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marjorieapple 's review for:
The Last Bookshop in London
by Madeline Martin
For those who enjoy World War II historical fiction, this is a very enjoyable read. Readers will delight in the developing plot. For my personal taste, it wasn't quite important enough. Its not likely to win the big literary awards but it made me feel and I genuinely appreciated the writing and story.
Structurally Martin does a terrific job at introducing the characters, setting the scene, developing minor tensions that build over time. The characters, even the grumpy ones, are believable and likeable. I'm guessing, but I would imagine Martin outlined before she began drafting. It feels tightly constructed.
She obviously did heaps of research on World War II's devasting effects on London and only occasionally and very briefly, did those facts feel like facts. Mostly they wove into the story seamlessly. She has years of bombings and fires to describe which is difficult to do and keep it compelling and heart-pounding. I felt like it was always compelling, and at times heart-pounding. But it never felt gratuitous or exaggerated--certainly never tedious or boring.
The love story is minor and while necessary to the story, I found it the weakest element of the book. It develops in a flash and feels a bit unbelieveable to me. We know very little about George, nor does Grace, the protagonist. I do believe there were couples who impulsively met and and coupled in the months before WWII in this way, but it seems a bit far-fetched today. But its fun to believe in the power of love and so I didn't mind suspending belief.
If you like stories that have strong plots but aren't so tense that your stomach is in knots, this will probably work for you. If you like stories of female friendship and strength, this has that too. It is mostly a joyful and hopeful story with some believably sad moments.
When it brought me to tears, I didn't feel manipulated as I did with A Man Called Ove. I was sharing the emotions of the protagonist. I think this a strong testament to the writing. In fact, I'm quite impressed with Madeline Martin's writing. Personally, I would have liked to slow the pacing down slightly and to spend more time in her scenes with her characters. But alas, publishers like writers to rush.
I am generally very critical of contemporary fiction. I don't think this is a 5-star in the same league as a non-fiction 5-star nor a classic 5-star. In fact, even within contemporary fiction, it's probably a 4.8, not truly 5-stars. But those are not hairs I can split here on Goodreads. Thus, it gets 5 stars. I found myself thinking about it between reading sessions, wanting urgently to return to it. When I had my last chapters to read I raced through them in one sitting. It made me feel good about being a reader and boosted my sense or obligation to think of others. I encourage you to read it.
Structurally Martin does a terrific job at introducing the characters, setting the scene, developing minor tensions that build over time. The characters, even the grumpy ones, are believable and likeable. I'm guessing, but I would imagine Martin outlined before she began drafting. It feels tightly constructed.
She obviously did heaps of research on World War II's devasting effects on London and only occasionally and very briefly, did those facts feel like facts. Mostly they wove into the story seamlessly. She has years of bombings and fires to describe which is difficult to do and keep it compelling and heart-pounding. I felt like it was always compelling, and at times heart-pounding. But it never felt gratuitous or exaggerated--certainly never tedious or boring.
The love story is minor and while necessary to the story, I found it the weakest element of the book. It develops in a flash and feels a bit unbelieveable to me. We know very little about George, nor does Grace, the protagonist. I do believe there were couples who impulsively met and and coupled in the months before WWII in this way, but it seems a bit far-fetched today. But its fun to believe in the power of love and so I didn't mind suspending belief.
If you like stories that have strong plots but aren't so tense that your stomach is in knots, this will probably work for you. If you like stories of female friendship and strength, this has that too. It is mostly a joyful and hopeful story with some believably sad moments.
When it brought me to tears, I didn't feel manipulated as I did with A Man Called Ove. I was sharing the emotions of the protagonist. I think this a strong testament to the writing. In fact, I'm quite impressed with Madeline Martin's writing. Personally, I would have liked to slow the pacing down slightly and to spend more time in her scenes with her characters. But alas, publishers like writers to rush.
I am generally very critical of contemporary fiction. I don't think this is a 5-star in the same league as a non-fiction 5-star nor a classic 5-star. In fact, even within contemporary fiction, it's probably a 4.8, not truly 5-stars. But those are not hairs I can split here on Goodreads. Thus, it gets 5 stars. I found myself thinking about it between reading sessions, wanting urgently to return to it. When I had my last chapters to read I raced through them in one sitting. It made me feel good about being a reader and boosted my sense or obligation to think of others. I encourage you to read it.