A Courageous Attempt

The movie was shot beatifully, with the scenes feeling like taken directly from the British oil paintings, with the blue skyline converging to the sea, the wavering grass, the shore line, the old and beaten-down castle.

The time is 1959, the protagonist is a lady, Florence Green, widowed for 17 years, living in a small English costal town, loved to read, and wanted to open her own bookshop. It was immediately opposed by the town's people, especially by the powerful Mrs. Violet Gamart, the local grand dame. Florence was discouraged from the very start, yet she persisted.

The small house where she chose to open the bookshop, was also her residence. I love these bookshops: small, cozy, intimate; when you enter, you feel like you are entering someone's carefully curated world of books, world of mind, someone's spiritual home.

The movie has very simple story line, yet with some twists. It highlights the relationships between Florence and a few other key figures, Mr. Brundish, a like-minded reclusive reader; Christine, a girl who helps out in the bookshop; Mrs. Garmet, the formidable opponent; and the somewhat ostentatious Mr. Thorton. There are scenes that stay, partly due to the cinematography - the prolonged shots with various facial expressions, the bright colors in a background of dull grey, such as the maroon colored dress, the light blue door, the pink sweater of Cristine; partly due to the eccentricity of its characters.

The movie is a little gem. It depicts a courageous attempt by a free-spirited individual, in an unwelcoming environment. It was moving, caring, delicate, nalstalgic, and bittersweet. "No one will feel lonely in a bookshop." Indeed.