I was happy to be able to read this ARC by NetGalley. The story, at times, was beautiful. It was also odd and confusing. I wanted so badly to connect with the characters, but felt I didn’t really get to know them. The descriptions of locations in the book were beautiful and made me want to travel there to eat the foods and visit the olive tree and climb the mountain and read all the books. Maybe this story was too philosophical and not literal enough for me? I’m not sure. While I didn’t love this book, I am glad I read it and know it will likely be a favorite of those readers who love beautiful language and thought-provoking notions.

Marie can see the marks love leaves on people and it's even more obvious when true mate is close to them. As she adult, she has mobile library and brings books and loves all over the area. She's always wondering when she'll find her true love...

I had never read any of Nina George's novels, and so was unprepared for The Little Village of Book Lovers, where magic realism populates this small village. It did take me a while to move beyond the multiple narrators of the olive tree, love, death, fate, to discover the plot that lay below the surface. As the title suggests, this novel is about the power of books to change lives.

One of the main characters, the junkman Francis, decides that his village needs books, which will have the power to change lives and move people beyond their narrow existence into a wider world. His determination to make books available to everyone, rather than the previously narrow access that was provided by bibles, is at the center of this novel. Francis' motivation is linked to the needs of his foster daughter, Marie-Jeanne, who sees the power of love in everyday lives and items, including in books. To create a better world for Marie-Jeanne, Francis secures a book bus to bring books to the village.

Nina George clearly believes in the power of books. The Little Village of Book Lovers begins by offering literary classics to village readers, but soon enough, the village readers want more variety and need more variety to discover who they are. Most importantly, love of books soon becomes love of one another. I rarely choose to read magical realism, and in whole sections of The Little Village of Book Lovers, I felt a bit lost, but for readers who embrace magical realism, The Little Village of Book Lovers is a book that will be cherished and enjoyed.

I want to thank the author and publisher for making this ARC available to me, in exchange for my honest review. The Little Village of Book Lovers isn't a novel that will appeal to all readers, but I have chosen to rate this novel based on the kind of reader for whom Nina George created a book they will love. Thank you also to NetGalley for suggesting this novel.

Nina George once again writes from her heart! With endearing characters and a beautiful story about love and books. This one sentence in her book sums up the entire story – "If Love is the poetry of the senses books are the poetry of the impossible." Thank you Nina for turning your fictitious "Southern Lights" into a novel! This is a must read for Nina George fans!!!