The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II

Product Information

This novel is a pretty short historical fiction, but it takes you on an emotional roller coaster. The characters are charming and endearing. The main character Grace is very likable, but doesn’t really have any flaws. The novel has calamities, but it doesn’t have much conflict in the plot.

I'd never given that much thought before, how it might have felt for the serving person sending a letter home, only to find out their home, and loved ones, were no longer there. This one passage certainly made me stop and reflect. Recommended: I’m enthusiastically recommending The Last Bookshop in London for WW11 histfic fans, for readers who love stories set in London, for those looking for a story about regular people courageously facing life in difficult times, and for book clubs. The story is surprisingly uplifting in light of its heavy subject matter. August 1939: London is dismal under the weight of impending war with Germany as Hitler’s forces continue to sweep across Europe. Into this uncertain maelstrom steps Grace Bennett, young and ready for a fresh start in the bustling city streets she’s always dreamed of - and miles away from her troubled past in the countryside.

Customer reviews

A handsome customer named George explains to Grace the magic of reading and gives her his much-loved copy of The Count of Monte Cristo prior to leaving for war. Grace soon becomes an avid reader and the business at the bookshop grows. She and George correspond when possible during the war and bond over their love of books. Grace volunteers three nights a week as an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) warden, a job many deem unsuitable for a woman. Grace becomes known for her reading of books inside the local tube station during air raids. The struggles she faces in the midst of the destruction sometimes seem overwhelming. But Grace, like most Londoners, keeps calm and carries on. I devoured this story! I loved Grace and Primrose Hill Books! At its heart, The Last Bookshop in London is a love letter to the power of books to unite us, to hold the world together when it’s falling apart around our ears. This fresh take on what London endured during WWII should catapult Madeline Martin to the top tier of historical fiction novelists. I highly recommend it.” Grace found a job in a bookstore....how fun to arrive in London and to work in a bookshop. Viv worked as a sales clerk at Harrod’s.

Rather, this is a story about ordinary people rising to the occasion, managing through adversity, keeping calm, carrying on and doing their bit to keep themselves, their friends and their neighbors together in the face of their world seeming to fall apart. In spite of the Blitz, the retreat from Dunkirk, the deaths among Grace’s family of choice in London, The Last Bookshop in London is actually a hopeful story. Not just because as readers we know the result of war, but because of the way that the community that Grace has built around herself and the bookstore rallies ‘round and lifts her up – along with themselves – at even the lowest moments of the story. Even though Percival Evans, the man for whom Grace worked, claimed he did not need Grace’s help in his bookstore, Grace began cleaning and organizing the store as a way to be useful. Evans demonstrated his appreciation for Grace’s work when he discouraged a fellow shop owner trying to lure Grace into working for him. Then, Evans also raised Grace’s salary. He showed interest in her well-being when she agreed to have tea with George Anderson by telling her George was a good man. He warned her not to rush and marry before the war started. Heroine Grace Bennett’s story is centered around a small, much older bookshop, Primrose Hill Books, during wartime London. This is a story of hope and courage during the darkest of days. Grace and her best friend move to London, but without any references Grace has to take the only job offered - a clerk at a bookstore. The problem she faces at her new job is she’s not a reader. She meets a customer George who introduces her to The Count of Monte Cristo. From there she goes on to more books, finding pleasure in reading and enjoying George’s frequent visits to the bookshop. Then Britain declares war on Germany. George is a pilot and is called into service. Through written letters, a romance blooms between Grace and George.Grace and Viv left their small home town of Drayton and moved to London to get away from an uncle and overbearing parents. They had no idea things would get as bad as they did. Inspired by real events, this heart-warming story is a delight to read. Depicting quiet triumph or tragedy, and the universal need of us all to find friendship, hope and a place where we can make a difference. This is a story that will leave the reader with a few tears, but still a feeling of warmth. Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, London, Books About Books, “might also be a love story” As the women are alone, Grace learns the beauty of books and how they can take you to another place and keep the story with you. I've read a lot of historical fiction novels which base themselves around WWII, but I think that this is the first time I've read a story totally from the perspective of a civilian. Someone non-military, not a doctor, not a nurse, not as someone working in the resistance movement. Grace Bennett is a young woman who has travelled to London in the hope of a better life. But Grace has something in common with a lot of people in these novels - she has resilience; she's brave, she's generous and, she's supportive.

I had many inspirations when writing my recently released New York Times bestselling historical fiction, The Last Bookshop in London . But then, it’s so easy to draw ideas from history with its powerful impact and incredible stories. This was an utterly charming read, and I was definitely charmed by it. I’m saying that in spite of, just yesterday, claiming that I seemed to be suffering from a bit of WW2 historical fiction fatigue. It appears that that book just wasn’t the right book, where The Last Bookshop in London definitely was. Grace’s Primrose Books may not have actually been the “Last Bookshop in London” even in the story. But Paternoster Row, the center of the British publishing industry, was destroyed during the Blitz as described herein, taking most of London’s bookstores along with it.All things weren’t great, though. The children in London were taken from their parents and sent to the country, and George and Colin, their landlady’s son, were sent off to war leaving Grace, Viv, and Mrs. Weatherford alone. During times of crisis, who can deny the comfort of books and reading? Deftly written, and testament to survival in a challenging time, this book is a soothing and reassuring read."

It was a sad sight to behold, however, when a postman stood behind a home reduced to a pile of rubble with a letter held in his hand. Madeline Martin is a New York Times and International Bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin drew me in with its World War 11 time period and bookshop setting in London. Rich, captivating and well written Madeline Martin pulled me into the story and endeared me to these characters.August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and drawn curtains that she finds on her arrival are not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London. Inspiration as an author can come in many forms. It can be an event that once happened or a person you know or have read about, it can even be an experience you yourself have had that manifests itself into a scene for your next book. All it takes is a grain of sand caught in the folds of your brain to work itself into a gleaming pearl. It’s 1939 and with the threat of an impending war with Hilter, Grace Bennett and her best friend Viv, set out to London to live in the home of her late mother’s best friend. Without a letter of referral from her Uncle, Mrs. Weatherford secures her a position at the Primrose Hill Book Store with its owner the, curmudgeonMr. Evans. Therefore, I looked forward to hearing about her work life at Primrose Hill Bookshop, her volunteer work as an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) warden, and her personal life with her friends, her acquaintances, and her budding love interest.