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The Wartime Book Club
On sale
15th February 2024
Price: £22
Jersey, 1943. Once a warm and neighbourly community, now German soldiers patrol the cobbled streets, imposing a harsh rule on the people of the island.
Grace La Mottée, the island’s only librarian, is ordered to destroy books which threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories away in secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, postwoman Bea Rose, she wants to fight back. So she forms the wartime book club: a lifeline, offering fearful islanders the joy and escapism of reading.
But as the occupation drags on, the women’s quiet acts of bravery become more perilous – and more important – than ever before. And, when tensions turn to violence, they are forced to face the true, terrible cost of resistance . . .
Based on astonishing real events, The Wartime Book Club is a love letter to the power of books in the darkest of times – as well as a moving page-turner that brings to life the remarkable, untold story of an island at war.
EVERYONE LOVES THE WARTIME BOOK CLUB:
‘Wish I could give it more stars’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I was utterly enthralled . . . it reminds us how strong we can be in the face of adversity’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Tears, laughs and genuine love for all the characters in this book’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A heartwarming tale . . . shows against all odds and hardships people can survive’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Full of wonderful characters and their determination to get through the worst times’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
AND SO DO YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS…
‘One of the very best books I’ve read in a long time’ PETER JAMES
‘Engaging’ RACHEL HORE
‘Both heartwarming and heartbreaking’ GILL PAUL
‘A poignant masterpiece’ MADELINE MARTIN
‘A book to be savoured and remembered’ GILL THOMPSON
Grace La Mottée, the island’s only librarian, is ordered to destroy books which threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories away in secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, postwoman Bea Rose, she wants to fight back. So she forms the wartime book club: a lifeline, offering fearful islanders the joy and escapism of reading.
But as the occupation drags on, the women’s quiet acts of bravery become more perilous – and more important – than ever before. And, when tensions turn to violence, they are forced to face the true, terrible cost of resistance . . .
Based on astonishing real events, The Wartime Book Club is a love letter to the power of books in the darkest of times – as well as a moving page-turner that brings to life the remarkable, untold story of an island at war.
EVERYONE LOVES THE WARTIME BOOK CLUB:
‘Wish I could give it more stars’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I was utterly enthralled . . . it reminds us how strong we can be in the face of adversity’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Tears, laughs and genuine love for all the characters in this book’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A heartwarming tale . . . shows against all odds and hardships people can survive’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Full of wonderful characters and their determination to get through the worst times’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
AND SO DO YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS…
‘One of the very best books I’ve read in a long time’ PETER JAMES
‘Engaging’ RACHEL HORE
‘Both heartwarming and heartbreaking’ GILL PAUL
‘A poignant masterpiece’ MADELINE MARTIN
‘A book to be savoured and remembered’ GILL THOMPSON
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Reviews
Gripping, emotional and uplifting
A book to be savoured and remembered
Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this is an unforgettable page-turner
One of the very best books I've read in a long time. A gripping, emotional rollercoaster and a true hymn to the power and spirit of novels
A poignant masterpiece that paints a vivid picture of Nazi-occupied life on the isle of Jersey and illustrates how books can truly provide hope in the darkest of times . . . raw and real, this story will pull at your heart
An engaging, beautifully researched story of love, courage and resistance in time of war and danger
A beautiful novel about love, courage, hope and friendship in the darkest of times . . . A book to be savoured and remembered
At the core of the novel is the library, and a book group that met there, finding strength and solace in reading during the worst of times. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this is an unforgettable page-turner
Bravery, traitors, acts of defiance and compassion for others . . . with characters so real that I laughed and wept along with them
A story of bravery and the cost of small acts of defiance, and it will stay with me for a long time. Simply outstanding!
A wonderful, poignant, heartwarming story of the power of books, the strength of the human spirit, and how selfless acts for the good of others is food for the soul
The courage and daring of [Kate Thompson's] characters was breathtaking . . . a stunning novel'
This, for me, is historical fiction at its finest - a story of believable, vividly-drawn people trying to live in a world so very different from our own
Engrossing and well-researched . . . A compelling story of resilience and rebellion in the most testing of times
An absolute treasure of a read . . . it's a book about women first and foremost - their strength, their friendships, their profound courage - and it's also an extended love letter to books and libraries; the unique power stories have to unite people, to bring hope and comfort in the very darkest of times. By turns heartwrenching and harrowing, humorous and warm, it is completely absorbing and ultimately uplifting
I was captivated by this propulsive, darkly beautiful novel about love, wartime occupation, and the power of reading. Kate Thompson is a master storyteller
Kate Thompson delivers another heartfelt story with her signature impeccable research and cast of wonderfully endearing characters. She is the master at writing books about both the power of books and the power of women, a combination I adore
A beautiful wartime story of bravery and books
A piercing novel . . . This book take its rightful place on the shelves dedicated to Jersey's war, and reminds us only too powerfully of the essential comfort of literature in despairing times