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A review by amandalywarren
The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson
5.0
This is a beautiful, fictionalized retelling of a very true story. Mountains of research and interviews paid off for Kate Thompson in this triumph of a historical novel. The characters are based on real people, and I feel so connected to this moment in history after reading their stories.
Stories of war have a special place in my heart. Maybe because they help us find resolve or remind us of our humanity. Maybe because I’m a military wife. Who’s to say? But this book is special. Bethnal Green is special. And the work that Kate Thompson has done to keep the history of the story of Bethan Green alive in such a unique way is remarkable.
This book has it all. I laughed as often as I wept. The glimpses of life that happened between bombings almost made the horror of the war fade. And then another strike came. And the death toll increased with the names of women and children who only sought to stay brave on the homefront. My heart both broke and mended in these pages.
I couldn’t begin to talk about the characters—there are too many that I love too well. You simply must read this book and meet them yourself. This one is a gem—a true treasure of literature and history.
Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Kate Thompson for an advanced copy of this stunning book.
Stories of war have a special place in my heart. Maybe because they help us find resolve or remind us of our humanity. Maybe because I’m a military wife. Who’s to say? But this book is special. Bethnal Green is special. And the work that Kate Thompson has done to keep the history of the story of Bethan Green alive in such a unique way is remarkable.
This book has it all. I laughed as often as I wept. The glimpses of life that happened between bombings almost made the horror of the war fade. And then another strike came. And the death toll increased with the names of women and children who only sought to stay brave on the homefront. My heart both broke and mended in these pages.
I couldn’t begin to talk about the characters—there are too many that I love too well. You simply must read this book and meet them yourself. This one is a gem—a true treasure of literature and history.
Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Kate Thompson for an advanced copy of this stunning book.