This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
The Booklover’s Library is powerful historical fiction about the connection of a mother and daughter during the difficult times of the Second World War. Taking place in Nottingham, England, the book follows the life of young widow Emma Taylor and her 8-year-old daughter, Olivia. Emma secures a job at a lending library despite her status as a widow with a child, because in that time period, married women and widows with children were not permitted to work.
We witness the lives of the women volunteers in detail, and I found it fascinating to see their dedication and ingenuity and the struggles they went through to support the war effort. Details about the constant bomb threats, the rations, and the decision to send children away to safer cities brought the story to life and vividly portrayed the harsh realities of the war. I found the characters “real” and was drawn into the story from the first page. Emma’s struggle to send Olivia away to the country is very relatable, though I’m not a mother myself, and I was frustrated and appalled at how Olivia was treated at these supposed sanctuaries for children.
I couldn’t imagine living in such a high-stress world, where any moment a bomb could drop. Even with advance notice and bomb shelters, there was no certainty that people would get to the shelters in time and that they would actually work.
Although at first glance The Booklover’s Library would appear to focus on a library, the titular library is secondary to the story of the war efforts in England. The love of books and how they connect and inspire people is definitely an important theme throughout the book, but it’s not the primary focus. Since I enjoy historical fiction, that didn’t matter to me, but the branding of the book was definitely off.
Regardless, The Booklover’s Library is a fascinating and poignant story that I would recommend to historical fiction lovers and, in particular, those who want a vivid story of a mother and daughter’s connection through hard times, with a little dash of romance as well.
And if you like this story, you will appreciate Madeline Martin’s other wartime novel, The Last Bookshop in London.
Rated: Mild. There is no coarse language or any sexual content beyond kissing, which is not described in great detail. There is mention of risqué books, but we do not hear any details about their contents. The only content that could be disturbing is the trauma from the war that inevitably follows from constant bombings, deaths, and uncertainty.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Booklover’s Library on Amazon.
