The Bookseller's Secret

Michelle Gable — 2021

After a broken engagement and facing a bad case of writer's block, bestselling author Katie Cabot flees Virginia for her best friend's home in Mayfair, London. As she takes time to regroup, Katie finds comfort in the nearby Heywood Hill bookshop, a book lover's paradise that has survived both world war and the internet. When a customer arrives one day seeking a lost manuscript written by the iconic Nancy Mitford, eldest sister of the famous aristocratic family, Katie thinks she's stumbled on the perfect distraction. During World War II, Nancy worked as a bookseller at Heywood, where she hosted midnight literary salons, and spied on French officers for the British government. But the more involved in the search Katie becomes, the less it seems she can avoid her own reality. And when her quest reveals a surprising link between the past and present, she'll have to decide if life can ever measure up to fiction or if she'll need to redefine the idea of a storybook ending. Alternating between wartime and contemporary London, and featuring fascinating historical figure Nancy Mitford and the real-life Heywood Hill bookshop, The Bookseller's Secret is Michelle Gable's most thrilling novel yet.

Reviews

Paige Green@popthebutterfly

Nov 5, 2021

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Book: The Bookseller’s Secret Author: Michelle Gable Book Series: Standalone Rating: 1/5 Recommended For...: historical fiction, WW2 Publication Date: August 17, 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNFed Publisher: Graydon House Pages: 400 Synopsis: In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she’s given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics. Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war. Between the shop’s brisk business and the literary salons she hosts for her eccentric friends, Nancy’s life seems on the upswing. But when a mysterious French officer insists that she has a story to tell, Nancy must decide if picking up the pen again and revealing all is worth the price she might be forced to pay. Eighty years later, Heywood Hill is abuzz with the hunt for a lost wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford. For one woman desperately in need of a change, the search will reveal not only a new side to Nancy, but an even more surprising link between the past and present… Review: I had to DNF this book at 23% in. The book is just really unbearable for me. It’s slow in a lot of places and the main character is not likable at all. There also seems to be a lot of plot points in the book that don’t seem related to the story whatsoever. I also didn’t know about the main character’s ties to Hitler (through her sisters Unity and Diana) before looking into the book and I don’t think I’ll be making another attempt at this book. Verdict: Not for me but maybe for you.

Chantale@canadianbookaddict

Sep 15, 2021