The Bookshop of Yesterdays
By: Amy Meyerson / Narrated By: Ann Marie Gideon
Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
Oh my good golly gosh: Ya want your ears shrilled off by a woman old-enough-to-know-better throwing tantrums? Here ya go!
First, I’ve gotta say that I was swayed to this book by a Rave coming from my beloved Kirkus Reviews: Apparently ‘twas supposed to be beautifully written with lush descriptions and believable interactions between characters.
Uhm, okaaaay—
But nooooo…
I mean, what adult listens to a grown young adult throwing a hissy fit and hurling the F-word at them and sits there taking it, coming back around to apologize for themselves, then welcomes with open arms?!? Certainly our heroine, Miranda, shoooould be receiving a smack or two, however (inconceivably) gentle, on her hand for her freakin’ “stomping-like-a-two-year-old” words and behavior?
It’s like this, see. Miranda’s Uncle Billy was the light of her life, a very, very irresponsible light who could be counted on to do fun and irrational stuff like set her up on Scavenger Hunts of Discovery (For her birthday gifts and the like). That is, until he’s a No Show at her 12th birthday party and a huuuuuuge rift occurs between Billy and her mother. After that, Miranda hears from him never again until 16 years later when he dies, is the only one of her family to go to his funeral over in LA, and discovers that he’s left his bookshop to her, along with a Final Scavenger Hunt of Discovery.
And pretty much EVERYbody behaves deplorably. Miranda’s dad, who’s always been a lame standoffish person, continues to offer no support, no information as information from the scavenger hunt is introduced, Mom is all: Oooh, love ya honey, but I’m not gonna be there for you; Miranda’s boyfriend shares shares shares all of his own days but takes not even the slightest interest in what she’s doing to say anything besides: When ya coming home. And the employees at Prospero’s Books take it all personally that she’s not involved in the day to day running of the bookshop but only shows up to tell them that the bookshop is sinking fast. As such, this stress is tooooo much for Miranda who responds to each of these unfortunate interactions by shrieking at each person the F-word, and running away.
Make no mistake, narrator Ann Marie Gideon has some shrieking galore going on. And as each thing happens, and as Miranda throws her little tantrums, my eardrums were more and more damaged with all of the hissing and shrill arguments going on. Miranda is DEVastatingly unlikable with each continued interaction, and so’s everybody else. So when ya’ve got a narrator who’s soooo into the performance, who’s being soooo true to each (reprehensible) character? Egads! My swollen ears! My aching dislike!
There’s a bit of a “Mystery” going on which you’ll be able to suss out within oh, say, 15 minutes, and then you’ll spend the rest of the audiobook listening to how Miranda takes each “new” bit of knowledge… quite poorly… with plenty of YOU SHOULD HAVEs as she confronts like the dickens those who’ve loved her and honored her for years. (Then too, you’ll be wondering why on earth that which is so profoundly obvious was kept “hidden” by her parents until she starts asking questions… as a freakin’ 28-year old…!)
A kinda sorta romance blooms, naturally, cuz who DOESn’t fall for a screeching wench who tells ya to go F-yourself? Who tells you this when, really, you had no options but to be and do and say that which you’ve done. Ahhhh, love, true and believable love…!
I could go on and on and on. But I believe I’ve already given this more words than it deserves. It’s NOT about family, and love, and forgiveness. And when EVERYthing comes to light, we’re not left with being amused by Uncle Billy: He’s not an eccentric who was doing the best he could. Rather, he was an unforgiving ingrate who, yeah, sure, he managed to find some warmth and dedication through a bookshop, but mostly he was a bitter little man who refused Life’s greatest gifts and pooped upon those he’d already repeatedly pooped upon.
And Miranda? Oh my, Poop All Over Ya City!
Happily Ever After and all that. But I was only Happy It Was All Over…
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