The Booklover's Library

By: Madeline Martin

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.

In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job. She and her beloved daughter Olivia have always managed just fine on their own, but with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her with a job.

When the threat of war in England becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In the wake of being separated from her daughter, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, and a renewed sense of purpose through the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing and the work at the lending library forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.

©2024 Madeline Martin (P)2024 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Critic reviews

“A must-read for booklovers.” —Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana

A touching story of love and community

Another delightful Madeline Martin story of resilience and love during difficult days. I enjoyed learning about the lending libraries and the societal challenges of married and widowed mothers in that era. I also really enjoyed the relationships between the characters and how everyone chipped in to build community during the difficult WW2 years. I will enjoy listening to this one again.

Beautiful and Heartfelt

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin was a beautifully written testament to a mother’s love for her child/children and how a single book can turn a person into a lifelong reader!

This is by far my absolute favorite book of 2024! It has all of the feels, the highs and lows, the heartbreak and the happiness of life. Martin’s extensive research into the history surrounding wartime life in England comes shining through in the details of the story. And her characters portray real life experiences in a way that I know to be true, as I’ve seen or experienced them myself. Emma, a single mom, struggles with the choices she has to make for the safety of her daughter, and breaking the rules in order to have a career to provide for her daughter. I’ve watched friends struggle with those same decisions. Watching Olivia find the one book that changes her life, and turns her into a lifelong reader, the same book that also made me a lifelong reader. Another thing I love about Martin’s books are the secondary characters that make them so unique. Mrs. Pickering and Mr. Sanderson at the boarding house. Her co-workers at the Booklover’s library, Mrs. Bainbridge, Margaret and even Miss Crane, as well as the quirky customers, Mr. Beard, Mrs. Chatsworth and Pip, and of course Charles Fisk. I also love that when Emma went to London she found the bookshop on Primrose Hill, and we got to see Grace Bennett and Mr Evans.

All in all it’s just a fabulous book, and the marvelous Saskia Maarleveld, does a magnificent job in narrating the story.

Wonderful

My second listen from this author and both were perfect. Love the history, characters, and narrator.

One for the read

Absolutely loved this book ❤️ Great story couldn’t stop listening. It is fabulous. So happy I have it in my audio collection ❤️

A testament to community

I really loved this POV of what daily life could have been like for a single mother during WWII in England. It’s a story more about how the war is happening around a group of people instead of them being directly involved in the war in some way. It’s a testament of regardless of time or space, parenting is extremely difficult and a community or “village” is absolutely necessary. It’s also a harsh reminder about how our world judges single mothers, even while single fathers are given miles of grace. Love this book. Highly recommend.

Lovely Listen

Such a sweet story. This author keeps you so interested in the story. I really enjoyed this listen.

Never before did an author wrote about my thoughts and fears with such accuracy…

Single parenting is many a times so full of doubt and fear but just as much feelings so enormous my heart is not big enough to accommodate. I was always self conscious about the enormity of my emotions trying to down play them so not to embarrass my children not always with much success.
Madeline Martin is the first author that took my thoughts and emotions right out of me and put them into words so much so that at times I couldn’t bear to read any longer. From one single parent to another I thank and applaud you!

Well researched and written

I love well- researched historical fiction! The author does a great job of bringing you into Emma’s experience of a widowed mother at the onset of WWII in Britain. But not in London, for a change. We tend to think of the Blitz in London at that time, but other cities endured devastation from Nazi bombs. This is an exciting and heart-wringing read, about not only WWII Britain, but also the Boots’ Booklovers Libraries. I encourage you to look up the history. It’s fascinating for any bibliophile!

The characters pull you in from the beginning!

Loved this book and the narrator is always a joy to listen to! Characters were deep and you immediately wanted to know them. I loved the facts and new things I learned about this era.

My new favorite book of the year!

I loved the progressive character development as the story unfolds. The more I read, the more they hooked me in. I imagine for a mother or someone who wants to be a mother one day, this book would really resonate. The mother has very tough choices that have to be made in a time few of us have had to live through. There are also so many feel good moments throughout the book, not just with the daughter, but other characters. Such a great book!

Last call out, Saskia Maarleveld has become my favorite narrator. She and Madeline make a perfect pair in story writer and storyteller. Saskia has narratored for so many great reads. Please keep doing what your doing. Can't wait for the next one!