"The Printed Letter Bookshop" by Katherine Reay
I recently had the privilege of reading another "Advance Reader Copy" of a book through Celebrate Lit. While some of the books promoted are debuts by new authors or books written by authors whose work I have not read, that was not the case with this book. I have read and enjoyed Ms. Reay's work in the past and was thrilled to be selected to participate in the launch of this newest work. When I finished reading "The Printed Letter Bookshop" (for the first time), I could hardly wait to share my excitement about Ms. Reay's newest book. Make sure you read all the way to the end of the post for information about chances to enter a giveaway!
About the Book
Book: The Printed Letter Bookshop
Author: Katherine Reay
Genre: Women’s fiction, romance
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Amid literature and lattes, three women come together and find that sharing one’s journey with best friends makes life richer.
When attorney Madeline Carter inherits her aunt’s bookstore in a small town north of Chicago, she plans to sell it and add the proceeds to her nonexistent “investment portfolio.” But plans change when Madeline discovers the store isn’t making money and she gets passed over for promotion at her firm. She quits in protest, takes the train north, and decides to work at the store to prep it for sale. Madeline soon finds herself at odds with employees Janet and Claire; when she also finds herself attracted to an affianced man, it only confuses the entire situation.
After blowing up her marriage two years earlier, Janet has found solace working at the bookstore and a kindred spirit within its owner, Maddie Cullen. But when Maddie dies and her niece, Madeline, barges in like a bulldozer, Janet pushes at the new owner in every way-until she trips over common ground. Soon the women are delving into online dating and fashion makeovers, and Janet feels the pull to rediscover her art, a love she thought long behind her.
After a night of bad decisions leaves the store in peril, Claire tries to save the day. While she, too, found sanctuary in the little bookstore, she knows it’s under-insured, in the red, and will never survive. When she discovers her teenage daughter has played a part in vandalizing the store, Claire taps into strength she didn’t know existed-or had long forgotten. The quietest of the three, she steps up and finds a way to save her family, the store, and the precious friendships that have grown within it.
The Printed Letter Bookshop is the story of friends who find each other-and themselves-in a place none of them ever expected.
Click here to purchase your copy!
About the Author
Katherine Reay is the national bestselling and award-winning author of Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy and Jane, The Brontë Plot, A Portrait of Emily Price, The Austen Escape, and The Printed Letter Bookshop. All Katherine’s novels are contemporary stories with a bit of classical flair. Katherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and is a wife, mother, former marketer, and avid chocolate consumer. After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine now happily resides outside Chicago, IL. You can meet her at www.katherinereay.com. Connect with her on Facebook at KatherineReayBooks, on Twitter at @Katherine_Reay, or on Instagram at @katherinereay.
More from Katherine
Don’t you love bookshops?
Every time I walk into a bookstore, it feels like a rainbow cracked open and rained a kaleidoscope of light, life and possibilities before me. I find worlds within the world and a call to adventure.
Each bookshop tells a different story. It tells of its loyal beloved customer base. It reflects the personality of its owner and staff. It carries the aura of the stories it offers to us.
And it was the perfect place to dig into lives, hearts and book loves of Janet, Claire and Madeline. These three women, at different stages in life, meet at the Printed Letter Bookshop, with all the romance and wonder it holds, and learn to work through their challenges together. They become the friends that each didn’t know she was missing.
There is also a fourth woman I loved spending time with in the Printed Letter Bookshop — its original owner, Maddie Carter. Maddie doesn’t step onto the stage even once, but her presence, her love and her guiding hand are apparent from page one as Janet, Claire, and Madeline grow in friendship and in faith.
The Printed Letter Bookshop is a love letter to books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship. I hope you savor your time with these three women — And, book lovers rejoice, there is a list of all the books they allude to in the back of the book!
Katie's Review
When I saw that Katherine Reay's newest book, The Printed Letter Bookshop, was going to be featured on Celebrate Lit, I was giddy with delight. After signing up, however, I had a little twinge of 'advance reader's remorse.' (Is that a thing?) It was somewhat like the feeling you get when you finally reach the front of a line for a much anticipated rollercoaster ride and step into the car - high expectations mixed with a little terror. Oh, no! What have I done? What if I don't like this book? I have loved many of this author's books in the past, but what if I can't say nice things about this book?
Then I read the book, which (of course) did not disappoint. Instead, it earned a place among my top recommendations for 2019 and is a toss-up for my favorite written by this excellent author. (See my review for Dear Mr. Knightley, which is one of the very rare books I have not only checked out from my local library repeatedly, but then subsequently purchased my own paperback copy.)
The Printed Letter Bookshop is written from three distinct points of view. The first is Madeline, a young attorney, who suddenly finds herself the recipient of her estranged aunt's estate, which includes a floundering bookshop. The second and third point of view belong to two women who were Aunt Maddie's friends and employees at The Printed Letter Bookshop. Janet, a middle-aged divorcee, is hiding her insecurities and sorrows behind prickles and spines. Claire, the penultimate suburban stay-at-home mom, finds herself unrooted after her husband's job relocation, and is struggling to regain her footing in not only her new location but also her changing relationships with her husband and teenage children.
Some books written from changing points of view can feel like readers are trying to make sense of a cubist work by an unskilled and visually impaired painter. The changing perspectives can become muddled, the story can get lost, and the characters themselves may become indistinct. Katherine Reay, however, weaves these three unique perspectives together into a unified story. While each character gradually reveals her own struggles in her own authentic voice, Aunt Maddie's bookshop is the central meeting point where their lives and stories intersect. Their voices remain unique, yet their interactions with one another become a sum which is greater than its parts. The bookshop becomes a refuge, a place where each woman, through her interactions with the others, finds hope, healing, and wholeness.
I'm pretty stingy with five star reviews on book review sites, but this one easily earned five stars. This is not "escapist fluff," as I have termed some Christian fiction. Readers won't find picture-perfect heroines who live mundane yet glamorous lives untouched by trouble or sin. Ms. Reay deals with some difficult issues. What do we do when life not only hands us lemons but we discover we've been cultivating lemon trees in our lives and there's not a grain of sugar to be found? What do we do when relationships sour because we have neglected them or circumstances stink because our choices have led us there? When things like pride, passivity, or peevishness have permeated our homes or our workplaces, how do we face them and eradicate them? While the long answer is complicated and the subject of many works of excellent nonfiction, the short answer is community and healthy relationships, rooted in grace, truth, and love. These truths are portrayed clearly and poignantly in The Printed Letter Bookshop, which I highly recommend.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and Net Galley. All opinions in this review are my own.
Giveaway!
Don't miss a chance to win a free copy of The Printed Letter Bookshop. Click here to enter the giveaway!
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