Sylvia Beach moves to Paris, to her mind the most fabulous city in the world, with plans to become a writer. Instead, inspired by Adrienne Monnier’s bookstore, in 1919 she opens Shakespeare & Company, an English-language bookshop and lending library.

Her store quickly becomes a meeting place for ex-pats including Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and T.S. Elliot, as well as the first stop for Americans visiting or moving to Paris. When James Joyce’s ULYSSES is deemed obscene and unable to find a publisher, Sylvia decides to publish the book herself—and arrange for copies to be smuggled into the United States. Joyce, though, is demanding emotionally and financially, and Sylvia vacillates between protecting her favorite writer and maintaining her other relationships, not to mention the well-being of herself and her bookstore.

THE PARIS BOOKSELLER is a fascinating portrait of the early publication history of ULYSSES, none of which I knew, including the impact of America’s Comstack Act and the heroism of women who championed the manuscript but who were often derided by men. It asked the question whether the art and artist could be separated—Joyce was such a frustrating figure despite his importance to literature!

The novel also provides an interesting look at the romantic relationship between Sylvia and Adrienne as well as a window into the acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships in the 1920s and the vibrant night life Paris had to offer.

For historical fiction readers, particularly those who like books about books, bookstores, and libraries such as A PERSONAL LIBRARIAN.

I loved this book. It’s the story of Sylvia Beach, an American who arrived in Paris ready to love all things French. It’s based on a true story which makes the book even more fascinating. The book covers the opening of the original Shakespeare and Company bookshop, which carried books in English and acted as a lending library.

Soon after her arrival, she met a woman named Adrienne Bonnier, who owned a bookstore and became her lover. They were together for 35 years. Adrienne encouraged her to open a store that carried English language books, and Shakespeare and Company was born.

Sylvia and the store attracted the writers who frequented Paris in the 1920s that Gertrude Stein called “the Lost Generation “. Writers like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, Eliot, Pound, and others used the store as a meeting place, and received messages and mail there. Sylvia supported them financially, and carried their books.

Sylvia also met James Joyce, the Irishman who wrote “Ulysses”. The book was banned in the US and UK, and Joyce couldn’t find a publisher. Sylvia became the book’s champion and publisher. She had the book smuggled to locations in Europe and the US, and supported Joyce financially, which almost led to her losing the store. Sylvia stayed open briefly during the occupation of Paris by the Germans during WWII, but she eventually shut down and never reopened.

The Shakespeare and Company bookshop in Paris today is in a different location and opened in 1951. It’s a fascinating place to visit and has become a gathering place for writers of a new generation.

The book is vibrant and shows what the Paris of the 20’s was like - the food, the people, and the city. One interesting thing was the contrast in attitudes between France and the US, homosexuality and alcohol were viewed differently between the two countries.

Reading this book was like being transported to another time and place and I highly recommend it. 5 stars. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a fun historical fiction and I loved it most because it’s a piece of history that I didn’t really know much about. I had not heard of Sylvia or her store Shakespeare and Company but it is a very cool piece of history and I’m glad to know more. I’ve added her biography to my TBR which needed no help but c’est la vie. I also personally liked the bits of French sprinkled through the story as I have been brushing up on my mostly long forgotten studies. Sylvia was feeling adrift but more at home in Paris than her birth home of America. She decides to open an English language bookstore in France, the partner to her partner Adrienne’s French book store. I loved reading about the various authors passing through some of which I’d heard of but others I had not. It was an interesting focus about a clearly extraordinary woman.

The Paris Bookseller is a must read for anyone that loves historical fiction... What is better than a book about books! Set against the backdrop of Paris in the 1920's, the book weaves the story of Sylvia Beach and how she followed her dreams of opening a bookstore where authors and readers alike came together to read, discuss and love books. And the authors did come. Not only is the story about the bookstore but about Sylvia Beach's fight to publish James Joyce's Ulysses. Every time I sat down to read, I felt like I was visiting old friends. The story and characters were wonderfully written, a mix between a character driven and plot driven novel. Although mainly set in Paris, references to America were woven in with a timeline of what was happening in the United States, helped me as a reader settle a time and place in history for the events unfolding. You get a little bit of everything in this novel, romance, historical fiction, family drama and overall, a fabulous story. I will be recommending this book to everyone. Thank you to netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for an opportunity to read and review a copy of The Paris Bookseller

Young Sylvia Beach has always dreamt of writing books, but soon she must recognise that writing isn't hers. When in Paris, the American meets Susanne and Adrienne who run a bookshop and she is immediately fascinated by them. She decides to open a bookshop herself to provide Paris and its masses of expatriates with English books. A risky adventure in 1919, but her small store "Shakespeare and Company" is going to make history. Not only do the Roaring Twenties make Paris the centre of the literary world, the bookshop and Sylvia become its very own epicentre and when she comes across an extraordinary novel nobody wants to publish, she decides to do it herself thus making James Joyce and his "Ulysses" one of the greatest novels of the century.

Kerri Maher tells the story of a young and adventurous woman who follows her instincts and is willing to risk a lot to make her dreams come true. “The Paris Bookseller” portrays an outstanding personality whose strong character can be felt in every line of the novel. On the other hand, the novel is a remarkable depiction of misogynist behaviour in the literary world and, on the other, also of strong women who can accomplish a lot when working together.

I totally adored following Sylvia's way from naive American tourist to one of the most important characters in the literary world between the wars. Surely Paris was the place to be and she was there at the right time, but also her endeavour and spirit were decisive to make it the best known bookstore in the world.

I wasn't aware of how hostile towards women the time and publishing industry was, quite interestingly, it wasn't people like Hemingway of whom I could have easily expected such a behaviour, quite the opposite, the educated and seemingly decent people were the most abominable.

A great read which gives insight in a time already a century ago and most certainly a must read for all booklovers of classics and the great time a century ago.

I don’t know about you but I love when I read a historical fiction novel and learn something factual. The Paris Bookseller taught me about Sylvia Beach, who I am ashamed to admit I knew nothing about before reading this title.

I also love reading about strong women, especially during a period of time when women were viewed as “lesser” or more ornamental than autonomous and functional beings with ideas of their own.

I’m also a fan of reading about bookstores (big surprise, that) and this being said, it took a bit for me to get into the book; I found it slower paced but once I got more into the rhythm of the story I enjoyed both it and learning about the life of Ms. Beach.

Suggested for fans of historical fiction based in fact and fans of learning about the Années folles, the famed 1920’s in Paris.

I've always had an interest in the original Shakespeare & Co and the modern day location that is run by a woman named after the founder of the original bookshop, Sylvia Beach. In this novel we get an inside look at the life of Sylvia Beach and the how she moved against the societal norms to create a world where book lovers and famous authors could meet to converse about books. Through her bookshop and with the help of a fellow bookseller, Sylvia's world expands and leads her to a life she never could have imagined.
If you enjoy reading books set in pre-war Paris, and want to immerse yourself in the literary world, this is definitely a book to check out.

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

This was a fun historical fiction for me. At first, while real life American Sylvia Beach was unmoored and not knowing what she really wanted to do with her life, I had trouble getting into the story. But once Sylvia opens her own Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, in 1919, I was captivated by the writers and other creative people who made her store a meeting place. I googled most of the famous names and some I had never heard up, not because I needed more information to enjoy the story but because the story made me interested in the people.

I knew nothing about Sylvia until I read this book. She met James Joyce in 1920, and offered to publish his controversial and banned masterpiece, Ulysses. Sylvia struggled financially thanks to Joyce and his willingness to drain her dry with his demands for Sylvia's time and more money and eventually abandoning all that Sylvia did for him, when he signed on with another publisher. But it's very clear that Sylvia still thought that her sacrifices were worth it, that she thought her reputation and the success of Shakespeare and Company owed much to the work of James Joyce.

I came to appreciate many of these artists more after reading the story. At the same time, suicide is a running theme in the later part of the book, both among the artists and their families. Some suicides aren't mentioned in the book but are part of the later lives of the people we meet in the story. Be sure to read the author's notes at the end of the book. I always enjoy knowing how an historical fiction author may have taken liberties with dates and fact, to make a story flow more smoothly. I thought these author notes were especially interesting and I appreciate getting to read them.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

I thought I would enjoy this book since it's historical fiction and it is set in Paris. However, even when I liked the way is written and it is very easy to read, it was hard for me to really get into the story and it was especially difficult to try to remember or place all the people that is mentioned in the story.
The setting is interesting, though, not only about the place but the context of what is going on and the fact of Sylvia doing something so bold. The main characters are captivating and overall I do not think there is anything wrong with the book, it just was not for me. I might give it another try another time.

A piece of fiction that goes behind the scenes of the bookstore, lending library and publishing company that became famous of its own right as a destination for readers and writers - Shakespeare and Company. Sylvia Beach was an American living in Paris and found her calling in opening an English speaking bookstore where writers can take refuge and maybe even get a little inspiration.

I peaked at the author's note before I started reading and knew that the author tried to keep the book close to fact and with that it is hard to review a bit. Sylvia Beach was an interesting character to follow and I was glad to have the context of the gay community at the time in Paris because I had no idea how accepted it was compared to the US. It was fun to read about the community that surrounded this bookstore and I loved the casual name drops of authors who became famous and reading about them before their names were recognizable!

I liked this book, but didn't love it. I am not sure exactly what it is, but maybe I had a big expectation of what I wanted from this book, but it was good not great. I would love to read another story about this bookstore from the perspective of one of the authors who found a welcoming space in this store from the time where they were writing a book near the store.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of The Paris Bookseller.

I've enjoyed Kerri Maher's previous books so I was looking forward to The Paris Bookseller.
I hadn't heard of Sylvia Beach or the controversary around the publication of Ulysses so I was interested in learning more. and getting immersed in the Parisian setting.

Set in Paris post WWI it is the story of Sylvia Beach, an American who opens Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Some of the prominent writers of the Lost Generation forge friendship here. Sylvia becomes friends with James Joyce and takes a risk to publish his controversial Ulysses.

This is extremely well written and researched, but it read a little too much like a biography with so much detail for me. If you're interested in the Lost Generation, James Joyce or Paris in the 1920s then I think you'll really enjoy this.

I have read several books lately about Paris and a few of them featured book shops. The Paris Bookseller takes a different angle on that setting and delves into the life of Silvia Beach who started Shakespeare and Company in the 1920’s.

I enjoyed reading about Silvia’s struggle to open a bookstore from scratch, her money troubles, and dealing with temperamental authors, like James Joyce. In fact, her on again off again business relationship with writer James Joyce was told in wonderful detail in this book.

I learned a lot from this book, including that Shakespeare and Company was a lending library and a bookstore. Also, prominent writers hung out at the store like Hemingway and Ezra Pound, but I felt the concentration was mainly on Sylvia’s relationship with Joyce.

This is more than a historical fiction novel, it is also a love story about her relationship with Parisian bookstore owner Adrienne Monnier.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy this well-researched look into a fascinating slice of history.

What I knew about Shakespeare and Co. in Paris was little and much of what I thought I knew was wrong. This book in a very pleasant way set the story straight for me and the note at the end completed the story. The characters, much like humans live their lives with ups and downs--it is just that the characters are literary icons now: Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and of course James Joyce. I knew that Ulysses had been banned, but found it absolutely fascinating how the books were smuggled into the United States and found an audience. I loved Sylvia (she is my new hero) and her love story was probably as great as Hemingways with any of his wives (and lasted longer). It was sad to realize that it did end, but she and Adrienne remained friends until Adrienne's death. I do wish Ms. Maher would write a sequel about what happened to Shakespeare and Company during the Nazi occupation--the story told in the notes sounds fascinating...

What a great book. You can hear the wooden floors squeak and smell the cigarette and dusty pages of what could be considered the most important publishing house, that only ever printed one book, Ulysses. Sylvia has spent her young life going on missions and doing hard work as she finds her place in life. She finds herself in Paris and opens a bookstore. Soon she is entertaining and supporting the worlds newest authors and voices, Joyce, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald to name a few. While she fights all the struggles of a woman punishing a book in the 1920’s she faces obstacle after obstacle with determination and grace. During this time she also falls in love and must conquer all the things that come with hidden and forbidden. Meticulous research. So much more information and follow up in the Authors Note

This was a fascinating story about Shakespeare and Company, and the woman who founded it.

I had never heard of Sylvia Beach and was so interested to learn about her life during this specific time. It was so cool to see how the bookstore because a place for some of the great writers/artists.

The story itself felt a little slow at times but overall still a great read.

(3.75ish/5)

This absorbing biographical novel tells the story of Sylvia Beach and her iconic Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. Settling in Paris at the close of WWI, Sylvia is at a loss as to what to do with her life. She befriends Parisian bookstore owner Adrienne Monnier and is introduced into a society comprised of the great literati of the time. In addition, Sylvia finds that Paris is a haven for those who prefer the same sex relationships that have become illegal in other places. She decides to open an English bookstore and lending library catering to the many expats at tourists flocking into the city of lights. Before long her business is thriving and her relationship with Adrienne has developed into a deep love affair. Shakespeare and Company becomes the meeting place for the soon to be famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. Sylvia’s most important client becomes James Joyce. With his new book, Ulysses, being banned in other countries, Joyce has not been able to find a publisher. Sylvia decides to champion this momentous novel and its author by publishing it herself despite never having ventured into the field before. Joyce proves an recalcitrant client, making changes to his tome even while it is at the publishers and arguing about profit percentages. Sylvia’s work with Joyce almost is her undoing both financially and emotionally; and may end the fragile friendship between herself and Joyce.

This wonderful work of fiction is well-researched with a powerful sense of time and place. The Paris of the 1920s and 30s comes alive in the author’s deft hands, and the readers are transported back to Sylvia’s Shakespeare and Company, sitting beside the great writers of the time. I highly recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction, biographical fiction, and the expat world of Paris between the wars.

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher was not my cup of tea. I struggled with this one. I still rate it four stars because there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Many people will fall head over heels in love with this book. So, let me explain. 

I think it took me a week to read this book. I kept putting it down and then found I was not excited to pick it up again. A week is a long time for me to read a book. The book was on the low key side and that’s OK.

I’m not sure I cared about the subject matter and I should have because I don’t believe in banned books. James Joyce’s Ulysses was banned and is now hailed as an important book and turning point in literature. I just wasn’t passionate about the whole process. 

The writing was beautiful. You could tell the author loved her subject and the characters she brought to life in the story. I would not have know any of this history without this book. So, I’m thankful for the knowledge she imparted to her readers. 

I’ve never been to Paris and enjoyed the setting and learning of everyday life there. Again, this is a worthwhile book. It was worth my time. For me, it was not a book I couldn’t put down. I finish 99.9 percent of everything I start and usually find an appreciation for the book by the time I finish. The Paris Bookseller was not an exception. I urge readers to pick this one up. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Book Browse. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4 stars
I happen to love books that educate... This did exactly that for me. We have an extremely brave and strong woman who appreciates to her core the beauty of books and what they can bring to society. This covers the years of change and censorship and how it impacts her and the authors who wrote these books.

A splendid tale of Sylvia Beach and her English language bookstore in Paris. It was a gathering place for expat American authors. Based on fact, it goes into great detail about the publishing of James Joyce's Ulysses. Lots of interesting characters and a plot that gives interesting information about them. One of the most sensitively presented lesbian love stories I have read in main stream literature.
Thanks to Netgalley for an e ARC of this book.

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher is a historical fiction about the life of Sylvia Beach and her English language bookshop , Shakespeare and Company, in Paris. When I first started this book, I didn’t realize it was based on a true story/person. It took me a while to get into the book, but I must say I did enjoy it more and more as the book went on. Maher describes the long process Beach had to go through when she decided to publish James Joyce’s Ulysses after it was ban in the United States. The book also gets into the relationship between Beach and Adrienne Monnier, who owned a French language bookshop near Shakespeare and Company. Monnier provided much encouragement and support while Beach was going through the whole publishing process. Overall, I found the book to be very interesting and informative , if a bit slow at times. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you may want to take a look at this one.