrors of the Holocaust. Her loss is inconceivable by Tom and the reader. It’s a sense of the worst is yet to come throughout the novel as Hannah meters out her story.

In-between, we get their story as a couple as they dance around Tom’s disappointments and insecurities, while Hannah tries to hide from her past, hoping that Tom’s love will be enough.

I was torn between wanting to know more and fearing what would come.

Nothing good came out of the Holocaust, except knowing we can’t ever allow that to happen again. Even those spared have a lifetime of insurmountable horror mixed with sorrow from their experience. I don’t think that PTSD has ever been worse for anyone than the Holocaust survivors. I feel it’s necessary to read about it and understand it to retain compassion, but it’s never an easy subject to deal with, as the reader, in a novel.

Shame and sorrow filled me as I read. I was so ashamed of the human race for what they did to so many people. Those who did it are the worst, but those of us who did nothing fill me with sorrow. As crazy as Hannah was, I couldn’t dislike her for what she survived, and was still trying to survive throughout the novel.

Then there’s the religious encampment where Tom’s wife takes her son. That is a whole other story that’s horrifying and shocking. One crisis after another, Tom tries to be steadfast and true to his beliefs, and honor those he loves. He’s not always successful, but he does earn that boys love for life.

This is a literary novel, so those either do or don’t work for me. This one impressed me and held me captive, but it wasn’t all peaches and cream during my reading experience. There were paragraphs of information that seemed arbitrarily placed, not anything to do with the plot or scene I was reading. I started to skim because of it, which makes it hard to review this book fairly without reading it in parts several times.

The end was anticlimactic and abrupt. The first time I read it, I was kind of stunned that it was the last page, so I reread the last chapters to see what I missed. In truth, the last half of the book did not draw me in the way the first half did. That could be because there’s a lot to deal with emotionally in this novel, and sometimes that can overwhelm the reader, when we just want to know what the heck happens next.

Some novels leave a lasting impression whether you thoroughly enjoyed them or not. This is that type of novel for me. I loved the lyrical quality of the writing. Author Robert Hillman has a talent for tales that’s undeniable. Even as I’m finishing this review that I’ve been writing over months of mulling it over, I’ve read parts of the book again. The quality of the writing is what stands out, and I don’t think I mind that I didn’t like how it ended or some of the gruesome things depicted. It’s the journey that I appreciate. I’m happy I read this book and look forward to trying another in the future by this author.

If you love novels about farming and are curious about what it was like in 1960s Australia, The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted illustrates it beautifully with the charm of the people and their dialect. But this book is about so much more. It exemplifies faith, endurance, grief, forgiveness, and the ability to live on, in hope of happiness when everything you have loved is gone.

Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com.

The title and cover were very appealing so I requested this book. Sadly, the writing was not appealing and after multiple tries, I gave up.
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What I found interesting about the “The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted” is that it brings together a Jewish survivor or the Holocaust with a rancher in Australia. Rarely if ever have I read books about Holocaust survivors immigrating to Australia post WWII. I thought this was a unique way to share how one person can experience a life wrenching trauma on one continent while others who didn’t experience the daily horrors of war struggle to truly understand.
What I found less interesting was the development of the various relationships that occur throughout the book. I am a big fan of WWII era non-fiction so I was excited to read this but it took me a long time to complete this book because the characters weren’t that compelling to me.

Although I did like Tom as a strong character I thought that Hannah while she did have a lot of issues from being in the Holocaust just came across as needing psychiatric help. I didn’t t like her character as she was too whiny and selfish at times. I would love to see another book about what happens to Peter as his life continues at the farm and his future.

Our story starts off in 1968 Australia. Tom's wife Trudy leaves him and he's grieving. She returns to him and he takes her back but she's pregnant with another man's baby. Tom loves this child like it's his own and the boy counts on him for his care and love. His mother wants nothing to do with him. When Trudy leaves the second time she stays gone taking her son with her.
Tom is devastated. Tom is an unlucky fella, in love and in losing the boy he considers his own.
Tom meets a woman Hannah who initiates the relationship and Tom falls in love again.
The story turns dark as we find out things about Trudy and Hannah's past come to light. These things really bother her. Love,loss and redemption fill this story.
Different than many stories I've read.
Published April 9th 2019 by G.P. Putnam's Son.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book wasn't an easy read. Both of the main characters had been hurt many times. Life seems to be pretty depressing already so I'm glad it ended well, but I still wanted it to be more upbeat. What did I expect with such a name, however.

I loved this book. Great setting, great characters, unusual plot. Definitely one for fans of M. L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans.

Interesting characters; flashbacks to pre WWII Hungary, concentration camp and surviving the war contrast with a steadfast farmer coping with his sorrow.

The Bookshop of the Brokenhearted begins beautifully with simple prose that reminds me of Kent Haruf’s Plainsong. I was in love by the end of the first chapter. Tom Hope is a farmer besotted with his wife Trudy and their child Peter. His simplicity is mirrored by the language. In the third chapter, we meet the exciting, educated bookseller, Hannah, who has moved to their rural Australian town to open a bookstore.

Then it all went downhill as the story became increasingly complicated by extremes. It’s not just that Trudy was faithless, but she was faithless from the first. It’s not just that she walks out on Tom, she walks out on Peter who turns out to be fathered by someone else, not Tom. It’s not just that Tom loses custody of Peter to her, but it happens after he’s raised Peter alone while Trudy was feckless and promiscuous. It’s not just that Trudy finds Jesus, she joins a cult. It’s not just that Tom finds new love, he finds a woman who seems to worship and need him. It’s not just that Hannah lost her husband and child, she lost them in Auschwitz. It’s not just that she lost one husband, she lost two. It’s not a Jesus cult, it’s an abusive Jesus cult.

I know it may feel like those are big spoilers, but they are not. There’s much more to the story of Trudy, Peter, Tom, and Hannah and whether any of them find happiness. This is not a story about things that happen so much as a story about how people cope.


I alternated back and forth with The Bookshop of the Brokenhearted loving the spare prose while increasingly angered by the melodramatic excess of the plot. It didn’t help that this book invalidated my long-true axiom that every book with “bookstore” in the title would be wonderful. That made it feel like a betrayal. It has “bookstore” in the title, how can it be so disappointing?

The thing is the many plot elements that motivate Trudy and Hannah one way or another could have been accomplished with less extreme means. Trudy could have matured to be less selfish without some abusive religious fanatic pushing her out. Hannah could have armored her heart by losing her husband and child in an accident. It really didn’t have to be The Holocaust. We need to remember The Holocaust so it is not repeated, but we do it no honor by using it for emotional manipulation. I think if it had been just the abusive cult or just the Holocaust, I would have just enjoyed the purity of the language, but with both, it felt like Hillman did not trust us to feel for the characters if their experiences were not extreme. One of the books that left me most emotionally wrecked was about the death of a child in a simple car accident. There were no evil characters, no evil nation, just life with its ordinary joys and sorrows.

I hesitated over this review, waiting over a week while I mulled the book over in my mind. I think it is a book that many people will like. It has an emotional appeal to the heartstrings and the prose is good. It just struck me wrong, I felt alienated by it in the end. That was an emotional reaction to what felt like too much. Others will like it for the very reason it turned me off.

I received an e-galley of The Bookshop of the Brokenhearted from the publisher through NetGalley

The Bookshop of the Brokenhearted at Putnam/Penguin Random House
Robert Hillman author site

Set in Australia, The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted tells the story of Tom, a lonely man who’s been unlucky in love. Tom is a sheep farmer who lives a contented, quiet life, until his wife Trudy deserts him and takes away Peter, the son of his heart if not his body. When Tom meets Hannah, it’s like he gets a new ray of sunshine in his life, and the two form a passionate, unbreakable bond. But Hannah’s past haunts her in ways Tom can’t quite understand, and when Peter reenters their lives, it may be more than Hannah can stand.

The story is truly affecting in parts, and I came to love Tom quite a lot. He’s sweet and good and loving, although he does seem to allow himself to roll with the punches rather than standing up to the people and events that hurt him. Tom’s relationship with Peter is lovely, so when he’s taken away, it is a heart-breaking development. The story of Peter’s experiences at “Jesus Camp” is horrible — he’s essentially trapped there by a mother who’s caught up in pastor’s cult-like community, and I was really upset by Peter’s suffering and the length of time it takes for him to finally be rescued.

We hear about Hannah’s past through chapters scattered throughout the book that show her experiences in the concentration camp and the years afterward. Of course, she’s deserving of great sympathy, but there are times with Tom and Peter that’s it hard to like her.

Overall, this is a quiet and moving book. I loved the descriptions of Tom’s farm and the Australian setting and landscapes. The writing is slow and underspoken, with a brevity that somehow makes the emotion harder to access at times. The juxtaposition of ranch life in Australia and memories of the Holocaust makes for an unusual mix, but it works. The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted is an unusual work of historical fiction, definitely worth checking out.

I was drawn to this book for a few reasons - mostly because it is different from what I normally read. Since reading Picnic at Hanging Rock I've wanted to read more Australian literature. The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted is set in Australia and is by an Australian author. I also wanted to read different time periods since I mostly stick to the present day, 1920s, and 1940s. This novel takes place in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

One of the first things I noticed about this book was the languid, almost lazy pace of the story. It was probably due to my having just finished the quite intense thriller Saving Meghan. It was a refreshing pace, without being boring. In fact, you knew that this would be a profound read and that you needed to savor each and every word.

The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted would be the perfect book to read in a hammock with a glass of lemonade on a beautiful spring day.

While this book is different from what I normally read, it wasn't a complete departure. Hannah, the bookshop owner, is a Jew from Budapest. She had survived Auschwitz, though none of the rest of her family did. There are a few chapters sprinkled throughout that are flashbacks to her past.

I found Hannah to be an interesting character. Her disbelief in Tom, the main character, not knowing about Auschwitz or really much about the war in Europe. It parallelled my disbelief after having a conversation with an Indian that was unfamiliar with D-Day. But as Tom points out, their war was in the Pacific theater. And I've come to discover I know little about WWII in the Pacific. Also, I haven't read much about what happened to Jews after the liberation of the camps so it is interesting to see the continuing impact on her life. Another thing I found interesting about her is that she isn't truly anti-communism/anti-Soviet rule. There is mention of the Vietnam War and she did live for a time in Budapest under Soviet control. Her immigration to Australia seemed to have more to do with wanting to get away from the memories rather than oppression under communism.

I liked Tom. He is well-liked by everyone and always willing to help others. He doesn't seem to be very ambitious. He does work hard, but it seems like he is keeping up the farm more out of some sort commitment to his late Uncle Frank, rather than to be successful himself. Though he is successful. He's happy with his life on the farm (or sheep station) with his woolies, blind horse, old dog, and orchards. He's happy until his wife leaves him. Then he is happy again when she returns, not so much because he's happy she has returned but rather because of the child she brings with her. He's not Tom's child, but that makes no difference to Tom. Being a good father is truly something Tom wants to succeed at. But I don't think he realized that until Trudy leaves again and eventually takes Peter with her.

The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted is in turns about profound love and profound loss; grieving and healing. I think that this will be a book that I think about for years to come. It will be one of those books that will pop to the forefront of my mind when I least expect it but will provide insight into whatever the current situation is. I feel like a better person for having read this book.

Review will publish at Girl Who Reads on Friday, April 12.