Audiobook Review – The Storied Life of A.J. Fikrey by Gabrielle Zevin, Narrated by Scott Brick (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 7 hours and 2 minutes (280 pages)
Publisher: HighBridge
Release Date: April 1, 2014
ASIN: B00IGFKIQM
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books – the only bookstore on Alice Island – has already lost his wife. Now his most prized possession, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances. The store itself, it seems, will be next to go.

One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children’s section with a note from her mother pinned to her Elmo doll: I want Maya to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about such kinds of things. I love her very much, but I can no longer take care of her.

A search for Maya’s mother, A. J.’s rare book, and good childcare advice ensues, but it doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, something of particular interest to the lovely yet eccentric Knightley Press sales rep, Amelia Loman, who makes the arduous journey to Alice Island thrice each year to pitch her books to the cranky owner.”

This was recommended to me by one of the YouTuber’s I used to watch (it was awhile ago and I am blanking on the name). This ended up being a well done book that I think book lovers will really adore. This was one of those books that could have been something really really amazing but didn’t quite make it there for me because of the rushed and sad ending.

I listened to this on audiobook and Scott Brick did an amazing job with narration. This is one of those books that was a real pleasure to listen to.

The story is mainly about a bookseller named A.J. Fikry who ends up with a young toddler girl in the midst of having a very bad year himself. His decision to keep the toddler and raise her as his own completely changes his life.

The book is also about Alice Island and the people who live there and how their lives are enhanced and/or changed by A.J. Fikry.

I was drawn into the story right from the beginning and was completely sucked into the life of Fikry and the other Alice Island residents. There are a ton of bookish references in here which I adored.

My only complaint with the book is that the end took a very depressing turn that left me feeling very sad and down. Additionally things felt a bit rushed and just unfinished at the end of the book. If not for the last few chapters I would have given this 5 stars. I am just not a huge fan of books that leave me feeling really down and depressed.

Overall this was a great book that, for the most part, I really enjoyed. I would recommend to all you book lovers out there; there is a lot in here for us book lovers to relate to. It’s also just a sweet and special story of one man’s life struggles.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– Audiobook Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge