Laurence Cossé’s A Novel Bookstore (Europa Editions, 2010), her ninth novel and an Indie Bound bestseller, was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “marvelous and stimulating.” She was a journalist and critic before devoting herself entirely to fiction. She lives in France.
France
Laurence Cossé
All Laurence Cossé's books
Latest reviews
![]()
Fadila is a sixty-year-old Moroccan immigrant, and Édith, her employer, is a well-to-do, sophisticated Parisian. The two women form an unlikely but rewarding friendship when Édith attempts to teach Fadila to read and write. The women bridge the many barriers between them with...— Nov 12 2013![]()
This review begins with a confession. After committing to working my way through my most recent book acquisitions before making further purchases, I caved. One bookshop trip later, a number of ongoing reads have been cast aside, usurped by new books of demanding presence. This...— Jun 23 2013![]()
Despite the title, there’s no cooking in Laurence Cossé’s fine, actually rather wonderful novel, BITTER ALMONDS. I loved her book A NOVEL BOOKSTORE, published last year – a literary thriller about books and bookshops, it managed to be nostalgic and forward-thinking...— May 10 2013![]()
In BITTER ALMONDS Édith, a “comfortable” woman living with her young family in Paris, hires Fadila, a 60-year-old Moroccan immigrant, to assist her with ironing. Immediately, there is a productive alliance: payment for services rendered. But early in their relationship,...— Apr 2 2013![]()
It is so important to be educated. Is it not? So much so that we – the ones who are educated almost take it for granted. A privilege of sorts. We can never imagine not being literate. To us, that is the core of everything, which as I said often gets overlooked for whatever...— Mar 27 2013![]()
font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Garamond"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed...— Nov 7 2010![]()
font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Garamond"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Reviewed by...— Oct 23 2010![]()
font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Garamond"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Reviewed by Larissa Kyzer for The Three Percent...— Oct 1 2010![]()
font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Tahoma"; }@font-face { font-family: "Garamond"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } As an avid...— Sep 16 2010![]()
font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Garamond"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } To open a bookshop that would offer not the latest...— Sep 15 2010![]()
A new bookstore opens in Paris and stirs up a culture war. Ivan, a career bookseller and Francesca, a socialite and passionate reader, decide to open an "ideal bookstore"—one in which only good books are sold. They call it simply "The Good Novel." And before long, the place...— Sep 1 2010![]()
A few months ago, someone told me he’d just finished one of the most amazing books he’d ever read. He was visibly shaken by the idea that he’d found the book by accident and could so easily have missed the book altogether. “What if I went through life without reading...— Sep 1 2010![]()
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé is a very original take on an enduring theme: the passion that readers have for books. What is the dream of book lovers everywhere? To visit the perfect book store, one that stocks only the best of books, where "best" is defined by the...— Sep 1 2010![]()
Wow. I seriously loved this book. It's hard for me to explain what I loved about this book, but I had a feeling when I was reading it that it was classic. It was just good writing and a good story, you can't go wrong with that. I loved Van and Francesca's passion...— Aug 30 2010![]()
Probably every lover of literary fiction has had a fantasy about creating or finding the ideal bookstore—one which is dedicated to exactly the kinds of novels we like to read, where we can enter and spend an afternoon browsing, reading whatever strikes our eye, all the while...— Aug 30 2010![]()
Heiress Francesca and bookseller Ivan don't expect to make a profit when they open a bookstore in Paris that sells nothing but the best fiction. The store's unexpected success produces a powerful backlash: an outcry from pundits, negative ad campaigns, targeted competition,...— Aug 20 2010![]()
A Novel Bookstore has a premise that is sure to appeal to every bibliophile and passionate reader: it is the story of 'The Good Novel', a bookstore in which only the best books are on offer. The store is stocked using a rigorous selection procedure, guaranteeing...— Aug 9 2010![]()
When French author Cossé (A Corner of the Veil, 1999, etc.) pairs unlikely business partners in the opening of a unique Parisian bookstore, The Good Novel, that will sell only the best fiction, their venture succeeds and draws vehement criticism—and worse.— Jul 15 2010![]()
The founding of a unique Paris bookstore triggers jealousies and threats in Cossé's intriguing follow-up to The Corner of the Veil (1999). Former comic-book seller Ivan "Van" Georg and stylish Francesca Aldo-Valbelli team to establish the Good Novel, a bookshop that will...— Jul 5 2010
France
