The Bookshop – Penelope Fitzgerald (1978) 123 pages
The Bookshop was Penelope Fitzgerald’s second novel (I reviewed her first here) and her first to be nominated for the Booker, which she later won with Offshore. It’s set in 1959 in the small Suffolk coastal town of Hardborough. This is not a picturesque seaside resort but a damp, isolated place:
“The town itself was an island between sea and river, muttering and drawing into itself as soon as it felt the cold.”
Florence Green decides to open a bookshop in Hardborough and buys The Old House, a 500 year old derelict property:
“The Old House was not haunted in a touching manner. It was infested with a poltergeist which, together with the damp and an unsolved question about the drains, partly accounted for the difficulty in selling the property. The house agent was in no way legally bound to mention the poltergeist, though perhaps he alluded to it in the phrase unusual period atmosphere.”
Florence is a lonely widow, but she is not a pushover. As the forces of the town (mainly Mrs Gamart who wants The Old House for an arts centre for no other reason it seems than she is bored and used to getting what she wants) conspire against her, she doesn’t give up. Astutely, she acquires several copies of a book she has never read by an author she has never heard of, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and it causes quite the stir, raising much-needed profits for the shop.
She also has her allies. The reclusive Mr Brundish, proudly from an old Suffolk family, is on her side. Christine Gipping, an eleven year old with 2 broken front teeth, proves a tenacious keeper of Florence’s lending library and not easily put off by supernatural elements:
“Florence did not expect her assistant to return; but she came back the next afternoon, with the suggestion that if they had any more trouble they could both of them kneel down and say the Lord’s prayer. Her mother had advised that it would be a waste of time consulting the Vicar.”
The Bookshop is an absolute gem. The portraits of the inhabitants of Hardborough fully realised and idiosyncratic yet believable. The plot is simple but taut, the writing witty. Fitzgerald achieves a perfect balance of compassion without sentimentality.
“She had a kind heart, though that is not of much use when it comes to matters of self-preservation.”
I recently saw the film that they made of this book. It was well done, good casting and reasonably faithful to the text:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d heard they were making a film of it, I think Emily Mortimer’s the lead? That’s good to hear that it was done well, I’ll look out for it!
LikeLike
I nearly picked this one up in the library recently – will now need to go back and actually get it! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did Liz!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Given that I’m an old bookseller you might have expected me to have read this one already. It is in the TBR, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure you’ll identify with some of the frustrations Florence encounters! I hope you enjoy it though and it doesn’t stress you out (I’ve always worked in healthcare and can’t watch any tv docs or dramas about it as I can feel my blood pressure rising!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve often wondered how police/lawyers feel about the many crime dramas I watch
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve 2 friends who are police officers – their consensus is that they’re all pretty ridiculous but a good watch! The ones they thought were most realistic were Happy Valley (although the main officer would never have been allowed anywhere near the crimes she was investigating) and Line of Duty (plot was bonkers but a lot of the procedural stuff was correct). Which is a lot better than healthcare dramas which have me throwing cushions at the tv!
LikeLike
That’s interesting. I’ve never watched Happy Valley but have heard great reports of it. Ha! Best avoided for your own health!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was the first Fitzgerald I ever read, several years ago now. You remind me exactly why I enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m really pleased to hear that Ali! It’s a great story and wonderfully written.
LikeLike
I think this is definitely the Fitzgerald I need to read! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you’ll like it Kaggsy! Isn’t Suffolk your neck of the woods too? An extra incentive!
LikeLiked by 1 person
True! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is one I’ve been wanting to read for a long time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you enjoy it Naomi! I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, one of my favourite Fitzgeralds – you do have a talent for picking novellas that I really like. Although I suppose I never thought of them as novellas, merely as short novels. You’ve made me want to read this one again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, there’s no definition of novella so I could be cheating, saying its between 70-200 pages! I hope you enjoy a re-read Marina Sofia – the advantage of a novella re-read is that you don’t feel too guilty about all the unread works in the TBR pile because it doesn’t take you away for too long 🙂
LikeLike
I love this novella so much – in fact, I nearly picked it for my book group a little while ago but then something else elbowed it out of the way. It’s so good to see it being celebrated here. (You’re really spoiling us with all these wonderful novellas, madame bibi – a great selection so far!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will you get another chance to pick it for your book group? I think it would work really well for discussion. It really is a gem – there;’s so much to celebrate in it.
Thanks for a lovely comment Jacqui – I’m glad you’re enjoying all the novella talk!
LikeLike
Yes, possibly. We have a rotating pick, so it’ll be a while before it’s my turn again. (We’re actually doing my current choice right now, The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes – I’m nothing if not predictable!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent choice – I think your book club will thank you!
LikeLike
Such a good book! I do love Fitzgerald.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was so good! I really enjoyed it & it convinced me I must catch up on those Fitzgeralds I’ve not read yet.
LikeLike