Title: The Wartime Book ClubAuthor: Kate Thompson
Published by: Forever on Apr. 9, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 512
Format: Paperback
Source: HBG Canada
Book Rating: 10/10
The Isle of Jersey was once a warm and neighborly community, but in 1943, German soldiers patrol the cobbled streets, imposing a harsh rule.
Nazis have ordered Grace La Mottée, the island’s only librarian, to destroy books that threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories away in secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, she wants to fight back. So she forms the Wartime Book Club: a lifeline, offering fearful islanders the joy and escapism of reading.
But as the occupation drags on, the women’s quiet acts of bravery become more perilous – and more important – than ever before. And when tensions turn to violence, they are forced to face the true, terrible cost of resistance . . .
Based on astonishing real events, The Wartime Book Club is a love letter to the power of books in the darkest of times – as well as a moving page-turner that brings to life the remarkable, untold story of an island at war.
Review:
Rich, absorbing, and sincere!
The Wartime Book Club is a poignant, immersive tale set on the Isle of Jersey during 1943 that takes you into the lives of Grace La Mottée, a resilient, kindhearted librarian and her best friend and local postal worker Beatrice Gold as they do whatever they can to entertain, protect, and fight back against the Nazi Germans who invade and occupy their homeland during WWII.
The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are brave, tormented, and determined. And the plot is an exceptionally touching tale about life, loss, family, secrets, separation, desperation, tragedy, survival, love, the horrors of war, and the power of literature.
Overall, The Wartime Book Club is a moving, emotional, beautifully written tale by Thompson inspired by real-life events that reminds us that survival of any kind often involves heartbreaking choices, moral dilemmas, action, spirit, extreme loss, and beyond all else, unimaginable courage and sacrifice.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to HBG Canada & Forever for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Kate Thompson
Kate Thompson was born in London and worked as a journalist for women's magazines and national newspapers before becoming a novelist. Over the past ten years, Kate has written twelve fiction and nonfiction titles, three of which have made the Sunday Times top ten bestseller list. She now lives in Sunbury with her husband, two sons, and two rescued Lurcher dogs, Ted and Saphhie.
Photo courtesy of Author's Website.
