Madeline Martin
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin tells the story of Grace Bennett who arrives in London with her friend, Viv, just before the outbreak of WWII. The two women live with Mrs. Weatherford, the best friend of Grace’s deceased mother. Viv gets a job as a salesgirl in Harrods, and with the intervention of Mrs. Weatherford, Grace works as an assistant in a London bookshop.
When war breaks out, Viv leaves her job to volunteer for the war effort. Grace continues her work at the bookshop. She dusts and cleans the shop, organizes the books, advertises, and exhibits attractive window displays. Her efforts result in an increase in sales and customers and the appreciation of the bookstore owner.
Grace had never been a reader. But when an attractive male customer visits the bookstore and encourages here to experience the magic of reading, she takes his advice and becomes an avid reader. The two embark on a series of letters after he is called up to serve in the RAF. Grace volunteers as an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) warden when war breaks out, witnessing first-hand the devastation and death caused by the German bombing of London during the Blitz. But through it all, she continues to read, eventually providing solace and comfort by reading aloud to the masses in the London underground station huddled there to escape the bombing. She soon garners a slew of devoted followers who attend her readings in the bookstore and in the London underground. When the bookstore is hit by a bomb, Grace’s loyal followers help her pick up the pieces and re-open the bookstore. Grace inherits the bookstore from its owner after his death and is reunited with her boyfriend at the end of the war.
The strength of the novel lies in its depiction of London during the Blitz. The food rations, blackouts, air raid sirens, crowds rushing for safety in the underground, bombed out businesses and homes, dismembered bodies, grief over the loss of loved ones, and the psychological and emotional impact of war is evoked in detail. But the novel is weak in characterization. Grace Bennett is a cliché. She has no depth. She is depicted as always good, always generous, always compassionate. She doesn’t have a mean-spirited fiber in her body. The people she interacts with, even the curmudgeonly types, eventually become kind spirits because they recognize her goodness. She is just too sugary sweet to be true. The remaining characters are equally flat, showing little growth. And the ending is predictable.
The ability of books to provide solace and comfort and a much-needed respite when times are rough is handled well, as is the description of London during the Blitz. But the characters suffer from an unfortunate lack of depth and nuance, detracting from the overall impact of the novel.