The Door-to-Door Bookstore - Carsten Henn - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Carsten Henn

GENRE: Drama

RATING: 3.75 stars

In a Nutshell: A sweet story about an old bookseller and a little girl who changes his life. Loved all the bookish references. The final quarter went over the top, but overall, it was a good enough read, albeit clichéd.

Story Synopsis:

Seventy-two-year-old Carl Kollhoff works at a bookstore handling a distinctive role. His job is to deliver books to special customers after closing hours. Carl knows these customers and their reading tastes well and respects their needs and desires.

When “nearly ten”-year-old Schascha bumps into Carl one day during his rounds and insists on accompanying him on his rounds, Carl is flustered. He has no experience with kids and doesn’t know how to handle this impetuous child. But soon, he realises that Schascha has her own wisdom to offer about his books and his routes, even when he hasn’t asked her for her advice. When Carl’s job is in danger, he needs to rethink what to do with his life, because he has always been the ‘book walker’.

The story is written in a limited third person perspective, mostly from Carl’s pov.

Bookish Yays:

😍 You might think that the title refers to the bookstore Carl works in, but to me, Carl *is* the door-to-door bookstore. His passion for books, his dedication to his customers, and his patience with little Schascha all make him a great lead character.

(Note: Nowadays, any old lead male character is compared to Ove. So let me clarify: Carl and Ove have nothing in common except their age and their solitude.)

😍 Loved all the bookish talks and quotes. And there are quite a few of those! The memorable lines will make you ponder or smile, perhaps both.

😍 Some of the secondary characters, especially among Carl’s customers, are quite memorable. My favourites were Mrs. Longstocking, Hercules, and The Reader. And of course, the cat named “Dog”!

😍 As an Austenite, I was thrilled to see Jane Austen’s books and characters popping up frequently, courtesy one of Carl’s clients who is nicknamed “Mr. Darcy.”

Bookish Mixed Bags:

😐 In many ways, Schascha’s character is the life and soul of this book, infusing every scene with her enthusiasm and vivacity. Because of her, we experience some funny interactions as well. At the same time, she breaks her promises and lies regularly to get her own way. While there is plenty to redeem her as well, I couldn’t get myself to love her unconditionally as I usually do to child characters because of her deceptive behaviour. Her dad might have taken the wrong action against Carl (and I certainly don’t condone violence as a solution), but his anger with Schascha was somewhat justified. I am sure I would have reacted with equal fury had my daughters bunked school and romped around town with a stranger.

😐 This is quite a short book, and despite the numerous characters, goes by at a steady pace. Despite this, I was not *gripped* by the plotline as it hardly ever took an unexpected turn.

Bookish Nays:

😒 Probably the only character in the book whose development is utterly lacklustre is Sabine Gruber, the bookshop manager. Her role is poorly sketched, with no valid reasons or justifications for her behaviour. It was almost as if Sabine just had to play the stock negative character without us getting to know what drew her to such extreme decisions.

😒 The final quarter of the book brought down my overall satisfaction by becoming too melodramatic. The ending is weak as well, being too contrived and overly perfect. I would have preferred something more realistic that sprung naturally from the plot, even if the outcome was bittersweet.

😒 I am never a fan of the idea: “Boys push/hit/pinch/trouble you only because they secretly love you.” Luckily, this isn't a children's book, so no little girls will be confused by this weird logic. It’s such a stupid justification!

All in all, despite the relatively dud ending and the somewhat predictable storyline, I liked this book. It appealed in myriad ways to the bibliophile in me. If you love books, you too will find many things to relish about this book. The translation seems true to the original spirit, though native German speakers might be able to judge this factor better.

My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Door-to-Door Bookstore”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.