Shaun Bythell - Confession Of A Bookseller

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Review:

Very enjoyable 

 

I enjoyed this just as much as Diary Of A Bookseller. Shaun Bythell has lost none of his acerbic wit or his enjoyment of books and the people he is surrounded by, even if he does hide it under a veneer of grumpiness.

This probably doesn’t need a long review; if you enjoyed Diary Of A Bookseller, I think you’ll enjoy this one. Shaun is a little more meditative about things, especially to do with his personal life, and there are moments of genuine sadness. There is also a lot of interest to be found in the way a bookshop works, the way customers behave and the community of Wigtown. Shaun’s grumpiness is still – amusingly – in evidence but his sometimes mocking observations about others are often underpinned with real affection, as with Emanuela, whom he says, quite genuinely, that he will really miss when she returns to Italy, for example.

This may not be great literature, but I found it a very engaging, enjoyable and rewarding read. Warmly recommended.