Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.

Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.
by Jeremy Mercer

Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.
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Book Summary Information

Author: Jeremy Mercer
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-19
ISBN: 0312347405
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Picador

Book Reviews of Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.

Book Review: Enjoyed this insider's look into Shakespeare and Co
Summary: 4 Stars

Part memoir, part travel book, part character essay. Jeremy Mercer chronicles his months as a poor, unemployed bum living in Shakespeare & Co. in Paris under the charitable auspices of its mercurial owner George Whitman (no, not the grandson of Walt Whitman, thank you!) who befriends him. There Mercer meets a ragtag bunch of writers, some odd part-time staff and curious visitors who over time, become part of the story of that legendary bookshop. Things we take for granted are all part of Mercer's daily adventures as he scrounges for cheap food, clothes and a hot shower with hilarious results. He also shares his growing friendship with George, a lifelong Communist and Sunday pancake chef.

I may not be headed to Paris anytime soon, but I'm glad I read what is probably be the 'last firsthand account' of Shakespeare & Co. Funny and quitely moving, this is a great read and yes! a worthy addition to any library.

Summary of Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.

Wandering through Paris's Left Bank one day, poor and unemployed, Canadian reporter Jeremy Mercer ducked into a little bookstore called Shakespeare & Co. Mercer bought a book, and the staff invited him up for tea. Within weeks, he was living above the store, working for the proprietor, George Whitman, patron saint of the city's down-and-out writers, and immersing himself in the love affairs and low-down watering holes of the shop's makeshift staff. Time Was Soft There is the story of a journey down a literary rabbit hole in the shadow of Notre Dame, to a place where a hidden bohemia still thrives.

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