Reviews with content warning for Death - The Little Wartime Library

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The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson

13 reviews

daisyslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

"People without books are like houses without windows"

I could say so much about this book and even that wouldn't be enough to describe how this book made me feel and what wonderful meaning this story carries.

This book is based on true events from the Second World War and is about a wonderful underground community in a subway shaft in London and a library that has given so many people endless comfort in difficult times. We are guided through the story by fictional characters like Clara and Ruby, who work in the library and are so much more than just librarians for those people, they are also social workers, teachers, doctors, heroines but above all friends. The two protagonists are such strong and impressive personalities who also have their own burdens to bear and that makes them so authentic and approachable. I have grown very fond of them.

The supporting characters who find refuge in this library are also so tangible and their stories all touched me deeply. I especially took the children, who are also affectionately called "tunnel rats", to my heart and this book often moved me to tears and tore me apart inside.

Of course, some of the characters also drove me mad because they are dripping with misogyny and unfortunately that was also quite authentic because women had even less say at that time and were only seen as weak and irrational.

This book is a declaration of love for books and libraries and their importance in times of crisis and I can only recommend it.

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bookish_ghost_girl's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Historical fiction is something that I enjoy reading frequently and this fit right in. Especially since history was a subject that I enjoyed learning in school and is still something that I enjoy today. With this story, I learned about a part of WW II history that I hadn't really heard much about. While the characters are fictional, I liked that the underground library and the shelter it was in were real.

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calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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haren_k's review against another edition

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3.5

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amberlfaris's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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moodreadswithmoe's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Things I liked:
- Found family trope and the cast of characters were easy to connect with.
- Multiple POV
- The examination of grief and it's crossover/resonance to today.
- The bookish theme was spot of and carried throughout very well
- The authors note and bookclub discussion on extended context of the wartime library the book was based on.

Things that were a miss for me:
- Past/present setting and the ending was 'wrapped up' in a bow.
- Multiple relationship tropes to follow.
- The time period & language (this is always a miss for me and part of why historical fiction is not usually my go-to.
- Predictability of plot

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lorialdenholuta's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

During the Second World War, many British citizens took shelter underground where the bombs couldn’t reach them. They would sometimes wrap an extra layer of protection around their hearts and minds by escaping into good books.

The Little Wartime Library gives readers a chance to understand the power of comfort-reading. It’s a book that’s difficult to set aside once you bond with the characters you’ll meet within the pages. The story reveals itself best when read while snuggled into your safest, coziest corner, preferably with blankets and tea (or gin).

Knowing that this fictional story is heavily based on the very real history of a tiny, makeshift library hidden away as part of a secret village that’s coalesced inside a tube tunnel deep underground in London’s East End makes it all so much more meaningful, and a little bit more magical.

The reader becomes a time traveler. It’s impossible to feel as if you’re passively reading a story about fictional characters. I stayed up hours past my usual bedtime more than once, simply because I had left my own home, crossed the pond, and escaped to the Bethnal Green tube station. I needed to know if my new friends were going to be okay, and certainly couldn’t leave them hanging in the midst of one of the many adventures or situations they get into. I cared about them all. (Okay, I absolutely loathed two of them, but trust me, you will too. And for good reason!)

Author Kate Thompson is a masterful storyteller who took the time to do the work before setting pen to paper. Her research pays off with a story that’s already a classic, as far as I’m concerned.

If you are curious about how ordinary people got by during the war, you’ll gain so much insight. If you’re a bookworm who likes seeing librarians get the spotlight, dive in! If you aren’t sure if this book is for you, just check to see if you have a heartbeat. Yes? Great, it’s for you, too.

There’s a bonus in the back of the book that feels like a ‘making of’ movie featurette. This extensive section will delight book clubs, along with anyone interested in behind the scenes photos and explanations about the events, people, and places that inspired this story.

My only regret is that various online systems won’t allow me to give this book higher than 5 stars.

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