Review: The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch

 

Title: The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book

Author: Wendy Welch

Published: St Martin’s Press October 2012

Synopsis: A book about losing your place, finding your purpose, and immersing yourself in what holds community, and humanity, together—books. Wendy Welch and her husband had always dreamed of owning a bookstore. When the opportunity to escape a toxic work environment and run to a struggling Virginia coal mining town presented itself, they took it. And took the plunge into starting their dream as well. They chose to ignore the “death of the book,” the closing of bookstores across the nation, and the difficult economic environment, and six years later they have carved a bookstore—and a life—out of an Appalachian mountain community. A story of beating bad odds with grace, ingenuity, good books, and single malt, this memoir chronicles two bibliophiles discovering unlikely ways in which daily living and literature intertwine. Their customers—”Bob the Mad Irishman,” “Wee Willie,” and “The Lady Who Liked Romances,” to name a few—come to the shop looking for the kind of interactive wisdom Kindles don’t spark, and they find friendship, community, and the uncommon pleasure of a good book in good company. The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap will make you want to run to the local bookstore, and curl up in an arm chair with a treasure in bound pages. Read an Excerpt

Status: Read from October 06 to 07, 2012 — I own a copy {Courtesy St Martin’s Press/Netgalley}

My Thoughts:

There are few avid readers I suspect who have not dreamed of opening a bookstore, one that becomes the hub of a community, with loyal customers and generous patrons. Wendy and Jack Welch took a gamble on opening a second hand bookstore in Big Stone Gap (the Appalachian town featured in Adriana Trigiani’s series) with little more than a dream and a handful of paperbacks, in the midst of a recession.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap is the charming tale of Wendy and Jack’s journey from their used book shop’s impulsive inception to a thriving store in a small community. Started on a shoestring budget in a town that expected the ‘outsiders’ to flee within six months, Jack and Wendy worked hard to create a going concern that slowly gained the loyalty of the locals and became an important part of the community.

Wendy is a personable narrator with a conversational writing style. The anecdotes Wendy relate veer between funny, tender and sad about her and Jack’s own adventures (or misadventures), and her quirky clientele. Wendy’s passion for her store, books and her community is evident on every page. It’s heartwarming to read of Wendy and Jack’s business ethos, where people matter more than profit. Tales of the Lonesome Pine develops into more than just a second hand book business, as its proprietors reaches out to their community. Be warned though, Wendy’s disdain for ‘box stores’ (chain booksellers) and Amazon which may well offend some readers.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap is a delightful memoir which I very much enjoyed reading. And Tales of the Lonesome Pine is certainly a place I would love to someday visit and I hope will still be there, just as described, should that miracle ever occur!

Available to Publish

@St Martin’s Press I @Amazon I @BookDepository I via Indiebound

via Booko

Take a virtual tour of Tales of the Lonesome Pine

About these ads