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

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-11

Chapters 12-16

Chapter 17-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Power of Storytelling

The Last Bookshop in London is an ode to the power of storytelling. Novels are at the heart of this novel, creating a metafictive relationship between Madeline Martin’s contemporary readers and the characters in the novel who embrace literature.

Grace takes a job in a bookshop even though she has no relationship with literature. She quickly learns that gaining knowledge about literature helps her make the shop a more comfortable and homey space. Grace is inspired to read when she meets George Anderson, a handsome engineer who gives her his copy of his favorite book. Though it takes Grace a while to get into the novel, once she starts reading, she can’t stop. This highlights how it's never too late to become a reader and shows how people come to love literature for different reasons. Some people enjoy books from the get-go, like Grace’s boss Mr. Evans; others, like Grace, need external motivation to investigate reading. Once she does, however, she immediately recognizes the power of words, as she is transported away from the stressful reality of impending war and into a thrilling fantasy. Reading takes her into a metaphorical realm where anything is possible, which is a welcome reprieve from her daily life and gives her the strength to move forward.

In addition to the comfort of escapism, Grace learns how novels can transcend human experience. Through literature, Grace, who is already a compassionate person, learns even more about her capacity for empathy. She discovers that books can teacher her about the deeper nuances of the human experience, as they expose her to ideas and perspective she would have never considered otherwise. Grace learns that books are representative of free speech and diverse thought. When she realizes that people likely died rescuing books from the Nazi book-burning campaign, she is deeply moved, and she understands that protecting books is another form of fighting against the Nazis.

Grace shares her newfound love of books with others. Before she became a reader, she could not appropriately recommend books for perusing customers, as she had no personal connection to them. Once she falls in love with reading, however, she brings authentic enthusiasm to her work. She makes Primrose Hill Books a safe haven for many people seeking a respite from the ceaseless bombs and bad news about loved ones. She organizes and cleans up the store to make it easier for customers without destroying the bookshop’s heart and soul, and she forms personal connections with her customers that allow her to find them the exact stories they need.

Families are torn apart due to the war, whether it be through the evacuation of children or the loss of young men and women to the war itself. People seek community more than ever before. Grace transforms Primrose Hill Books into a communal space in which people come together for literature but stay together for the company. When Grace reads her novel out loud to her neighbors in the bomb shelter, she shares her escapism and brings them comfort. This transforms reading from a solitary activity into a community experience, and it brings vital relief to people in desperate need of emotional support. Grace’s efforts are repaid when the community she and Mr. Evans built comes together to help her rebuild Primrose Hill Books after the shop is destroyed by a bomb.

Stories are not only found in novels. Martin emphasizes that each individual has their own interesting story. Mrs. Weatherford, for example, provides the wisdom of history. She lived through World War I and so has many stories that help Grace come to terms with the experiences of World War II. Mr. Evans is quiet about his life, but he has a depth of experience in him that he shares when Grace needs guiding wisdom. The loss he’s experienced, but also the love he’s known, inform Mr. Evans’s own story, and he shares these with Grace as they grow closer. Even Mrs. Nesbitt, who is rude to Grace for most of the novel, has her own story. Once Grace learns to acknowledge that Mrs. Nesbitt’s actions are informed by her personal experiences, rather than anything Grace herself has done, Grace finds it easier to forgive Mrs. Nesbitt for her behavior. This kindness wins Mrs. Nesbitt over, and she comes to support Grace just like Mr. Evans did. Through literature, Grace learns to extend patience and empathy to everyone, which allows her to learn their stories.

Female Empowerment and Leadership

Grace is a vulnerable heroine whose many layers represent the capacity of women to defy social gender norms. Wars can force people to unlearn traditional ways of being, which also leaves space for progressive values. World War I gave women the space to prove that they were capable of the same intelligence, power, and leadership as men, which earned them the right to vote. But even after World War I, women in the United Kingdom were a part of a male-dominated structure of power. Once the men came back from war, women were relegated to their previous domestic spaces. World War II brings about another opportunity for society to lean on women, and Martin’s characters demonstrate the power and resilience that real-life women displayed.

These traits are most prominent in Viv, Grace, and Mrs. Weatherford’s participation in war efforts. Though women were not allowed to fight in the war, they were allowed to join the military as part of an emergency need for more hands and minds. Viv joins the Auxiliary Service, placing her in important war roles such as radar operation. Viv sees the Auxiliary Service as both a way to serve her country and a way to discover more about her own potential. Viv meets other like-minded women and enjoys a social life with the male soldiers. Her experiences prove that women can be an equal part of a man’s world. Viv is disappointed when she is removed from the military at the end of the war: She spends years serving her country and proving her capacity to achieve what a man is traditionally expected to accomplish, but when greater numbers of soldiers are no longer necessary, she is not allowed to stay on as a service member the way her male counterparts are. This demonstrates that a society built on traditionalism and conservatism can fail its marginalized members by making them seem disposable. As much as women can do and have done for their country, equality between the sexes is not yet established by the end of the book.

Mrs. Weatherford is a source of strength in a more traditionally maternal way. Mrs. Weatherford is a caregiver—her identity is tied to being useful for others. She is generous with her home, with her resources, and with her love. She uses the lessons she learned during World War I to care for Grace and Viv and help them through traumatic wartime experiences. When her beloved son Colin is conscripted, Mrs. Weatherford joins the Women’s Voluntary Service, offering her maternal care and her hard-earned experience to the war effort. When Colin dies at war, Mrs. Weatherford’s identity is compromised, and she retreats into herself. The loss of her child is staggering, and it takes Mrs. Weatherford a while to find purpose again. Ultimately, she overcomes her grief and learns how to redirect her maternal energy. By caring for Grace and Viv and adopting the orphans Sarah and Jimmy, Mrs. Weatherford becomes empowered.

Grace also defies stereotypes about women. As an ARP warden, she is placed in the direct line of fire. Mr. Stokes, her fellow ARP warden, doesn’t believe that women are fit for such an important authoritative role. But Grace changes Mr. Stokes’s mind about women by proving that she is not only capable of handling danger, but that she brings a sense of empathy and compassion that is vital to the people they help. Her work with the ARP is critical to the community, and her strength changes Mr. Stokes’s opinion on women’s abilities in stressful, dangerous circumstances.

These women also demonstrate strength and intelligence outside of the war. Viv maintains her enthusiasm and vitality, and she refuses to let the war dampen her and Grace’s spirits. She brings Grace dancing, ensuring that they both take a moment to enjoy their youth and forget about the grim reality just outside. Grace herself is an excellent businesswoman. Although she initially takes the job at Primrose Hill Books out of necessity, Grace takes her responsibilities to the next level. She transforms a struggling business into a thriving one and she builds a community of readers in the process. Though she similarly aided her uncle in making his business successful, her uncle refused to recognize her accomplishments and did not give her credit. Mr. Evans, however, appreciates Grace’s work at the bookshop and staunchly defends her against naysayers. Mr. Evans leaves Grace the bookshop in his will, emphasizing his faith in her abilities. Grace goes from having no assets to her name to having a thriving business in her ownership. This positions Grace very differently from other women in her society. It also proves that women are capable of an acumen long held to be only possible in men.

Resilience in the Face of Terror

World War II was a horrific event that changed Western society, redrew national borders, transformed national identities, and shifted perspectives about human psychology and capacity for evil. The ramifications and ripple effects of World War II include the millions of victims of the Holocaust, but also the establishment of the League of Nations, later the United Nations. World War II taught people how to think about themselves as part of a larger world. But many people died and many cities were destroyed before this progress began.

In 1940, London and other British cities were pummeled by the Blitz, in which German airplanes dropped bomb after bomb. These bombs killed people, displaced them from their homes, and threatened their sense of identity. However, the Blitz ultimately failed to give Germany an upper hand in invading England and instead proved British fortitude. No matter how many bombs were dropped, British civilians and military were quick to rebuild and continue fighting. Martin demonstrates this resilience throughout the book, as Grace and her neighbors take precautions against air raids, help each other in times of need, and come together to rebuild despite the harrowing destruction.

Martin emphasizes how the community identity overtakes the individual identity in the effort to protect the greater good. Grace and her neighbors embody the UK’s real wartime slogan, “keep calm and carry on.” Most people accept the tube station bomb shelters as overnight homes, and they don’t complain about the rationing of food and other goods like tea. Mrs. Weatherford puts together Christmas dinners with whatever they have available, and she even uses her valuable rations to feed Jimmy, the orphan boy who attends Grace’s readings. People in London try to live normally, despite the bombs dropping around them. Londoners continue to go to work, and bars and dance halls stay open despite certain danger. Despite the war, Londoners maintain their norms as much as possible. They try to make systems out of chaos, thus ensuring the survival of their spirits.

Grace shows great resilience in the face of terror. As an ARP warden, she comes face to face with danger, death, and destruction. This is a far cry from her peaceful life in the country, but even though she is terrified, she rises to the occasion and provides support where she’s needed. When incendiary bombs drop, Grace immediately helps douse the fires they start, though she’s not a trained firefighter. She helps put out fires in Paternoster Row and goes into burnt buildings searching for survivors. She witnesses death, and is sometimes the first to find a friend, like Mr. Pritchard, deceased. These traumatic events don’t deter Grace. She has private breakdowns of emotions, but never misses work or an ARP shift. Though she initially doubts herself, feeling that she lacks the courage that frontline soldiers possess, she discovers her own bravery and capacity for action as she assists her community. In focusing her novel on Grace’s story, Martin suggests that Grace is one of thousands who helped her country by remaining calm, maintaining faith, and persevering through trauma.