• The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

  • By: Gabrielle Zevin
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick
  • Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (11,424 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry  By  cover art

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

By: Gabrielle Zevin
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.03

Buy for $18.03

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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)

What listeners say about The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,098
  • 4 Stars
    3,797
  • 3 Stars
    1,162
  • 2 Stars
    247
  • 1 Stars
    120
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,223
  • 4 Stars
    2,825
  • 3 Stars
    908
  • 2 Stars
    176
  • 1 Stars
    133
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,623
  • 4 Stars
    3,178
  • 3 Stars
    1,076
  • 2 Stars
    270
  • 1 Stars
    110

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book!

For anyone who has ever valued a book over every other possession. the story speaks to us on a whole other level than just a story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very nice

a good book for people a great book for book people. highly recommend audio book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What an unexpected delight!

I began this book at a trusted friends suggestion and was dismayed to hear a depressing tale of unresolved grief. My friend insisted I continue promising a change in tone. And wow am I glad that I did persist. I just loved this book. The character development and interesting discovery well it was charming in so many ways. Just great! Give yourself a treat!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bittersweet Symphony of Words and Love

Makes you want to visit Alice ...believing you will run into the beautifully crafted characters of the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Predicable and boring

Just why? Got just great reviews so I bought it. Just wish reviews were accurate and the description of children were accurate. Obviously written by someone who has no children. Also someone who thinks three glasses of wine makes an alcoholic- please save me!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Oh the irony

I adore this story about the relationships a bookstore owner builds over time. The story is beautifully crafted, layered, woven, and written, is full of ups and down, and makes me want to visit a small bookstore, which I haven’t done in ages and ages.

I gave this review its title because I listened to this book on Audible. Not only did I not discover this book in a bookstore, I didn’t even read it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

No bookstore magic for me

I tried to enjoy this book and made my way through it. I liked the idea of this book and there were some lovely and amusing moments, but I found it to be overall depressing and quite boring at times. I can’t say that I regret having read it or that it wasted my time, but I can’t say that I liked it that much either. Somehow it missed the mark. I wanted an endearing story but none of the characters or their stories really got me there. It’s a slice of slice of life that dragged, and was was pretty sad overall. 4 stars as was well-written and provided closure. Narrator that I normally love unfortunately wasn’t ideal for this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I recommend this book regardless of...

your usual genre. I am SciFi, Fantasy, and Mystery. This is worth it a vacation from your usual reads.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

“Bookstores attract the right kind of folk.”

Indeed they do, which is why I would recommend this literary treasure to any book lover. Of course there’ll be a small percentage of readers out there who won’t get it, won’t connect with it, won’t have the soul to appreciate such a story. There has never been a book written that has never encountered this. But for most story enthusiasts, I believe this tale will hit a soft spot. One of my favorite quotes from the book: “Master the short story and you will have mastered the world.” Does this mean if you’ve mastered flash fiction you’ve mastered the universe? (LOL) There’s been talk of this book being made into a film. In a time when superhero fluff rules the box office, one can only hope… The Storied Life of A.J. Fikrey. What a lovely piece of literature.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It is hard to make me both laugh AND cry....

What a wonderful story... unique characters and books, books, books and why we love both so much. Tears ran unchecked down my face twice... that hasn't happened since The Time Traveler's Wife. I hate crying but in this case a few chocolate chip cookies helped.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!