Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

By: Hwang Bo-reum, Shanna Tan - translator

Narrated by: Rosa Escoda

Bloomsbury presents Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, read by Rosa Escoda.

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER * NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
INDIE NEXT PICK * Debutiful Most Anticipated Book of 2024 * Powell's Pick of the Month

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.

©2023 Hwang Bo-reum and Shanna Tan (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Listened a few times

This book has a sensibility and feel that is uncommon to Western novels. I really enjoyed listening to the story and the narrator.

Calming.

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could, as it was very calming, pleasant, and mildly interesting. I felt I could easily lose myself in this book. The writing was OK, not great. And I would say the same about the story. But somehow I found it very pleasant to listen to. The narration was good, but I had a bit of a hard time at times understanding the accent, and sometimes there is a bit of a lisp or mild whistle which was a bit bothersome. However that was only in spots here and there. Overall, I recommend this as a sweet and calming story.

Beautiful writing. Poor audio.

This book is beautifully written and worth listening/reading but the audio quality could be improved. The narrator has a lovely soothing voice, but at times her lisp creates wet plosives that become distracting. This could have been addressed in the recording and mixing of the audio (spectral frequency plosive repair) and is not a reflection of the narrator (who gives a pleasant performance).

Really resonated

Absolutely loved this book. I could really relate to the protagonist’s experience that led her to open the bookshop. It is part charming, light read - part philosophical rumination on capitalist society. It doesn’t take a “burn it all down” approach, but certainly has me thinking about how to find more balance in my own life. I think the translation was done well and the narrator has a lovely voice. Highly recommend.

A book about finding your own meaning

Little tidbits of wisdom and philosophy sprinkled throughout the book. Definitely not for everyone, but if you consider yourself someone who likes to daydream definitely recommend

Mundane

I kept waiting for something and nothing ever happened. I would not recommend this book.

Meh

Rough to get through this I almost didn’t finish it. But honestly I checked out halfway through

Anticlimactic

I kept waiting for something. Some thought provoking material, I will give it that, but this was a slow read for me.