The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

By: Gabrielle Zevin

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books - the only bookstore on Alice Island - has already lost his wife. Now his most prized possession, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances. The store itself, it seems, will be next to go.

One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children’s section with a note from her mother pinned to her Elmo doll: I want Maya to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about such kinds of things. I love her very much, but I can no longer take care of her. A search for Maya’s mother, A. J.’s rare book, and good childcare advice ensues, but it doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, something of particular interest to the lovely yet eccentric Knightley Press sales rep, Amelia Loman, who makes the arduous journey to Alice Island thrice each year to pitch her books to the cranky owner.

©2014 Gabrielle Zevin. Recorded by arrangement with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc. (P)2014 (p) 2014 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Zevin is a deft writer, clever and witty, and her affection for the book business is obvious." ( Publishers Weekly)

Speed it up

If you could sum up The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry in three words, what would they be?

heartfelt, charming, moving

Would you listen to another book narrated by Scott Brick?

I strongly dislike Scott Brick. I had already committed to listening to this book when I realized he was the narrator. I have heard other people say that if you speed him up, he's not as terrible, which is what I did. It made the narration much more tolerable.
(1.25x speed)

Any additional comments?

I think this was just feel good literary fiction. It didn't have any lulls in the story, and I just enjoyed it. Some of the characters had a little bit to be desired, like the sister-in-law, but otherwise, great story.

I loved AJ Fikry's Storied Life!

What made the experience of listening to The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry the most enjoyable?

The Narrator, Scott Brick, did an excellent job of what I think AJ Fikry would have sounded like - the boredom, the care, the longing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Amelia. I kept on picturing Penelope from Criminal Minds, just so quirky and likeable! She is also quite smart, and can go toe to toe with AJ, yet when he flubbed on the whole Late Bloomer fiasco, she considered his feelings first. Despite the grump AJ was, they complemented one another.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

He *was* A.J. Fikry.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I wanted to hang onto it for a while - I listened to it in 3 sittings.

Any additional comments?

It seems like all stories these days need a vampire or a dystopian society. This story has a hook - the baby left in a bookstore, but we aren't hammered with that. The baby grows up, has a normal life, Her dad gets married - it's just normal. People who are self proclaimed book snobs, and live on an island - are just normal. It was a breath of fresh air. It might help that I too believe that you should share some sensibility with the person you love...or who loves you.

I Love Bookstores, Time Slips Away...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I got lost in the story and found A.J. (the bookstore owner) to have clever, biting observations about life. I enjoyed experiencing A.J.'s changes over a decade of his lifetime. I was afraid that the book would be too trite and cliche'd but the story was engaging and the characters so lively that I never experienced a less than delightful moment of listening. Because A.J. owns a bookstore and his life is about books, there are many references comparing life experiences to various authors and book titles. He reminds the readers about finding companionship in a good book, about traveling to other times and places in a good book, and about the importance of asking a new friend, "what is your favorite book?" I had moments where I just broke out laughing while listening. I know some reviewers have remarked that this book should be regarded as "chick lit" (since A.J.'s relationship development does traverse the novel) but I see this novel also in the category of "literary fiction". The language is precise, the prose is well developed, and the story is different; refreshing. The narrator brings to life the personalities of all the characters and speaks clearly and consistently throughout. I highly recommend this novel.

Wonderful Book

How nice when a book matches its reviews! Thank you, reviewers! This is a well-written and very worthwhile listen! I listened to it after "The Boys in the Boat"--the best book I have heard this year---and still thought it was excellent---different writing, but excellent!

Wonderful Story!

Wow! What a book. I loved this story. It had a compelling story, interesting characters and was well narrated. I was invested in the characters and felt for them through their ups and downs. I definitely shed some tears on occasion.

A 2014 Favorite

I really enjoyed this book and Scott Brick's narration was wonderful to me. So great that I'll probably seek out other books narrated by him. The story is a must read/listen if you're a book lover.

Outstanding Narration

The story was interesting - somewhat reminded me of Silas Marner but only in the beginning. I was surprised when the story carried forward to a part 2. Not sure if that was necessary, the development wasn't as clean in Part 2.

But it was the narration, the creative delivery that made the story shine. I love it when the story and narration are a good match.

Scott Brick, you are my absolute favorite!

A perfect summer read for a book lover

If you could sum up The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry in three words, what would they be?

This story was a great summer read (ok...listen). It was interesting, had an plot that kept my attention but wasn't so involved that I was exhausted. While there were depressing parts of the story, the overall impression it left me with was somehow upbeat and happy. Without giving away too much, I felt that the sacrifices the book made character-wise somehow resulted in the overall well-being of everyone else and in the end, even with the loss of a beloved character, there was a sense of justice and well-being and "everything will be okay" for the characters that stayed behind.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I don't think I would have read the title character in the same sort of voice. He seemed sort of snobbish and disconnected and I might have just imagined him being mean, pathetic, and bitter and the truth is that he was none of those things. I think the narrator may have saved my impression of the title character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I was enjoying it but not so much that I couldn't tear myself away when the time came.

Any additional comments?

The author pulled together just the right amount of plot twist for a relaxed summer read. It was clever without requiring you to comb through the text (narrative) for clues along the way. It wasn't shocking and it did add to the story.

I wish they did ½ stars I would've given it 4½

kinda thought it was a kids book for some reason but no, very pleasant surprise.

Utterly charming book about a bookstore’s owner

If you love books and are maybe even a library user and want to be inspired to read more books, this is the book for you.