The Last Bookshop in London

Nothing is better than a book about bookshops and books, and when it's set during the Blitz in England, it is sheer perfection in Madeline Martin's hands. I knew right away that this book was written by an author who loves books and who understood how important books are to civilization. Grace is a young girl who has transplanted herself, along with her friend Vivian from a small rural village to the big streets of London. It's 1939, and war has not yet been declared. Grace finds herself working in a small, dusty bookshop in a non-commercial neighbourhood. She plans to work there for six months. Enough time for her to build a work record and to procure a reference. At first she doesn't know what to think of the taciturn Mr. Evans, but show more soon the two of them are fast friends. Mr. Evans and a young man called George introduce Grace to the world of books, and she does not look back. Inevitably war is declared and Grace finds herself in the middle of the London Blitz. Grace learns a lot about people and about herself during the war years. She and George have been separated since the beginning of the war. They still correspond with each other, and, despite distance, fall in love. I loved this book so much. It was everything I enjoy in a book - great writing, wonderfully real characters, a plot built around the privations of the London Blitz, and, of course, lots of name dropping of great books such as Middlemarch, The Count of Monte Cristo, Jane Eyre and lots of others which were all books that I have read at one time or another in my life. There is happiness and sadness, hope and despair, courage and determination, all portrayed so well in this book. the characters are warm and alive, and most of all I got to really love Grace and her journey into adulthood and into a life of reading all around the War that is shattering her world. show less

I’m not a particular fan or reader of fiction, and I’m even less of a fan of historical fiction, which is the genre “The Last Bookshop in London” is a part of. That said, I really liked this book. I would say it is one of the better books I’ve read in 2023, and I’ve read nearly 75. Set in London at the beginning of WWII and finishing at the end of the war, it’s the story of Grace Bennett, a young lady who moves from the English countryside to London to get away from her mean uncle with whom she had been living since her mother, her only parent, died. She and a girlfriend Viv move in with her mother’s best friend, Mrs. Weatherford, ostensibly until they both secure employment. It ends up being a long time arrangement, show more much to the benefit of both Grace and her landlord. The war breaks out just as Grace is beginning her employment at a local bookshop, and all hell breaks loose. The story is a tender one with wonderfully developed characters and a plot that should entice and keep just about any reader, even one like myself who is suspicious of most trendy fiction. I highly recommend “The Last Bookshop in London.” show less

I loved it, loved it!! Delightful characters. Tight plot. A little romance. But the absolutely best thing about this book is the recognition of how the love of reading can change your life. How you can immediately fall into another world just by opening that book. Ms. Martin wonderfully expressed how I have always felt about reading.

"She turned the pages to the first chapter, the sound a quiet whispered shush in the empty store. There was a special scent to paper and ink, indescribable and unknown to anyone but a true reader. She brought the book to her face, closed her eyes and breathed in that wonderful smell."

This book made me realize just how difficult – and dangerous - it was to live in London during World War II. The constant show more bombing destroyed homes and villages - and so many people died. Day after day, night after night they endured. But at this little bookshop people found a few moments when they could escape into a different world and momentarily set aside the grim reality of their daily lives.

Grace Bennett, the protagonist of the book, has moved to London in 1939 with her best friend Viv. They stay with Grace’s deceased mother’s best friend, Mrs. Weatherford. Grace, who has never been keen on reading, gets a job at a little bookshop. All is going well until the war begins. Amidst the horrors of war, Grace finds not only a love of reading, but also courage, family, and a sense of community. She experiences heartbreak but also finds heartwarming moments.

This book evoked strong emotions within me. I loved the relationship between Grace and Mrs. Weatherford and the relationship between Grace and Mr. Evans (reminded me of “A Man Called Ove”). I rejoiced, I cried. (The tear ducts were flowing with those last two chapters.) I did not want to put this book down. The story was just so beautiful.

I believe this is Ms. Martin’s first venture into historical fiction, but it should certainly not be her last. (She normally writes romance novels.) Well done! Perfect for book clubs. show less

Any book that portrays the importance of stories in peoples lives tends to resonate with me. As we enter the second year of lives disrupted and thrown off track by the pandemic, this tale set in London during WWII parallels the experience of lives disrupted by conditions uncontrollable by the characters. Both the pandemic and the war took lives, left people grieving, separated families, created shortages, and closed or curtailed businesses. In 1939 Grace and Viv arrive in London planning to work in shops. Grace's late mother's best friend has offered them a place to live and finds Grace a job in a bedraggled, unorganized, and grungy bookshop owned by an elderly widower who wants no help. This lovely story of a tragic time illuminates show more London in wartime. The sadness is redeemed by the kindness and sacrifices seen throughout. It made me want to go back and reread Connie Willis's WWII novels. I'm no WWII scholar but the historical facets seemed authentic and the love for books and stories elevated it. show less

This WWII era novel manages to keep a cozy feel while honestly dealing with the reality of living in London during that time. Our heroine, Grace, moves to the big city with her best friend. She’s been pushed out of her childhood home by her heartless Uncle but she finds a soft spot to land in the home Mrs. Weatherford, her late mother’s best friend. Mrs. Weatherford helps her get a job working at a bookstore, and it’s a joy to see our main character move from hesitantly dusting the stacks to confidently setting up displays and staying up late to read as she discovers a love for books. She also discovers a love for something – or rather someone – as a patron of the bookstore takes a fancy to her. But the realities of war means show more that they must be separated, that Grace must endure many bombings, and that quite a few losses must be coped with. The true heart of this book is how the residents of London rally around their bookstore and the place that reading has in their lives, which makes it utterly satisfying in the end. Read this one when you are in the mood for cozy mixed with a little bit of grim. show less

The Last Bookshop in London is a welcome addition to the body of WWII historical fiction. Madeline Martin's book deftly balances the tragic and the sweet while conveying a sense of what it must have been like to live during the blitz on London: sleepless night after sleepless night, constant "small" emergencies like fires and building damage, along with conflagrations and explosions that could flatten most of a block.

Grace and Viv are country girls who move to London a few months before the Nazi attacks on the city begin. The more daring Viv has forged a letter of recommendation and quickly lands a job at Harrods. The more cautious Grace, too wary to forge such a letter, finds herself working a temporary job in a bookstore with a goal show more of earning a real recommendation after six months. Grace knows retail, having run a family store for several years, but she doesn't know books. She's never been a reader. So, of course, this is a book about how Grace learns to love books and how she teaches others to love books—a good book proves to be just the tonic people need when they're crowded into an bomb shelter. Grace also finds new strengths working as a volunteer air raid warden. The book includes terrible losses and well as new friendships and romances.

The Last Bookshop in London is a book-lover's delight. It will please readers of romances—and readers who despise romances. And there are attractions in it for both readers of historical fiction and for what gets called "women's fiction." In other words, the Venn diagram of its potential readers is huge, with lots of overlap. That breadth also makes The Last Bookshop in London a great choice for gifting.

I received a free electronic review copy of The Last Bookshop in London from the publisher via EdelweissPlus. The opinions are my own. show less

This is an engrossing, exciting, hold-your-breath read that will suck you right into the story and won’t let you go. I read it in one sitting because I absolutely couldn’t put it down! It had all of the ‘feels’ in it – sorrow, grief, happiness, friendship, love, family (blood & not), terror, loss – you name it, you will feel it before you are through with the story. The tale is crafted with descriptions so vivid they put you right in the scene - they break your heart, make you smile, make you tremble with fear, and make you hear the bombs as they drop on London. Martin’s research is always impeccable and that again holds true with this book. I’m thinking if you only read one book this year – this one ought to be it. show more What a wonderful way to celebrate and honor books and how much they mean to all of us in one way or another. Frankly, I’m writing this review, but I don’t think any review can do it full justice.

Grace Bennett has dreamed of moving to London for a very long time, but feels she has no choice after her bully of an uncle – and his wife – force her to leave the home in which she was raised. Even with the rumblings of war on the horizon, she and her friend Viv are excited about what the future holds for them. Both Grace and Viv desperately want to be a shop-girl at Harrod’s, but only Viv has a letter of recommendation – thanks to Grace’s nasty uncle. Without the reference, Grace cannot be hired at Harrod’s. That actually turns out to be one of the best things to ever happen to her – though she doesn’t realize it at the time.

Grace and Viv are renting a room from the best friend of Grace’s deceased mother. Mrs.Weatherford is a wonderful, wonderful character who lost her husband during the first world war and now the ominous drums are beating again. Mrs. Weatherford is a bright, funny, loving, caring lady who dotes on her only child – a son, Colin. Colin is the gentlest of souls and has long been friends with both Grace and Viv.

Since Grace can’t find employment without a reference, Mrs. Weatherford browbeats the owner of Primrose Hill Books, Mr. Percival Evans, into hiring Grace as his assistant. Grace is a bit disappointed in the dusty, disorganized shop, but she can do it for six months until Mr. Evans will write her a recommendation letter. Grace is accustomed to running her uncle’s much larger business and sets off to clean and organize the bookshop – and maybe even bring in more customers. Grace’s only problem is that she isn’t a reader or book lover – but she is a wonderful organizer and salesperson. Well, she isn’t a reader until a tall, handsome, very quiet man named George actually gives her a book to read. It takes her a while to get started – not until after he’s already deployed – but – the gift he left her changes her whole life.

As the war begins, those Grace loves begin to leave for battle – will they return? Grace doesn’t know, but she does know she has to do her own small part. While her friend Viv joined the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service – a branch of the British Army), Grace knew she couldn’t go and leave Mrs. Weatherford all alone since Colin had also deployed. So, Grace continued working at the bookshop until she just felt she had to do more and volunteered to be an ARP Warden (Air Raid Precaution).

While WWII is the background of this book, the real story is Grace and how she comes into her own. With her ARP job, Grace probably saw as much sorrow, death, and carnage as those on the front lines. Her job was a dangerous and harrowing one and she grew into the challenge with more courage and bravery than most men would have displayed. During her days, she brought some happiness to those trapped in war-torn London by reading to them and sharing her newly discovered love of books – and in the evenings, she patrolled her sector – along with her partner Stokes – and helped to save London and her people.

This was an exceptional book and I can definitely recommend it. It is such a deep and meaningful read that I just know you’ll love it as much as I did. For me, the only thing that would have made it better would have been for it to be George on that train at the end rather than Viv. I know the author didn’t want to write a romance – but – there is love and caring even in the depths of wars and it would have felt really nice to see that it survived.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less