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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Literary Fiction
Pages
270
Published
2014
Language
English

Synopsis

A.J. Fikry's life is not what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is failing, and his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. He is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island and from Amelia, the Knightley Press sales rep who refuses to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore that gives A.J. the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

HeartwarmingHopefulEmotionalBittersweetFunny
Grumpy SunshineFound FamilyRedemption Arc

Genres

Literary Fiction

About the author

G
Gabrielle Zevin

Gabrielle Zevin (born October 24, 1977) is an American novelist and screenwriter. She studied English, with a concentration in American literature, at Harvard University. Her novels include Elsewhere (2005), The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2014), Young Jane Young (2017), and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (2022), which spent more than a year on the New York Times Best Seller List, won the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction, and was named to the New York Times list of the 100 Best...

Characters

A.J. FikryProtagonist

Widowed, curmudgeonly owner of Island Books on Alice Island, whose grief and stubbornness soften after his life is upended.

IsmaySupporting

A.J.'s sister-in-law, married to Daniel, who quietly looks out for A.J. and Maya as the island community changes around them.

Amelia LomanSupporting

Idealistic sales representative for Knightley Press whose persistence and warmth wear down A.J.'s defenses over their publisher visits.

Maya FikrySupporting

The toddler left at Island Books with a note asking she be raised among readers; A.J. adopts her and raises her in the shop.

Daniel ParishSupporting

A once-bestselling novelist coasting on a fading career, married to Ismay and one of A.J.'s oldest friends on Alice Island.

All characters in The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Frequently asked questions

  • Is there a film adaptation of this book?

    A feature film adaptation directed by Hans Canosa was released in 2022, featuring Lucy Hale and Kunal Nayyar.

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