Readers will hear of the London bombings which I didn’t know were so often and so devastating, but for the most part bookworms will not want to miss THE LAST BOOKSHOP IN LONDON. As with many aspects of my life, I also drew on being a lifelong reader. I wanted this book to be a celebration of reading and so I reveled in all the aspects I love about reading. The countless times I stayed up way too late one-last-chaptering myself into dawn, how my thoughts dreamily float toward the book I’m reading at any given moment through the day, the way reading simultaneously offers a quiet moment while also opening the doors to the most amazing adventures and also the insight it gives us into how other people live and think. 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.

Grace needs a job but doesn’t have a reference – and isn’t brazen enough to fake it the way that Viv most definitely is. Mr. Evans needs someone to brighten up both the store and his life for reasons that are not apparent when we and Grace first meet him, although his need certainly is. The heroine of The Last Bookshop in London is Grace Bennett. She moves to London with her best friend, Viv, in 1939 prior to the start of the war. The two women live with Grace’s late mother’s best friend, Mrs. Weatherford, and her son, Colin. While Grace had worked tirelessly in her Uncle’s shop in the country, he refuses to give her the necessary letter of recommendation to obtain a department store position. Based upon Mrs. Weatherford’s insistence with the owner, Grace gets a job for six months at Primrose Hill Books. While Grace is not a reader, she dedicates herself to cleaning up and organizing the messy store in hopes of getting the much-needed letter of recommendation so she can go work with Viv at Harrods. Reading is going somewhere without ever taking a train or ship, an unveiling of new incredible worlds. It’s living a life you weren’t born into and a chance to see something coloured by someone else’s perspective. It’s learning without having to face consequences of failures, and how best to succeed.”An amusing, suspenseful, and uplifting historical with heart-warming motifs that have never felt more topical or vital." With... countless nods to classic literature and a heroine possessed of both compassion and grit, The Last Bookshop in London is a treat for historical fiction fans." Mrs. Weatherford learns to cope with her son being gone and with helping others while continuing to take care of Grace. From the bookish goodness, to the rich details of life in London during the bombings and the goings on in Grace’s life. We have a slow-burn side of romance, but the primary focus is Grace, the bookshop and her impact of the surrounding community during these dark and difficult times. When we, along with Grace and her bestie Viv, arrive in London in 1939, Primrose Books is far from the last bookshop in London. It’s just that the rest of them seem to be congregated on Paternoster Row, while Primrose Books is a bit off the beaten path – albeit a bit closer to where Grace and Viv take up lodgings with Mrs. Weatherford.

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. Reading is going somewhere without ever taking a train or ship, an unveiling of new incredible worlds. It’s living a life you weren’t born into and a chance to see something colored by someone else’s perspective. It’s learning without having to face consequences of failures, and how best to succeed.” Madeline Martin lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), one incredibly spoiled cat and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she’s not writing, researching or ‘moming’, you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while giggling over cat videos. She also loves to travel and attributes her love of history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany. 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. This book would definitely be good for a reluctant reader because Grace shares how she turned from a non-reader to one who can’t stop reading and recommending and turning others into readers and book lovers.

Customer reviews

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. 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. Further inspiration can also be drawn on experience. While this might be an unexpected contribution, I genuinely feel like having written over 30 romance novels helped me with the emotion behind The Last Bookshop in London . With romance novels, the intent is to grant people the experience of reliving the thrill of falling in love over and over again. In writing my historical fiction, I implemented that skill to show Grace falling in love with reading. It’s my hope that readers experience falling in love with books all over again through her eyes and recall that wonderful, magical feeling. 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. 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.

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. 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. Thank you for my invitation to participate in the 2021 Historical Fiction Blog Tour for The Last Bookshop in London. Thanks, #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks for my complimentary e ARC of #TheLastBookshopInLondon by @MadelineMMartin upon my request. All opinions are my own. Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, London, Books About Books, “might also be a love story” 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.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. She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), one incredibly spoiled cat and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she’s not writing, researching or ‘moming’, you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while laughing over cat videos. She also loves to travel, attributing her fascination with history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany. The Last Bookshop in London is a wonderful story of friendship, loss and love, and Martin cleverly balances the hardships and heartbreak of wartime London, while at the same time creating an uplifting read. This is the type of story that will have you close to tears one moment, and then somehow smiling the next. An absolutely delightful read.” 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. But the dark clouds of war that have been looming on the horizon much longer than anyone wants to admit turn into a full blown storm of German bombs, just as Grace gets her feet under her in London. A London that is now on fire. Bomb damage from St. Paul’s towards Paternoster Row

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.” After Viv, Grace’s best friend, went to serve in the active military and Weatherford’s son, Colin, was killed in the war, Grace began talking to Evans more and more about her fear that she was not doing enough to help with the war effort. Evans encouraged her to volunteer as an air raid warden. When Grace arrived at the store one morning to find Evans drunk, he admitted that Grace reminded him of his daughter, Alice, who was killed in a car crash. Evans had begun to think of Grace as a daughter and was afraid he might lose her as well. Grace promised to be careful, but she would not give up the job. Author Madeline Martin plausibly injected various components of life in London during WWII within this story. Although I remember a former teacher colleague recalling, how as a child in England during the war, that she had to carry a gas mask to school and that vegetables were to be grown instead of lawns and flowers, I did learn more about the children's evacuations, Anderson (Andy) bomb shelters, household preparations for possible bombings, air raids, anti-gas ointment, Christmas celebrations, victory gardens, and the BBC radio competition called "The Kitchen Front". Some of these references reminded me of some books on my WTR list (e.g. The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen and The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan!)

The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin provides a look inside London during the Blitz by German bombers and the impact on the local population. Inspired by the true World War II history of the few bookshops to survive the Blitz, The Last Bookshop in London is a timeless story of wartime loss, love and the enduring power of literature. It is a must read because of the bookshop setting, London, and the endearing characters. The characters are just so heartwarming and genuine.