the bookselller

I found out about this book by accident, that I remember. The exact reason for finding it I don't remember. But I think it has something to do with me looking for recent popular ebooks for free download. It's tough time everywhere in the world okay. Several thousand people downloading popular ebooks for free once in a while will not hurt, I think.

Anyhow, I started reading this book by Cynthia Swanson with high expectations. The reviews indicated that it's gonna be worth my time. Yes, I do enjoy this book and found that the main characters Kitty and her friend Frieda and Kitty's "dream" husband Lars very interesting. I especially love the occasional description of sellable books and lessons in operating a book store me being a book seller myself. Like Kitty and Frieda, I love books and the feeling of being surrounded by books thus getting in this particular business fits us real nicely.


Back to the story, I agree that it's a page turner. In fact I found having to leave it to attend to everyday chores very frustrating. I so wanted to just keep reading. I found that I could understand her so well. The dream life is dreamy, what with a fantastic hubby and lovely kids, even later on Michael the less-than-perfect child into the picture, gives her excitement and something to look forward to every now and then. How Kitty or Katheryn in her other life met her hubby is also ordinary yet not very ordinary. And to add to that, he's non American. This adds spice to the scenario. Lars Andersson, exotic name indeed.

I have actually emerged myself so happily in the two lives of Kitty. I think it is really nice to have a not so bad life in the real life, with one as nice as Frieda to call you sister and for the longest time, stay close to you, supporting you and sharing a career with you in a world of books albeit the store doing just so-so. I know for a fact that opening and maintaining our sanity and keeping smiles on our faces to keep a book store afloat is tougher than tough. Then, Kitty seems to be too much involved and affected by her role as a Mom and a wife in the dream life. That was when I started feeling frustrated. I did not think that she would prefer her life as a domestic without Frieda and the book store they have nurtured and loved to that extent. I started feeling angry toward her. I think she's not being fair to Frieda especially. I think she's being ungrateful and selfish and that's the best way to describe her.

In the end, I could not believe she did what she did to Frieda. For the life of me, I could not believe that I would feel this way towards the end of this book. I've enjoyed it so much in the beginning and most of it. Well, that is my own thoughts surely. Others may not share this sentiment. The last fews pages were especially difficult for me as I have become more and more dissatisfied with Kitty. She shouldn't have felt so guiltless for leaving Frieda. I could have been bias for....whatever, I still think Kitty should have been nicer to Frieda who has definitely given more of her life for her. Yes, she might have chosen that path for her motherly instinct, wifey responsibility or whatever. I still think she's being unfair and I so don't like how this book ended.