The little wartime library

The little wartime library

Kate Thompson, 1974-

Book - 2023

"London, 1944: Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While war ravages the city above her, Clara has risked everything she holds dear to turn the Bethnal Green tube station into the country's only underground library. Down here, a secret community thrives with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a café, and a theater--offering shelter, solace, and escape from the bombs that fall upon their city. Along with her glamorous best friend and 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 may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive"--

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Subjects
World War, 1939-1945 > England > London > Fiction.
Libraries > England > London > History > 20th century > Fiction.
Women librarians > Fiction.
Female friendship > Fiction.
Bethnal Green (London, England) > Fiction.
Historical fiction.
War fiction.
Novels.
Genres
Historical fiction
War fiction
Novels
Published
New York : Forever 2023.
Language
English
Main Author
Kate Thompson, 1974- (author)
Edition
First Forever edition
Item Description
"First published in 2022 by Hodder & Stoughton, an Hachette UK company"--Title page verso.
"Reading group guide copyright © 2023 by Kate Thompson and Hachette Book Group, Inc." -- Verso.
Physical Description
467 pages ; 21 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781538724217
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

In 1944 London, people need all the hope and community they can get. Librarian Clara Button knows this and dedicates her life to making the only underground library the heart of the bomb shelter. Clara, along with her spontaneous friend Ruby, runs the library and offers book clubs, storytimes, and access to information that cannot be found elsewhere. They teach children to read, protect children who are on their own, and develop lifelong friendships. Clara meets Billy, an ambulance man, whom she can't stop thinking about. Billy carries a secret that could destroy everything he and Clara have started building together. Ruby finds herself in the arms of an American soldier who is determined not to let her go. Each woman is facing family issues, romantic entanglements, and the war, yet they still keep hopes up and run their little library. This is a delightful story of community in wartime, love and loss, and resilience. Based on a true story, this uplifting tale is sure to satisfy.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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