My book club read The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin in April/May and were lucky enough to have the author join us for a final Zoom. During that call, we learned about The Booklover's Library, so I immediately came to NetGalley to request it.
My Thoughts:
The Booklover's Library follows Emma, a widow raising her young daughter Olivia alone in London. She convinces the manager at a subscription library to take a chance on her for employment, with most jobs being closed to widows. And, with WW2 raging and the Blitz happening around them, Emma receives instructions to evacuate Olivia to the country for her own protection. Independent to a fault, Emma must depend on those around her for survival. I so loved this book! Learning about the private libraries in England was so interesting, that people paid for the opportunities to access new titles as the public libraries typically stocked classics. Emma's story was compelling, especially the choices she had to make as a widow and the obstacles she faced at every turn. Despite not having a spouse to help provide, so many doors were shut to these women while still having children to raise. One could really feel the discrimination and judgment Emma faced in all the decision she made in raising Olivia on her own.
About The Booklover's Library:
In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job. She and her beloved daughter Olivia have always managed just fine on their own, but with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her with a job.
When the threat of war in England becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In the wake of being separated from her daughter, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, and a renewed sense of purpose through the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing and the work at the lending library forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.
As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.
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