The Paris Bookseller

A sweeping story of love, friendship and betrayal in bohemian 1920s Paris

By: Kerri Maher

Narrated by: Lauryn Allman

Inspired by the woman who founded Shakespeare and Company.

The captivating story of a trailblazing young woman who fought against incredible odds to bring one of the most important books of the 20th century to the world. For fans of The Paris Library, The Age of Light and The Paris Wife.

Paris, 1919.

Young, bookish Sylvia Beach knows there is no greater city in the world than Paris. But when she opens an English-language bookshop on the bohemian Left Bank, Sylvia can't yet know she is making history.

Many leading writers of the day, from Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein, consider Shakespeare and Company a second home. Here some of the most profound literary friendships blossom - and none more so than between James Joyce and Sylvia herself.

When Joyce's controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Sylvia determines to publish it through Shakespeare and Company. But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous book of the century comes at deep personal cost as Sylvia risks ruin, reputation and her heart in the name of the life-changing power of books....

©2022 Kerri Maher (P)2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

Critic reviews

"A vivid evocation of the famous female-owned Parisian bookshop.... Kerri Maher writes a love letter to books, bookstores and booklovers everywhere." (Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network)

"I was completely enthralled." (Natasha Lester, author of The Paris Secret)

"A compelling and fascinating look at the world-changing mavericks who bonded, bickered and triumphed in the realm of literature." (Nuala O'Connor)

Warning: you will want to go to Paris after this!

I enjoyed this novel tremendously. I am someone who has been lucky enough to have visited the modern Shakespeare & Co. in Paris a few times and I am an English teacher, so I might be biased. Yet, this historical fiction novel is solid, informative and interesting. The characters are thee-dimentional and the plot is intriguing. The performance is GREAT! I loved the French accent with which some parts were performed and I was impressed by the German accent too.

Fascinating historical novel

A wonderful well researched novel . I became completely engrossed in the lives of Sylvia, Adrienne, James Joyce and Hemingway. It is like a window into Paris life in the 1920’s.