Book Synopsis:
Books can change lives, even in wartime. . .
When World War II breaks out, Carrie Anderson sets up a bookstall at her local train station in the hope of providing a sense of escapism for travellers, troops and evacuees.
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and armed with a colourful array of Penguin paperbacks, Carrie’s business soon booms. And when she gifts a book to a dashing officer, an act of kindness becomes the beginning of Carrie’s very own love story.
But as war rages on, and Mike is posted abroad, Carrie’s world is turned upside-down.
With the help of her station community, and the power of her paperbacks, can Carrie find the strength to battle through?
My Review:
I was a huge fan of this author’s previous books so you can imagine my excitement when I found out she had a new book coming out.
This book combined two of my favourite things in a book as it was set in World War 2 and the plot revolved around the main character starting a book shop. I really enjoyed following the characters and learning more about the ordinary people left behind during the war. It must have been so frustrating for women at the start of the war as there weren’t many opportunities for them to help the war effort. It was also quite poignant to see the twins mum struggling with another war after living through the first world war. It really brought home to me how close the two wars were and how difficult it must have been to see another generation affected.
The story mainly follows twins Carrie and Johnnie at the breakout of World war 2 and how different their lives are because of it. I loved following Carrie as she set up the Bookshop and seeing all the fabulous friends she makes through her work there. The author’s descriptions are wonderfully vivid and I often felt like I was actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters which I absolutely loved.
I thought the story had a good pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. I did guess a few of the twists but I didn’t mind as I was just enjoying hanging out with the characters. The ending was interesting and I’m hoping is a sign that there’s another book coming in the series.
Huge thanks to Aoife from Cornerstone for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you’re looking for a compelling, entertaining and heartwarming read I highly recommend this one.
About The Author:
After a career in radio and TV scriptwriting, Jo’s first six saga novels feature a family-owned department store in Britain in the Second World War. With husbands, boyfriends and brothers away, three shop girl friends and their families pull together to battle the bombs as well as their own poignant personal dramas. Jo drew on her family’s war experiences as well as memories of how shopping used to be. Staying with retail, The Little Penguin Bookshop is the first novel in a brand new series.
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https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/rna_author/joanna-toye
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