A widowed, curmudgeonly independent bookseller on a small island finds his life transformed after an abandoned toddler is left in his store, forcing him back into connection with his customers, his community, and eventually love.
Books mentioned in The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry (58)
Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl: Chapter epigraph: "Lamb to the Slaughter / 1953 / Roald Dahl — Wife kills husband with frozen leg of lamb..." Also: "'Lamb to the Slaughter,' A.J."
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Chapter epigraph: "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz / 1922 / F. Scott Fitzgerald — Technically, a novella..."
The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte: Chapter epigraph: "The Luck of Roaring Camp / 1868 / Bret Harte"; later: "I chanced upon 'The Luck of Roaring Camp' again a couple of years ago and I cried so much you'll find that my Dover Thrift Edition is waterlogged."
What Feels Like the World by Richard Bausch: Chapter epigraph: "What Feels Like the World / 1985 / Richard Bausch — Chubby girl lives with grandfather; trains for elementary school gymnastics exhibition."
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor: Chapter epigraph "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor; later: "He opens to the title page: A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor."
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain: Chapter epigraph (Twain); later: "(In reading Twain, I often suspect he is having more fun than I am.) 'Jumping Frog' always reminds me of the time Leon Friedman came to town."
The Girls in Their Summer Dresses by Irwin Shaw: Chapter epigraph: "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses / 1939 / Irwin Shaw — Man watches women besides his wife."
A Conversation with My Father by Grace Paley: Chapter epigraph: "PART II / A Conversation with My Father / 1972 / Grace Paley — Dying father argues with daughter about the 'best' way to tell a story."
A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J. D. Salinger: Chapter epigraph (Salinger); also in Maya's note: "'A Perfect Day for Bananafish' by J.[D. Salinger]"
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe: Chapter epigraph (Poe); also: "...twenty-five pages of my dissertation (most of it concerning 'The TellTale Heart')..."
Ironhead by Aimee Bender: Chapter epigraph: "Ironhead / 2005 / Aimee Bender — Parents with heads made from pumpkins have a baby with a head made from iron."
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver: Chapter epigraph: "What We Talk about When We Talk about Love / 1980 / Raymond Carver — Two couples get increasingly drunk; discuss what is and what is not love."
The Bookseller by Roald Dahl: Chapter epigraph: "'The Bookseller' really shouldn't be on this list—it is not an exceptional Dahl offering in any way."
The Doll's House by Katherine Mansfield: “Maya's note: "reading helps: 'The Beauties' by Anton Chekhov, 'The Doll's House' by Katherine Mansfield, 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish' by J."”
The Beauties by Anton Chekhov: “Maya's note: "'The Beauties' by Anton Chekhov, 'The Doll's House' by Katherine Mansfield..."”
The Awakening by Kate Chopin: “The book is The Awakening by Kate Chopin.”
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson: “A.J.'s most recent recommendation is Kate Atkinson's Case Histories.”
Old School by Tobias Wolff: “Maybe an old favorite like Old School by Tobias Wolff, though his time would certainly be better spent on something new.”
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: “You are reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, and she is reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.”
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison: “You are reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, and she is reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.”
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: “Then there are the books I teach every year: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Johnny Got His Gun, A Farewell to Arms, A Prayer for Owen Meany, some years Wuthering Heights, Silas Marner, Their Eyes Were Watching God, or I Capture the Castle.”
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo: “Then there are the books I teach every year: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Johnny Got His Gun, A Farewell to Arms...”
Silas Marner by George Eliot: “...some years Wuthering Heights, Silas Marner, Their Eyes Were Watching God, or I Capture the Castle.”
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: “Most of our customers have rather liked The Book Thief.”
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis: “"When I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a boy, I used to think that Turkish Delight must be incredibly delicious if it made Edmund betray his family," A.J.”
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: “...Silas Marner, Their Eyes Were Watching God, or I Capture the Castle.”
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: “'Infinite Jest is a masterpiece,' Harvey had said.”
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville: “'Do you like Moby Dick?' he asks.”
The Crucible by Arthur Miller: “'My word, A.J., I wasn't aware that you even knew that there was one.' 'The Crucible,' A.J.”
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck: “Or, um, The Red Pony?”
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway: “Then there are the books I teach every year: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Johnny Got His Gun, A Farewell to Arms, A Prayer for Owen Meany...”
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving: “...A Farewell to Arms, A Prayer for Owen Meany, some years Wuthering Heights...”
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick: “In June, A Reliable Wife.”
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld: “In August, American Wife.”
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: “...who insisted that your aunt with the very particular tastes would surely adore Cloud Atlas.”
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust: “...has only ever read the first volume of In Search of Lost Time.”
Our Town by Thornton Wilder: “'I'll probably need about fifty copies of Our Town.' 'It's a classic,' A.J.”
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: “Or last week I called The Grapes of Wrath 'The Grapefruit Rag.' Obviously, this poses a problem in my line of work.”
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The Great Gatsby is unquestionably dazzling, but that novel occasionally seems overgroomed to me, like a garden topiary.”
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain: “In April, The Paris Wife.”
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: “On the floor sits a baby with the store's lone copy of Where the Wild Things Are...in its lap and opened to the middle.”
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: “...some years Wuthering Heights, Silas Marner, Their Eyes Were Watching God, or I Capture the Castle.”
Tamerlane and Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe: “"Tamerlane and Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe." / "It is an extremely rare collection of poems by Edgar Allan Poe." Written when Poe was eighteen, attributed to 'A Bostonian.'”
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: “'Maya, do you remember when we read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland last year?'”
Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff: “I also find myself thinking of 'Bullet in the Brain' by Tobias Wolff.”
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina: “He's been nagging her to stop choosing The Monster at the End of This Book, so she pleases him by saying, 'Caps for Sale.'”
Indian Camp by Ernest Hemingway: “Maya's note: "'Fat' by Raymond Carver, 'Indian Camp' by Ernest Hemingway."”
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle: “It matters who placed A Wrinkle in Time in your twelve-year-old daughter's nail-bitten fingers...”
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl: “Despite this reservation, it makes the cut because of a girl I know who loved James and the Giant Peach once upon a time.”
The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III: “Years ago, Lambiase had had to institute a 'leave your weapons' policy after a young cop had pulled a gun on another cop during a particularly heated discussion of The House of Sand and Fog.”
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: “Once the Friedman talk had turned out not to be to her interests, she had turned her attentions back to The Lightning Thief.”
The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien: “Maya, having recently made her way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy, names it Bag End.”
Charming Billy by Alice McDermott: “Amelia thought she hadn't liked Charming Billy, but she realized when she heard McDermott read from it...that she hadn't understood the novel at all.”
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer: “Maya's note: "'Brownies' or 'Drinking Coffee Elsewhere' both by ZZ Packer, 'In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried' by Amy Hempel..."”
L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy: “Lambiase hosts his Chief's Choice Book Club at the store that night (selection: L.A. Confidential), and after that, as is their tradition, he and A.J. share a bottle.”