AtaraxiaAs you know, both of us love to read. Recently, I had the chance to read The Little Literary Pharmacy by Elena Molini. The Italian author and bookseller drew inspiration from her own life to write this book. Unfortunately, the ending left me unsatisfied, and it failed to convince me in the end.
A Tempting Summary
At first glance, the book seemed quite peaceful and enjoyable to read. The summary goes as follows:
To fulfill her dream of opening a bookstore in the heart of Florence, Blu comes up with a brilliant idea: prescribing books like medications. With the help of Jane Austen, Charles Bukowski, and Agatha Christie, she intends to bring a smile to every customer who walks through the door of her little literary pharmacy.
Success follows, but Blu’s mind remains fixated on a mysterious customer straight out of The Great Gatsby—someone she has lost track of…
Between fiction and reality, will Blu find the path to her own happiness?
Unfortunately, I don’t think the book truly reflects this summary.
A Slow Start
Indeed, you’ll need a lot of patience before you actually get to The Little Literary Pharmacy and meet the mysterious client. Several chapters must be read before you realize you’re getting closer to the summary—so much so that I found myself questioning what kind of book I was reading.
Moreover, in this book, there are often big gaps in time, with jumps of several days to months. And let’s not even talk about the unnecessary details that have nothing to do with the current events. At times, I felt like the author was just writing to fill pages, as if she was forced to add more in order to be published.
An Unhealthy Obsession
Maybe I didn’t understand the point of the book, but in my opinion, if it’s not a biography, the author must have added certain passages. That being said, the point where I really gave up on the book was when (SPOILER ALERT) she reveals that the mysterious client is just an illusion she created. I didn’t understand the connection between this book and her hallucinations. To me, there was no connection, and I was left feeling unsatisfied by this part of the story.
A Book Without Purpose
Aside from my previous observations, the author’s story didn’t really need to be in such a long book. I wasn’t captivated by the story; in fact, I almost got bored, and reading it wasn’t enjoyable. It’s rare for me to be so disappointed by a book, but unfortunately, The Little Literary Pharmacy did not convince me at all.
I wouldn’t really recommend this book, but for those who want to form their own opinion, you can find the book right here.
