The Last Bookshop in London (by Madeline Martin)
I have been intrigued by Madeline Martin’s historical fiction books that have a bookshop or library theme. I finally decided to give her books a try. I started with her first book, The Last Bookshop in London. I recently “met” Madeline at The Back Room: Cocktails and Conversations with Your Favorite Authors, hosted by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Karen Dionne. That’s when I decided to finally start reading her books. I wrote about my Back Room experience on my blog, and you can read it here.
The Last Bookshop in London is set in 1939, just before World War II started. Grace and her best friend, Vivian, decided to leave their hometown and start fresh in London. But finding jobs was tough, and Grace had her heart set on working in a department store with Vivian. Instead, she reluctantly got a job at Primrose Hill bookshop. Grace had never been a reader, so she focused on organizing and cleaning the old bookshop. One day, a customer gave her The Count of Monte Cristo, and that book instantly turned her into a reader!
Here are two things that really stuck out to me in this story. First, the impact of WWII on Londoners. Living in constant fear of loved ones being sent away. Young men were often drafted to fight in the war, and children were sent to live in the countryside with strangers. Many women were left alone to fend for themselves and earn a living. Meanwhile, there was a constant threat of bombs dropping on the city, destroying homes and businesses. I can’t even imagine living like that. Second, the heartwarming part of the story that shows the power of books. Grace becomes obsessed with the bookshop and finds creative ways to share what she’s learned about the comfort of reading. There are lots of references to classic books that were popular at the time, which was fun. There’s also a love story that’s woven throughout this lovely piece of literature.
I enjoyed reading The Last Bookshop in London. I purchased the audiobook from Audible, and the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, was exceptional.
As I mentioned before, I had the pleasure of meeting Madeline Martin at The Back Room. I’ve included my blog post about our meeting below.
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