Welcome to the Hyunum-Dong Bookshop

 

Rating: 3 for feel good, bookshop read

My Thoughts:

This is Korean, so don't expect a grand love story because the cover art looks like a meet cute. This is really about people finding solace and a bit of success in the work that they choose to do. Translated from Korean, this is just a feel good book about a local neighborhood book store. It is the kind of book store that I wish my little town had. It is the kind of book store that I wish I owned. I do not read many adult books, but this was at my local library and I do like a book about book stores. Back in 2023 I enjoyed a historical fiction adult book, The Last Bookshop in London. This one is not as dramatic or necessary except in the eyes of the workers, the authors and the patrons of this particular neighborhood niche. 

From the Publisher:

Yeongju is burned out. She did everything she was supposed to: go to school, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. In a leap of faith, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighborhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster-and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju-they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live.

A heartwarming story about finding acceptance in your life and the healing power of books, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a gentle reminder that it's never too late to scrap the plot and start again.

Publication Information:

Author: Hwang Bo-Reum

Translator: Shanna Tan

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (Feb 20, 2024)

Print length: 312 pages