Book Reviewer: The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Hearts, you see, are like beautiful, perfectly glazed earthenware cups at first, but over the years they get cracked and nicked. Hearts break once, twice, repeatedly, and each time you do your best to put them back together again, trying to live with the wounds, patching them up with hope and tears.”

The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George is a beautifully- penned novel that revolves around family, friendship, love and the transformative power of books. As the story begins we meet orphaned infant Marie-Jeanne who finds a family with bric-a-brac dealer and deliveryman Francis Meurienne and his wife Elsa the Valley of Nyons in the 1960s, both of whom care for her deeply though Elsa isn’t too expressive of her emotions. As an infant Marie-Jeanne has a strange encounter with Love, that leaves her with a special gift – the ability to see how Love impacts the people around her, the “glow” that is evident in those touched by Love – a gift that initially confuses her because others cannot see what she sees and eventually as she grows up has her concerned when she cannot see the same “glow” on herself.

“Falling in love is when two people can’t stop looking at each other. Being in love is when two people look in the same direction. Being beyond love is when there is no one to look out for you.”

Encouraged by her curiosity about writers and books, her foster father thinks of starting a bookmobile service – a venture Marie-Jeanne enthusiastically participates in, enabling her to interact with residents of the neighboring towns in Nyons. Her love for books and her perceptiveness of love enables her to study those she believes have been touched by Love or are waiting to find their significant other. The narrative follows Marie-Jeanne as she uses her gift and love for books to not only encourage children, men and women from Nyons to develop an interest in reading and thereby explore different ways of life but also to bring people together. She hopes to find a special someone in her own life, but is happy to be helping others, combining her matchmaking skills with her knowledge of books.

“Books are the last great alchemy of our age. They create, transform, and vanquish time, death, and fear. They create invisible realities. They are the silent doors through which we walk to find ourselves.”

With elements of magical realism, a cast of interesting characters and a unique narrative structure (told from the perspectives of Love , Fate and an eight-hundred-year-old Olive Tree), this book is a treat for bibliophiles and romantics alike. This is a slower-paced novel and does require a bit of patience but the story, the beautiful passages, the literary references and the underlying message cast a spell on me and I found myself rereading certain segments time and time again. This isn’t a plot-driven novel but one that explores love in its various manifestations – family, friendship, romantic love, empathy and kindness. A running theme in this novel is books can bring people together. Overall, this is an enchanting read that will leave you with a smile on your face and happiness in your heart.

Though this novel is tied to The Old Paris Bookshop, it can be read as a standalone. I loved the Author’s Postface where she discusses the connection between the two books and her motivation for writing this novel.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and NetGalley for the much–appreciated digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.