The Booklover's Library is a wartime slice-of-life historical novel by Madeline Martin. Released 10th Sept 2024 by HarperCollins on their Hanover Square imprint, it's 432 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
Almost entirely character driven, the story has a sedate pace, and centers around Emma, her daughter Olivia, and her found family and friends. Despite the marriage working ban for women and widows in England (in place up to the 1970s!!! in some cases), she manages to be gain employment at Boots' lending library. The book is filled with literary references and ruminations on the importance of literature, especially in the uncertainty of wartime.
It's not derivative at all, but fans of Chris Bohjalian, Anthony Doerr, and Jennifer Ryan will likely enjoy this standalone novel.
Four stars. It would be a good choice for public or home library acquisition, for a buddy read, or book club discussion.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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