Review: The Little Wartime Library

Title: The Little Wartime Library

Author: Kate Thompson

Publisher: 17th February 2022 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 440 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, World War II

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

London, 1944.

Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While the world remains at war, in East London Clara has created the country's only underground library, built over the tracks in the disused Bethnal Green tube station. Down here a secret community thrives: with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a café and a theatre offering shelter, solace and escape from the bombs that fall above.

Along with her glamorous best friend and library assistant Ruby Munroe, Clara ensures the library is the beating heart of life underground. But as the war drags on, the women's determination to remain strong in the face of adversity is tested to the limits when it seems it may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive.

Based on true events, The Little Wartime Library is a gripping and heart-wrenching page-turner that remembers one of the greatest resistance stories of the war.

My Thoughts

The Little Wartime Library is an inspiring tale of the remarkable true story of a library underground! Bethnal Green was a disused tube station yet, amazingly, converted into a library during WWII and the terrible years of the Blitz on London. What you have here is a wonderful rich historical fiction tale that tells of how people could escape reality for a short while between the pages of a book. Love it!

‘Was there something unique about the fact that her library was deep underground? In a world obscured from natural light and noise, did it make the act of reading more intimate, sharpen the imagination?’

What is evident here is the great love Kate has for libraries. Libraries are incredible places at the best of times - so vital and necessary to communities. Kate has demonstrated to readers her thoughts and feelings through the story and it is truly amazing. The quotes, research and absolute love of literature are inspirational and it quickly becomes clear that this is more than just a story as outlined on the cover. The passion goes far deeper than that. 

‘People came into the underground library, breathed in the aroma of books and 

let down their guard.’

The lead characters, Clara and Ruby, are fabulous - courageous yet imperfect, passionate yet realistic. This is a story about love and loss, acceptance and forgiveness and much more. There is real history on offer here all packaged up around the tale of a most unique library. It encapsulates what it truly means to be a part of something far bigger than oneself - the community, the support and the heartbreak. Inspiring on so many levels. 

‘… library work isn’t all about books. It’s the people who make it special; you never know who’s going to walk in and what their story is.’

I loved this book for all that it represented - the people, the time and how stepping into a library, into the wonderful worlds literature offers, can be so heartwarming. If you love books, if you love history and wish to see how the two intertwined for this brief moment - when ordinary people were living through extraordinary times - look no further than The Little Wartime Library.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.