PARIS, 1919. Young, bookish Sylvia Beach knows there is no greater city in the world than Paris. But when she opens an English-language bookshop on the bohemian Left Bank, Sylvia can't yet know she is making history.

Many leading writers of the day, from Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein, consider Shakespeare and Company a second home. Here some of the most profound literary friendships blossom - and none more so than between James Joyce and Sylvia herself. When Joyce's controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Sylvia determines to publish it through Shakespeare and Company.

But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous book of the century comes at deep personal cost as Sylvia risks ruin, reputation and her heart in the name of the life-changing power of books...

'A compelling and fascinating look at the world-changing mavericks who bonded, bickered and triumphed in the realm of literature' Nuala O'Connor

'A compelling portrait of a remarkable woman, who steps from the pages in all her charm, courage and vulnerability' Gill Paul

'Intelligent, fierce and filled with reverence for a fascinating epoch in literary history... a delight for readers and writers' Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light

'Lulls you into an interwar Parisian dream where love - be it romantic, friendly or even for a book - can be found on a quirky little street in the 6th' Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms