But then WWII hits, and suddenly everything is turned upside down. Young men are heading off to war, currents of fear are beginning to swirl through the city, and refugee children are arriving by train on a daily basis looking for a safe home. Gertie’s closest friend, Charles, convinces her that it would be the right thing to offer a home to a young woman whose Jewish family has sent her from Germany to ensure her safety.
Hedy arrives, and at first Gertie isn’t sure if she is the right person to help her through such a difficult time. She doesn’t have any experience with teenagers, and she hasn’t shared her home in such a long time. But as the war continues, slowly it becomes clear that Hedy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The two must come to terms with a more permanent situation, and find a way to make do. Gertie ensures that Hedy’s mother knows she is safe and that she knows where to find her. She enrolls Hedy in a local secondary school and does what she can to help her feel at home. But Hedy is having a hard time settling in, and just because it’s wartime and she’s been given a place in a stranger’s house doesn’t mean she’s not still a teenager experiencing a lot of emotions and rebellious feelings. Being separated from her family and not knowing when (or, indeed, if) she will see them again doesn’t help matters.
What helps not just them but innumerable people around them, is the idea to start up a book club out of the store. The store is the home of an air raid shelter for the community, and on several occasions they’ve ended up sequestered in the shelter with customers and have discovered that the stories found in the books are a huge help in getting them through the scary threat of falling bombs. The club offers a distraction for anyone in the neighbourhood who needs one, revives the store’s business, and also gives Gertie and Hedy something to bond over.
I loved the premise of this book. Books aren’t magic, but they’re pretty close to it. I remember being told that my own grandmother began reading during the London Blitz because that’s what she used to do during the long hours in bomb shelters. I can’t imagine what that must have been like, but I do know she was a lifelong reader who shared her favourite books with her family – myself included. So I believe in the power of books to help people pass long, fear-filled hours and provide needed escape from an extreme situation.
In addition to that, the characters are so real. They all have virtues and flaws, but they all end up learning about one anther – and themselves – over the course of the novel. Those who could barely stand one another at the beginning of the book are as close as family by the end. And through the inevitable tragedy and loss they support one another. They become a found family of sorts, which each character needs for their own reasons. This isn’t a favourite book of all time, but it is most definitely one that is worth reading if the premise appeals to you. If you’re a fan of WWII novels, like friendships that develop over time, and enjoy found family stories, this is one that will have plenty to offer for you.
London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn’t feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham Books was a dream they shared together, and without Harry, Gertie wonders if it’s time to take her faithful old lab, Hemingway, and retire to the seaside. But fate has other plans for Gertie.
In Germany, Hitler is on the rise, and Jewish families are making the heart-wrenching decision to send their children away from the growing turmoil. After a nudge from her dear friend Charles, Gertie decides to take in one of these refugees, a headstrong teenage girl named Hedy. Willful and fearless, Hedy reminds Gertie of herself at the same age, and shows her that she can’t give up just yet. With the terrible threat of war on the horizon, the world needs people like Gertie Bingham and her bookshop.
When the Blitz begins and bombs whistle overhead, Gertie and Hedy come up with the idea to start an air raid book club. Together with neighbors and bookstore customers, they hold lively discussions of everything from Winnie the Pooh to Wuthering Heights. After all, a good book can do wonders to bolster people’s spirits, even in the most trying times. But even the best book can only provide a temporary escape, and as the tragic reality of the war hits home, the book club faces unimaginable losses. They will need all the strength of their stories and the bonds they’ve formed to see them through to brighter days. – Goodreads
Book Title: The Air Raid Book Club
Author: Annie Lyons
Series: No
Edition: Audiobook
Published By: William Morrow
Released: February 23, 2021
Genre: Fiction, WWII, Books, Found Family
Pages: 336
Date Read: February 9-10, 2024
Rating: 6.5/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.05/5 (5,229 ratings)
