The Bookseller's Secret: A Novel of Nancy Mitford and WWII by Michelle Gable

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

From New York Times bestselling author Michelle Gable comes a dual-narrative set at the famed Heywood Hill Bookshop in London about a struggling American writer on the hunt for a rumored lost manuscript written by the iconic Nancy Mitford—bookseller, spy, author, and aristocrat—during World War II.

In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she’s given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics.

Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war. Between the shop’s brisk business and the literary salons she hosts for her eccentric friends, Nancy’s life seems on the upswing. But when a mysterious French officer insists that she has a story to tell, Nancy must decide if picking up the pen again and revealing all is worth the price she might be forced to pay.

Eighty years later, Heywood Hill is abuzz with the hunt for a lost wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford. For one woman desperately in need of a change, the search will reveal not only a new side to Nancy, but an even more surprising link between the past and present…

my thoughts:

Wow! What a book! I just LOVED Michelle Gable's latest novel, The Bookseller's Secret: A Novel of Nancy Mitford and WWII - it was such a treat to read!

First off, Gable has written a fictionalized account of Mitford's life during WWII when she managed the Heywood Hill bookshop and it is fascinating. I've never read Mitford, but after this book I am most definitely picking up copies of her books ASAP. Secondly, I just loved the dual timelines, reading about Mitford one minute and then reading about Katie Cabot the next. Katie is present day in this timeline and she is looking for a lot wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford! Talk about connections. Thirdly, London! Yep, I will happily read any book set in London and this one was such fun to dive into. Fourth, a book about books - how could I resist!?

Gable has created a delicious story about Nancy Mitford that will captivate you hook line and sinker. I just loved getting to know this Bright Young Thing and her life during WWII at the Heywood Hill bookshop in London - talk about British history! I loved the descriptions of the culture, the people, the books, and Nancy. Would she write again? And, if so, would we ever get the chance to read her work? Enter Katie, a woman who's life is not exactly going to plan. She decides that she must find Nancy Mitford's missing manuscript if she wants to make a name for herself. Katie winds up teaming up with Felix, another book hunter. Soon the two are knee deep in Mitford's world as they search high and low for the manuscript. Talk about a riveting story!

I would happily recommend The Bookseller's Secret to fans of Gable and to anyone looking for their next great read - you won't want to miss out on this one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!