Any more of these and I'll be on the floor', laughed Alice. 'It's delicious; what's in it, Ruby Red Lips'?

My favourite character throughout was Ruby. Bold, brassy and brave she epitomised the bulldog tenacity of the Eastend people. She's certainly someone you would want to have as an ally. She was, almost, like Clara's conscience. Encouraging her and pushing her to do things she might have let go. The friendship between them was special. When Clara comes across two sisters from Jersey, she is determined to befriend them and help them in any wayshe can. As hard as it is for those from the East end she’s certain that it must be even more terrifying for two young women who aren’t even from London. Not all people want Clara and Ruby’s help though and some are even determined to make their lives as difficult as possible. Everyone around them has difficulties they’re battling to survive and when Clara meets a kind but mysterious Samaritan she has a whole new struggle on her hands. Libraries in converted shops, in village halls, in mobile vans, are common enough. But libraries in Tube shelters are something new under the sun,” Stanley wrote with pride.

Satisfying layers of depth

One of the things I loved about this book, was the author’s exploration of what “one” person can achieve when faced with hardship. As the war dragged on, the women's determination to remain strong in the face of adversity is tested to the limits, when it ‘seems’ it might have come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive.

The author keeps the story firmly ground in reality; there are tragedies to accompany the triumphs. During WWII, the unfinished Bethnal Green Station not only provided shelter to five thousand people who slept in the bunkers constructed in the tunnels – a safe haven amid the devastation caused by the Blitz but also housed a theatre that hosted opera and ballet, a coffee shop, doctor’s quarters and a wartime nursery and a library.

Bethan Green’s magical library with Kate Thompson

This book is a true gem and helps us realize the value of a library - the heartbeat of a community. Reading for Victory may have been a wartime slogan, but, reading for victory during the recent pandemic was a war on COVID. Words cannot describe how brilliant The Little Wartime Library is. This novel captured my attention and my heart.

This book also made me cry. From start to finish I was emotionally involved in the lives of Clara, Ruby, and those who through the war found refuge, support and a home in Bethnal Green underground library. This historical fiction set in London’s east end during WW 2 resonates with stories of family, community, friendship, loss, love, grief, the absolute treasures librarians are, and the value of public libraries. This ode to libraries and WWII era books and librarians introduces a community of people brought together by war and needed the isle of calm the library gave them when up against terrors like refugees from the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands and the bombings on the home front while a nation is in a desperate war. Based on the real existence of the Bethnal Green underground community, the historical authenticity and historical mile markers- like the Bethnal Green tube disaster, Jersey, and other devastation- settled over the story as added layers letting the character-driven plot action and colorful, complex characters shine in the forefront.And we see how books such as The Wind in the Willows, Rebecca, Treasure Island, and Gone with the Wind gave vital respite from the deadly blitz and the resulting tragic deaths; from grief over loved ones lost on the battlefield; from domestic violence, sexual assaults, and other crimes that ensued as before. Finding out about the library was nothing short of magic’ ... Kate Thompson. Photograph: Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives This is such a beautiful story, set during World War 2 it shows the strength and courage that a librarian goes to, to make sure that people have books to read and what’s more friendship and support through some of the toughest times England has seen, when the Bethnal Green Library is bombed during the blitz, librarian Clara Button creates a new library underground in the disused Bethnal Green tube station along with thousands of bunk beds and many more services for the people of Bethnal Green, this was a book I found very hard to put down. The author visiting the spot in Bethnal Green Underground where the library once stood, in the pandemic. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This novel is a must for anyone who likes books set in this era and would like a glimpse into the lives and resilience of ordinary people in this harrowing time.

The enforced silence just compounded the survivors’ feelings of guilt. Rescuers’ hair turned grey overnight, whole families were torn apart – Patsy lost five members of her family on her father’s side. Thompson takes these facts and spins a marvelous story of friendship, found family, and community. All of the characters are so well developed that they became real people to me. I laughed, I cried, and I worried right along with them. And I galloped through the book, resenting the intrusions of Real Life that kept me from reading. I need to know What Happened Next. I appreciated that the author set the story in the later stages of the war (1944-45), so that we could see the cumulative strains and weariness from coping and striving to 'carry on'. I loved every word of this book. Kate Thompson’s research is, as always, impeccable. She brings the East End’s characters and war-weary to life in a way that never fails to enchant me. I’m envious of readers who have yet to experience The Little Wartime Library. Definitely a five-star read that I can’t recommend highly enough. The Little Wartime Library is fast paced and exciting. There are moments of terrible suffering through the impact of war, balanced by light-hearted banter and humour. Beautifully written with emotion this story is based on true events is heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time as we see Clara and Ruby stand up for the people who need this library, Clara is the most caring person as is Ruby both have been through so much and deserve happiness. I loved getting to know the people who live in this underground world, I cried with them and cheered them one, anyone who loves reading and loves a library must read this story, it truly shows what a library means to so many people. I highly recommend this story, I loved it.

A story that thrums with vibrancy

What works so well is that there is no guarantee of a happy ending for anyone, creating moments of deep emotion. Satisfying layers of depth Based on the real history of the Bethnal Green Library, Thompson’s book reveals that although COVID and The Blitz are both very different, the effect on reading has been the same. Books, in both cases, were “a key weapon in the fight for morale.” The Blitz revealed the need to have equal access to reading material and the stigma of reading for relaxation lifted. Covid revealed the need for equal access to information via the internet. We may not have had the bibliobus that the East Enders had, but our community had a book bicycle that travelled between communities to the shut-ins. I’ll never forget the first time I re-entered the library after the restrictions were lifted. The protocols were worth every effort. I love the two women who run the underground library and how resilient they are and I love most of the other characters as well. I love the world building and how much research the author does include in the book as well.