THE BOOKSELLER AT THE END OF THE WORLD

The thrilling story of one woman's life of adventure and drama, and how she came to own the two smallest bookshops in New Zealand.

Ruth Shaw runs two tiny bookshops in the remote village of Manapouri in Fiordland, in the deep south of New Zealand. This rich memoir weaves together stories of the characters who visit her bookshops, musings about favourite books, and bitter-sweet stories from Ruth's full and varied life before bookshops. She has sailed through the Pacific for years, been held up by pirates, worked at Sydney's King's Cross with drug addicts and prostitutes, campaigned on numerous environmental issues, and worked the yacht Breaksea Girl as an expedition/tourist boat with her husband Lance. But underlining all her wanderings and adventures are some very deep losses and long-held pain. Balancing that out is her beautiful love story with Lance, and her delightful sense of humour. This memoir will make you weep and laugh, make you want to read more books, and make you want to visit Ruth and her two wee bookshops. RUTH SHAW lives with her husband Lance in Manapouri. She has been a long time climate activist and has lived a wildly adventurous life. Ruth is now spending her retirement running the two smallest bookshops in New Zealand.