Madeline Martin

“‘Books are what have brought us together. A love of stories within, the adventures they take us on, their glorious distraction in a time of strife. And a reminder that we always have hope’” (296).

The Last Bookshop in London takes place during the Blitz blackouts and bombings, highlighting the importance of books and the power of words and stories—to inspire, to heal, to escape, to unify. Books, and The Last Bookshop in London, bring people together who need hope in the midst of despair, friendship in the midst of lonely grief, and escapism in the midst of a grim reality.

This beauty from ashes WWII story focuses on the small ways we can be part of the bigger story. There’s a strong sense of duty, of doing one’s part, in this historical fiction book where Grace and Viv and Colin and all the characters, really, try to find their unique purpose in this epic struggle. But, in the end, it’s Mr. Evans who shows Grace that in order to change the world, you don’t have to run headlong into the action, but instead focus on one small act of compassion and courage at a time.… (meer)

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.… (meer)

Zofia Nowak and her friends love to read, but in Warsaw in August 1939, reading has become a radical activity. With a Nazi invasion imminent, Zofia and her friends scramble to read as many Hitler-banned books as they can before they’re confiscated. When the Nazi invasion arrives, Zofia and her father hide the banned books beneath the floor in their apartment, hoping to keep them safe until a time when Poland might be free again. When her father, a physician, is taken off to prison along with so many of Warsaw’s intellectual elite and her best friend, Janina, is confined to the Jewish ghetto, Zofia realizes she herself must join the resistance against the Nazis. The Nazis are trying to control the Polish people by controlling the ideas they have access to; Zofia and a few other librarians find clever ways to continue getting books into hands and education into minds of the people. As the crackdown against the Jewish people gathers strength, Zofia puts her new skills to work hiding away not only the banned books but also the Jewish people she’s helping to smuggle out of the ghetto. Madeline Martin has created a novel that is both heartbreaking and timely. Through Zofia’s eyes, the reader experiences the agonizing separation of families at the hands of the Nazis and the anger that so many Polish people had to tamp down in order to survive. The fear that so many families must have felt as friends and neighbors disappeared and there was no way to know who might be next was so vividly captured. Through it all, Zofia recognizes the hope and love this beloved clutch of hidden books represents and she knows and understands that love in itself is precisely the reason that Hitler wanted the books stamped out in the first place. Zofia reflects, “Books inspired free thought and empathy, an overall understanding and acceptance of everyone". Those of us living in what has always been a "free world" will find parts of this story difficult to read and even more difficult to understand, but may Heaven forbid this ever happen again!… (meer)

In 1939, Zofia and Janina thought the only thing they needed to worry about was finishing high school. Soon their world was rocked by the German Army taking over Poland. They loved books and going to the library. Hitler didn't want any books to exist that went contrary to his plans to take over the world, including destroying books just because they were written by Jewish people and other people he didn't like. For most of the book Zofia is tasked with hiding books before the Nazis could get their hands on them to destroy them. I enjoyed this book and felt it got you into the moment all throughout the book. Since we follow Zofia closely, the book could have been written in first person. which is my preference.… (meer)