I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
It's no secret that I am a fan of historical fiction, so when I had a chance to review this book by author Michelle Gable, I grabbed it!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
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 TAKE
I am a big fan of historical fiction, and because of that, I have certain beliefs surrounding how I think it should be written. First, I want to learn something. So that means the author has to research extensively and provide little known information about the era being written about. Second, dialogue and prose should be in somewhat equal portions. Descriptions of the time period should be elaborate and hint at the research the author did prior to writing. The dialogue should make me believe that I was there or witnessing this account. Third, the characters should be relatable or hateable. Nondescript characters are not welcome. Even minor characters should have redeeming qualities around them.
So how did the author do? This was a dual time period book, with the author moving between time periods with relative ease. This book was set during The Blitz and I felt that the author skimmed over this fact somewhat. This was a grim time. I didn't feel the author portrayed it as such.
Too much dialogue and not enough prose for me. I needed more description of the bookshop then and now. What an opportunity to show us the difference between the way business worked in the past! The dialogue was somewhat predictable and I found myself skimming the chapters related to Katie and spending more time with the Mitfords.
The characters in the present, Katie, Simon, JoJo... the one I most loved was Clive. Does anyone else feel that way? This is what I mean about minor characters having a mark, Clive really showed how our kids are showing up in the world these days.
Overall, I'd give the book a 3.5/5.0 stars and recommend it to my Mitford-loving friends. I would also be happy to read another book by this author.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
SOCIAL LINKS:
Author website: https://michellegable.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MGableWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgablewriter/
Q&A with Michelle Gable
Q: What's the "story behind the story" for The Bookseller’s Secret? Why did you decide to write this book?
A: I’ve been a longtime fan of Nancy Mitford’s work and became obsessed with the entire Mitford clan after reading The Sisters by Mary S. Lovell, about twenty years ago. In short, Nancy was one of six beautiful sisters with very distinct (and controversial!) personas: Nancy the novelist, Pamela the countrywoman, Diana the Fascist (and “most hated woman in England”), Unity the Hitler confidante, Jessica the Communist, and Deborah the Duchess. Writing something about this crew has been in the back of my mind since long before I was published and when tossing around ideas, my agent brought up Nancy’s time at the Heywood Hill bookshop during the Blitz. I love London, and any novel set in a bookstore, as well as new takes on the World War II genre, so I was game. As for the modern storyline, though Katie’s life is vastly different from mine, let’s just say we share some of the same writerly angst!Q: What message do you hope readers take from the story?
A: I never write with a message in mind, I just hope something about the story sticks with readers, whether it’s a character, some piece of history learned, or a new way of looking at a situation. I’m shocked how few Americans know about Nancy Mitford (even fellow writers) so I do hope readers walk away with an appreciation for her brilliance (and humor!)Q: Do you have any specific writing rituals (favorite shirt, pen, drink, etc)
A: I don’t! Sometimes I handwrite, sometimes I write on a computer. Sometimes I have coffee, or water, or Diet Coke. Usually, I work in my home office but have been known to write during my daughters’ softball games. I started this book in February 2020 so most of it was written when EVERYONE was home on lockdown. One of my daughters took over my office so I spent a lot of time writing in my bedroom, with the dog curled up next to me. This is when I learned my husband uses binders for work (click-click-click).
One “habit” that is consistent is that I always stop in the middle of something that is going well so it’s easier to pick up the next day. Few things are more daunting than staring at a blank page!
Q: Which character do you relate to the most?
A: I relate to Katie’s writerly angst, but I really connected to Nancy Mitford’s writing style. I’d like to think we have similar senses of humor but that is giving myself a lot of credit!Q: What can you tell us about your next project?
A: Though I vowed no more WWII novels, I couldn’t help myself! This one takes place in Rome, near the end of the war, and centers on women who created propaganda to feed to the Germans, the goal to lower morale. It’s an exploration of how misinformation not only affects those receiving it, but those creating it.Q: What do you think drives authors to continue to find stories to tell set around WWII?
A: I think because there are endless stories to tell! It involves almost every country, even so-called “neutral” countries, and people from literally every walk of life. Brave and scared. Rich and poor. Powerful and powerless. Obedient and rebellious. Every combination of the human experience!Q: How are you hoping readers will relate to this story?
A: I don’t have any specific hopes, just that they do! And, of course, I want everyone to gain a new appreciation for Nancy Mitford.Q: What’s something that you connected with personally as you researched and wrote this story?
A: While she was working at Heywood Hill, Nancy was struggling with ideas for her fifth book just as I had been with my fifth book when my agent suggested writing about her! Also, her husband and mine look exactly alike which is a little creepy. You don’t see a lot of tall, blonde, adult men. And Nancy Mitford died exactly one year to the day before I was born, which also felt like it meant something.
