I loved the prose of this book as well as the mystical quality.. I loved that it was mainly narrated by Love. And i loved the story itself.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don’t know what makes a book feel European—maybe it’s the lyrical nature of word arrangement, the inclusion of the metaphysical, or the whimsical nature of characters. Whatever it is, this book has it in spades. I expect that folks will fail to carry on to the finish with this one because of the aforementioned qualities. Sticking with it, is worth it. The gradual revelations are worthy of the time and effort we can afford to this little text. Nina George weaves a marvelous tale with many moments for deep contemplation of the human need for and reaction to love, the narrator of this text.

I read 27% of this book and for the first time ever, I am abandoning a NetGalley ARC. The book cover is so cute and enticing and the description really made me want to read it. I know other reviewers have loved the book but it just isn’t for me. I’m finding no plot and it’s just plain boring. I will not be placing reviews elsewhere as that’s not fair to the author but I do appreciate the ARC from NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books.

What a lovely, pastoral idyll of a book! I would like to be in the south of France now, please. While I haven't read "The Little Paris Bookshop", the book this one is a companion to, this one can stand on its own pretty well.

The Little Village Of Book Lovers
Nina George
3.75⭐️

Pub date: 7/25/2023

This is a story of an extraordinary girl Marie Jeanne who has the gift to see the marks Love leave on people - special lights that glow when a person's soulmate is near. And as she grows up, before she even realizes, she has been bringing soulmates together. All this possible because of her father's mobile library. Marie Jeanne has noticed that books seem to play a role into her matchmaking. What will become of her venture and will she find her own partner when she has no love marks of her own?

This book has anthropomorphic characters, with Love, the Olive Tree, Wisdom, Death and all the other nontangible things and nature given human attributes. Love is the narrator of this story. It's slow paced, just day to day lives of people in France up until the middle part where the mobile library was established and then Marie Jeanne (MC) discovered herself and started her "tasks." It's a little hard to get into since I like faster paced plots. But this is definitely a good read if you like romantasized descriptions of a small town and the day to day lives of French people in the 1960s. I can visualize it well and have this warm feeling especially when they talk about books and bread. The author has written the setting very well. There are also a lot of profound and literary thoughts and conversations between the characters about books... what they are and what they mean to people- which I think a lot of us would appreciate. There are good insights and lessons about books, love and happiness which I actually believe I can apply well into my life.

Overall, this is a heartwarming story. It's very lovely towards the end.

I'm giving this perhaps a higher score than I might otherwise, because I felt that Nina George does something wonderfully creative here. She somehow combines a run-of-the-mill romance with an allegory. It doesn't work seamlessly, but she is trying something. I'm willing to give her points for--unlike a lot of what I read--trying something. There are moments of Neil Gaiman here, but I think that George is very much herself and I appreciate the way her unique writing style pulls a bunch of disparate elements together (for the most part).

George's novel 'The Little Paris Bookshop' was one of the first books to make me full-on ugly cry; I loved everything about it. This continuation/origin story grabbed me from the first page, smashed up my heart, and put it back together. An orphan story plus books plus France? What's not to love? I'll be recommending this book in the 28 July episode of my podcast 'The Library of Lost Time.'

Author Nina George keeps working the same theme from slightly different vantage points; she is deeply engaged with books and their effect on readers. In THE LITTLE VILLAGE OF BOOK LOVERS: A NOVEL she embraces magical realism and really writes about Love (a character) falling for a young orphan by accident. That the orphan becomes somewhat magical herself and involved with books is almost secondary to the plot. Although, in any book by George, books are almost characters in the story. This tale is almost a fable, written as though in any time period, with concepts meant to be of everlasting value. I didn’t find this book to be quite lyrical enough to be charming and so it felt just a bit off for me. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was written beautifully and poetically. But perhaps maybe too much that I could not connect with the story or characters.

The extra characters like Love and Death were confusing to me and took me out of the initial plot.

I have never read a novel by this author but I will give another one of her books a try.

I had read another book by this author and it was great, I was expecting the same type of writing style and storytelling in this one. It wasn’t so. The writing style of this one is about love, not necessarily a story about a specific person in love, but gives several light stories of falling in love. It describes the how, the why, the mysteries and the observations of a young girl watching people change or give off glowing lights of love when they do things or are around someone they love.
I felt the story was missing something and it never truly got to the depth I had expected it to reach. I will still read Ms. George’s book, but for me, this was not one of her best.
I received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 3 stars.

With so many twists and turns in life, we all need to be reminded of what true love looks like. Found in the most unlikely of places, The Little Village of Book Lovers reminds us of the magic and whimsy that accompanies true love.

Whether it be friendships, parents to their children, or couples - everyone's hearts will be warmed by this sweet tale!!

The Little Village of Book Lovers was unlike any book I have ever read and I have read a lot. Nina George's lyrical writing, deep, profound meaning, world building and ways to illustrate emotion are second to none. I wouldn't say this is a quick read, but that's only because every chapter pulls at the heart strings and allows for reflection and contemplation.

A story told from the pint of view of emotions in a way that the readers can relate is not easily done, but in the case of The Little Village of Book Lovers it because a mastefully woven tale that takes one on an adventure of self growth and discovery. Truly inspirational book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Nina George for the advanced copy of The Little Village of Book Lovers. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I gave this book 20% and then had to put it down. The plot itself was very interesting, and I was ready to read about the girl. However, things like Love, Fate, Death, etc. were all characters in the book and it was SO distracting from the story line. I did not like or appreciate the interjections and wide, overarching characterizations of these "characters". After reading several asides with them, I knew this book wasn't for me. Unfortunately, I could not handle reading more of this book.

I tried, I really tried with this book that involves magical realism, which is not my normal genre to read. I made it 1/2 way through the book and found the plot so thin, the lyrical way of writing and my lack of caring about any of the characters made me put it down. Normally I'd soldier on and finish the book, but I was finding that I wasn't looking forward to my reading time every night when faced with this novel. Except it's not really a novel, either. I don't know what it is, but it did not work for me DNF 55%. I'm sure there's an audience out there for this type of book, but it wasn't me. Maybe it would have helped to have read George's previous work, although I'm told this is a standalone novel. Who thought a book about book lovers could be so boring?

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own. I will be posting this review on Goodreads but will not be posting on my blog or social media.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I think this book was very creative especially the way Love, Fate, Death, Wonder, Logic, Chance, etc. are all characters. I thought it started out very slowly, but it did pick up somewhat. However, I felt like an overall plot was missing. Still, I did like the concept of the book, the characters, and I really enjoyed the mobile library.

It’s a quirky story. Love is a character and so is death in this book along with other elements like curiosity.

When Francis was on a delivery in a small village south of France, he came across a happy baby, Marie-Jeanne. She was taken care of by her grandmother who had just passed. The mayor of the town decided that the child should stay with Francis and his wife, Elsa. He said it would be better than going to a state-run children’s home.

There are some lines in this book that would make me smile. One morning Marie-Jeanne was asking her mom questions (why, why, why…) and she responded: “Did you eat a why machine for breakfast?”

The little girl accompanied her father, Francis, when he dropped off goods in the small surrounding mountain towns delivering all sorts of things including books. Marie-Jeanne had a gift. She was able to see heavenly light on various upper parts of people. In time, she could connect people with love and everyone was also thrilled with the books.

The author had a way of catching the reader’s attention with words. One of the ladies bought books for people with broken hearts, books for people to read before saying farewell, and books for people with too many possessions and still wanting more.

The story isn’t long but it was so far out there in places, that my mind kept drifting. She said, “Books turn people into time travelers, shape shifters, body switchers, mind readers, and immortals, and therefore books are the last great alchemy of our age.” One has to have a good imagination for everything the author had to say.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of July 25, 2023.

Nina George has the ability to make the reader to fall in love with not just her characters but the setting, their lives and tribulations. This is a very easy recommendation to the library and bookgroup.

Thank you kindly to Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the ARC of The Little Village of Book Lovers in exchange for an honest review!

Lyrical, musing and delicate, the Little Village of Book Lovers is a sweet story told by Love itself, about a young girl named Marie-Jeanne who can see the mark of love on others and has the unique intuition to bring people together. Her foster father, Francis, begins a mobile library and travels around to bring the love of books to the people around them, while Love watches and contemplates and commentaries with its contemporaries. The novel is a spinoff of George’s previous novel The Little Paris Bookshop, a story featured within its predecessor, now being told and given its own life.

While Marie sees the glowing lights of love on those she encounters, she is left to ponder whether Love will ever come to her too. Adding to the leading narrative, The Little Village of Book Lovers is filled with a bit of poetry, and small asides to add context and charm, making it a whimsical, magical, sleepy marvel of a book. While slow at times, there is something so pleasing about the words, the characters, the celebration of language, books, and stories. Books, as George writes, are not for cowards.

I’ll admit this novel was out of my usual genre, but it’s nice to explore every once in a while, and find something so contenting, so warm, and thoughtful, and true. Love and books go well together, and George has created something in tribute to both.

I was a bit confused by this book by Nina George. For some reason I was not able to get into this story. I will give it another go and will update my review if my opinion changes.
Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

After having read over half, I could not finish. Most of it just went right over my head and I could not connect with the characters or the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.