The British
Booksellers
Kristy Cambron
Publisher:
Thomas Nelson (April 9, 2024)
Paperback:
384 pages
ISBN-10:
0785232249
ISBN-13:
978-0785232247
Publisher’s Blurb:
Inspired
by real accounts of the Forgotten Blitz bombings, The British
Booksellers highlights the courage of those whose lives were forever
changed by war—and the stories that bind us in the fight for what matters most.
A
tenant farmer’s son had no business daring to dream of a future with an earl’s
daughter, but that couldn’t keep Amos Darby from his secret friendship with
Charlotte Terrington…until the reality of the Great War sobered youthful
dreams. Now decades later, he bears the brutal scars of battles fought in the
trenches and their futures that were stolen away. His return home doesn’t come
with tender reunions, but with the hollow fulfillment of opening a bookshop on
his own and retreating as a recluse within its walls.
When
the future Earl of Harcourt chose Charlotte to be his wife, she knew she was
destined for a loveless match. Though her heart had chosen another long ago,
she pledges her future even as her husband goes to war. Twenty-five years
later, Charlotte remains a war widow who divides her days between her late
husband’s declining estate and operating a quaint Coventry bookshop—Eden Books,
lovingly named after her grown daughter. And Amos is nothing more than the
rival bookseller across the lane.
As war
with Hitler looms, Eden is determined to preserve her father’s legacy. So when
an American solicitor arrives threatening a lawsuit that could destroy
everything they’ve worked so hard to preserve, mother and daughter prepare to
fight back. But with devastation wrought by the Luftwaffe’s local blitz
terrorizing the skies, battling bookshops—and lost loves, Amos and
Charlotte—must put aside their differences and fight together to help Coventry
survive.
From
deep in the trenches of the Great War to the storied English countryside and
the devastating Coventry Blitz of World War II, The British
Booksellers explores the unbreakable bonds that unite us through love,
loss, and the enduring solace that can be found between the pages of a book.
·Split timeline: WWI and WWI/Stand-alone
novel/Book
length: 118,000 words/ Includes discussion questions for book clubs
My Thoughts:
Honest truth: I
was surprised to find that this author has multiple published works. I felt
that my advanced reader copy felt much like an early draft. There were odd
sentence constructions, weird word choices, and sentences that kind of went
nowhere. Also, “thrice” and “trice” are not the same word. I hope all this was
cleared up for the final publication.
On to the story.
The dual timeline mostly worked, although the jump in years in the past section
(when Charlotte and Amos are barely in their teens to when they are young
adults) was a bit jarring. The exposition of why Amos never showed up at Gretna
Green was anticlimactic. I’d have liked to actually see it, rather than just
mention it later. It’s never really explained why William sets up a
trust fund for Amos.
I found Eden, for
all her bravery and single-mindedness to save the estate, to be kind of a
secondary character. The blurb makes it sound like she’s much more prominent
than she is. This story is really about Charlotte and Amos, how the must
overcome past actions to move forward. The descriptions of bombing and its
aftermath are harrowing. I knew a little bit about the bombing of Coventry—mostly
the cathedral there—but didn’t realize it had been so heavily hit, and I
appreciated the notes at the end of the book.
Possible
objectionable material:
Descriptions of
war, both WWI and WWII. People are injured and die. One character is an
alcoholic. Characters smoke and drink. Minor cursing. Kissing.
Who Might Like
This Book:
Those who like
stories set during war, those who love books, those who like second chance
stories.
Thank you to
NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest
opinion.
The Wartime Book
Club
Kate Thompson
Publisher:
Forever (April 9, 2024)
Paperback:
512 pages
ISBN-10:
153875701X
ISBN-13:
978-1538757017
Publisher’s Blurb:
Inspired by true events, The Wartime
Book Club is an unforgettable story of everyday bravery and
resistance, full of romance, drama, and camaraderie and a tribute to the joy of
reading and the power of books in our darkest hour.
The Isle of Jersey was once a warm and neighborly community, but in 1943,
German soldiers patrol the cobbled streets, imposing a harsh rule.
Nazis have ordered Grace La Mottée, the island's only librarian, to destroy
books that threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories away in
secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, she wants to fight back. So she
forms the Wartime Book Club: a lifeline, offering fearful islanders the joy and
escapism of reading.
But as the occupation drags on, the women's quiet acts of bravery become more
perilous – and more important – than ever before. And when tensions turn to
violence, they are forced to face the true, terrible cost of resistance . . .
Based on astonishing real events, The Wartime
Book Club is a love letter to the power of books in the darkest
of times – as well as a moving page-turner that brings to life the remarkable,
untold story of an island at war.
My Thoughts:
I was very excited
when I found that Kate Thompson wrote another book about books and WWII. (I raved
over her previous book here: https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/01/upcoming-fiction-releases.html).
Her Facebook page is full of fascinating interviews and history, as his her podcast,
“From the Library with Love.”
This time, the
book is set in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. These islands are in an odd
geopolitical situation: They aren’t exactly “owned” by England, but they are “Crown
Dependencies,” dependent upon Britain, while having their own governing bodies.
Local languages are heavily influenced by their proximity to France. These
islands were taken over by the Germans during WWII, leading to extreme rationing,
and, near the end of the war, near starvation.
This is the
setting for this book. Mild-mannered Grace, the assistant librarian, protects
the books the Nazis have banned, subtly fighting the Germans via using the library
to keep spirits up. Her best friend, Bea, works for the post office, and lures
Grace into warning people who are being reported to the Germans as Grace delivers
library books.
Grace also hides
an American soldier, with whom she falls in love, despite the man obstacles
they face.
Eventually, Grace
and Bea, and others who have subverted German control, are arrested and
imprisoned. They each have their own way of getting out of the clutches of the Germans,
and are reunited after the war ends.
I love Kate
Thompson’s storytelling. She writes beautifully, with a great eye for
description, character, and dialogue. But just as much attention is given to
the narrative. Look at this absolutely gorgeous bit of alliteration: “…the brutal,
bloody, beautiful business of birth.” Wow.
I gave Thompson’s
previous book as a Christmas present to my teammates at school last year. I
suspect I will end up doing the same with this one.
There are extensive
end notes about the real people and actions this book is based on, as well as
book club questions, other reading, and a guide to places to visit in Jersy.
And now I really want to go there.
Possible Objectionable
Material:
Unwed sex/pregnancy.
Drinking. Smoking. Descriptions of war and its effects. Hunger. Neighbors
betraying neighbors. Deception—though in a good cause. Cursing, including a couple of instances of the "f" word.
Who Might Like
this Book:
Those who like books,
WWII stories. If you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,
you will for sure want to give this one a try.
Thank you to the
publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my
opinion.
The Underground
Library
Jennifer Ryan
Publisher:
Ballantine Books (March 12, 2024)
Hardcover:
368 pages
ISBN-10:
0593500385
ISBN-13:
978-0593500385
Publisher’s Blurb:
When the Blitz imperils the heart of a London
neighborhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to save the
community’s beloved library in this novel based on true events from the
author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.
When the new deputy librarian, Juliet Lansdown, finds that Bethnal Green
Library isn’t the bustling hub she is expecting, she becomes determined to
breathe life back into it. But can she show the men in charge that a woman is
up to the task of running the library, especially when a confrontation with her
past threatens to derail her?
Katie Upwood is thrilled to be working at the library, although she is only
there until she heads off to university in the fall. But after the death of her
beau on the front line and amid tumultuous family strife, she finds herself
harboring a life-changing secret with no one to turn to for help.
Sofie Baumann, a young Jewish refugee, came to London on a domestic service
visa only to find herself working as a maid for a man who treats her
abominably. She escapes to the library every chance she can, finding friendship
in the literary community and aid in finding her sister, who is still trying to
flee occupied Europe.
When a slew of bombs destroys the library, Juliet relocates the stacks to the
local Underground station where the city’s residents shelter nightly,
determined to lend out stories that will keep spirits up. But tragedy after
tragedy threatens to unmoor the women and sever the ties of their community.
Will Juliet, Kate, and Sofie be able to overcome their own troubles to save the
library? Or will the beating heart of their neighborhood be lost forever?
My Thoughts:
I have generally enjoyed Jennifer Ryan’s WWII fiction. It was
odd at first to read this one, since Kate Thompson had written about the same
topic so very well last year. I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to like
this book, after reading Thompson’s.
But Ryan’s characters are completely different—though they
fight some of the same battles—and Ryan takes a different angle on the Bethnal
Green Underground Library.
As always, Ryan’s characters and their trials feel real. I
like how she brings her diverse group of characters together seamlessly,
bringing them into a cohesive unit working to a common goal. The character of
Mrs. Ottley was delightful, and the secondary characters in this book are
well-developed. Some you love, some you hate—as it should be. Dialogue is
natural, and the evens believable.
Like Thompson, Ryan provides historical references and
explanation of the real events that she used to inspire her story.
Would I have liked this book better if I hadn’t read Thompson’s?
Yes. But this is still a solid, worthy effort, and holds its place among
slice-of-life WWII books.
Possible Objectionable
Material:
Sex/pregnancy
outside of marriage. One character considers a back-alley abortion. Parental
pressure. One character is mistreated by her employer. Stealing. Lying. The
usual issues you get in a book about WWII London.
Who Might Like
This Book:
Again, those who
love books, who like WWII stories, and enjoy a little romance.
Thank you to the
publisher and NetGalley for providing an early review copy in exchange for my
honest opinion.
