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Title details for The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin - Wait list

The Booklover's Library

A Novel

by Madeline Martin
ebook
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USA TODAY BESTSELLER
"A must-read for booklovers." —Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana
A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.
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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 10, 2024

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780369747006

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780369747006
      • File size: 1913 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      July 1, 2024

      When war was declared in 1939, British life turned upside down. For Martin's (The Last Bookshop in London) protagonist Emma Taylor, war compounds the horror of losing her father in a fire in his beloved bookshop 10 years earlier. Now a widow and single parent to young daughter Olivia, Emma is facing penury. At the time, Boots the Chemist ran a subscription service called the Booklover's Library, catering to middle- and upper-middle-class customers. Luck puts Emma in the Booklover's Library at just the moment when it needs a new staff member, but the marriage bar denies employment to married women and widows. Recognizing that Emma has the necessary skills to help run the Booklover's Library, Miss Bainbridge, the library manager, employs her on the condition that she pretends that she is unmarried and that Olivia is her sister. The Booklover's Library becomes Emma's solace, especially when Olivia is evacuated to the countryside to protect her from Nazi bombing raids. Martin's book captures the terrible loneliness of parents forced to evacuate their children and the misery of wartime in general. VERDICT A hopeful, compelling and well-written read about the redemptive power of books, libraries, friendship, and love.--Penelope J.M. Klein

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      Starred review from September 15, 2024
      Emma Taylor thought she would never work in a bookshop again after the disastrous fire that took her father's life and turned the Tower Bookshop into a heap of ashes. But the Booklover's Library is an unexpected oasis of calm in the back of a chemist's shop, and the fact that Emma even got the job is surprising; most stores in 1940s England don't hire married women. But Miss Bainbridge remembers Emma's father and his bookstore fondly. She allows Emma to go by Miss Taylor so as not to raise suspicion. As a young widow, Emma dearly needs the salary to keep her and her young daughter afloat. But as news of the brutal war in Europe starts creeping closer to home, even the peace of the Booklover's Library becomes compromised. Martin (The Keeper of Hidden Books, 2023) infuses The Booklover's Library with an array of historical details, highlighting the strength and courage needed from every citizen in a wartime effort. The novel is a feast for the senses--the sound of air-raid sirens, the taste of rationed butter, the smell of freshly brewed tea--and is sure to appeal to fans of Anne Leigh Parrish, Jan Karon, and Patricia Harman.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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