The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted
by Robert Hillman
Hardcover- $15.08

A tender and wise novel about love, family, and forgiveness in 1960s Australia, in which a lonely farmer finds his world turned upside down ...

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  "Should Make Good Discussion" by Silversolara (see profile) 04/09/19

Tom was shy, Trudy wasn't happy.

Trudy left Tom, came back pregnant, left again without her son, Peter, then came back again to take Peter away. Taking Peter away devastated Tom because he grew to love Peter and was the main caregiver even though he wasn't Peter's father.

Tom decided he had to move on with his life since he was only thirty three, and he found Hannah to help with that. Hannah moved a bit too fast for Tom, but it all worked out.

Tom was shy, Hannah was bolder. Tom had tragedy in his life, but nothing like Hannah's. Hannah had been in Auschwitz and had lost her husband and son in the camp.

Hannah was a very interesting character and a perfect match for Tom. They both had their talents, and they both complimented each other and taught each other different things until Hannah's moods became worse.

THE BOOKSHOP OF THE BROKENHEARTED moved along slowly but was an interesting read. We learned about Auzchwitz and the life Hannah lived after she was free, how it all affected Hannah and her moods, and how her intensity about love, Tom, and her life was based on those experiences.

We learned about farm life and how lonely Tom's life was and how Hannah brought new things into his life such as books. We learned how Hannah made Tom happy because she gave him compliments about everything he did and filled his lonely days even though Hannah had her dark days that made Tom's days difficult.

I enjoyed the eccentric characters and the different story lines going on at once even though a few of the story lines were a bit intense. The characters had some quirky, and at times dangerous habits, but the characters were easy to like except for a few.

The author's writing style was fluid, easy, and pulled me in. I do have to say the book was a bit odd at times and difficult to follow.

THE BOOKSHOP OF THE BROKENHEARTED had many feelings going on...heartbreak, tragedy, loving someone even when they weren't lovable, and being hopeful for happiness in it all.

ENJOY if you read this book. 4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 
  "bookshop of the brokenhearted" by Carolynr (see profile) 05/04/19

i'm going to be the different reviewer here....i can't understand the 4-5 stars, but I can see where they are coming from if you read the reviews. For me --- i couldn't connect with any of the characters and found the whole story boring. Sorry
however based on the reviews of others I can see where this will generate good discussion for a book club

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