The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight #Review

 

I am delighted to be featuring a very special historical novel by Eliza Knight. The Mayfair Bookshop merges the stories of Nancy Mitford, 1930's socialite and a present day American bibliophile, Lucy St Clair,  linking them through the Heywood Hill Bookshop in London. 

“An absolute must-read!”—Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author The Last Bookshop in London

1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life.

Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can’t get on the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it’s a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy’s work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop—a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways. 

 My Thoughts

This is a skilfully written dual timeline historical novel which captures London in two different periods of time. The two stories blend together beautifully. Nancy Mitford develops from the lively socialite of the 1930's through her war work in the Second World War and through her friendships. I loved the sections which covered her life and found her relationship with her notorious sisters to be poignant and also revealing. You really get to see what makes Nancy tick and her anguish in her private life which is not always visible to her friends. 

    Lucy St Clair is a girl who is rooted very much in the present day but who has a mystery to decipher regarding a dedication which she has found in a copy of Nancy's novel. Books play a big part in the story and you can absolutely see the bookshop in your mind's eye. Full of period detail and carefully researched facts about the Mitford sisters, I was fascinated to read Eliza Knights' article at the end of the book where she explains which parts of the story were fictionalised and which characters were a product of her imagination. I can thoroughly recommend this novel- it kept me hooked throughout and sparked many a conversation afterwards.

In short:  fascinating dual timeline with characters who really come alive

About the Author

Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author. Her love of history began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc., and the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed. Knight lives in Maryland with her husband, three daughters, two dogs and a turtle.

You can follow Eliza here: Twitter  |  Website 

Book link: Amazon UK

Thanks to Eliza Knight, William Morrow Paperbacks and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

 

Check out these brilliant bloggers!