The Little Village of Book Lovers - Nina George

Nina George really knows how to express how readers feel about books. She did it with The Little Paris Bookshop and again with her newest book, The Little Village of Book Lovers.

The novel begins with Marie-Jeanne, newly orphaned as an infant after the death of her grandmother. Tragic, yes, but oh will she do great things thanks to an interaction with Love itself. As she grows, Marie-Jeanne begins to notice “The Glow,” a shining light on those touched by Love. The Glow gets brighter as each person gets closer to the one meant for them, drawing them into each other’s orbit. It isn’t until Marie-Jeanne and her adoptive father, Francis, start a mobile library that things truly start to pick up.

As with her previous book, Nina George writes the most beautiful prose in homage to books. I highlighted text while I read because so much of what is written touched me down to my soul. Like so many readers, books hold such a special place in my heart. They have made me cry, laugh, filled me with fear or anger, and sometimes, made me want to be in a romantic relationship (damn you, romance novels).

Village of Book Lovers is definitely a story about the power of books, but it is also about love. Mainly, letting go of the fear that keeps us from experiencing and accepting love. Most of the characters in the book are afraid of love for various reasons. Their lives are on hold, stunted almost, because they don’t know how to let go and find their other halves. I found this theme of the book so relatable. For a long time, I was entirely too afraid to let myself love again after the end of a terrible relationship. Reading this book helped me realize that it’s okay to let someone in, that my past relationship shouldn’t keep me from being loved.

I absolutely loved this book and have already added it to my Bookshop cart. I want to keep it in my personal library so I can envelope myself in Nina George’s words again and again.

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for providing me with an advance copy.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Amazon

Nina George, author of The Little Village of Book Lovers. Photo courtesy of Julia Beier.

For more information about the author, please click here.