Review: The Keeper of Hidden Books

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Madeline Martin’s novels because of the history she uncovers and the bookish references she weaves into her stories. It’s no surprise that World War II novels are a particular favourite of mine and when you add in a reference to books, reading, or libraries? I’m even more intrigued. Martin’s latest is The Keeper of Hidden Books, published earlier this month, and it was an unflinching look at what it would have been like in Warsaw during WWII.

Here’s the book’s description:

All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families – and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left - literature.

There were times I felt Zofia was...going too far into saviour mode - and I do wonder if that’s an unfair assessment. She could clearly see how the war was affecting not only Christians, like herself, but the Jewish people, like her best friend, Janina. She had as close to a front row seat as you could get and understood how dangerous it was for the Jewish folk in Warsaw. She was enraged and I don’t fault her for wanting to do something. I’m glad Martin had a scene where Zofia realized how dangerous it could be for Janina when Zofia stood up to the Nazis occupying their city because, until that point, she was only thinking of how upset she was and how unfair it all was from her own perspective. Of course it was unfair. I’m definitely not arguing that. She just hadn’t realized how impossible the situation was and how her actions could put others in danger. Would I have done any better? Hell, would I have even tried to stand up to a Nazi? It’s so hard to say, isn’t it? We want to think we’d stand up for others in a dangerous situation but would we? Martin shows all the shades of grey in this situation and illustrates very well how difficult it would have been for all Warsaw residents during their occupation. Once she got her hotheadedness under control, Zofia was able to use her rage for good and I hoped it would be enough to help liberate her city.

Books, reading, and libraries play a huge role in this novel and I loved that element. I was so happy that Zofia and Janina wanted to be educated in working at a library but then, almost immediately, I was heartbroken that these young women (and so many others like them) had their lives turned upside down and weren’t able to pursue their education. Hell, eventually Janina wasn’t even allowed to be in the library, let alone be learning or working there. Martin showed that, amongst all the sabotage and fighting for freedom, books were important to the people of Warsaw. Books have power and the girls used that power as much as possible. Hitler was banning and burning books and Zofia and those she worked with tried to save as many books as they could, to prevent stories and ideas being lost forever. They also tried to read as many as they could, having their own anti-Hitler book club. Martin used a lot of research to illustrate the power of libraries and books, including how important they were in the Jewish ghetto. For a bookworm like me, it was really powerful.

This is probably one of the most grim WWII novels I’ve read in some time. All of them are, to some extent, but this one hit especially hard. Was it because it was about a part of the war I hadn’t read much about before? I knew the invasion of Poland kickstarted the war but I hadn’t really thought about what it would have been like for the Polish people. Not in as much detail that Martin presented, that’s for sure. It was hell for those people. The description of the ghettos, the scarcity of food, the roundups, and the public executions. Pure and utter hell. It can be hard to read about these things and wonder about similar issues going on in the world right now that are being ignored. Are most of us any better than our ancestors were? It’s a sobering thought.

The Keeper of Hidden Books was extremely interesting and I’m glad I read Madeline Martin’s latest novel. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations but I appreciate the insight Martin gave with this story and how she showed the importance of books and reading, even in some of the darkest times.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HTP Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Librarian Spy

Dangle a World War II set novel, written by a woman, with “librarian” in the title in front of me and you better believe I’ll grab it. Immediately. With both hands. I was so excited to read The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin not just because of those three things but also because I very much enjoyed her debut, The Last Bookshop of London (review here). It was a really interesting – and enjoyable – read!

Here’s the book’s description:

Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.
Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.
As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.

Truthfully, the use of “librarian” in the title is a wee bit misleading. Ava isn’t at the Library of Congress for very long and I didn’t get the sense that she was very bookish (and if I’m misremembering, my apologies to both Ava and Martin!). BUT librarians (and other library staff) do a lot of different things and her knowledge of certain materials would have been intriguing and helpful to the government during war (how did they find these people?).

I found switching between Ava’s story in Portugal and Elaine’s in France to be a bit…I don’t want to say annoying because I wasn’t frustrated. It was more…like I was reading two different stories. I was certain they’d connect at some point, but it took an awfully long time for the two women’s stories to come together. They were both interesting, don’t get me wrong. Each woman was doing really important work to help end the war and I enjoyed learning the little bits of information Martin shared. But there have just been a lot of historical fiction novels like this that are either dual timeline or dual narrative and sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. I have to wonder if it’s done because authors don’t think they have a robust enough story to focus on just one aspect or if publishers somehow think this is all historical fiction readers want.

I really didn’t know much about Portugal’s role in WWII before reading this novel. Essentially, they were neutral throughout most of the war – although it seems they were quite helpful to the Allied forces. They were also one of the last escape routes out of Europe for those trying to flee the dangers of war. I’m definitely interested in learning more about this part of WWII that is new to me.

The Librarian Spy was one of those books that I had a great time reading but isn’t the best novel in the historical fiction genre. I expected a little better from Madeline Martin and this book doesn’t hold up to a scrutinizing review but I was entertained from start to finish and I’ll for sure be reading whatever Martin writes next.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Blog Tour: The Last Bookshop in London

Bookshops and World War II historical fiction? I'm pretty sure Madeline Martin's latest novel was written just for me. The Last Bookshop in London delighted me while allowing me to learn through reading what it would have been like to live through the Blitz.

Here's the book's description:

London, autumn 1940: the Blitz has only just begun when Grace Bennett arrives in London to find the city she’s spent a lifetime dreaming about now cast in the clouds of war, and all of her plans unraveling at the seams. After accepting a job at a charming bookshop nestled in the heart of the city, a haven for literary-minded locals, she feels like a fish out of water – she’s never been much of a reader, after all.
As the bombs rain down on the city night after night, a devastating air raid leaves London’s literary center in ruins, and the libraries and shops of Paternoster Row are destroyed in a firestorm. But against all odds, one bookshop miraculously survives. Through blackouts and air raids, Grace continues staffing the shop, discovering a newfound comfort in the power of words and storytelling to unite her community in ways she never imagined, a power that triumphs even the darkest nights of war-torn London. 

As I've read books set during the World Wars during the last year, I've been struck a few times at the similarities between war time and this current global pandemic. It puts things into perspective a bit, too, especially as Martin wrote about the Blitz. Night after night, for months, bombs were dropped on London by the Germans. Blackout curtains were a must and there were fines if even a speck of light could be seen from outside. I've read about this time before but I hadn't really thought about what it would have been like outside at night if there wasn't a single light on. Martin wrote an especially poignant scene as Grace stays too late at work and has to make her way home after dark, in the rain, and could not even identify her own front door. Imagine how frightening that would be. The beginning of the war, when this book was set, saw the posters "Keep Calm and Carry On" begin to sprout up around England and that mentality shines through in this novel. Londoners were terrified - they were sending their children away to the country and having to go to shelters or Tube stations every night to stay safe from bombs - but they carried on. They could emerge every morning and find their house or business (or both) destroyed. And yet, they carried on. Seems the least I can do right now is stay home as much as possible and avoid getting together with friends and family whom I miss dearly. 

I was so thrilled when I read that Grace would be getting a shop assistant position at a little bookshop in London. I was less thrilled when I realized she wasn't much of a reader. She had no idea the joy she was in for! She quickly learns the magic of reading thanks to a handsome shop patron. George tells her to read The Count of Monte Cristo and Grace's life is never the same. She inhales novels and works on advertising for the shop to promote books to give other Londoners the magic of escaping into a good read. Partway through reading I began to wish I had written down all the titles Grace reads and recommends. Austen makes a few appearances, as does Charles Dickens. She reads Middlemarch and is gifted Vanity Fair. Martin does such a wonderful job of capturing what it means to be a reader and how important books and stories can be during times of hardship.

Grace was a lovely main character. She was young without being annoyingly naive. She had a big heart and my own hurt for her as she saw friends help the war effort and all she was doing was helping out in a dusty old bookshop. She was scared and I'm sure I would have felt the same in her position. She does step up, as I think most of us would, and she volunteers as an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) warden which saw her out during the bombings three nights (and eventually five nights) a week. She narrowly missed bombs and saw horrifying sights. Through it all she supported her friends and made the bookshop thrive. You couldn't help but be in awe of her strength even when you see her faltering due to sheer exhaustion. She didn't give up even when that would have been the easiest option. You'll love her and will root for a Happily Ever After for her and all of the other characters, even though you know the scars of war will impact them long past VE Day. 

I didn't want to stop reading The Last Bookshop in London. Madeline Martin's novel was a joy to read, even as I mourned for and with the characters as they went through the horrors of war. If you're a book lover and a fan of historical fiction, this novel is a must read for you.

About the author

Madeline Martin is a USA TODAY bestselling author of historical romance novels filled with twists and turns, adventure, steamy romance, empowered heroines and the men who are strong enough to love them.

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*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Hanover Square Press. in exchange for a review for the purpose of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*