Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.
Book Review: Sure catches the scene as I glimpsed it
Summary: 5 Stars
I never lived or worked at Shakespeare but a friend did twenty-five years ago, and five years ago my wife and I dropped into the store to browse and follow her trail. When I mentioned that I knew Howard Zinn, legendary owner George Whitman immediately invited us to stay at the bookstore. (We'd already paid at the wonderful hotel next door, Hotel Esmerelda, so passed on staying there, but took George up on sharing Christmas Dinner, where we met Jeremy Mercer and a moveable feast of other great people. It was the most memorable evening of our trip, and one of the richest evening's of conversation I've ever had--all part of the ambience of the store.
I just spent all evening reading Mercer's book and it was great. We only got that brienf glimpse of Shakespeare & Co but from what I could tell Mercer captured the mileu wonderfully, especially the amazing George Whitman. It's a cliche to talk about a global homogenizized culture. Shakespeare & Co really is part of the antidote, in all its messy glory, dirty dishes and all. And an amazing bookstore on top of that. So thanks to Jeremy for capturing all this.
Book Review: A good book!
Summary: 4 Stars
The premise is a simple one, the execution is magic. A young man on the run from himself and some nasty criminals in his hometown stumbles upon a legendary temple to the book on the banks of the Seine.
Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. details Jeremy Mercer's time as a resident at Shakespeare & Co. The infamous bookstore and its eccentric denizens offered him sanctuary, another of the many thousands of displaced writers who found refuge there over the decades.
While this is Mercer's story of self-discovery, on a broader scale it's also the story of George Whitman, who ran his bookstore with a focus on equality rather than capitalism and made money only because it was necessary in order to keep Shakespeare & Co. operational. Beds were tucked into every bit of space in the building, and piles of francs were hidden behind books on the shelves. Whitman instituted a rule that all his refugees must help out in the store. The result? Thousands of luminaries of the written word found refuge among the books of Shakespeare & Co., earning the bookstore a place in most tourist guides to Paris.
At its core, this book is a loving tribute to Shakespeare & Co., illustrating the depth of influence that independent bookstores can enact on our culture. In this day of major chains and big box stores, Time Was Soft There stands as a powerful homage to a sadly disappearing breed.
For many a bibliophile, a visit to the homes of famous writers generates a feeling of awe. For me, the true moments of bibliophilic "a-ha" come only when in the hallowed halls of a truly legendary bookstore: a place where writers gathered, drank, smoked, gave readings and shared ideas. Mercer has captured the Shakespeare & Co. that 99% of us are unable to experience, that the many tourists (who only step through the door to check it off a "must-see" list) will never understand.
Mercer's work took me on a journey of rediscovery to my 20-year-old self, who made a pilgrimage to City Lights Bookstore, to stand where many of my Beat Generation heroes had hung out and to buy copies of their works at the source. I no longer know where my copy of Howl by Allen Ginsburg has gone. However, I regained that moment of awe and for this, I thank Mercer.
Armchair Interviews says: No matter what the future brings for Shakespeare & Co., Jeremy Mercy has ensured that the spirit of this amazing institution lives on.
Book Review: Charming Memoir of a Modern-Day Paris Bohemian
Summary: 5 Stars
Time Was Soft There is a charming memoir that reads like an exceptional novel. It tells the story of a jaded, hard-drinking Canadian cops reporter who must flee after a betrayed source issues threats.
Mercer ends up in Paris to finish a college language requirement. Then, just as he is running out of money, he spots the Shakespeare & Company bookshop during a downpour. He slips inside for a peek, and immediately finds friends, a home, a way of life that is seductive and artistic and romantic all at once.
The story does read like fiction from another era. Mercer's writing is so smooth and honest, and his story is incredible. He captures a very magical place in a magical city. Anyone who loves to get lost in bookstores will savor this book.
There is a fair amount of history in the story, which gives the book a spine. He explains the family background of the bookshop owner, his political leanings, his ties to the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco.
Mercer also does a wonderful job of showing the downside to such a romantic and crazy life choice. Giving up everything in order to live in a famous book store in a famous city sounds wonderful, but there are filthy toilets and hunger pangs and thieves and heartbreak, too.
This is an honest and well-written book about a fascinating subject. Time Was Soft There will surely catch the fancy of anyone who loves books and writers.
Book Review: Romance and Reality in Literary Paris
Summary: 5 Stars
In this memoir of his stay at Shakespeare & Co., Jeremy Mercer skillfully uses his talents as an extraordinary writer-storyteller. He captures the Romantic notions of all who go (or long to go) to Paris to experience the mythical pasts of the writers and artists who have flocked there for hundreds of years, and balances these notions with the often harsh realities of living the life of the starving artist. These experiences are couched in the Romantic life of George Whitman, the bookstore's founder, who in his free-wheeling life as an ex-patriate with all of its ups and downs, must ultimately face the realities of life as an aging rebel, grappling with the future of his haven - the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore.Book Review: Vivid, witty and Engrossing
Summary: 5 Stars
With wry wit, self-deprecation and profound humanity, Jeremy Mercer takes us into the unique world that is Shakespeare & Co on the Left Bank of Paris. It's a warts and all look at the scraggly, literate residents, and an honest and loving portrait of the store's octegnarian owner, George Whitman, who emerges as a classic flawed hero, a man who built an instituion on a quixotic dream and little cash. When you finish this book, you will feel like you lived in the store yourself for a while.