The Dewey Decimal System of Love [Large Print]

by Josephine Carr

Book Overview

Behind a french twist and sensible clothes, forty-year-old librarian Alison Sheffield hides an extravagant nature. But after last night, even her most proper attire can't disguise the signs-the pink... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786262265
• ISBN13: 9780786262267
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Thorndike Press
• Length: 343 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A favorite for 2003

I looked at this book several times in stores and didn't buy it because of the vapid summary on the back cover. Finally, I happened to see it at the library and checked it out -- what a surprise! This book is one of the best I read all year, probably the best fun-chick-read since Bridget Jones' Diary. I started my career as a librarian and was not at all offended by the portrayal of the main character as sexual in private but reserved in public -- in fact, Josephine Carr cleverly turns this stereotype on its head by giving the character a veneer of repression and then exploiting it to reveal, instead, a robustly sexual woman grappling to balance some very human fears and needs. The Dewey Decimal System of Love is a poignant and touching exploration of fear of commitment from a woman's point of view, and the challenges posed in overcoming it -- highly recommended.

Adorable!

I was also amazed by all the vicious reviews of this book. Perhaps because I, like Ally, am a single librarian who preferslong dresses to mini-skirts, but I loved this book. It was quirky, fun and a great read. I am in my first year at FloridaState, earning my Masters degree in Library Science, and I urged all my classmates to read this adorable book. Ally makes me proud to be a librarian!

utterly charming

I was kind of surprised how much others seemed to have HATED this book. I admit, it's not a "serious" or deep novel, but I did find it charming and laughed out loud on at least 10 seprate occasions. Sure, there are some gaps in the plot (but it's not a really plot driven book) like what ever was the conductor's wife doing anyway?) but the scenes were just, well, funny and charming in their own way. Yes there are stereotypes, but they make us laugh at ourselves and our own habits, not at librarians in general. I think it's silly for librarians to be up in arms when the character is so likable. She's the first to admit how silly some of her habits and emotional disabilities are. It comes down to this -- if you want a light book of fiction that will make you laugh and has a happy ending, this is a terrific and downright fun book. If you're looking for the next Ulysses, well this isn't it. I bet none of the librarian critics caught the sly reference to Yeats' poem the Lake Isle of Innisfree -- come to think of it, maybe they didn't get lots of subtle wit and humor.

Quirky Romantic Comedy That Delivers

Josephine Carr's romantic comedy will leave you wondering how someone so talented could be known for writing in the suspense genre. "The Dewey Decimal System of Love" was a treasure that I found among the tables of urban literature. I was intrigued by the twist of the plot. Ally is a sensual librarian who has been celibate for fifteen years. Meet Alison `Ally' Sheffield, the head reference librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia. She has a shield of propriety to protect her by day: boring clothes, hair up, and a detached approach. However, when she is on her own, she scoots around town in a sporty convertible, relaxes in her luxuriously restored apartment, and attends the Philadelphia Philharmonic. The heart stopping change in Ally comes when she meets the new conductor of the Philharmonic, Aleksi Kullio. To get closer to Aleksi, Ally volunteers to organize the music library that the Philharmonic has dumped into a storage room. Imaging Ally's thrill when she comes across a letter between conductors that will aid Aleksi in the direction of his current symphony. In a concurrent plot, Ally is assisting Aleksi's wife, Michelle, in doing research on a book she is writing. Ally becomes suspicious that Michelle wants to kill to Aleksi, since she is researching poisons.As any woman in love, Ally asks for assistance from her best friend, Suzanne. Suzanne is currently a stay-at-home mom but was a lawyer in the not too distant past. She agrees with Ally that Michelle is up to something, so she agrees to help Ally tail her. Needless to say, mayhem occurs. As the reader, you are given enough crumbs to keep you reading but not enough to see the big picture. I like to be kept in the dark and guessing. With a cast of minor characters that keep Ally's life colorful, you want to see her happy. She has a humanness about her that grabs you and keeps you interested even though she is unlike anyone you know. Ms. Carr has a gifted prose and the story flows even throughout the book. I certainly hope she undertakes another romantic comedy since she successfully created a refreshing breath of air with this novel.

Couldn't put it down

I thought this was a wonderful read! The diction wasn't high, but the wit was keen and quirky. As a budding librarian I couldn't resist the title, and I ended up finishing within 5 hours of purchase.Ally is a 40 year old librarian celibate for years. I completely disagree with other reviewers who say that the author was stuck on the librarian stereotype. It's a modern-day fairytale, and the princess happens to be a librarian. The author makes this very clear in many references to fairy tales, to the librarian stereotype, and to the protagonists dream that the librarian become a different type of archetype. I loved this book!It's meant to be sugary sweet and full of archetypes and stereotypes, and I think that it does a fantastic job at its goal. If you want to smile and giggle all over, go for it. There are some fun and interesting plot twists, and while I would have asked for a slower ending, it isn't altogether rushed.