The Underground Library

February 1, 2024
Ryan's latest WWII novel showcases the bravery and tenacity of everyday women during the Blitz. In her trademark fashion, Ryan weaves together the stories of three very different women: Sofie, a Jewish refugee from Germany; Juliet, an empathetic and motivated new deputy librarian; and Katie, a young woman about to start university. Each woman faces a unique hardship, but their stories converge at the Bethnal Green Library, where they find solace in books. As the Blitz forces their community to take shelter in the underground station, the written word brings people together, and Juliet begins lending books from the station. But a string of tragedies threatens to break the fragile hope that the underground library has forged. This is not only a testament to the strength of women during WWII; it is also a love letter to libraries and the boundless knowledge and pleasure they provide. While the individual women's stories are works of fiction, the story is based on true events that happened in Bethnal Green and around London, adding to the emotional impact of Ryan's well-researched tale.

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March 1, 2024
Three plucky heroines are connected by a love of books that helps them cope through the London Blitz. Sofie Baumann survives a risky journey out of Berlin in the spring of 1939 thanks to a visa that sets her up as a housekeeper in London. But her employer is a villain who works her to the bone, and she has little news of the sister and father she left behind. A year later, she finds solace in the Bethnal Green Library, where the new deputy librarian, Juliet Lansdown, has started a book group with the help of Katie Upwood, a library assistant. Juliet is making use of a rare job opportunity, thanks to the absence of men, as well as distracting herself from the news that her fiance is considered a deserter. Katie, meanwhile, learns that her boyfriend is missing in action overseas and then realizes that she's pregnant. The book club provides respite: Juliet leads nightly readings, and Sofie suggests a poetry reading. When the Blitz begins in earnest and the library is bombed, Juliet and the club set up a new library in the Bethnal Green Underground Station, where hundreds of neighborhood residents shelter at night. Along with the makeshift canteens and first aid clinics, the underground library serves its community. While the stakes are high for these characters and they each find themselves in truly dire situations, the book tends to focus more on exposition than inner lives. Crises resolve themselves quickly and seem to leave very little mark. Everyone always finds themselves back in the library, with chorus after narrative chorus about the power of books. A well-researched but low-impact story.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 26, 2024

The Blitz may have descended upon Britain, but deputy librarian Juliet Lansdown is determined to revive the ailing Bethnal Green Library as a source of solace for the community. She's helped by Jewish refugee Sofie and university student Katie, whose boyfriend was killed in the war. Then the bombs hit close to home. From the author of the beloved The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. Prepub Alert.

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