Madeline Martin thoughtfully explores the imprint of World War II on a British mother and daughter in The Booklover's Library, a deeply moving, meticulously researched historical novel.
Set in England, the story follows Emma Taylor, whose mother died soon after she was born. Her beloved father raised her in the bookshop he owned, passing on to her his passion for books. After he perished in the fire that also claimed his shop, Emma married a solicitor, but he was struck and killed by a car when their daughter, Olivia, was still very young.
In 1939, as World War II looms, Emma struggles to find work--being widowed with a child is deemed "too much of a liability" for employers. Then she encounters a woman familiar with her father and his bookshop, who is impressed by Emma's literary knowledge and offers Emma a position at a subscription-style lending library, with conditions: Emma must claim that she is unmarried and be addressed as "Miss Taylor," and she must refer to her daughter as her "sister."
Amid the war, a multitude of challenges arise, and Emma is forced to send Olivia away to the English countryside to keep her safe. Separated, mother and daughter struggle in an uncertain world, but the power of friendship and community and the comfort of books sustain them.
Martin (The Last Bookshop in London) authentically depicts how the terror of World War II--and the many sacrifices so many people made--inspired great resilience of the human spirit. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines