The Last Bookshop in London is a gentle walk through a horrible time in history, WW2. Through hardly mentioned circumstances, Grace and Viv end up at a family friend's house to weather the war. During this time, Grace finds employment at a bookshop, and so the story is told.

The story touches on the horrors of death and destruction during the Blitz, while Grace finds new solace in books and being a night warden in charge of ensuring citizens adhere to the blackout mandates. The story finds Grace growing with her books and her evening volunteerism and shows how the neighborhood comes together as a community through difficult times. There is mention of a budding romance with an RAF pilot, but it is but a blip in the story.

While not hard-hitting, the Last Bookshop is still a worthwhile read through a WW2 setting. But, then again, I am a sucker for all things WW2. ( )

Amazing historical WWII fiction that reminds us book lovers what it feels like to fall in love with reading. ( )

I very much enjoyed this book. How Martin manages to spin a story about being a street warden in the middle of the Blitz that is simultaneously tense and yet comforting is some serious alchemy.

Not deep. Not earth-shattering. But well written and characters who avoid obviousness (mostly). If you're looking for something vivid but not grim, with really telling details that bring history to life, give this a try.

ps: Evidently Ms. Martin is known for her romance novels, but this is not one. It is historic fiction with a budding relationship that remains mostly in the background. Front and center is what life was like for a young woman and her friends (of all ages) in London during the eight months of relentless Nazi bombing. ( )

This WWII era novel manages to keep a cozy feel while honestly dealing with the reality of living in London during that time. Our heroine, Grace, moves to the big city with her best friend. She’s been pushed out of her childhood home by her heartless Uncle but she finds a soft spot to land in the home Mrs. Weatherford, her late mother’s best friend. Mrs. Weatherford helps her get a job working at a bookstore, and it’s a joy to see our main character move from hesitantly dusting the stacks to confidently setting up displays and staying up late to read as she discovers a love for books. She also discovers a love for something – or rather someone – as a patron of the bookstore takes a fancy to her. But the realities of war means that they must be separated, that Grace must endure many bombings, and that quite a few losses must be coped with. The true heart of this book is how the residents of London rally around their bookstore and the place that reading has in their lives, which makes it utterly satisfying in the end. Read this one when you are in the mood for cozy mixed with a little bit of grim. ( )

A protagonist in a bookshop who doesn’t love books…that’s new…

When Grace and her friend Viv set out for London, they could never have imagined they were about to live through one of the most devastating experiences in the city's history. Viv works her dream job while Grace is hired in a position that is not necessarily her cup of tea. However, she finds out it's exactly where she needed to be at the time.

I usually avoid stories that take place during war time because I have three sons ages 18-21 and the thought of them all getting drafted up in the near future freaks me right out. This was a difficult story to read in that sense, but it had some pretty amazing parts too and I learned a lot about this time in history. (Downside of my fearful avoidance is that I don't know much about the history of modern wars...)

I felt like the writing fell short more often than not as the author struggled to write natural sentences that people would speak naturally. I don't know how to really describe what I'm getting at but so much of it had that Victorian flowery formality---like Louisa May Alcott (is it for kids? is it for adults?)---that made it hard to really relate to anyone. I think part of it was that it was obviously an American trying to write about a culture she's probably mostly experienced through TV and movies. I would have really loved to have read more about the books Grace was reading and selling---rather than just mentions of the same obvious classics. Like American bookstores, British bookstores are packed with lots of different books from lots of different authors and eras, and classics make up a tiny minority of the offerings. Clunky dialogue clashed with some pretty vivid descriptive writing of scenes and situations to make something I'm glad I read but probably wouldn't read again. ( )