The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman picks up five years after the events in The Bookstore Sisters. The Gibson sisters, Sophie and Isabel, who have The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman picks up five years after the events in The Bookstore Sisters. The Gibson sisters, Sophie and Isabel, who have since returned to Brinkley’s Island, run the Once upon a Time Bookshop with a bakery section selling delectable treats based on their late mother’s recipes. Isabel and Johnny Lenox are planning their wedding for the fourth time, after their last three plans fell through at the last moment due to unforeseen circumstances.
The narrative follows Isabel and Sophie as they navigate the challenges that come their way as they plan for Isabel’s wedding.
“Love makes you do unexpected things. It’s never what you think it will be.”
This is a lovely story that revolves around themes of family, sisterhood, love, second chances, community and of course the therapeutic value of books and reading. Stories such as these are rarely unpredictable, but what makes them special is the journey to the end and Alice Hoffman does not disappoint! I loved the bookstore setting and the author’s depiction of the close-knit community and how everyone banded together to support the sisters in their time of need was truly touching. A few emotionally heavy themes are woven into the narrative and the author addresses the same with compassion. I loved the literary references and the baked treats with their enchanting names. Beautifully written with endearing characters (including a dog named Hank, who has a very important role to play), and full of hope and heart, this is a heartwarming story and a wonderful addition to this short story series.
I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.
“He informed her that a famous philosopher had written that people lived their lives forward and only understood them when they looked backward. But by the time that happened, there was usually very little time left. Life would slip away before you knew it, so you had to live every day as if it was your last, for it just might be. Today would soon be the distant past, and you would have to strain to remember what you did or who you spoke to.”
This was my Amazon First Reads selection for July 2024.
When a cleaner at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao discovers a pair of young lovers in a passionate embrace during her morning shift – a naked man 3.5⭐
When a cleaner at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao discovers a pair of young lovers in a passionate embrace during her morning shift – a naked man and a woman in a wedding dress - everyone, including Detective Aitor Larramendi who is looking into the case, is flummoxed by how they entered the museum and spent a whole night there without being caught on security cameras. As the indignant Detective interrogates Bibiña Aranda and her lover Indar Zubieta, their accounts of the events from that night and how they ended up together leave him with more questions than answers.
With elements of magical realism, romance and humor Lovers at the Museum: A Short Story by Isabel Allende is a delightful read. Though all my questions weren’t answered (the story was a tad too short to explore the fantastical elements mentioned in the narrative), I found the characters interesting and was both amused and entertained. I enjoy Isabel Allende’s writing and would love to read more short stories by this immensely talented author.
This story is currently available as one of the March selections for Amazon First Reads and is expected to be published on April 1, 2024.
Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile
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