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The Little Wartime Library spoke to me both cover and genre wise, so it’s no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Clara ( who I immediately liked ) has created a library as part of a secret community that makes it’s home in the dis-used Bethnal Green tube station! Reading this story made me realise how much I missed out on by not having access to a library growing up. Clara’s a trained librarian and Ruby isn't your typical assistant, between them they make a great team and devise ingenious ways of lending out as many books as they can.
The Little Wartime Library is a novel set, mainly, in a make shift library that was set up in Bethnal Green underground station during the Second World War.The Little Wartime Library is based on the real underground Library ingeniously created in the unfinished Bethnal Green Underground station ("knocked together on fifty bob and a wing and a prayer”) when the real public library is destroyed by a bomb. So, there is more than just a moving narrative to enjoy when readers select The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson! Clara stands up to injustice – particularly when it comes to lending out what have been deemed ‘restricted’ books. While the book is filled with a lot of heart-wrenching moments, it left me feeling so much love for the characters and story. Overall: happily and highly recommend this gripping and engaging novel for any reader who enjoys historical fiction and/or novels that show a deep appreciation for librarians and literature.
Clara and Ruby have colourful backgrounds and interesting personal life complications which helps to extend the wartime library initiative. This book shows not just how communities can be pulled together but how books and reading can really help and support anyone in the hardest times of their lives and give hope, escapism and distraction too. This takes place mainly in 1944, but the author provides a wonderful backdrop and also future for these beloved characters. Together these two women work tirelessly to bring the joy of books to those living in the underground community, while also being pushed to their limits. The Bethnal Green underground library might be the beating heart of the book's subterranean village, but Clara is the soul of this novel.In the now disused undergrown tube stations of London, there is a community of people living in makeshift shelters, after being forced out of their homes by Nazi bombs. I was gifted this precious copy by Forever, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review. A split character narration forms the basis of this novel’s engrossing format, which is shared over librarians Clara and Ruby.
The Little Wartime Library - мнозина могат да си направят извода, че тя предлага сладък разказ за малка библиотека някъде из Лондон по време на войната. Despite losing her mentor, Clara Button and her assistant Ruby Munroe open an underground library and a sanctuary in London's East End. Based on the real existence of the Bethnal Green underground community, the historical authenticity and historical mile markers- like the Bethnal Green tube disaster, Jersey, and other devastation- settled over the story as added layers letting the character-driven plot action and colorful, complex characters shine in the forefront.As an avid reader and supporter of libraries, I loved reading about characters willing to move mountains to encourage the magic of literacy. Visiting factories and delivering books to shift workers, holding a nightly story time for the children, starting a boozy book club for their mothers, and Clara sends a letter to Canada asking for donations of children’s classic books.
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