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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5 stars for me! Such a simple story, but that’s what made it beautiful.
I picked this book up at my local library thinking it was a different book on my list, but then I realized I was mistaken. I decided to read it anyways and was so happy I did. There was something about the way reading was described as making people feel like they’re forging new relationships and finding a new world that was so touching for me. I enjoyed loving these characters and their story of triumph and finding hope in their books and community.
I picked this book up at my local library thinking it was a different book on my list, but then I realized I was mistaken. I decided to read it anyways and was so happy I did. There was something about the way reading was described as making people feel like they’re forging new relationships and finding a new world that was so touching for me. I enjoyed loving these characters and their story of triumph and finding hope in their books and community.
It is during one of the darkest periods in history as London is about to be engulfed by World War II with Hitler's armies getting closer and closer. Despite that, Grace and her best friend Viv arrive in London with big dreams. Grace doesn't get the job she wants, but instead ends up working at what just might be the very last bookshop in London for years to come.
Times are indeed perilous with sirens announcing bombing on a daily basis. This certainly was not a good time to go live in London. Both girls each had hope against hope that things could be far better for them. The girls found lodging with a friend of Grace's mother. Due to the loss of her parents, Grace had been living with and working for her uncle. When she is told about a bookshop, her previous sales experience proves hopeful, although she knows very little about books and reading.
Despite the bookstore's owner, Mr. Evans, being less than welcoming, and the shop in very poor condition, Grace raises her chin and soldiers on. Even with the nightly air raids and finding safe shelter with others during the bombing, Grace faces each day with determination. One thing Grace gains from her employ is a love of books she never expected. It is this love that leads her to helping others, all the while giving her hope for better days ahead.
Surviving the Blitz during World War II was no easy feat, especially with tragedy facing Grace at every turn. Grace's discovery for the love of reading due to a regular bookshop customer named George led to great promise, even when George went away to war. Correspondence with George as well as reading aloud to other people hiding from the bombs went a long way when it came to Grace never giving up.
This book was inspiring for so many reasons. For one thing, it is literally impossible for me to imagine having to find safety from nightly bombings. Factor in the great loss of life while never knowing when the end of the war would come. I loved Grace, and their landlord, Mrs.Weatherford, as well as several other characters in this compelling read. Then, of course, the fact that the book was set in a bookshop. As much as I love reading, this alone made this book a five star read. However, there are far more reasons than that to make this book one that I highly recommend, as this remarkable book is very inspiring as we are in a time now that we need hope to survive.
Many thanks to Hanover Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Times are indeed perilous with sirens announcing bombing on a daily basis. This certainly was not a good time to go live in London. Both girls each had hope against hope that things could be far better for them. The girls found lodging with a friend of Grace's mother. Due to the loss of her parents, Grace had been living with and working for her uncle. When she is told about a bookshop, her previous sales experience proves hopeful, although she knows very little about books and reading.
Despite the bookstore's owner, Mr. Evans, being less than welcoming, and the shop in very poor condition, Grace raises her chin and soldiers on. Even with the nightly air raids and finding safe shelter with others during the bombing, Grace faces each day with determination. One thing Grace gains from her employ is a love of books she never expected. It is this love that leads her to helping others, all the while giving her hope for better days ahead.
Surviving the Blitz during World War II was no easy feat, especially with tragedy facing Grace at every turn. Grace's discovery for the love of reading due to a regular bookshop customer named George led to great promise, even when George went away to war. Correspondence with George as well as reading aloud to other people hiding from the bombs went a long way when it came to Grace never giving up.
This book was inspiring for so many reasons. For one thing, it is literally impossible for me to imagine having to find safety from nightly bombings. Factor in the great loss of life while never knowing when the end of the war would come. I loved Grace, and their landlord, Mrs.Weatherford, as well as several other characters in this compelling read. Then, of course, the fact that the book was set in a bookshop. As much as I love reading, this alone made this book a five star read. However, there are far more reasons than that to make this book one that I highly recommend, as this remarkable book is very inspiring as we are in a time now that we need hope to survive.
Many thanks to Hanover Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Man this was an amazing book. I feel like I’ve hit a reading slump where every book I read is a 3 star. So I really needed this. This is such a great read. I never felt the pacing was bad or the book lagged. It was beautifully written and had a very meaningful plot.
I loved the idea of how books can impact so many life’s. I know reading has been a source of comfort for me. So imagining reading books during war to find peace and escape made perfect sense.
Highly recommend this one. It’s an easy read and is SO good!
I loved the idea of how books can impact so many life’s. I know reading has been a source of comfort for me. So imagining reading books during war to find peace and escape made perfect sense.
Highly recommend this one. It’s an easy read and is SO good!
This was a touching piece of historical fiction. It was polished and concise but also very poignant as your emotions went for a roller-coaster of hope and sadness. I didn't develop strong feelings towards any of the characters but that's okay because I loved the more general arcs of redemption and transformation that took place on a broader scale as livelihoods were literally brought to rubble and we witnessed people building back up from the ashes.
War can bring out the worst in humanity but it can also expose the good and I think that's why this book had such a feel-good quality to it despite the subject matter being heavy. Watching this community band together and rabble around those who had suffered the highest degree of loss was inspiring and really drove home the point the author made of how this was a people who wouldn't be broken. Living in London also made the events of this book more starkly real and details like the people hiding out in the tube stations during bomb raids and different landmarks that were destroyed has made me view parts of the city in a way I hadn't before.
If you are looking for your next venture into historical fiction that is clean in terms of sex/language and focuses on communities coming together in the darkest times and bonding over the power of reading, I highly recommend The Last Bookshop in London! Happy Reading :)
War can bring out the worst in humanity but it can also expose the good and I think that's why this book had such a feel-good quality to it despite the subject matter being heavy. Watching this community band together and rabble around those who had suffered the highest degree of loss was inspiring and really drove home the point the author made of how this was a people who wouldn't be broken. Living in London also made the events of this book more starkly real and details like the people hiding out in the tube stations during bomb raids and different landmarks that were destroyed has made me view parts of the city in a way I hadn't before.
If you are looking for your next venture into historical fiction that is clean in terms of sex/language and focuses on communities coming together in the darkest times and bonding over the power of reading, I highly recommend The Last Bookshop in London! Happy Reading :)
Ahhh this was such a heartwarming historical fiction to get lost in - use 'fun read' lightly, given the topic, but truly an enjoyable story and the characters were delightful to follow through a tough this period of history. Definitely was still a little rosy, and surface level - so good to take that with a grain of salt, probably wouldn't be for all. But something about it had me so captivated and read this so quickly. It was kind of like a'Disney Channel Original Movie' version of a WWII tale, where you get super compassionate, warm characters that you just want to see through to the end. Recommend for a lighter, easy historical fiction.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am a sucker for books based around WW2. So i picked this up. It was sweet, sometimes treacly sweet which is odd to say about a wartime book. And some parts were a touch cringy. Still a light and easy read.
This was okay, it was a lot more charming than I expected, but it was fairly obvious in it's efforts to pull on your heartstrings and I thought the romance fell a little flat
Had an decent time though
Had an decent time though
The final chapter was a bit too much. My guess is Madeline Martin's favorite movie is "It's a Wonderful Life " Beautifully written other than that, though.