Book For Review Courtesy of Netgalley ~ Source Books Landmark
Emma, the heroine of The Booklover's Library was left alone after her father's bookstore burned down. She quickly married and had a child, only to be widowed shortly thereafter. A single mother, Emma needs a job to take care of herself and her daughter Olivia. She gets a job at Boots in their book department. She describes what most readers would deem as Book Lovers heaven : "the library transported its subscribers to a place of cozy comfort with large stained glass windows that overlooked the street below, plush rugs underfoot, and the lingering perfume of freshly cut flowers from the small bouquets in elegant glass vases through the open space. Then of course there were the books meet shelves perfectly arranged pristine from Emma's vantage point..."
But as much as the novel is about the love of books, it is more about the love of a mother and a daughter. Emma's daughter Olivia has been billeted to the English countryside twice. First the woman who took her in became unable to care for her, and then she stayed with an unkind couple. Emma faces the loss of her daughter bravely, while knowing that the brunt of the war can hit them any second. The Booklover's Library tells the story of what it was like for women to lose their children due to billiting, and for children to be away from their homes, which is not often discussed in World War II novels. Emma's bravery and love of her child is a story that resonates even today.
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