The Bookseller: A Novel

· Harper Collins
4.2
45 reviews
Ebook
368
Pages
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel reminiscent of Sliding Doors, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizing alternate world of her dreams.

Nothing is as permanent as it appears . . .

Denver, 1962: Kitty Miller has come to terms with her unconventional single life. She loves the bookshop she runs with her best friend, Frieda, and enjoys complete control over her day-to-day existence. She can come and go as she pleases, answering to no one. There was a man once, a doctor named Kevin, but it didn’t quite work out the way Kitty had hoped.

Then the dreams begin.

Denver, 1963: Katharyn Andersson is married to Lars, the love of her life. They have beautiful children, an elegant home, and good friends. It’s everything Kitty Miller once believed she wanted—but it only exists when she sleeps.

Convinced that these dreams are simply due to her overactive imagination, Kitty enjoys her nighttime forays into this alternate world. But with each visit, the more irresistibly real Katharyn’s life becomes. Can she choose which life she wants? If so, what is the cost of staying Kitty, or becoming Katharyn?

As the lines between her worlds begin to blur, Kitty must figure out what is real and what is imagined. And how do we know where that boundary lies in our own lives?

Ratings and reviews

4.2
45 reviews
Starr Jiggetts
February 12, 2016
The story is creative and the reader is left tying puzzle it all together as is often the case with Kitty/Kathryn. I think my issue with it is that the switching between realities is really delightfully messy and the ending is very tidy, in a way that is almost incongruous with the rest of the story.
1 person found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Danice McCauley
September 11, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It caught my attention because I moved to the Denver area in the mid-60's and I recognized the places the author was referring to in the story. Then the story caught my attention because I've had a few moments in life where everything changed in an instant and I've wondered how life would have progressed if the change hadn't occurred or the circumstance had been altered in some way and this story takes that thought and moves with it. It weaves you in and out within the life of the storyteller and within the lives of the people who really lived and worked in the area at that time. It mesmerized me from beginning to end. A terrific read!
2 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Matthew Frazier
September 15, 2016
Should be much shorter, but still needs a few more chapters near the end.
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Cynthia Swanson is a writer and designer. She has published short fiction in 13th Moon, Kalliope, Sojourner, and other periodicals; her story in 13th Moon was a Pushcart Prize nominee. The Bookseller, her first novel, was an Indie Next pick and is being translated into eleven languages.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.