I love this little book. It is only a couple of hundred pages and you can read it in a couple of hours on a slow Sunday morning, and when you have finshed, you wished you could keep on reading.
Roger Mifflin, the “hero” of the book, is the owner of a bookstore on wheels. He has wandered around America's Midwest selling his books and built up both a reputation and a following. But he wants to write a book of his own, so he decides to sell. He pulls his wagon next to a farmhouse where the farmer is himself a famous author. But the author is out on a tour, and Roger talks instead to the sister of the author.
Helen is the "heroine". She is a spinster and getting a little tired of her brother gallivanting all over the country while she is stuck on the farm. On the spur of the moment, she decides to buy Parnassus and take off for some adventures of her own. She writes her brother a note, gives Roger the money for the business, and they take off down the road.
Helen is soon enchanted by Roger and they end up spending more time together than intended. There are misadventures and opportunities, which I won't tell you about because I don’t want to spoil it for you.
This is a sweet, old-fashioned story told in a simple, eminently readable style. There is plenty of action as well as long paragraphs on the beauty and utility of books. My favorite line from the book is "When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life." I’ve always found this true. My favorite books are the ones that carry me away to another world.
“Parnassus on Wheels” carried me away to a time very long ago. When people moved slower and took time to talk face to face. When a tinker's wagon pulling into town was a big deal and would draw a crowd. Fill that wagon with books, and I could see myself living that kind of life.
If you love books, you will love "Parnassus on Wheels".
