Especially in this season, I’m thankful for you, reader, and I hope you’ll have a few moments to reflect on who and what you’re thankful for.
This month, I’m pleased to offer both a book review and an interview with the author! I hope you enjoy them!
My Review:
In this moment, The Air Raid Book Club might be just the right read for you, as it was for me. Although the story is set in England during the dark days of the Blitz in World War II, many of this novel’s characters reveal a refreshing humanity and care for each other that often seems missing in the world today.
Many twists and turns, with both sparkling and grievous moments, immerse readers in the story of Gertie, an ordinary woman who owns a bookstore in Beechwood, a non-descript section of southeast London. She ponders, what can she can do to counter fear and despair? These are her eventual responses: • She starts a book club, bringing people together to discuss books, forge ideas, and inspire history • She takes in Hedy, a Jewish teen refugee from Germany
In spite of Gertie’s good intentions, Hedy doesn’t bond well with her host. One of this novel’s strong points is the clear portrayal of how their relationship, and those of other characters, evolve through the story.
Major Characters:
Gertie—protagonist, a humble heroine who brings people together Harry—Gertie’s sweet husband Charles—friend of Gertie’s husband, a supportive friend to Gertie after her husband’s death Hedy—German teen whom Gertie takes in from the Kindertransport, saving her from the Nazis Margery Fortescue—wealthy widow with a strong personality
Strengths: Clear, heart-warming portrayal of how characters’ relationships evolve through the story Satisfying ending Variety of characters, each with a distinct personality and viewpoint Author’s skill in weaving literature and bookshops into the story
Weakness: Although this novel includes plenty of action to propel the story forward, it also includes passages containing characters’ reflections, so it probably won’t be a good fit for readers who prefer action adventure thriller stories
Content review: Includes violence and death connected with World War II and the Blitz
My recommendation: If you enjoy a historically accurate story that’s warm-hearted and life-affirming, while not shying from the tragic details of the Blitz in WWII, I would recommend The Air Raid Book Club.
Author Interview with Annie Lyons:
What triggered your decision to create this story?
There were many sources of inspiration for this book, one of them being Eudora Honeysett, the main character from my previous novel. I had so enjoyed writing the flashback scenes in that book, transporting the reader back to the Second World War and other moments in history, that I decided I wanted to write my first full historical fiction novel. It was 2021, in the middle of the pandemic and I had noticed how communities were supporting one another during these difficult times. It made me think about similarities with how communities rallied during the Second World War and the seed of an idea was planted. Added to this, I’ve always wanted to write a novel set in a bookshop about the power of books and reading and how important they can be in dark times. Gertie began to emerge as I found myself struggling to read or engage with stories for a while and I imagined a character who was ready to give up on her bookshop and move away. Hedy’s character came about after I read and listened to accounts of Jewish children who fled Nazi Germany before the start of the Second World War. It was their spirit of optimism and hope which inspired me to write this story as Hedy and Gertie’s bond grows through a love of books and reading.
It’s obvious that you do careful research in the development of your scenes and characters. What sources helped you fill in the details and context for this novel?
Research was tricky as I was writing this book during lockdown so the internet became my best friend! The Imperial War Museum online was a huge source of information. It’s a fantastic resource. Online, I listened to accounts of Kindertransport children, now adults, who came to live in the UK. Their stories and spirit were a big source of inspiration. I also love the BBC’s archived resource, The People’s War. It’s a treasure trove of personal stories which are often heartbreaking, often funny but all completely wonderful. I read a great deal too. Millions Like Us by Virginia Nicholson was a book which started as a springboard for the whole idea as it deals with the role of women during the war. I also had to understand bookselling from the start of the twentieth century and found a wonderful book called ‘The Truth About Bookselling’ by Thomas Joy.
What was the biggest surprise in researching this story?
How the role of women changed forever as a result of the Second World War. They literally went from sitting in the passenger seat to driving the truck!
What’s the ratio of fact to fiction in this story?
The bones of the story are all factual. I followed the course of the Second World War and its events as closely as I could. The fictionalized parts are the town of Beechwood itself and Bingham Books. As I was writing this novel during lockdown and couldn’t visit bookshops, it was a treat to be able to create one from my imagination!
What were the most challenging aspects of writing this novel?
Deciding which historical details to include and which to leave out! I love history and am particularly fascinated by the Second World War so I’d often get lost down research rabbit holes and probably have enough material for at least another five books!
What did you enjoy about writing this novel?
I loved so much of it. Losing myself in the past was particularly wonderful. I’d also always wanted to write a book set in a bookshop so this was a dream come true and choosing the books for Gertie and Hedy’s book club (and the quotations which start each chapter) really appealed to my booklover’s heart.
Beyond entertainment, what would you want a reader to walk away with after reading The Air Raid Book Club?
To remember this part of history and the profound effect it had on the world and to be proud of the role that women played during that time.
This month, I’m pleased to offer you a review of a novel I recently enjoyed.
With its title, The Women of Chateau Lafayette, you might expect a biography of Lafayette’s wife, but this novel offers much more.
This amazing time slip novel draws readers into three distinct eras, separated by generations but united in several ways:
Each takes place in one of history’s darkest hours
Each is set at least partially at Castle Chavaniac, the residence of Gilbert Lafayette, the Frenchman who helped the American colonies win their independence so long ago
Each female protagonist’s efforts culminated in heroism at Chavaniac
Summary of each time period:
(includes protagonists; kept general to avoid spoilers)
Revolutionary era: After helping American colonists win their independence from the British, Gilbert Lafayette returns to France a hero and helps spark the French Revolution, which goes terribly wrong. His family and the French nation suffer grievously. Gilbert’s wife, Adrienne, must navigate between the values of her wealthy noble family and Gilbert’s ideals of democracy, political liberty, and religious freedom. Her heroism will surprise or even shock readers.
In World War I, Beatrice, whose marriage to William “Willie” Astor Chanler, elevated her from humble beginnings, finds her passion in creating the Lafayette Memorial Fund, first supplying care packages for French soldiers in the trenches, and then helping refugee children orphaned by the war. Her husband buys Castle Chavaniac for her, and she manages its transformation into a sanctuary for displaced children and orphans. She is torn between her failed marriage and a new life with a kind Frenchman who loves and supports her.
During World War II, Marthe, an orphan who grew up at Castle Chavaniac, now teaches there. She must come to terms with her identity, as well as deciding how she can live out her ideals with integrity during and after the Nazi occupation of France.
Other major characters:
Maxime Furlaud—a banker and military officer; Beatrice’s French romantic interest
Victor Chapman—Willie’s nephew, close to Beatrice and Willie; an American architecture student who joined the French Foreign Legion
Emily Sloane—Beatrice’s American friend who works with her to gather aid and work at Chavaniac
Baron Amaury de LaGrange—husband of Emily Sloane; interim president of Preventorium at Chavaniac after Fall of France Riom Trial
Anne—daughter of Emily and Amaury, contemporary of Marthe
Yves Travert—small-town policeman who keeps an eye on Chavaniac and Marthe; he must cooperate somewhat with the Gestapo
Madame Pinton—mother of Marthe’s fiancé, she plays an unexpected role
Strengths:
This is a fascinating novel, with its three linked plots, all strong, well-portrayed, and providing windows into life in France in each era.
Weakness:
Three time frames and sets of characters can lead to confusion for readers, who may benefit from taking a few notes as they read.
Content review:
This novel doesn’t shy away from the violence of war, or expressions of the major characters’ sexuality.
My recommendation:
Readers who enjoy historical fiction steeped with romance and values (both personal and societal) will find The Women of Chateau Lafayette a rewarding and thought-provoking read.
Reader, do you have a favorite time slip historical novel?
My writing update:
I continue to sift through the comments of my beta-readers and polish my upcoming novel, Lucia’s Journey.
Have you ever encountered art, literature, or music that impacted you in a way you can’t forget?
This month, we discuss a historical novel about a painting that altered several lives, and a work of history in which opera changed two ordinary lives, which in turn saved numerous lives.
But first:join me and three other historical novelists on October 17th on Zoom for “Women Breaking the Rules: Heroines in Historical Fiction.” To join us for the discussion, sign up (no charge) at:
How can a novel about a painting keep you turning the pages?
Susan Vreeland, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue, pulls this off with 8 chapters that work on their own as short stories, but leave readers wanting more.
With its focus on a Dutch painting, this novel (published in 1999) explores the artwork’s origins, the paths it traveled over the centuries, and its impact on individuals who possessed it.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue has likely served as a model for authors of more recent novels with through lines consisting of objects (especially of art) rather than individual people.
Characters:
Beginning with the painting’s most recent owner, going back in time to the girl the artist portrayed, the author reveals the core of each personality through his or her relationship with the painting.
I would spoil the story if I mentioned the relationship of each character to the novel as a whole. So, while I must avoid comments about specific characters, I can mention the topics these stories bring up:
The position of girls and women in earlier times
Artists’ economically vulnerable professions
Calamitous floods in the Netherlands
Execution of “witches”
The “Middle Passage” slave trade
Nazi looting of art treasures owned by Jews
Above all, the individual stories show how the painting at the heart of this novel revealed or changed the character of each owner.
Strengths:
The author’s creative connection of the stories is part of the wonder of this novel.
She uses key details to create a distinct setting for each of the 8 stories.
In a brief space, she develops each character and his/her relationship to the painting.
Weakness:
If a reader hopes for a single set of characters throughout the novel, s/he won’t find it in this novel.
Content review:
The novel contains references to physical intimacy, but not extensively throughout the novel.
My Recommendation:
Although this novel isn’t lengthy, it covers much ground. If evocative, well-written stories combining a painting, people, and their times interest you, you’ll enjoy Girl in Hyacinth Blue.
I love to read about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, especially when the stories are true—and I hope you do, too.
In Overture of Hope, two unassuming British sisters show their courage and heroism during World War II, venturing into Nazi territory to rescue Jewish opera stars facing extermination.
Author Isabel Vincent reveals the true story of how in the 1920s, Ida and Louise developed a passion for opera by listening to vinyl records, and she shows where that led them. They loved to attend live opera so much they took brown-bag lunches to work and saved their meager salaries to buy tickets (standing in line for discounts, of course) to operas in London.
Ida, the outgoing younger sister, took the lead in reaching out to visiting opera stars, such as Amelita Galli-Curci. Bold correspondence led to fan relationships with luminaries. By the time Hitler came to power, the sisters had established friendships with several stars and often conversed with them backstage when they came to London.
Among their operatic friends, Austrian conductor Clemens Krauss and his wife, soprano Viorica Ursuleac, became controversial because of their collaboration with Hitler. At the same time, they enlisted the aid of Ida and Louise to help Jewish opera singers escape from Nazi-occupied lands.
Ida’s success as a romance novelist enabled the sisters to travel as opera tourists who often arranged singers’ and families’ escapes, as well as smuggling out the priceless jewelry of the Jewish people they assisted.
Characters:
They are shown as the very human individuals they were—even the heroines weren’t perfect.
Ida – years into adult life, she found success as a romance novelist. Later in life, she enjoyed recounting the stories of what she did in the war
Louise – quiet, shy, she lived in her younger sister’s shadow the majority of her life
Strengths:
Exciting plot, well-researched
Weakness:
Sometimes a bit more repetition of facts than readers need
Content review:
Includes accounts of Nazi persecution and acts of cruelty, although not in graphic detail
My Recommendation:
If you enjoy a heroic story involving characters from the world of opera, and you’d like to learn more about what happened in the opera world during the war, this is a book for you.
Reader, what works of art, literature, or music have changed your life?
How could a tobacco-chewing, defiant, small Polish peasant woman thwart the Nazis’ attempt to exterminate the Jews?
As summer begins in the northern hemisphere, I hope you’ll have opportunities to get away from normal routines, relax and read—perhaps J.L. Witterick’s My Mother’s Secret.
This short historical novel is based on the lives of Franciszka and Helena, a Polish mother and daughter recognized as “the Righteous among the Nations” in Israel.
In the midst of the German occupation of Poland in World War II, they risked everything to save the lives of people they barely knew.
The author weaves the stories of these desperate people with the lives of Franciszka and Helena, crafting a suspense-filled plot that keeps readers turning the pages.
Characters:
Helena – narrator, protagonist, and daughter of Franciszka. Her mother and brother shape her character, but she must make difficult choices on her own.
Franciszka – Helena’s mother, the heroine of the story, hides two Jewish families and a German soldier. She says “If you choose to do the right thing, it’s a conscious decision at first…Your actions with time become your character.” Her life exemplifies her words, and readers will root for her.
Bronek – Jewish carpenter who appeals for help for somewhere to hide his family from the Nazis
Mikolaj – son of prominent Jewish doctor whose family also needs a place to hide from the Nazis
Vilheim – young German vegetarian who values every living being. After being drafted into the GermanArmy, he’s disgusted by the Nazis’ actions and deserts. If caught, he will face death by firing squad.
Strengths:
This story cuts to the core of every character and reveals how each one responds to danger and moral dilemmas.
Weakness:
Heroic characters seem almost too good to be true.
Content review:
Contains references to violence that occurs offstage.
My recommendation:
According to publishing industry veteran, Howard Wells, My Mother’s Secret is “authentic and reads like poetry.” From my perspective, this novel is a quick read that was hard to put down, with characters, events, and themes that challenged me to reflect on what I would do in similar circumstances. I hope you’ll consider it as a worthy addition to your reading list.
Reader, can you recommend a story of heroism to inspire other readers?
If you know any librarians, can you imagine them as heroic spies?
Neither can I, so Madeline Martin’s recent novel, The Librarian Spy, sparked my curiosity.
I discovered a spy-filled World War II story set in Lyon, France, and an intriguing, new-to-me location—Lisbon, Portugal.
Here’s the plot in a nutshell:
The Allied Special Libraries and Information Bureau in Lisbon brought in research librarians from the U.S. and U.K to track down facts about clear or possible Nazi plans and activities, which helped shorten the war.
At the same time, German spies in Lisbon soughtinformation about Allied plans.
Into this mix arrived a constant flow of refugees (especially Jewish) seeking safe refuge from parts of Europe under threat or occupation by the Nazis.
In occupied Lyon, France, under threat of torture or immediate execution, the Resistance continues to work actively against the Nazis, printing and distributing truthful news about the progress of the war and the Nazis’ crimes.
The stories begun in these two locales converge at a certain point in the story (sorry, no spoiler here!)
Characters:
Each must make heart-wrenching choices with potentially fatal consequences:
which risks to take
whom to trust
whom to help
Most are heroic, so readers will root for many, among them:
Ava Harper – 1st protagonist, she’s a Rare Book librarian recruited from the Library of Congress to aid the U.S. intelligence effort in Portugal
James MacKinnon – Brit in Lisbon who takes an interest in Ava, who thinks he works for the Special Libraries and Information Bureau
Elaine Rousseau (alias of Hélène Bélanger) – 2nd protagonist; she’s a resident of Lyon, France, who sympathizes with the Resistance, but her husband, Joseph, forbids her from volunteering and scolds her for not being a proper Vichy wife
Etienne – Joseph’s best friend, he connects Elaine with the Resistance
Josette, Nicole, Denise, and Manon – all Resistance sympathizers in Lyon who interact with Elaine
Sarah – Jewish refugee desperate to escape with her young son, Noah, to join her husband in the U.S.
Kommander Werner – cruel German known for torturing Resistance captives in Lyon so they would reveal names of their fellow anti-Nazi sympathizers
Strengths:
This suspenseful story keeps readers on the edge of their seats, while weaving in setting details and interesting information that’s not widely known about Portugal and Lyon in World War II.
Weakness:
Although this is a compelling story, a major premise is fictional. This may disappoint readers seeking a completely historically-accurate novel. The author admits that the U.S. sent no women librarians to Portugal during World War II to uncover potentially useful information.
Content review:
Descriptions of violence committed by the Nazis will make this story disturbing for some, especially young readers.
I recommend The Librarian Spy, an entertaining and informative dual-protagonist novel, to readers who enjoy suspenseful reading about the World War II era, with a fresh twist.
Reader, what are your favorite novels of World War II?
I hope you’ll find good cheer in this season! As my contribution, I’m reviewing a recent novel,The Last Bookshop in London, an inspiring story of the power of books, courage, friendship, and hope as London endures the Blitz during World War II.
London, 1939. Grace, a young woman from a small town in Norfolk, arrives in the big city, desperate for a job. She lands a temporary position at a run-down bookstore, but she’s not a reader and has little interest in books. Then the Blitz, Germany’s effort to bomb England into submission, begins. Britons’ responses often put them in conflict with each other, even as people needed to unite to survive this dire threat to their nation’s existence.
How much of this story is based on facts vs. fiction?
Author Madeline Martin answers this question in a blog post:
“Aside from the characters and Primrose Hill Books itself, everything is as true to history as was possible for me to make it. Even the location of the bombings and when they occurred (with one exception) are exactly how they were recorded in history.”
How did the author come to understand her characters’ world?
She used the following sources:
Books
Personal eyewitness accounts
Photos taken before, during, and after the war
Videos and sound bites
Characters: (a few of the many)
Grace, the protagonist – young and naïve at the start, the story’s events force her to make choices that help her mature
Mr. Evans – owner of Primrose Hill Books, his depression adds to Grace’s doubts about working at the bookstore
Mrs. Weatherford – Grace’s host in London, a support to Grace. In the face of tragedy, she must find new strength and purpose.
George Anderson – Grace’s love interest, he’s a lover of books who joins up to fight the Germans.
Mr. Stokes – an Air Raid Precautions warden partnered with Grace to monitor blackout compliance during the Blitz. His attitude and beliefs challenge Grace.
Jimmy – orphan who hesitates to trust anyone after his parents are killed in the Blitz.
Strengths: The well-crafted plot, telling details, and sympathetic characters combine to create a page-turner that’s both entertaining and educational.
Weakness:Happy endings for the surviving characters leave readers on a positive note, but they seemed a bit unrealistic after the tragedies of World War II and the Blitz.
Content review: Descriptions of death and injuries, but no profanity or physical intimacy.
I recommend The Last Bookshop in London. This novel’s time setting could have made it depressing. Instead, Madeline Martin skillfully weaves a plot that doesn’t avoid the terror and death of this harrowing time, but ends in personal transformation and national unity.
