London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn’t feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham Books was a dream they shared together, and without Harry, Gertie wonders if it’s time to take her faithful old lab, Hemingway, and retire to the seaside. But fate has other plans for Gertie.
In Germany, Hitler is on the rise, and Jewish families are making the heart-wrenching decision to send their children away from the growing turmoil. After a nudge from her dear friend Charles, Gertie decides to take in one of these refugees, a headstrong teenage girl named Hedy. Willful and fearless, Hedy reminds Gertie of herself at the same age, and shows her that she can’t give up just yet. With the terrible threat of war on the horizon, the world needs people like Gertie Bingham and her bookshop.
When the Blitz begins and bombs whistle overhead, Gertie and Hedy come up with the idea to start an air raid book club. Together with neighbors and bookstore customers, they hold lively discussions of everything from Winnie the Pooh to Wuthering Heights. After all, a good book can do wonders to bolster people’s spirits, even in the most trying times.
But even the best book can only provide a temporary escape, and as the tragic reality of the war hits home, the book club faces unimaginable losses. They will need all the strength of their stories and the bonds they’ve formed to see them through to brighter days. ---bn.com
This is my first book from Annie Lyons, but it won't be my last. I didn't know what to expect when I opened the pages, but I'm so glad I did. For being under 400 pages, Annie packs so much into her story. She gives you the good and the bad, the highs and the lows of life during war.
Gertie is still mourning the loss of her beloved husband, Harry, who she lost 2 years prior. Having met in her father's bookstore, they went on to open their own: Bringham Books. It becomes a local gem and they grow close to their neighbors and customers. Everywhere she looks within it's walls, Gertie feels the loss of him. Just as she's made the decision to sell the store and move elsewhere, World War 2 is declared and life changes.
When London becomes a target area, Gertie forms a book club to distract from the dropping bombs. A book is assigned each month and discussions are had about it in the bomb shelters. When a neighbor of Gertie's moves next door with her little son, she makes a children's book club for him. Bit by bit, the community becomes more tight knit.
Gertie's life is forever changed when her good friend, Charlie, asks if she would be interested in taking on a refugee from Germany. Being half Jewish, this child is being sent to London for her safety, with her family planning on joining her as soon as they can. Gertie has no idea what she's in for when she picks up Hedy Fischer, 15, from the train station. After a rough start, they begin to bond and grow close. In time, Hedy becomes the daughter Gertie never had. Gertie becomes Hedy's biggest fighter/supporter. During the course of the war, they fill the void left empty in the other's life.
I loved watching the community form into a family. The romances that formed, the friendships that grew out of the most unlikely of people. Under the most devastating times, these people helped each other through the nightmare. They held each other when heartbreaking news found it's way to their doors. They celebrated the good moments. Cried tears of loss and joy together. Lives were forever changed as they navigated the war together.
Annie Lyons wrote an amazingly touching story that hasn't left me once I finished the last page. She didn't gloss over the heartbreak that comes with war- she puts her characters through what really goes on during war. By the time you finish the book, you will have traveled the emotional map. You experience the good, the bad, the highs, the lows, the love and loss each of the characters did in the course of the book. It was well written and told beautifully.
