The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted

By: Robert Hillman

Narrated by: Daniel Lapaine

Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

A tender and wise novel about love, family, and forgiveness in 1960s Australia, in which a lonely farmer finds his world turned upside down by a vibrant woman determined to open the first bookstore his town has ever seen - and to leave her haunting memories of the Holocaust far behind.

"Beautifully written." (Garth Stein)

"A poignant journey of unthinkable loss, love, and the healing capacity of the written word." (Ellen Keith)

"Reminds us of the redemptive power of sharing our stories. I will remember this novel for a long time to come." (Steven Rowley)

Can one unlikely bookshop heal two broken souls?

It is 1968 in rural Australia and lonely Tom Hope can't make heads or tails of Hannah Babel. Newly arrived from Hungary, Hannah is unlike anyone he's ever met - she's passionate, brilliant, and fiercely determined to open sleepy Hometown's first bookshop. Despite the fact that Tom has only read only one book in his life, when Hannah hires him to install shelving for the shop, the two discover an astonishing spark. Recently abandoned by an unfaithful wife - and still missing her sweet son, Peter, Tom dares to believe that he might make Hannah happy. But Hannah is a haunted woman. Twenty-four years earlier, she had been marched to the gates of Auschwitz.

Perfect for fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Light Between Oceans, The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted cherishes the power of love, literature, and forgiveness to transform our lives, and - if we dare allow them - to mend our broken hearts. 

©2019 Robert Hillman (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

“Hillman offers an uplifting exploration of how people rise above tragedy to find joy.... An impressive, riveting tale of how two disparate and well-drawn people recover from soul-wrenching grief and allow themselves to truly love again.” (Publishers Weekly) 

“The openness of the Australian countryside is an apt setting for a complex exploration of grief, faith, and restoration, and in poignant, meditative, and stirring prose Hillman tells a heartrending and heartwarming tale of love and sacrifice.” (Booklist, starred review)

“Hillman crafts a compelling tale, toggling among Tom's, Hannah's, and Peter's perspectives, as he delineates the stripping of each heart and draws together the ties that bind them together again. A heart-wrenching tale of love enduring all things in the face of evil." (Kirkus Reviews)

“Gentle, emotive, and written with great affection for its beautifully-rendered characters, The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted reminds us of the redemptive power of sharing our stories. I will remember this novel for a long time to come.” (Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor)