Overview

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER * NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER INDIE NEXT PICK * Debutiful Most Anticipated Book of 2024 * Powell's Pick of the Month * A Bookshop Best Book of the Year So Far The Korean smash hit available for the first time in English, a slice-of-life novel for readers of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library and Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. Yeongju is burned out. She did everything she was supposed to: go to school, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. In a leap of faith, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighborhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster-and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju-they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live. A heartwarming story about finding acceptance in your life and the healing power of books, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a gentle reminder that it's never too late to scrap the plot and start again.

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9781639732425

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Reviews

"""This buoyant, charming novel celebrates books as a source of growth and connection, and as a gentle antidote to the pressures of modern life. Hwang Bo-reum has created a quirky comfort read that invites readers into the heart of this sweet bookstore . . . a delightful place to be!"" --Matthew Sullivan, author of MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTORE ""Already a bestseller in Korea, this quiet debut novel poses big questions about what it means to be successful and lead a fulfilling life. A worthy entry into the ever-growing constellation of fiction about the power of books, reading, and community."" --Booklist ""The prolonged philosophical considerations of reading, community, happiness, and the meaning of work offer moments of reflection and observation. Bo-Reum pleasantly evokes the feeling of spending an afternoon in a favorite bookstore."" --Publishers Weekly ""A snapshot of life in a quiet corner of Seoul examines how reading can help give voice to emotions, worries, and dreams."" --Kirkus Reviews ""A story that embraces its sentimentality."" --The Observer ""Delightful, reflective and heart-warming . . . we challenge you not to fall in love with it."" --Woman's Weekly ""A real love letter to reading . . . wonderful."" --Good Housekeeping ""If I were to gift a book to my loved ones, it'll be this one. I think it helps me convey the thoughts that I was not able to articulate back then."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I read the book when I was completely burnt out and it was like therapy."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""During the whole time, and even after finishing the novel, I felt like I was enveloped in a warm fuzzy feeling and that was comforting."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I thought it was a real place . . . But the neighborhood doesn't exist. No such bookshop. You can't imagine my disappointment."" --OhmyNews, transl. from Korean"

"""A story that embraces its sentimentality."" --The Observer ""Delightful, reflective and heart-warming . . . we challenge you not to fall in love with it."" --Woman's Weekly ""A real love letter to reading . . . wonderful."" --Good Housekeeping ""The prolonged philosophical considerations of reading, community, happiness, and the meaning of work offer moments of reflection and observation. Bo-Reum pleasantly evokes the feeling of spending an afternoon in a favorite bookstore."" --Publishers Weekly ""Already a bestseller in Korea, this quiet debut novel poses big questions about what it means to be successful and lead a fulfilling life. A worthy entry into the ever-growing constellation of fiction about the power of books, reading, and community."" --Booklist ""If I were to gift a book to my loved ones, it'll be this one. I think it helps me convey the thoughts that I was not able to articulate back then."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I read the book when I was completely burnt out and it was like therapy."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""During the whole time, and even after finishing the novel, I felt like I was enveloped in a warm fuzzy feeling and that was comforting."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I thought it was a real place . . . But the neighborhood doesn't exist. No such bookshop. You can't imagine my disappointment."" --OhmyNews, transl. from Korean"

"""If I were to gift a book to my loved ones, it'll be this one. I think it helps me convey the thoughts that I was not able to articulate back then."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I read the book when I was completely burnt out and it was like therapy."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""During the whole time, and even after finishing the novel, I felt like I was enveloped in a warm fuzzy feeling and that was comforting."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I thought it was a real place . . . But the neighborhood doesn't exist. No such bookshop. You can't imagine my disappointment."" --OhmyNews, transl. from Korean"

"""A story that embraces its sentimentality."" --The Observer ""Delightful, reflective and heart-warming . . . we challenge you not to fall in love with it."" --Woman's Weekly ""A real love letter to reading . . . wonderful."" --Good Housekeeping ""Already a bestseller in Korea, this quiet debut novel poses big questions about what it means to be successful and lead a fulfilling life. A worthy entry into the ever-growing constellation of fiction about the power of books, reading, and community."" --Booklist ""If I were to gift a book to my loved ones, it'll be this one. I think it helps me convey the thoughts that I was not able to articulate back then."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I read the book when I was completely burnt out and it was like therapy."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""During the whole time, and even after finishing the novel, I felt like I was enveloped in a warm fuzzy feeling and that was comforting."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I thought it was a real place . . . But the neighborhood doesn't exist. No such bookshop. You can't imagine my disappointment."" --OhmyNews, transl. from Korean"

"""This buoyant, charming novel celebrates books as a source of growth and connection, and as a gentle antidote to the pressures of modern life. Hwang Bo-reum has created a quirky comfort read that invites readers into the heart of this sweet bookstore . . . a delightful place to be!"" --Matthew Sullivan, author of MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTORE ""A wonderfully cozy novel . . . It is wonderfully true-to-life and a very charming, intimate reading experience."" --Books & Bao, 24 Must-Read Korean Novels in English ""I may have found my ideal bookshop book when I read Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop. What sets Hyunam-Dong apart is how much it reveals about getting a store up and running ... By the end of Hyunam-Dong, [Yeongju] has encountered enough surprises to figure out that bookshops - and love - rarely go by the book."" --The Minneapolis Star-Tribune ""The prolonged philosophical considerations of reading, community, happiness, and the meaning of work offer moments of reflection and observation. Bo-Reum pleasantly evokes the feeling of spending an afternoon in a favorite bookstore."" --Publishers Weekly ""Already a bestseller in Korea, this quiet debut novel poses big questions about what it means to be successful and lead a fulfilling life. A worthy entry into the ever-growing constellation of fiction about the power of books, reading, and community."" --Booklist ""Hwang Bo-reum's graceful, meditative debut novel, translated by Shanna Tan, introduces readers to an engaging cast of lost souls seeking answers to the central questions of their lives: What does it mean to live a contented life in a competitive culture? And can we achieve contentment if our decisions make others unhappy? ... A meditation on bookstores and the communities they foster, as well as an aspirational story of finding purpose when you think you might be ready to give up."" --Shelf Awareness ""A snapshot of life in a quiet corner of Seoul examines how reading can help give voice to emotions, worries, and dreams."" --Kirkus Reviews ""[This] debut novel is a comfortable book about books ... Bound to be a book club favorite."" --Library Journal ""A story that embraces its sentimentality."" --The Observer ""Delightful, reflective and heart-warming . . . we challenge you not to fall in love with it."" --Woman's Weekly ""A real love letter to reading . . . wonderful."" --Good Housekeeping ""If I were to gift a book to my loved ones, it'll be this one. I think it helps me convey the thoughts that I was not able to articulate back then."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I read the book when I was completely burnt out and it was like therapy."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""During the whole time, and even after finishing the novel, I felt like I was enveloped in a warm fuzzy feeling and that was comforting."" --Reader, transl. from Korean ""I thought it was a real place . . . But the neighborhood doesn't exist. No such bookshop. You can't imagine my disappointment."" --OhmyNews, transl. from Korean"

Author Information

"Hwang Bo-reum has authored several essay collections: I Read Every Day, I Tried Kickboxing for the First Time, and This Distance Is Perfect. Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop is her first full-length novel. Before its release as a paperback, the novel was initially published as an ebook after winning an open contest co-organized by Korean content-publishing platform ""Brunch."" She lives in Seoul. Shanna Tan is a Singaporean translator working from Korean, Chinese, and Japanese into English. She was selected for two emerging translator mentorships in 2022, where she was mentored by Anton Hur for Korean prose and Julia Sanches for Singapore literature (from Chinese). Her prose translations have appeared or are forthcoming in The Southern Review, The Common, Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, and others. She lives in Singapore."

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