Fiction

A Bookshop in Algiers

A Bookshop in Algiers

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  • Create Date：2021-07-04 08:51:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kaouther Adimi
  • ISBN：1788164695
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Summary

'If you're in a bookshop browsing， then A Bookshop In Algiers is for you， by definition。 A beautiful little novel about books， history， ambition and the importance of literature to everyone， especially people who are trying to find a voice。' Nick Hornby

In 1936， a young dreamer named Edmond Charlot opened a modest bookshop in Algiers。 Once the heart of Algerian cultural life， where Camus launched his first book and the Free French printed propaganda during the war， Charlot's beloved bookshop has been closed for decades， living on as a government lending library。 Now it is to be shuttered forever。 But as a young man named Ryad empties it of its books， he begins to understand that a bookshop can be much more than just a shop that sells books。 A Bookshop in Algiers charts the changing fortunes of Charlot's bookshop through the political drama of Algeria's turbulent twentieth century of war， revolution and independence。 It is a moving celebration of books， bookshops and of those who dare to dream。

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Reviews

Akkie ，

Such a beautiful book， i just wish we had more of ryad connecting with the bookshop。

Alan Dean ，

a very odd but touching little book。 some of the “reading is great！！！” shit is way too on the nose and kind of annoying， but the fragmented structure and the way that the end kind of switches up on you and blocks off satisfactory resolution is cool

Sam ，

This short work of historical fiction is like a time capsule， with the diary entries from Edmond Charlot holding the most appeal for me。 Perhaps the modern day storyline that runs alongside these diary entries was a bit lost in translation？ Seems a bit superfluous。 Except to give some narrative structure I guess。 A great place to start if you are interested in the 20th century history of Algeria and the literature that emerged from that place。 The repression and police brutality described are re This short work of historical fiction is like a time capsule， with the diary entries from Edmond Charlot holding the most appeal for me。 Perhaps the modern day storyline that runs alongside these diary entries was a bit lost in translation？ Seems a bit superfluous。 Except to give some narrative structure I guess。 A great place to start if you are interested in the 20th century history of Algeria and the literature that emerged from that place。 The repression and police brutality described are real events and should not be forgotten。 。。。more

Larnacouer de SH ，

Sabahları kitabevine gelince， küçük basamakta durup bana ait olan bu yeri seyrediyorum。 Bazen öyle uzun hareketsiz kalıyorum ki， yandaki kahvehanenin garsonu meraklanıp her şeyin yolunda olup olmadığını soruyor。 Evet ya， her şey yolunda: Kitaplar alfabetik sıraya göre dizilmiş， sanat eserleri hemen üste asılmış ve burada sadece edebiyata， sanata ve dostluğa yer var。//💛

Emily ，

Loved this book！ I highly recommend it to anyone who loves books about books！ The narrative and writing style are really different， and I loved how it jumps back and forth through time。

Chema Caballero ，

Interesante por la información sobre Edmond Charlot， editor de autores argelinos y la vida en Argel。 Pero no ha terminado de convencerme

Eyra ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Altre cop entre dos terres: França i Algèria。 Una memòria al seu passat。 No podem oblidar el que va ser i la importància que té tot el que avui en dia Algèria té gràcies a milers de persones que lluitaven per un somni: una Algèria lliure。 Adimi té una forma d'escriure increïblement bella i poètica， amb unes descripcions que et fa viatjar a les seves ciutats。 Altre cop entre dos terres: França i Algèria。 Una memòria al seu passat。 No podem oblidar el que va ser i la importància que té tot el que avui en dia Algèria té gràcies a milers de persones que lluitaven per un somni: una Algèria lliure。 Adimi té una forma d'escriure increïblement bella i poètica， amb unes descripcions que et fa viatjar a les seves ciutats。 。。。more

Lynda ，

I was a little disappointed in this book in terms of the central characters and the story but I was intrigued and interested and horrified at times as the 20th century history of Algeria was， almost incidentally， revealed。 Books and the love of printing them are central to the story。 Read who is sent to clear the book shop out is actually a likeable character。 The neighbours are also quite delightful。 The story of the original publishing house is told in diary entries and is full of facts and re I was a little disappointed in this book in terms of the central characters and the story but I was intrigued and interested and horrified at times as the 20th century history of Algeria was， almost incidentally， revealed。 Books and the love of printing them are central to the story。 Read who is sent to clear the book shop out is actually a likeable character。 The neighbours are also quite delightful。 The story of the original publishing house is told in diary entries and is full of facts and references which sent me often to do my own research and that， while interesting， ruined any flow the story could have。 。。。more

Annarella ，

I love books written by author from Maghreb as they tell stories we didn't heard before and add their view to the story。A Bookshop in Algiers is a delightful， poignant and interesting read that made us travel in time and discover Edmond Charlot， a French-Algerian who founded a bookshop in Algiers。 This is the story of his bookshop but also the story of a country and of people who played an important role in culture like Camus。I loved the style of writing and loved this bitter-sweet story as the I love books written by author from Maghreb as they tell stories we didn't heard before and add their view to the story。A Bookshop in Algiers is a delightful， poignant and interesting read that made us travel in time and discover Edmond Charlot， a French-Algerian who founded a bookshop in Algiers。 This is the story of his bookshop but also the story of a country and of people who played an important role in culture like Camus。I loved the style of writing and loved this bitter-sweet story as the style of writing is excellent and the plot kept me hooked。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Charlotte ，

More like a 3。5 - some aspects of the book I enjoyed， some I didn't。 However， the physical hardback of this book gets 5 stars。 The artwork is gorgeous， the paper is thick， and I love the typesetting。 I would buy this again just to have such a pretty book on my shelves。 More like a 3。5 - some aspects of the book I enjoyed， some I didn't。 However， the physical hardback of this book gets 5 stars。 The artwork is gorgeous， the paper is thick， and I love the typesetting。 I would buy this again just to have such a pretty book on my shelves。 。。。more

Morgan Miller-Portales ，

It is almost impossible not to reframe the history of Algeria without the colonial yoke France subjected its inhabitants to for close to 132 years。 Having spent much of her life between Algiers， where she was born， and Paris， where she now lives， Kaouther Adimi lends a voice to a part of history that is still overlooked to this day。 Moving from colonised Algiers to 2017， Adimi alternates entries from an invented diary by Edmond Charlot， a literary wunderkind most known for discovering Albert Cam It is almost impossible not to reframe the history of Algeria without the colonial yoke France subjected its inhabitants to for close to 132 years。 Having spent much of her life between Algiers， where she was born， and Paris， where she now lives， Kaouther Adimi lends a voice to a part of history that is still overlooked to this day。 Moving from colonised Algiers to 2017， Adimi alternates entries from an invented diary by Edmond Charlot， a literary wunderkind most known for discovering Albert Camus， and a more contemporary plotline， in which a student named Ryad has been hired to clear out the bookstore set up by Charlot himself。 As the story moves ever closer to Algerian independence， there is a sense of urgency bringing the consequences of colonialism to a head: the 1961 massacre of Algerian protesters who were thrown into the Seine by French police officers was a particularly potent example。 That said， perhaps Adimi bit more than she could chew in this greatest of tapestry that is Franco-Algerian relationships。 There were just too many pieces to put together and ultimately， I found the dearth of cohesiveness between Charlot’s pithy entries and Ryad’s traditional narration a weakness， leaving me wanting more of Ryad’s story。 Overall an understated story of reading and resistance。 。。。more

Marga ，

Homenatge a l’editor Edmond Charlot， desconegut per a mi。 Editor del primer text de Camus i altres escriptors q van esdevenir famosos。 Com debia estimar els llibres！ Quina vida deuria tenir la llibreria ‘Les Vrais Richeses’ es també un llibre inquietant sobre els successos ocurreguts durant anys， fins la independència d’Alger， entre ells París 1961。

Nicki Markus ，

A Bookshop in Algiers is a quiet， short， yet thoughtful work that pays homage not only to Edmond Charlot but to bookstores and publishing in general。 Set against the backdrop of World War II and growing political unrest， it tells the history of both a man and a country， with the tiny bookstore as the pivotal point。 The prose is simple but compelling， and I enjoyed the way the narrative switched perspectives， taking us back and forth in time。 In particular， Charlot's diary worked well as a way to A Bookshop in Algiers is a quiet， short， yet thoughtful work that pays homage not only to Edmond Charlot but to bookstores and publishing in general。 Set against the backdrop of World War II and growing political unrest， it tells the history of both a man and a country， with the tiny bookstore as the pivotal point。 The prose is simple but compelling， and I enjoyed the way the narrative switched perspectives， taking us back and forth in time。 In particular， Charlot's diary worked well as a way to quickly summarise key events taking place both in Charlot's personal sphere and in the world at large。 Considering it is such a short piece （160 pages on my e-reader， which I read in a single sitting）， it packs a lot in， including a commentary on French involvement in Algiers and the country's eventual path to revolution， the role of printing in WWII， the lives of Charlot （and others like Camus）。 As such， this book will appeal to general readers of historical fiction as well as those who love to read about books and publishing。 For me， the only negative point was Ryad， who I struggled to engage with as a character。 However， the other aspects of the book more than made up for that， so overall I am giving it four stars。I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Steve Streeter ，

A bittersweet tale of a bookshop in Algiers 。 The story is told within the history of Algeria over 80 years and from the birth to demise of a bookshop and library。 The bookshop being the dream of Edmond Charlot ; his vision and journey of creating a publishing house and place where writers such as Camus and Expurey can meet is told through a series of diary excerpts against the backdrop of World War II and the independence war against the French。 This version of events is juxtaposed with the tra A bittersweet tale of a bookshop in Algiers 。 The story is told within the history of Algeria over 80 years and from the birth to demise of a bookshop and library。 The bookshop being the dream of Edmond Charlot ; his vision and journey of creating a publishing house and place where writers such as Camus and Expurey can meet is told through a series of diary excerpts against the backdrop of World War II and the independence war against the French。 This version of events is juxtaposed with the travails of Ryad in 2016 who is charged with emptying the remains of the bookshop to be converted into a beignet shop。 Ryad is not a reader and his attitude to books casts a shadow on how literature and published print could be viewed in the future 。 A fascinating historical tale that for a bibliophile left me full of admiration for the writers and publishers of the past but with a sense of concern that the young of today and tomorrow are prohibited in any form from discovering the love of books and reading。 。。。more

Hannah Bussmann ，

Eine Liebeserklärung an die Literatur des Mittelmeers。 Der Roman verbindet Bücher und Geschichte sowie Frankreich und Algerien miteinander。 Sowohl die Notizen Charlots als auch die unterschiedlichen Perspektiven geben interessante Einblicke。

Beatrice ，

CW: this book contains mentions of police brutality， violence and discrimination。A Bookshop in Algiers is a quiet little book that manages to pack in quite a lot， offering a snapshot of Algerian history， the rich life of bookseller and publisher Edmond Charlot， and a powerful celebration of books all in one。I had actually never heard of Edmond Charlot before picking up this book， and I was rather surprised to discover that he had worked closely and published books by so many well-known authors， CW: this book contains mentions of police brutality， violence and discrimination。A Bookshop in Algiers is a quiet little book that manages to pack in quite a lot， offering a snapshot of Algerian history， the rich life of bookseller and publisher Edmond Charlot， and a powerful celebration of books all in one。I had actually never heard of Edmond Charlot before picking up this book， and I was rather surprised to discover that he had worked closely and published books by so many well-known authors， chief among them Albert Camus。 It really got me thinking about easy it is for someone's work to be forgotten and their contributions ignored， and how many more "Charlots" are out there that I have never known before。 I love learning something new and being challenged by books， so in this A Bookshop in Algiers really hit the mark！The narration was also interesting， as different chapters alternated excerpts from Charlot's （fictional） diary， snapshots of Algerian history， and young Ryad's work emptying the bookshop in modern Algeria。 It took me a moment to get used to this format， but I soon got into it and really appreciated the extra depth it added without weighing down the book。 The chapters on Algerian history， which were narrated in first person plural， were particularly interesting to me。 I broadly knew of some of the events mentioned， but seeing them through the eyes of the Algerian people （which is who I interpreted to be the narrating "we"） was completely new。 The accounts of oppression and violence also took on special significance when read now， when so many similar conversations are happening in relation to other peoples （especially Palestinians）。It was also interesting to read about Charlot's experiences in publishing。 I've never worked in the sector myself， so it was fascinating to read about everything that went on in the production of a book。 Charlot himself was really compelling， a dreamer par excellence， and I really admired his perseverance and his ability to give the world so much despite facing so many difficulties。 There was quite a lot of name dropping though and， with my limited knowledge of French authors， I actually struggled to keep up with everyone's names most of the time。It's hard to go wrong with a book about books， and A Bookshop in Algiers is no exception。 Masterfully bringing together the power of knowledge， the beauty of literature and books， and the importance of fighting for your dreams and your freedom， this is sure to appeal to lovers of history， historical fiction and literature， and all those who like to discover hidden little gems。For this and more reviews， visit Book for Thought。I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way。 。。。more

Thamires ，

Muito difícil eu não gostar de livros sobre livros。 Com este aqui não foi diferente。 Uma leitura muito gostosa e muito interessante （principalmente por se inspirar em uma história real， da qual eu não fazia a menor ideia）。 Fiquei com vontade de ler todos os livros citados。

Tove R。 ，

Such a poignant and quirky little book。 This is a fast， but interesting read about a bookshop， books， and authors， but also about a city and the turbulences it went through。 A university student arrives from Paris to close down a bookshop in Algiers， to get his internship over with。 He has no interest in books， but after awhile he discovers the interesting life of Edmond Charlot， the man who established the bookshop in the 1930s。 The book mixes past and present well， and digs deep into the myste Such a poignant and quirky little book。 This is a fast， but interesting read about a bookshop， books， and authors， but also about a city and the turbulences it went through。 A university student arrives from Paris to close down a bookshop in Algiers， to get his internship over with。 He has no interest in books， but after awhile he discovers the interesting life of Edmond Charlot， the man who established the bookshop in the 1930s。 The book mixes past and present well， and digs deep into the mysteries of a city and its inhabitants。 The quirky writers visiting the places lights up the book。 There are both aspiring new talents， as well as famous authors like Camus。 I enjoyed reading about the history of Algiers written from the point of view of these authors， and life in and around the bookshop。 It was even more interesting to read about the good old profession of a bookseller， a unique profession that sadly looks like future generations will have to learn about only from books。 。。。more

Joy ，

The premise sounded great but I found it just okay。 Would have wanted more character development and depth to the overall story。 I found the setting interesting and the backdrop of historical events in Northern Africa。

James ，

In theory this book should be catnip for me， but it has one fundamental flaw。 The narrative is in two strands， and only the boring one （man dismantles old shop） has any depth and texture， while the interesting one （establishing a bookshop and publishing house during WW2， publishing Resistance work， going to prison， the Algerian independence fight， etc） is schematic and often nothing more than lists of names。

Lou ，

A Bookshop in Algiers is a multiple award-winning work of historical fiction about the beauty of books and the sanctity of freedom。 Algiers， 2017。 Ryad， a lazy 20-year-old university student in Paris， arrives in Algiers intending to complete his internship， which consists of a thankless task: emptying and closing The True Wealth bookstore and disposing of all of the books。 This dusty four by seven metre shop， crammed with yellowed volumes， faded photos， paintings and a thousand other editorial r A Bookshop in Algiers is a multiple award-winning work of historical fiction about the beauty of books and the sanctity of freedom。 Algiers， 2017。 Ryad， a lazy 20-year-old university student in Paris， arrives in Algiers intending to complete his internship， which consists of a thankless task: emptying and closing The True Wealth bookstore and disposing of all of the books。 This dusty four by seven metre shop， crammed with yellowed volumes， faded photos， paintings and a thousand other editorial relics， hides the story of an exceptional human and literary adventure， guarded by its last witness， the mysterious Abdallah。 Ryad does not like reading and is almost afraid of writing; for him， books are just a source of mites and dust。 Thus， he sees this experience as an unpleasant task that is imposed on him。 However， once installed in the bookstore， the young man inevitably immerses himself in the immensely evocative atmosphere of the place and， through books with yellowed pages， whose stacks cram into the tiny space， and the countless faded photos still hanging on the walls， he gradually discovers the exceptional human experience of Edmond Charlot。 Algiers， 1936。 Edmond Charlot， an enthusiastic 20-year-old， returns home after a trip to Paris with a great idea in mind: to found a bookshop-publishing house that publishes writers from both shores of the Mediterranean， regardless of language， nationality or religion。 Supported by a community of talents and affections， he opens a hybrid and welcoming place at 2 Bis of the Rue Charras that soon becomes the seat of the mythical Éditions Charlot， frequented by an extraordinary group of aspiring writers as well as by figures of the calibre of Albert Camus， Jean Giono， Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and André Gide。 From that passionate little room， entitled to the "true riches" of life， the first editions of memorable texts come out， including the debut of young genius Camus。 In this experience， Ryad is accompanied by old Abdallah， the last bookseller of The True Wealth， a kind of spiritual guide who refuses to leave the place。 This is a captivating， uplifting and richly atmospheric read which uses Edmond Charlot's diaries as a guiding thread。 Mixing past and present， reality and invention， history and intimate everyday life， Kaouther Adimi leads us with finesse and simplicity through the alleys of an imaginative city and gives life to the novel of a ferryman of books and ideas who was， perhaps without knowing it， the secret creator of much of the best literature of the twentieth century。 With her award-winning novel， the young Algerian author succeeds in paying homage to literature and being an outstanding sponsor。 In a fictional diary， she sketches Edmond Charlot's eventful life in a lifelike and sensitive manner and tells of a politically and culturally closely interwoven and at the same time torn Mediterranean region in a turbulent time。 And it ties in with the present， where Charlot's world of literature can be rediscovered。 It explores the history of Algeria and， above all， a profession that cannot be understood without the love of books and that is fundamental for the survival of literature。 Highly recommended to literature connoisseurs and those who enjoy basking in the light of other cultures。 。。。more

Joe Huennekens ，

An extremely slim intro to Algerian history

Gulcin Cribb ，

I enjoyed this book very much。 It is based on true events in Algiers during the colonial period under the French rule。 The bookshop owner， the current caretake and the young man who comes from France to close the shop as the new owner wants it cleaned up are all very interesting and elegantly and sensitively narrated。 Original owner of the Bookshop Edmund Charlot has had an interesting career as well。

Celeste ，

Got this at the Grassroots Book Room at closing time。 One of those moments where you purchase a book about bookstores from a bookstore。This historical fiction focuses on the life and times of Edmond Charlot， an indomitable French-Algerian publisher who rubbed shoulders with the literati of that times， like Camus， Sarte/ de Beauvoir， and Saint Exupery。 Through his adventures as a publisher， we learn more about the troubles of World War II and the tenuous relationship between Algeria and France。 T Got this at the Grassroots Book Room at closing time。 One of those moments where you purchase a book about bookstores from a bookstore。This historical fiction focuses on the life and times of Edmond Charlot， an indomitable French-Algerian publisher who rubbed shoulders with the literati of that times， like Camus， Sarte/ de Beauvoir， and Saint Exupery。 Through his adventures as a publisher， we learn more about the troubles of World War II and the tenuous relationship between Algeria and France。 This narrative is interweaved with modern day Algeria and a young man tasked to empty out the historical bookstore， not knowing the history behind it。。。Meh， the plot felt typical and the ending was flat。 Still， an enjoyable and breezy read to finish after a few nights。 Happy to give this hardcopy away to anyone in Singapore if you want to check this out ~An evocative excerpt: “They were used to waiting for orders and being told how to live。 Now they decided to live as they pleased， simply， not listening to anyone， and everything was lit up， truly， as when we find the match and the lamp， and the house is illuminated， and we know at last where to reach for what we need， and when the dawn lights up a larger dwelling， and a part of the world that had been smothered by night’s mud， with its valleys， rivers， hills， and forests， is revealed in all its living joy。” 。。。more

Maria ，

Es un libro fantástico。 Está lleno de historias que se cruzan en diferentes momentos de la historia de Argelia。 Aunque el libro trata sobre la vida de Edmon Charlot y su pequeña librería “Las verdaderas riquezas”， su auténtico protagonista es Abdallah quien encontró en los libros su lugar en el mundo。

Monique ，

3。75-4？ beautiful and engrossing but the end left me feeling hollow/wanting more。 i have no real complaints though because the way the book abruptly ends is just how the world moves。 very grateful for how grounded in research charlot's diary was -- i could feel all of the awe， wonder， love， friendships， warmth。 it's an especially tender read in the time of covid when i'm unable to sit/wander in/talk to people in libraries or bookshops。 3。75-4？ beautiful and engrossing but the end left me feeling hollow/wanting more。 i have no real complaints though because the way the book abruptly ends is just how the world moves。 very grateful for how grounded in research charlot's diary was -- i could feel all of the awe， wonder， love， friendships， warmth。 it's an especially tender read in the time of covid when i'm unable to sit/wander in/talk to people in libraries or bookshops。 。。。more

Brigitte Messier-Legendre ，

Moitié journal romancé de la vie （réelle） de l’éditeur algérien Edmond Charlot， moitié histoire fictionnelle de la fermeture de sa petite librairie dans l’Algérie d’aujourd’hui。 Un roman doux-amer qui célèbre la littérature （avec du name-dropping à profusion）， tout en racontant de façon très précise l’histoire de l’Algérie depuis les années 1930。 En tout cas， ça donne envie de lire tous les livres du monde。

Alleson ，

I loved this book。 It was unexpected， but it reminded me of Zafon's Shadow of the Wind， without the mysterious antagonist。 I loved this book。 It was unexpected， but it reminded me of Zafon's Shadow of the Wind， without the mysterious antagonist。 。。。more

Margaux Usgl ，

Je l’ai lu pour mes cours。 J’ai l’ai trouver difficile de compréhension et ce n’est pas le style de lecture que je recherche

Silke Drevel ，

Loved every word of it。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Bookshop in Algiers

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Bookshop in Algiers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Bookshop in Algiers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0