The Last Bookshop in London

Inspired by the true World War II history of the few bookshops to survive the Blitz, The Last Bookshop in London is a timeless story of wartime loss, love, and the enduring power of literature.

August 1939: London is dismal under the weight of impending war with Germany as Hitler’s forces continue to sweep across Europe. Into this uncertain maelstrom steps Grace Bennett, young and ready for a fresh start in the bustling city streets she’s always dreamed of - and miles away from her troubled past in the countryside.

With aspirations of working at a department store, Grace never imagined she’d wind up employed at Primrose Hill, an offbeat bookshop nestled in the heart of the city - after all, she’s never been much of a reader. Overwhelmed with organizing the cluttered store, she doesn’t have time to read the books she sells. But when one is gifted to her, what starts as an obligation becomes a passion that draws her into the incredible world of literature.

As the Blitz rains down bombs on the city night after night, a devastating attack leaves the libraries and shops of London’s literary center in ruins. Miraculously, Grace’s bookshop survives the firestorm. Through blackouts and air raids, Grace continues running the shop, discovering a newfound comfort in the power of words and storytelling that unites her community in ways she never imagined - a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of war-torn London. 

The above is the Amazon information for this book.  I can't remember when the books about World War II began to appeal to me.  I had never had interest .....but then I began to read.  I think perhaps because my generation knew the men who had fought in that war and survived, it did not feel like history.  But what I have discovered is that each book zeroes into a different perspective of the war and I like looking under the microscope at each story that make up the story of the war.  This seemed at first like a mediocre tale about what was happening in London. BUT the author took the story and ran with it.  WOW!  I found it to be an exceptional read.  Each of the characters has a story that one can identify with.  But the highlight is the experience that Grace lives through as a Warden on the streets of London during the terrible bombs!

I would add at the finish of the book that I also take away from the story that one does not have to "go off to war" to make great contributions to the situation.  Grace does her part in her own neighborhood in her own way and is a hero because of her contribution.