Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop

March 6, 2023
The pseudonymous Donati recounts in this agreeable outing the story of her 2021 move from Florence back to her tiny hometown of Lucignana (population 180) to open the mountain village’s first bookshop. “The idea must have been lying in wait, ensconced in the folds of that dark and joyous country we call childhood,” she writes of her decision. Lacking the funds to pursue the project, Donati turned to crowdfunding, and, to her surprise and delight, donations came pouring in. Soon her project became a genuine sensation, drawing bibliophiles from all over Italy to seek out her robust rare book collection. Using diary entries that begin in January and run through March, Donati writes in real time about Covid and the pandemic’s effects on her business. She also includes snippets of local history, musings on village life, and tips for aspiring booksellers (“Never fancy yourself better than your readers”). Donati’s anecdotes and book recommendations are undoubtedly delightful, but the memoir aspect lacks focus. Still, bookworms will find plenty to enjoy in this charming if diffuse time capsule. Agent: Jessica Purdue, Orion Books.

April 1, 2023
Charming tale of an Italian book publicist and poet who "launched a [successful] crowdfunding campaign on Facebook to open a bookshop in a tiny village in the mountains." In 2019, Donati decided to quit the city rat race and return to Lucignana, inhabited by 180 people, including the author's 101-year-old mother, with whom she had a complicated relationship. With the help of friends, relatives, and strangers, she raised enough money to open Libreria Sopra la Penna. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit Italy hard a couple months later, and a fire that destroyed much of the building and its stock, the business continues to operate. Donati constructs her story as a series of journal entries from January to June 2021, when pandemic regulations in Italy were still in constant flux and the bookstore was holding its own with the help of local volunteers and a steady mail-order business. Each of the dozens of entries ends with a catalog of books ordered on that day, lists on which British and American titles hold their own with Italian ones, and Emily Dickinson calendars and novels by Fannie Flagg reveal a surprising popularity. While each of the entries is loosely anchored by the homely events of that day--whether that means planting some clover in the garden or welcoming a few guests on days when travel is permitted--Donati doesn't confine herself to the present. She meditates on the books she likes (and dislikes) and experiences growing up, and she traces the connections among five generations of her family. As the narrative proceeds, readers get a clear sense of the mercurial, devotedly feminist Donati and her tastes in literature as well as a slightly foggier but alluring sense of a daily life that seems to be dominated by making choices of flowers for the garden and packing up a few books and literary-themed jars of jam. Readers beware: will cause the irresistible desire to open a small bookstore.

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May 15, 2023
Donati, an Italian poet and literary publicist, raised a few eyebrows when she gave up city life to move back to the small mountain town where she grew up to open a bookshop. Despite COVID-19 lockdowns, naysayers, and slow sales, Donati managed to turn the tiny town into a tourist destination, an oasis for book lovers, the townspeople, and herself. This memoir is about the creation of the bookshop but also about so much more. This is a love letter to the town of Lucignana and the Italian literary scene as well as a meditation on Donati's sometimes difficult relationships with family. Her prose is poetic, even melodic at times, and her insights into both books and readers are delightful, even if American audiences may not be familiar with all the names dropped. Avid readers may even be moved to make their own reading lists based on Donati's recitation of the orders of the day that accompany each entry. Perfect for anyone who's ever imagined doing exactly as Donati did--the diary even ends with a "Manifesto for Aspiring Booksellers".

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.