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A Novel
by Hwang Bo-reum
The Korean smash hit available for the first time in English, a slice-of-life novel for readers of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library and Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of AJ Fikry.
Yeongju is burned out. She did everything she was supposed to: go to school, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. In a leap of faith, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighborhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster-and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju-they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live.
A heartwarming story about finding acceptance in your life and the healing power of books, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a gentle reminder that it's never too late to scrap the plot and start again.
"A snapshot of life in a quiet corner of Seoul examines how reading can help give voice to emotions, worries, and dreams." ―Kirkus Reviews
"[This] debut novel is a comfortable book about books … Bound to be a book club favorite." ―Library Journal
"Already a bestseller in Korea, this quiet debut novel poses big questions about what it means to be successful and lead a fulfilling life. A worthy entry into the ever-growing constellation of fiction about the power of books, reading, and community." ―Booklist
"Hwang Bo-reum's graceful, meditative debut novel, translated by Shanna Tan, introduces readers to an engaging cast of lost souls seeking answers to the central questions of their lives: What does it mean to live a contented life in a competitive culture? And can we achieve contentment if our decisions make others unhappy? … A meditation on bookstores and the communities they foster, as well as an aspirational story of finding purpose when you think you might be ready to give up." ―Shelf Awareness
This information about Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Hwang Bo-reum studied Computer Science and worked as a software engineer. She wrote several essay collections: I Read Every Day, I Tried Kickboxing for the First Time and This Distance is Perfect.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is her first novel, which has sold over 150,000 copies in Korea and been sold into 9 territories. Before its release as a paperback, the novel was initially published as an e-book after winning an open contest co-organised by Korean content-publishing platform 'Brunch'.
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