Eliza Knight

USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight brings together a brilliant dual-narrative story about Nancy Mitford--one of 1930s London's hottest socialites, authors, and a member of the scandalous Mitford Sisters--and a modern American desperate for change, connected through time by a little London bookshop. "An absolute must-read!"--Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author The Last Bookshop in London 1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford's seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life. Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can't get on the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it's a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy's work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers her life and Nancy's are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop--a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways.

A Novel

The Mayfair Bookshop

I didn't know anything about Nancy Milford or the family before reading this story so it was nice to learn more about them and I liked the dual timeline, it just didn't grab me like other books of this time period did. 

Jennifer Griffiths 

Avery Baumel

I can never get into this sort of book (multi time perspectives, historical and present). This was adequate

Alicia Dixon

I was very excited to read this book, as I am temporarily located in London. In fact, I hope to stop into Heywood Hill Books now that I have read this book. There is something delightful to me about being able to visit the places that you read about in real life.

Unfortunately, The Mayfair Bookshop was at best an okay read for me, but I don’t think that will be true for everyone. This book reminded me of The Lost Apothecary, and in my opinion, The Mayfair Bookshop is much better executed than The Lost Apothecary, which I hated, was. The many people who loved The Lost Apothecary will probably also love The Mayfair Bookshop. 

This is also clearly a meticulously researched book. If you love Nancy Mitford, I definitely think you would enjoy the insight into her life found in this story. As someone who was unfamiliar with Mitford’s work before starting this book, I came away feeling like I really got a glimpse of her life, even if bits of it were fictionalized. 

That said, this book has serious pacing issues. From a narrative that often jumps time with little to no warning, leaving the reader confused as to where Nancy is in time, to an uneven dual timeline, this book often drags its feet. This results in Nancy’s story being bogged down in detail that feels unnecessary, while Lucy’s modern day timeline feels rushed and shallow, like an afterthought. This is especially off-putting, since Lucy’s sleuthing and her connection to Heywood Hill, which is more of a sidenote in Nancy’s story, seem like they should be driving the plot. 

The lack of balance makes everything about Lucy’s story feel anticlimactic, and this is worsened by an unnecessary romance. The ending strikes a balance between the two heroines, but it absolutely could have been done without Lucy’s love interest. Since Lucy already doesn’t have enough page time to fully develop, the romance feels very rushed and out of place, and it creates an odd dissonance with the often unlucky-in-love Nancy. 

Finally, (a me problem) I started reading this book right around the time that Russia invaded Ukraine. The book’s heavy reliance on Nancy’s life during WWII made it less enticing to pick this book up again after a break. 

All of this said, I think this book will do very well among a certain audience. Unfortunately, that audience wasn’t me. I hope those readers mentioned at the beginning of this review will give it a try. 

Thank you to #netgalley and #williammorrowbooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Mayfair Bookshop A Novel

Reviews