There has been quite a lot of talk in the trade about this book, suggesting that it's in the same vein as Guernsey or Major Pettigrew; it's easy to see why. I'd come across Gabrielle Zevin a few years ago with her wonderful YA novel Elsewhere, but hadn't realised she also wrote for adults. The novel is set in a bookstore owned by the rather grumpy AJ Fikry, located on a small island in the Cape Cod region in Massachusetts. His much loved wife has just died tragically, and his life is in a mess, when a series of events unfolds involving a lonely sales rep, an abandoned baby, and a rare stolen book. The storytelling is plain and straghtforward, the book light and, I guess, 'heartwarming', but it is funny and sad, which will suit a certain reader. I found it slightly lacking in nuance, and some of the plot twists a little deliberate; but it's hard to be too critical of a book that celebrates both books and happiness. Enjoyable rather than profound.