The Underground Library

by Jennifer Ryan

Inspired by the true story of Bethnall Green Library.

When the Blitz threatens the heart of a London neighbourhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to keep their community together in this heartwarming novel from the author of The Kitchen Front and The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle.

On the day Juliet Lansdown reports to work for the first time at Bethnal Green Library, it isn’t the bustling hub she’s been expecting. But, in the face of German attacks, she’s intent on making it a place where everyone feels safe and welcome.

Katie Upwood is thrilled to be working at the library, too, though she’s only there until she heads off to university in autumn. But, after the death of her sweetheart on the front line and some unexpected family strife, she’s more in need of support herself.

Sofie Baumann, a Jewish refugee without any family to lean on, finds comfort and friendship in Bethnal Green’s rapidly growing literary scene and escapes to the library every chance she gets. But, with her asylum in London tied to a domestic work visa issued by an unscrupulous employer, her position is vulnerable.

When bombs damage the library, Juliet can’t bear to give up on her safe haven of books, so she relocates the stacks to an underground station, where the city’s residents shelter nightly. The three women must work together to overcome their own troubles and keep the library - the beating heart of their community - open to all . . .

• ISBN10: 1529094550
• ISBN13: 9781529094558
• Publish Date: 14 March 2024 (first published 12 March 2024)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Macmillan
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[chymerra]

I am a big fan of reading books set in WWII. It is a time that fascinates and scares me. So, when I get widgets or see books on NetGalley that hint about WWII, I grab them. This was the case with The Underground Library. Random House sent me a widget, and I downloaded it. Now that I have read this book, it was a good read.

The Underground Library follows three women (Juliet, Kate, and Sofie) as they navigate life in a country at war. Juliet is the oldest of the three, and she is ambitious. But Juliet’s past threatens to derail everyone she worked so hard for. Kate is a young woman who is waiting for word from her fiancee, who is fighting in Africa against the Nazis. Her world is turned upside down when she is told he is missing in action. Sofie is a Jewish refugee working as a maid/cook in the vicinity of the Bethnal Library. Forced to leave Berlin by her sister and father, Sofie agonizes over not knowing what happened to her family. The three women meet at the library and soon become instrumental in setting up an underground library in the Tube tunnels, used as a makeshift bomb shelter. Over a few months, their lives will change for better and worse.

As I mentioned above, there are three separate storylines in The Underground Library. Usually, I’m not too fond of multiple storylines (or POV), but in this case, it worked. It only worked because the author could integrate all three storylines together at different points in the book but simultaneously keep them separate (if that makes sense). I was not confused by whose storyline I was reading (the author did label chapters with names). That made for a delightful read.

I liked Juliet. I liked that she was smart and wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted (the book club, children’s hour, and eventually, the library). Her backstory was sad with her fiancee going MIA in France. The more I read her storyline, the more I liked her. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed reading about a love triangle between her missing fiancee and her landlady’s nephew (who she also knew from school). It was pretty obvious who she was going to end up with. But everything does work itself out in the end.

I thought Kate was adorable. Her absolute devotion to her fiancee shone through the book, as did her devastation when she learned he was missing in action, presumed dead. The pregnancy was a neat twist that the author threw in there. When Kate’s mother found out about her pregnancy, I could see why she was so upset. During that era, girls didn’t get pregnant without being married (you and I know that this isn’t true, but people liked to believe it). But what Kate’s mother proposed and what she forced Kate into doing made me take a step back and go, “Whoa.” All I have to say is that she was desperate, looking for a way to keep her husband with her, and it would cost Kate. I was a little glad that this storyline ended the way it did (and the twist that came at the very end was heartwarming).

I pitied Sofie. Because of the Nazis, she was forced to leave her father and sister behind in Berlin (the near miss on the train took my breath away). It was explained that her sister got her a visa to work in England (her English was excellent). Sofie was going to be a live-in maid to an upperclassman who was willing to sponsor her. That wasn’t what Sofie wanted and not what she was used to (she came from a very wealthy family). The first half of her storyline details her job and how she deals with it (she has been there for over a year). The second half of her storyline got a little more exciting. Her inquiries into her sister’s location were answered, and she fell in love. Of the three storylines, hers was the one I enjoyed most.

The author included a note explaining the actual underground library that inspired the book at the end of the book. She tweaked some events, but everything that happened was mainly factual.

The end of The Underground Library was one of hope. I liked how every one of the characters got their HEA. I also liked that the author included some secondary characters in the HEAs. As I stated above, Kate’s storyline had a neat twist.