The Booklover's Library

De: Madeline Martin

Narrado por: Saskia Maarleveld

“A must-read for booklovers.” —Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.

In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job. She and her beloved daughter Olivia have always managed just fine on their own, but with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her with a job.

When the threat of war in England becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In the wake of being separated from her daughter, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, and a renewed sense of purpose through the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing and the work at the lending library forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.

Excellent story telling!

Excellent book by an author who can communicate they joys and sorrows of WW2 England among ordinary people within the context of libraries and those who love books. I always find a list of books new to read through the pages of her stories.

emma

I felt that the feeling of all the characters, just by the words of the author. You felt like you were there. Thank you for writing this historical story.

This is a book about the love of books and how the stories get you through the hard times in life !

I loved the narrators voice . She read a touching story and you could feel all the emotions from the descriptive writing !

Beautiful and Heartfelt

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin was a beautifully written testament to a mother’s love for her child/children and how a single book can turn a person into a lifelong reader!

This is by far my absolute favorite book of 2024! It has all of the feels, the highs and lows, the heartbreak and the happiness of life. Martin’s extensive research into the history surrounding wartime life in England comes shining through in the details of the story. And her characters portray real life experiences in a way that I know to be true, as I’ve seen or experienced them myself. Emma, a single mom, struggles with the choices she has to make for the safety of her daughter, and breaking the rules in order to have a career to provide for her daughter. I’ve watched friends struggle with those same decisions. Watching Olivia find the one book that changes her life, and turns her into a lifelong reader, the same book that also made me a lifelong reader. Another thing I love about Martin’s books are the secondary characters that make them so unique. Mrs. Pickering and Mr. Sanderson at the boarding house. Her co-workers at the Booklover’s library, Mrs. Bainbridge, Margaret and even Miss Crane, as well as the quirky customers, Mr. Beard, Mrs. Chatsworth and Pip, and of course Charles Fisk. I also love that when Emma went to London she found the bookshop on Primrose Hill, and we got to see Grace Bennett and Mr Evans.

All in all it’s just a fabulous book, and the marvelous Saskia Maarleveld, does a magnificent job in narrating the story.

Wonderful

My second listen from this author and both were perfect. Love the history, characters, and narrator.