The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II

Percival Evans, called Mr. Evans, is the older, cantankerous book lover who owns Primrose Hill Books. Primrose Hill Books is Mr. Evans’s remaining connection to his wife, who was also a book lover and died in a car accident with their daughter. At first, Mr. Evans is moody, unfriendly, and disorganized. He reluctantly agrees to let Grace work for him on the condition that she not get in the way of his years-long habits in the store. But through Grace’s developing friendship with Mr. Evans, Martin reveals more and more layers to him. He is kind, just hesitant with new people. He is generous, but not until he knows the other person. He is frustrated with life because of the tragic loss of his family. Mr. Evans is an ardent champion of books as valuable formats for free thought and free speech. As Grace grows used to his demeanor, she comes to recognize these complexities. Mr. Evans becomes a comforting presence for Grace and supports her through many of her trials and tribulations. She manages to transform Primrose Hill Books into a flourishing bookstore while respecting his wishes, and in turn, he advocates for her skills and offers her wisdom. Their bond strengthens once Grace discovers a love of reading, and both of them represent The Power of Storytelling. Mr. Evans’s death has a deep impact on Grace; she despairs and mourns his loss, but eventually finds the strength to move forward through her determination to carry on his legacy.

Mr. Evans sets Grace up for the rest of her life by leaving his business and apartment to her in his will. This positions him as a father figure, as he gives Grace what she should have had from her uncle. In Grace, Mr. Evans finds someone he can trust to keep his beloved business going. Though Grace reminds him of his late daughter, Mr. Evans ultimately sees the future in her, rather than the past. He dedicated himself to the protection and dissemination of literature, and he passes that torch on to Grace by entrusting the business to her. Mr. Evans’s death gives Grace the final push to become an independent bookseller of her own, and to adopt the role she has been developing into.

Mrs. Weatherford is a friend of Grace’s late mother and a formative character in Grace’s character development. She provides the maternal influence that Grace sorely misses after her mother’s death. Mrs. Weatherford is generous with Grace; she provides her a place to live and helps her get a job. Mrs. Weatherford even has Grace’s friend Viv move in with them, which allows them to share space and love.

Mrs. Weatherford represents Female Empowerment and Leadership. She keeps calm during the first few crises of the book: She teaches Grace vital information about living through wartime using the lessons she herself learned during World War I. When her son Colin is conscripted into the war, she joins the WVS and helps prepare relief centers and care for orphans. This helps her feel closer to Colin and provides vital support to the community.

Mrs. Weatherford undergoes a major character change when Colin dies at Dunkirk. Mrs. Weatherford becomes more withdrawn and loses sight of her reasons to live. This shifts the dynamic between her and Grace, and Grace takes over the role of caretaker. Grace does not give up on giving Mrs. Weatherford new things to live for. Eventually, through Grace’s public readings, Mrs. Weatherford finds new purpose in caring for Jimmy and Sarah, two orphans. Ultimately, she ends up adopting them, which signifies that she understands she has more to live for.

George Anderson is a handsome young engineer who Grace meets in Primrose Hill Books. He prompts Grace into discovering a love for literature when he advocates for The Power of Storytelling. His passionate statements about the power of literature inspire Grace, and his gift—his own copy of The Count of Monte Cristo—fundamentally changes Grace’s relationships with books. This is the catalyst for Grace’s transformation into a voracious reader, which forever changes the trajectory of her life.

George also represents a romantic figure. He is Grace’s love interest, but mostly from afar. He is the dashing hero who is sent to war to protect civilians like Grace. His role as the hero adds to his attraction and his charm, and Grace maintains her interest in him for the entirety of the book, even though they cannot pursue a proper relationship while he is at war. He returns at the end of the novel to reunite with Grace and fulfill her desire for love and companionship. He neatly concludes Grace’s story by providing the promise of love. George Anderson is very much modeled after the romantic male heroes Grace reads in her novels by Jane Austen and George Eliot. His classic romantic characterization is an ode to British Romanticism. Furthermore, George and Grace meet in Primrose Hill Books; this is cyclically significant, as the store is named for Mr. Evans’s wife, whom he met on Primrose Hill and bonded with over books. George and Grace’s connection embodies the metaphorical love that informed the foundation of Primrose Hill Books.

Mr. Stokes is an ARP warden that Grace works with. They patrol the nighttime streets together to ensure that everyone takes proper precautions against air raids, and they do damage control after the attacks begin in earnest.

At first, Grace finds Mr. Stokes overly strict and dismissive of the damage the bombs wreak on the East End. Mr. Stokes is quite old-school in his thinking. He doesn’t believe that Grace will make a good ARP warden because she is a woman, and he supports the xenophobia against Italians once Italy joins the war against England. Over time, however, Mr. Stokes’s character develops, and he and Grace built rapport. The air raids become so traumatic that Mr. Stokes necessarily changes his attitude about the way he speaks on violence. He witnesses Grace’s courage and valor, which changes his sexist ideas about a woman’s role in society. Grace also learns how to look past Mr. Stokes’s exterior and find new layers to his persona. She works so closely with him in such dangerous conditions, that they learn to lean on one another even if they don’t always see eye-to-eye. After Primrose Hill Books is destroyed, Mr. Stokes is the first person to show up and help Grace, just as she has helped countless others in the community.