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Loading... The Air Raid Book Club: A Novel (edition 2023)by Annie Lyons (Author)
Work InformationThe Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons
Books Read in 2024 (875) Netgalley Reads (299) Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This novel has all the elements I love - a heartwarming story about love, family and, of course, books. Gertie is an aging widow who is contemplating selling the bookshop she ran with her late husband Harry. As she considers this step, a longtime friend encourages her to take in a child fleeing Hitler's persecution in Germany. And so the teenage Hedy comes into Gertie's life, just as war looms on the horizon. Hedy longs to be reunited with the family she left behind and Gertie struggles to adjust to the changes in her life - changes that continue unabated. Spending more and more time in air raid shelters, Gertie and her staff create the idea of a book club to help their community through trying times. I enjoyed this novel, but I wanted it to be a little more than it was. That said, this is a charming read and recommended for those who enjoy WWII historical fiction. Very readable novel about stepping up to help during WWII. Gertie Bingham misses her husband Harry, and agrees to provide a home to a Jewish teen from Germany. Hedy speaks German and misses her family so their relationship is challenging. But once Hedy makes friends, attends school and begins working at Bingham Books, she learns English quickly. Gertie and Hedy quickly become close. They work together with their community to develop the Air Raid Book Club to keep folks safely busy reading and talking about books during frequent nazi bombings. Sad, but sweet and lovely as well. In London, in 1938, Gertie Bingham is grieving the loss of her husband, Harry. She doesn't know if she can keep going with the bookstore they owned together. Then, when the Germans start threatening Jews, parents begin to send their children far away. Gertie agrees to take in a young woman, Hedy, to protect her. Together, they mourn what they have lost, and try to say safe as WWII is happening. When the air raids begin due to the Blitz, they begin a book club to read during the air raids, helping to keep calm. The idea grows, and people are thankful for the distraction. However, Gertie is still in mourning, and Hedy is concerned that she will never see her family again. This is a tale of loss and love, of family, and those who become family. A good historical novel. no reviews | add a review
"London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn't feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham Books was a dream they shared together, and without Harry, Gertie wonders if it's time to take her faithful old lab, Hemingway, and retire to the seaside. But fate has other plans for Gertie. In Germany, Hitler is on the rise, and Jewish families are making the heart-wrenching decision to send their children away from the growing turmoil. After a nudge from her dear friend Charles, Gertie decides to take in one of these refugees, a headstrong teenage girl named Hedy. Willful and fearless, Hedy reminds Gertie of herself at the same age, and shows her that she can't give up just yet. With the terrible threat of war on the horizon, the world needs people like Gertie Bingham and her bookshop. When the Blitz begins and bombs whistle overhead, Gertie and Hedy come up with the idea to start an air raid book club. Together with neighbors and bookstore customers, they hold lively discussions of everything from Winnie the Pooh to Wuthering Heights. After all, a good book can do wonders to bolster people's spirits, even in the most trying times. But even the best book can only provide a temporary escape, and as the tragic reality of the war hits home, the book club faces unimaginable losses. They will need all the strength of their stories and the bonds they've formed to see them through to brighter days"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Great Expectations
I loved the feel of this story. Gertie was a interesting woman, and I appreciated her love of reading. She felt like a Belle from the 40's, and I liked her character immediately with her zeal for life.
Gertie and Harry's love story was so sweet, and reminded of Carl and Ellie in Disney's "Up". So heartwarming and full of innocence.
The cover and title was what drew me to this story though, and quickly caught my eye in the huge stash of lovely books available to review.
While this was a slower paced book than most that I typically read, it was a nice change and a book I quite enjoyed.
Thank you to William Morrow Publishing for the complimentary e-book I received to review through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts written here are solely my own.
For those who want a content review, read below. :)
Negative Content
Gertie and a friend have a glass of wine together.
Gertie mentions Charles Darwin's misleading book on evolution, "The Origin of Species" and a customer comments that he was a great man. While he may have been smart in some aspects, I don't agree that he was great in regards to his book and his spiritually detrimental theories on creation and evolution. ( )