The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
A novel of WWII, books, and the great courage, determination, and perseverance of Londoners
Resistance was futile.
World War II, books, London: these three topics, right on the book cover, all together in one place, drew me in immediately.
There are books in this world many of us find unputdownable. This is both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because we have found in a book’s unputdownableness, a new friend, one from whose presence we cannot tear ourselves away, one who is irresistible and adored. And, it’s bad because the very quality we cannot resist is what makes us finish it all the sooner. A reluctant and far-too-early farewell.
Such was my dilemma with The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin. As a storyteller, chronicler, researcher, lover of history, and aficionado of bookshops of all shapes and pedigrees, this book had me in its clutches immediately.
My Grandmothers on Both Sides
I am also a devoted student of World War II. I think this is primarily because I saw how two of my family members were deeply and permanently impacted by the war: my grandmothers on both sides. Mutti, was German and lived and survived in Germany during World War II. (For those who may not know, German civilians suffered absolutely horribly during the war and there are thousands who should be numbered among the victims of the sadistic demoniac Hitler.) Mutti was in Dresden the day before the Allies leveled that beautiful and historic city on the 13th through the 15th of February 1945. She saw Hitler seven times (!) in those massive ego-stroking parades, where the Nazi soldiers goose-stepped proudly before their Fuhrer. I don’t know much more than that, though. She would never talk about it. When I was a (pretty mouthy) preteen, I asked her once why she hadn’t shot Hitler when she saw him. Her response? “We didn’t know.” Hmmppphhh.
My mom’s mom, Grandma, was the love of my young life. She was a stoic Native American woman, not too terribly emotional. Although she definitely didn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, we always knew she carried a deep pain: the loss of her baby brother, Uncle Trini, in the Philippines in World War II, five days after Victory in Europe, or VE, Day. What an incredible waste.
So, because of my grandmothers’ histories, I developed an early fascination with World War II. It’s part of the reason, if not the main reason, I initially longed to visit London, having read so much about the bravery and stalwartness of its people and its wise Prime Minister Winston Churchill who, though quite imperfect (and proudly so), is a hero of mine (as opposed to the dangerously weak Neville Chamberlain who was thankfully got rid of early in the War). London and the rest of Britain were in quite a precarious state during much of WWII — a true David and Goliath scenario for the first few years especially — and yet their heroism and determination ultimately proved victorious and has deeply inspired me.
And, so, I read A LOT of books, both fiction and nonfiction, about London, and the war, and about London during the war.1
The Last Bookshop in London
I love this book. I think this is primarily because author Madeline Martin has the excellent ability to craft a logical and realistic timeline of WWII events in London and then to humanize these events with believable, sympathetic characters she thrusts into the storm of war on the streets of London. By the end of the book, there were so many within its pages who felt like friends to me, especially the protagonist Grace Bennett. She works in a bookshop in London, Primrose Hill Books, at the beginning of the war and helps save many books during the Blitz. She also works as a volunteer Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Warden, saving lives, a few nights a week.
There are many poignant moments in the book that plausibly follow the events occurring within London during the war. Bombings and death are ever-near. I was brought to tears (always the mark of a good book) by a number of beautiful scenes, including one in which Grace who, with many others, has sought safety in the Farringdon Tube Station for the night after the air raid sirens have gone off. She pulls out a book she’s reading, Middlemarch by George Eliot, and is asked to read to the others taking shelter with her. The scene is so lovely in its simple profundity that I can picture it as if it is real. Her reading to fellow underground shelterers becomes a regular occurrence and her listeners begin to anticipate her stories more than the bombs falling overhead.
She brings comfort to fellow frightened Londoners through the power of books.
Throughout the reading of the book, I believed in the characters and their experiences. Having read much about London during this time and knowing the general chain of events, the historical accuracy before and during the Blitz appeared spot-on to me. Indeed, The Last Bookshop in London humanized London’s war timeline, displaying the estimable courage and strength of Londoners in the face of death, indescribable destruction, fire, digging out of rubble, and fear. It is possible to be courageous and strong and afraid at the same time. That was London during WWII. But the city’s citizens all seemed to know that giving in to the fear could mean the death of not only themselves but the entirety of Britain. I think they were correct and that’s why they kept calm and “carried on.” The book conveys this beautifully.
In my next letter, I’ll have a timeline of London’s experiences during the war for you. Should you choose to read this book (and I hope you do!) the timeline may provide valuable context for you to understand what happened in London during the war from the perspective of Londoners (and from the perspective of The Last Bookshop in London.)
Favorite quotes from the book:
“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 everything colored by someone else’s perspective. It’s learning without having to face consequences of failures, and how best to succeed.”
“The spine, not yet stretched, creaked open, like an ancient door preparing to unveil a secret world.”
“Books are what have brought us together. A love of the stories within, the adventures they take us on, their glorious distraction in a time of strife.”
“You can’t save the world, but keep trying in any small way you can.”
“Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.”
“There are many voices Hitler would quiet, especially those who are Jewish. It is the duty of the rest of the world to ensure they will never be silenced.”
“Books are what have brought us together. A love of the stories within, the adventures they take us on, their glorious distraction in a time of strife. And a reminder that we always have hope.”
“But as much as she loved reading the story [The Count of Monte Cristo], no one had prepared her for the end being so bittersweet. No one told her finishing the book would leave her so bereft. It was as though she’d said goodbye for the last time to a close friend.”
“Grace cherished the adventures she went on through those pages, an escape from exhaustion and bombs and rationing. Deeper still was the profound understanding for mankind as she lived in the minds of the characters. Over time, she had found such perspectives made her a more patient person, more accepting of others. If everyone had such an appreciation for their fellow man, perhaps things such as war would not exist.”
“Oh, do stop.” Viv waved her hand. “You know full well we were trying to listen in on you. It was quite rude of you both to speak so softly that we couldn’t hear a word.”
“She smiled through her tears, opened her book and began to read, bringing them all along with her to a world where there were no bombs. There might be loss, and sometimes there may be fear, but there was also courage to face such challenges. For in a world such as theirs, with people of spirit and love, and with so many different tales of strength and victory to inspire, there would always be hope.”
I read a lot of books in general, and Goodreads helps me to find many of them. I can check reviews and star ratings there. And I have adopted their review system as my own: five stars for the most exemplary reads and one star (or no stars) for the abhorrent. Because I usually only choose books from Goodreads that have a rating of 3.8 stars or above, I rarely score a book with one star. And because most books are not perfect or are not nearly perfect (my requirement for five stars), I hardly ever score a book that highly, either. Only the very best and most special books receive five stars like my five all-time favorites: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (and numbers six and seven have five stars, too: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles).
I awarded The Last Bookshop in London five stars! I was a little shocked at myself for this! But it is a good book.
Consider joining me on Goodreads! We can be friends and we can compare books!
[Note: Details in The Blitz by Margaret Gaskin, another five-star page-turner I read a few years ago and highly recommend, greatly informed me in my remembering of what happened to the Londoners during the horrific December 1940 bombing raids during the Blitz.]
Thank you for the book report! It ties well into Veteran's Day and I know many are still fasinated with WWII. I also enjoyed the favorite quotes segment. It caused me to wonder, "I'm curious what will be written, remembered, and recalled of the time we live in now. What will history say about the time of the pandemic and the lockdowns, the push for globalism and the counter response of countries back to traditionalism, religion, and tribalism?"
Thank you for recommending this book. I was raised by my grandparents in Scotland, but they had spent WWII in London. She was a nurse and he was a policeman. They told me many stories. It was a terrible time, and I feel for all the civilians in war zones at the moment.