Welcome friend! It has been some time since I have dived into war fiction and The London Bookshop Affair is a great book to get back into it. I loved spending time in the tense atmosphere of 1960s London and getting lost in a page turning story with espionage and a search for truth. Here is what this book is about:
The London Bookshop Affair
Louise Fein | Goodreads
Two courageous women. One astonishing secret. A world on the brink of war.
London, 1962: The world is teetering on the brink of nuclear war but life must go on. Celia Duchesne longs for a career, but with no means or qualifications, passes her time working at a dusty bookshop. The day a handsome American enters the shop, she thinks she might have found her way out of the monotony. Just as the excitement of a budding relationship engulfs her, a devastating secret draws her into the murky world of espionage.
France, 1942: Nineteen-year-old Anya Moreau was dropped behind enemy lines to aid the resistance, sending messages back home to London via wireless transmitter. When she was cruelly betrayed, evidence of her legacy and the truth of her actions were buried by wartime injustices.
As Celia learns more about Anya—and her unexpected connection to the undercover agent—she becomes increasingly aware of furious efforts, both past and present, to protect state secrets. With her newly formed romance taking a surprising turn and the world on the verge of nuclear annihilation, Celia must risk everything she holds dear, in the name of justice.
Propulsive and illuminating, The London Bookshop Affair is a gripping story of secrets and love, inspired by true events and figures of the Cold War.
The London Bookshop Affair – Book Review
The London Bookshop Affair has a number of third-person perspectives. In the 1940s, there was Jeannie. In the 1960s, there were Celia and Septimus.
It opens to Jeannie dancing with an American soldier in 1942. They love each other and plan to marry when he returns from America. Little do they know that they are not destined to be together. The soldier is killed and she is left with a bleak future.
In 1962, at nineteen years of age, Celia is at the brink of adulthood. Her parents did not allow her to join secretarial school and instead, since she finished school, she has been working for a bookshop called H J Potters. In April, the bookshop had a new owner, Mrs Denton, who had recently moved to England from America. Mrs Denton shows little interest in the business of the antiquarian bookstore and Celia finds herself promoted from a helper at the store to store manager. Using the extra money, Celia enrols herself in a typing school, making progress towards her dream of working for the BBC.
Th bookstore is where she meets Septimus. In his mid-twenties, Septimus works for the American Embassy. He has led a nomadic life so far, working in Canada and the US previously. His dedication and hard work is noticed by the leadership and he becomes the right hand man of the American ambassador in England. He often visits the bookshop as he knows Mrs Denton. He cannot help developing feelings for Celia. Despite his enigmatic nature, Celia is drawn to him, setting the stage for a complex romantic dynamic.
The Plot
The narrative is rich with additional characters. Celia’s mother was important in helping me understand the societal pressure on women. I enjoyed the snippets from the media about Good Housekeeping and advertisements encouraging women to get a job while also reminding them of their household duties. The emergence of television and moving away from radios to get news was also highlighted through Celia’s father.
Daphne, Celia’s friend, while archiving records at her place of work, comes across a file about Celia’s family. In this way, Celia comes to learn about Jeannie, her efforts in the Second World War and her ultimate demise. Her parents had never mentioned Jeannie and I liked the familial tension in this book. Learning the reasons for their secrecy and the eventual understanding and compassion that Celia extends to them is heartwarming.
Another character who is worth the mention is Miss Clarke. Though Celia’s parents dislike her, Celia finds a source of truth in Miss Clarke. She is someone who knew Jeannie and can intimately speak to the work that they were doing. I loved the characters about Miss Clarke and her contribution to the Second World War efforts. She is one character I would have liked to read more about!
World Building and Atmosphere
Celia shows herself to be an intelligent girl, willing to seek the truth even if it hurts. Though the Second World War is over, the arms race between the Soviet Union and America is underway. Daphne and Celia become involved with the CDN, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and attend meetings with the Committee of 100. Seeing historical figures like Bertrand Russell in the story was quite impactful and grounding. I did not know anything about the political atmosphere in Britain during the 1960s and this story and author’s note were quite helpful in finding how the facts were interwoven into the fiction.
I visited London in October 2022 and I have always read books set there but new appreciation comes from having visited a place I am reading about. I could imagine the streets and the places mentioned in The London Bookshop Affair. The world building was done very well, not just of the places, but also the times. The characters were well written and the pace of the novel was fantastic.
Story Structure and Broader Themes in The London Bookshop Affair
The book is divided into five parts, each beginning with a chapter about Jeannie and the events of the 1940s. The rest of the chapters centre around Celia and Septimus in the 1960s. I enjoyed the commentary on the arms race and how it affected the common people, the subtle ways in which people turned to activism and doing what they could to show their support for disarmament. Through the characters of Andre (Celia’s father) and Miss Clarke, the challenges of being a refugee or alien fighting for a country are portrayed too.
The London Bookshop Affair covers the tension and political situations during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. With Celia, I pondered what the world was left with even though war was avoided.
Now that these weapons have been invented, they can never be uninvented, and the safety of the world will forever be reliant on good leaders, and sense, and no accidents, and the good alignments of the stars.
pg 374
The London Bookshop Affair is a captivating exploration of ordinary people like Jeannie and Celia facing extraordinary circumstances and the grit with which they persevere. Celia has the naivety of a nineteen year old but she is smart and levelheaded, making her a character I loved. Her growth and decisions reflect broader themes of resilience and empowerment and I loved the wisdom she embraces as time passes.
Life, events, wars, or avoiding them are all a series of accidents of unplanned disorder that simply happens, however in control anyone thinks they actually are of the world around them.
pg 387
The London Bookshop Affair intricately weaves together the lives of its characters against the backdrop of historical events. It is an exploration of love, loss, and resilience. I was drawn into a web of secrets and deception with a bookstore as a place of importance. As the story unfolds, themes of empowerment, the consequences of war, and the resilience of the human spirit left a deep impact on me. If you love war fiction, give this book a read.
About the Author: Louise Fein
Louise Fein is the author of Daughter of the Reich, which has been published in thirteen territories, and the international bestseller The Hidden Child. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from St Mary’s University. She lives in Surrey, UK, with her family.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for giving me a chance to highlight this book on my blog in exchange for an honest review. Quotes have been verified with a finished copy.
Check out other reviewers on the tour:
The London Bookshop Affair is my first book by Louise Fein though her work has been on my radar for a long time. I am looking forward to making time for The Hidden Child and Daughter of the Reich.
Thanks for the blog tour support x