The Wartime Book Club is the page-turning story of two best friends surviving the German occupation of Jersey during WWII.

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, WWII, Book About Books, Friendship, Jersey (Channel Islands)

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My Summary of The Wartime Book Club:

Thanks #NetGalley @GrandCentralPub (Forever) for a complimentary e ARC of #TheWartimeBookClub upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In the difficult years of WWII, many residents of St Helier, Jersey (Channel Islands) turn to books for comfort and distraction. For best friends Grace Le Motte (librarian) and Bea Rose (postal worker), the library becomes a tangible symbol of resistance. The Wartime Book Club is a story of wartime occupation, friendship, endurance, bravery, the power and joy of books, and resistance.

My Thoughts:

Book About Books

It’s fitting during National Library Week (U.S.) that I’m featuring a story with a library setting and a librarian as a main character. I love a book about books! In this story, the author begins each chapter with a book banned by Hitler and the reason why. Historically interesting information to ponder. The story also explores the idea of hiding banned books, running a book club with minimal resources, operating under constant surveillance, and the logistics of lending books (including the banned ones).

Main Characters

Grace and Bea are likable and memorable characters. Grace is the quiet to Bea’s feisty, and they make a fabulous team as they care for their families and community, deal with the occupation, and face tragedy. Stories with characters like these always make me wonder what I would do in similar circumstances.

Book Club

The library book club must receive permission from German officials for their reading and book choices. In addition, a monitor sits in on all meetings. Reading is one of their only escapes and the club becomes a vital part of their lives. Books are treasured, unite the community, and provide hope. Another memorable story of a wartime book club is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Have you read it or seen the movie adaptation?

Sides of Romance

Yes, this story includes romantic interests for each character but it’s a minimal part of the story. War complicates everything.

Content Consideration: war conditions, imprisonment, war violence

Recommending The Wartime Book Club

I love a story of ordinary people living bravely in the most difficult times. Their resolve, tenacity, and sacrifice are memorable and remarkable. This story is a bit more intense than I expected based on the title. Jersey is occupied and individuals live in wartime conditions and some endure harsh imprisonment. Fans of well-researched and well-told WWII historical fiction with a strong sense of place will appreciate this story.

Related: Other stories set in libraries listed here.

My Rating:  4  Stars

Meet the Author of The Wartime Book Club, Kate Thompson

Kate Thompson was born in London and worked as a journalist for twenty years on women’s magazines and national newspapers. She now lives in Sunbury with her husband, two sons and two rescue dogs. After ghost writing five memoirs, Kate moved into fiction. Kate’s first non-fiction social history documenting the forgotten histories of East End matriarchy, The Stepney Doorstep Society, was published in 2018 by Penguin. She is passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories.

Today Kate works as a journalist, author and library campaigner. Her most recent books, The Little Wartime Library (2022) and The Wartime Book Club (2023) by Hodder & Stoughton focus on two remarkable libraries in wartime. Her 100 libraries project, celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities.

Podcast host – From the Library With Love. Interviews with librarians, best-sellling authors and our remarkable wartime generation. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/100-year-old-bletchley-park-codebreaker-charlotte-betty/id1705546837?i=1000628149147

Good reads: https://www.goodreads.com/id/book/show/61237143

Instagram @Katethompson author

facebook.com/KateThompsonAuthor

Twitter @katethompson380

http://www.katethompsonmedia.co.uk

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QOTD:

Is this WWII histfic on your TBR or have you read it?

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Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

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