In an allegorical sense, what do you think Madame Bowden represents?

Madame Bowden appears as a strong female archetype. In an allegorical sense, what do you think she represents?

I love Madame Bowden -- she is the kind of guardian angel, albeit less overtly nurturing than perfect, that I would like to have as my own. Call her a spirit guide, a magical presence, but her pure intention was to help Martha along a path to becoming a strong, independent, educated women.

Madame Bowden is certainly Martha’s protector. She also gives her courage and belief in herself, that she is an intelligent woman, and can succeed at whatever she desires to do,

Madame Bowden is a guide, a mother, a guardian angel and an amusing provacative character. I liked the portrayal of her as an aging actress and I immediately thought of someone like Joan Crawford or maybe, Madonna, in her “feather boa and diamond earrings.” If this book were to be made into a movie, I think she would be my favorite character part to play!

I think Madame Bowden is a Feminist with a passion to mentor girls and women to achieve self-actualization. Her goal is to reveal their abilities and strengths, thus creating healthy self-esteem leading to success in whatever path they choose. My favorite character in The Lost Bookshop!

My favorite character as well. A guardian angle, a friend, the mother she hadn’t found yet, her guide to self fulfillment and clearly a feminist. Loved her immediately, but it took me a while to realize she didn’t really exist. What fun.

I loved this character and as Laweezie said, it took me a while to realize she wasn't really there. Then I recalled that at the dinner party no one had seen her!

I like the idea that she is a guardian angel, but I can't help but think that she was attached to the past of the bookshop somehow. Perhaps she was connected to the building in Italy or she knew some of the people from a past life. Clearly she had an attachment to the bookshop and was waiting for the perfect "new owner" to arrive (Martha). Maybe she was also a guardian for Opaline at some point....the "whispers in the pages of the books"?

I very much like the idea that she was a guardian for Opaline. Of course, she must go back many generations. She is an old soul.

I think that Madame Bowden was a mentor tasked with helping Martha recover from her abusive marriage and guiding her as she found her voice and developed confidence and self esteem.

I think she was a fairy godmother helping Opaline. She may not have always waved her magic wand but she certainly helped Opaline develop. Let’s face it she was magical.

I very much enjoyed Madame Bowden. I wondered if she was partially the presence that Opaline felt in the bookshop. I saw her as a feminist. She is an allegory for being true to yourself and fighting for what you need and for where you need to be. She seemed to know what Martha needed and put things in motion to help her progress, both personally and professionally. I also felt perhaps she was the essence of Opaline returned to the bookshop to secure its fate into the safe hands of her descendent.

Madam Bowden was a very, very old “actress “. I think actress was chosen because she could play many roles! She might have come along with the old bookshop when it was shipped from Italy. I think she was the protector of the old bookshop. She was always looking and waiting for the right person to be associated with the bookshop like Opaline and Martha, who was connected to Opaline. I believe she will show herself again when she is needed to look for and protect another person for the bookshop.

It took me awhile to see what she was (I very much appreciated the character development with that one), and once I understood, I really enjoyed her. She wasn't overbearing, was just enough a meddler and the ultimate guide.

I think that Madame Bowden represent the Divine Feminine - wisdom, creativity, nurturing, compassion, protection, loving.

She was my favorite character as a savior and spiritual guide to Martha. She represented what Martha could accomplish and gave Martha the self confidence and emotional/physical freedom she needed to follow the love and education she craved. She was the best developed character, and I enjoyed the scenes with her the most.

I'm not sure I can come up with alternative nouns to those already used to describe Madame Bowden: a spiritual guide, a guardian angel but appearing in a form that Martha would accept. For sure, Madame Bowden was my favorite character.

She was my favorite character, too. I think she was the spirit of the book shop, making sure it stayed in the hands of people deserving of it.

I loved this character and now need to reread to see the clues I missed that she was not who she appears to be. Her guidance makes me wish I could have a Madame Bowden in my life. Her spirit and gentle nudging was masterful.
I realize I didn't answer the question... I believe she represents everyone's deep longing to develop into the person they were meant to be. To be their best selves when not hindered by those trying to oppress.

I found Madame Bowden to be a down to earth guardian angel for Martha. She appeared when Martha needed a boost from another "human being" to help lift her confidence with her mother and husband. I must admit, it did take me awhile to actually notice she was not human, especially once Martha's mother stopped by to see her. I did enjoy how Madame Bowden handled Martha's husband, he deserved what happened to him, in my opinion.

I, too, loved the character of Madame Bowden, and I wondered if she was supposed to be the energy of the bookshop in human form. She definitely played the role of Martha's guardian angel. Was she perhaps somehow also the spirit of a never-mentioned daughter of Opaline and Josef? Or the new manifestation of the original caretaker of the library in Italy? I wanted to know more about her capabilities--like how she relocated Shane's body, for example.

On an allegorical level, I agree Madame Bowden represented feminism or at least the freedom that comes with being true to yourself regardless of what others think. It's a little hard to pin down, though.