Clean story with twists and turns. I liked the characters. I got lost in all the book references. ( )

The story itself is nothing impressive. What is interesting is Roger Mifflin's philosophy on books. His discussion with other characters is still relevant to books and librarianship today. ( )

I didn't like this one nearly as much as Parnassus, but I think a big part of that was because I had expectations of it being different than it was. Parnassus was so sweet and quaint and self-reflective. This is a different kind of story entirely, and I think it just took me awhile to realize that. I think I'll try it again in the future when I've not just finished reading its prequel and might find I like it better.

Normally I'd give 2 stars to something I disliked so much, but this was very well-written so I'll add a star for that! ( )

Taken on its own, this book is an enjoyable page-turner. But as a follow-up to Parnassus on Wheels, it suffers by comparison. In his earlier book, Morley had created two unforgettable characters to flesh out the joy and wisdom of simple book lovers. In this sequel, Helen and Roger take supporting roles (except for Roger’s overly-long soliloquies, not as pithy as those in Parnassus). The foreground story is a secret agent crime thriller crossed with a tale of young love. Suitable for a rainy afternoon, and it made me nostalgic for the simple old used bookshops I used to haunt. ( )

I started out really liking this! The first couple of chapters were right up my alley. But as it went on, it alternated between long bouts of philosophizing and a plot that advanced glacially slowly on the theme of Germans-are-the-bad-guys, they look normal to begin with but beware the unguarded moments when an expression of utter villainy of the deepest dye will distort their visage, they will beat you up and plant an ill-defined and not very believable bomb in your bookshop... and I just didn't care.

However, in those first few chapters there were some cute moments. One is when a dinner guest notices a sign in Roger Mifflin's kitchen that says, "ALWAYS WASH DISHES
IMMEDIATELY AFTER MEALS
IT SAVES TROUBLE."
He explains that his wife always puts that up when she's going to be absent. I feel like it's probably a sign I should hang in my kitchen too.
And then there is the description of a minor character as "a quiet little man who had a habit of listening to what he heard." I think that's an awesome description.
So, promising in the beginning, but unfortunately it didn't really deliver. I recommend reading the book that comes before this, Parnassus on Wheels, for more satisfaction! ( )