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Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop

Alba Donati Elena Pala

$22.99

Paperback

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English
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
22 August 2023
'Alba Donati's Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop is not only a work of significant beauty, it's inspiring.

It's inspiring about the continuing life of books, and about the ways in which our lives can change and our dreams can come true, if only we insist on believing in changes and dreams'

Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours

'Romano, I want to open a bookshop where I live.'

'Great. How many people are we talking about?'

'180.'

'Right, so if 180,000 people live there, then...'

'No, not 180,000, Romano. 180.'

'Alba... Have you lost your mind?'

Conversation between Alba Donati and Romano Montroni, former CEO of Italy's largest bookselling chain

Alba used to live a hectic life, working as a book publicist in Italy, and yet she always felt like a woman on the run. And

so one day she decided to stop running and go back to Lucignana, the

small village on the Tuscan hills where she was born, to open a tiny bookshop.

Alba's enterprise seems doomed from day

one but it surprisingly sparks the enthusiasm of many across Italy. And after surviving a fire and multiple Covid lockdowns, the

'Bookshop on the Hill' becomes a refuge for an

ever-growing community of people: from local friends and family to the many, many readers who

come to visit from

afar or place orders online, safe in the knowledge

that Alba will be

able to find the perfect book for them.

By:  
Translated by:  
Imprint:   Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 196mm,  Width: 128mm,  Spine: 18mm
Weight:   191g
ISBN:   9781399605489
ISBN 10:   1399605488
Pages:   208
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Alba Donati worked for years in publishing before moving back to her home village of Lucignana, near Lucca in Tuscany, and opening the 'Bookshop on the Hill', which has since become a refuge for countless readers from all over Italy. In 2020 the shop was included on a list of the 20 most beautiful bookshops in Europe. An award-winning poet, this is Alba's first work of non-fiction.

Reviews for Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop

An eccentric and charming little book... It's like Chocolat meets Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop, set in the Tuscan hills, with gardening tips, interior design ideas and gossip woven in... A celebration of writing, words and people.... In luscious language, the book rejoices in all the things that bring people together... Delightful. * Mail on Sunday * Who doesn't want to open up a bookshop in a gorgeous part of Italy? Just add a cosy armchair and a lazy, cold winter's day (each chapter comes with a useful list of books sold). * Stylist, Christmas gift guide for book lovers * Alba Donati's Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop is not only a work of significant beauty, it's inspiring. It's inspiring about the continuing life of books, and about the ways in which our lives can change and our dreams can come true, if only we insist on believing in changes and dreams. * Michael Cunningham, author of THE HOURS *


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