Reviews

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

forestdearentity's review

medium-paced

3.0

It was a decent book.

yodamom's review

4.0

A Lovely Story that revolves around a book store. Love, life, death and more. Excellent narration on the Audiobook version.

debbiem226's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I love it i absolutely loved it. This book did many things it told an inspiring and emotional story of a flawed man’s life but it also encapsulated what it feels like to be a lover of the written word. I’ve never felt so seen as a book lover. And this a book that contributes to my love of books. 

This story immediately hooked me. What can i say about AJ Fikry other than I love this character,  I was amused by his snobbiness and sense of humor..idk why but he gave me Frasier vibes lol.

It was heartbreaking to see what his grief had done to him at the start of the book. Seeing how his life changed and healed through Maya, loving her led him to making so many connections with others. This crazy scenario where a baby is literally just left to him saved his life and altered so many other lives around him. 

It took me till near ending to understand what the paragraphs on the various books at the beginning of each chapter were all about but when i finally got it and when all was revealed i was gutted. The internal discussion AJ was having and attempting to share with Maya broke my heart mostly because he couldn’t physically get that message out and also because how true those statements were for all of us. Ultimately he didn’t need to tell her i suppose because she had to already know as he had spent his life since finding her showing her that love and the importance of connection i find comfort in believing that she knew…she had to. 

klsbenzel's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nickileal's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.5

amaries1224's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

libraryzen's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

Boring

ciara_reads's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

meags3's review

lighthearted sad medium-paced

3.0

chapita4's review

3.0

This is really more like a 3.5 rating as I waffled between 3 and 4. It was a great story and I found myself surprised by several revelations throughout the book. I cared about the characters and wanted to know more and the I found the lack of follow through on some of the threads of the story frustrating. By far my favorite character in the book was the police chief, because he was not a stereotype and we really got to know him. Some of the developments of the book were so sudden and happened so quickly that it was hard to feel anything about them....and I wanted to feel because I liked them. I would still recommend this book, I loved the overall message that ultimately life is about connection and not the things that we acquire.