I chose to read this book because of the title as well as the description of the story - but the title immediately made me open to it. I like books about bookstores - I've spent so many happy hours in them myself I just can't resist. 

The story is set in 1920s London and is focused around the spirited Kate Goss.  Kate's mother died, her father has been away for years, and Kate is living with a mean and resentful aunt and her children.  Kate is treated terribly and is definitely not wanted.  She holds onto her dream that her father will come back and rescue her from this situation.  Kate has to work very hard for food and rent at a factory.  During layoff periods at the factory she picks up some cleaning jobs to make ends meet.  She picked up a job at The Bermondsey Bookshop doing part-time cleaning.  The Bermondsey Bookshop is an unusual place where people from all classes can come to read, learn to read, visit and share.  The book is based on the very real Bermondsey Bookshop which I found fascinating.

There was something about the charming prose that I really enjoyed.  I loved the character Kate; she is so strong and self-reliant that I admired each of her triumphs.  The book has its villians though that I loved to hate!  This is the first book I've read by Mary Gibson, but I enjoyed the writing so much I will be looking for more.

Thanks to Mary Gibson and Head of Zeus through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this one and discovered a new author I like. 

Based around a real bookshop that was founded by Ethel Gutman in 1921 London, it was established with the idea of providing a place for the working-class to learn to read, buy books on an installment plan, stage classical plays, learn other languages, etc. 

This is the fictional story of Kate Goss, a young woman who struggled against poverty, hunger and a cruel family and its secrets. While depressing at times, it is ultimately a story of overcoming obstacles and becoming one’s own person rather than a reflection of one’s family or circumstances. 

Good character development and plot. My only con? Wish it hadn’t wrapped up so quickly...I felt the ending needed an epilogue. 

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HeadofZeus for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own. 

Out 2/6

I enjoyed reading this historical fiction. The main character is strong and resilient. I absolutely loved reading the scenes in the bookshop and all the characters that were found there. This is a wonderful book and I can't wait to read more by this author. 

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as I really liked it.
It's an engrossing and moving story, quite realistic and well researched.
I loved Kate, the MC, but I think that all the characters are realistic and well thought.
The descriptions of the bookshop were lovely and I liked the well crafted plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Firstly thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.  I love this author and have enjoyed all her books.  This particular one is based
 in 1920s London.   It was very cleverly written about Kate Goss and her personal struggles against poverty, hunger and cruel family secrets.  It was most enjoyable and I found it quite absorbing how the different characters were woven into Kate’s life and the Bermondsey Bookshop.  I felt so sorry for Kate at times and could not believe the hardships she suffered and yet she carried on regardless.  Loved it and would recommend for a great read

What a wonderfully written book with unforgettable characters.  Find yourself a warm cozy spot, a comfortable chair because once you pick up this book, you won’t want to put it down.  You will be drawn into the homey bookshop, be friends with all characters who venture in.  It is a wonderfully written book with many plots, love interests, some sadness, some joy, and pure entertainment for the reader.  Great reading!!
#The Bermondsey Bookshop
#NetGalley

This was the perfect formula. Great plot + characters you love + atmosphere = unexpected binge read! I rarely binge historical fiction.

I really enjoyed this book so much.  It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting.  I would highly recommend this book.

Kate Goss is brought up in Bermondsey. When she is very young her mother died in a tragic accident, and her father leaves her with his horrible sister and vile cousins while he disappears on business, but promises to come back. Years later he hasn't come back. Her Aunt removes her from school and sets her to work in the local tin factory - keeping nearly all the money. Kate spends much of her precious spare time daydreaming of when her father would return and take her away.

Meanwhile the situation at her Aunt's is so horrible she gets into a fight, and has to make her own way. She takes on an extra cleaning job at the Bermondsey Bookshop to help make ends meet. This soon becomes a refuge where she makes friends and sees another side to life. When the tin factory lays off girls for a while, she gets into debt with the local money lender, but help comes from an unexpected source. She continues dreaming, in her cold and lonely Garrett, of when her father will return and rescue her.

Unfortunately things don't always work out in the way you think or dream they will.

A brilliantly written, insightful, story of the times, and the differences between the poorer areas of Bermondsey and the richer area of Belgravia. I didn't want to put it down.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I had a hard time getting into it at first. Not sure why  because it is very well written. But once I got into the story, I was totally drawn in. I loved the main character Kate. She was treated so bad by her entire family. Yet she was strong and tenacious and never gave up. I loved the idea of the Bermondsey Bookshop, and what Ethel Gutman was trying to do. I found this story intriguing but also very sad.  I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus  through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Though this is a novel, the Bermondsey Bookshop is a real place.  It was founded by Ethel Gutman in February, 1921, and closed in 1930.  We would call the setting "the slums", inhabited by families and others who lived on the "sharp edge of poverty".  

As I read, I wondered when the bookshop, as a character, would appear.  When it did, I was curious to see that this story was not necessarily about books.  It was more about the people who worked at the bookshop.   The Sunday night lectures [free], Monday French classes, Tuesday elocution lessons, Wednesdays  play and poetry readings [all free].  When Kate wanders in to the bookshop and inquires about a job, she finds that it is open 4:30-10:00 [hours catering to the working man] and pays one shilling sixpence an hour [better wages than Boutle's - a nearby sweatshop in the manner of Charles Dickens].  Can she work a second job which would give her money for rent, now that her aunt has kicked her out?  

Filled with a Dickensian money-lender, runaway father, deceased mother, Kate the orphan, a mean aunt and meaner [Cinderella-type] cousins, cold smog, coal smoke and obnoxious odors, but also including a sympathetic boss, an endearing boyfriend, an aunt who tries to help, and wonderful bookshop employees and customers, this book is an absolute delight.

I read this EARC courtesy of Atria Books.   pub date 02/06/20

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of The Bermondsey Bookshop by Mary Gibson.

Set in the earlier 1900's, Kate Noss is practically an orphan, living with her abusive aunt and so down on her luck.  Things go from bad to worse after fleeing her abusers and no where to go.  But because of her grit and willingness to work hard, she lands odd jobs, including cleaning a local bookshop.  Through the bookshop she discovers that her long lost father, may not be far away, or lost.  Could this be the end of her desperate poverty?

This was a slow weaving tale of family drama and a fighter's spirit.  Considering it's pace and length, I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I really liked the characters and intrigue, and I especially really loved Kate.  There is nothing better than a story that makes you almost feel like a part of it.

I'm so glad that I requested this one to read because I've never heard of this bookshop before and this author had a way of bring her story to life as well as the characters .With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it

This was my first book by this author, so I had no idea what to expect.

I love Kate of a character. She didn’t let anything or anyone crush her spirit and she did what she needed to survive. Even if that meant working himself to the bone. Her pleasures are simple. The story paint a grim tale of the London East End in the twenties. No roaring twenties in that neighbourhood, but there is a big difference in class. Kate her curiosity made me laugh.

I loved the Bookshop and how it changed Kate’s life, but I would have like more scene or focus of the story on the Bookshop.

For me there was to much else going on which made the story drag at places.

Having spent a happy childhood growing up in Bermondsey I was really looking forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed.  It is a wonderful story of times gone by and showed the hard side of life amongst the dockers and those trying to make a living where they could.  The characters are as they should be and in my time there I came across said people.  This story was enthralling and captivated me from the beginning. What made it even better was that The Bermondsey Bookshop did exist in the 1920's and many famous people spoke there.  I can't recommend this book high enough.

I fell in love with the title and the cover of this book and knew I needed this story in my hands as soon as possible! 

I loved it.... the story, the characters it was just perfect. 

From start to finish I was captivated. 

This story is perfect for anyone who likes historical fiction, books and seeing someone go through a hard time but still remain positive, with a sassy attitude.

I was intrigued by this novel as it is based on the true story of the bookshop set up by Ethel Gutman in the East End of London in the 1921. It's aim was to 'bring books and the love of books into Bermondsey' and  to allow local working people access to books and also a meeting place for speakers and events.As a backdrop we then meet feisty Kate struggling with life. She lives with her cruel Aunt Sylvie and cousin Stan who both treat her like a skivvy and she is soon sent at 14 years old to work at a factory undertaking hard long hours soldering paint tins - picking up tough skills and also the effects of metal fume fever with the horrendous work conditions.
Kate has been brought up by her aunt after her mother died falling down the stairs and she was told her father disappeared and never wanted to see her again. She is known as Noss Goss, as she listens and observes (often getting herself into trouble as a consequence) but when she loses her job, is thrown out of her aunt's home and finds herself at the mercy of a money lender Kate's life takes a bad turn.
Looking for extra work the author links her into the world of the Bermondsey Bookshop as a cleaner where she is meeting a whole new world of people.
The plot rattles along really well and you are fighting Kate's corner at every turn. especially as her heart is always under threat from broken dreams and love. Her need for her family and to try and 'fit in' through up some twists and turns in the novel which are all well described. But she is resolute and the idea of her trade as a silversmith was an intriguing aspect to her life.  It is a definite rags to riches tale but was believable enough without being sentimental.  You could do no more than cheer for the final conclusion when it came after all her struggles!

The Bermondsey Bookshop by Mary Gibsons is a new favorite for me. This was so beautifully written. I believed I could see, smell and feel everything Kate was experiencing. Kate is one of the bravest characters I’ve ever read. The courage she has to make a better life for herself is staggering. In her effort to better her own life she manages to better everyone around her. I can’t recommend this book enough. I will definitely be looking for more books by Ms. Gibson.

Thank you netgalley for sharing this book with me for an honest review! 

Wow! What a beautiful tale of Kate's life story. Her life is in shambles at a very young age. She learns to survive in her hardships and works very hard to simply maintain her minimal basic needs. 

Through her job in the bookstore, she finds friends and connections that add happiness in her life. Over time, she is surrounded by close friends (family) and  her one true love. 

I am not well knowledgeable on history after WWII. There are historical references to locations within the book!

This book is a must read when it is released next year.

Poor young Kates' mother died tragically from a fall when she was little, her father went away "on business" leaving her in the clutches of her horrible aunt and cousins, who treat her like a slave, torment and bully her. She longs for the day her father comes back to her and daydreams about this and her loving mother telling her fairytales.   
  Her aunt forces her to leave school and start working in a tin factory, eventually, she throws her out and Kate is left to support herself, taking on numerous jobs she ends up in the dingy Garrett that her parents bought her up in. But she is laid off from the factory and has to borrow money from a devious money lender to keep a roof over her head.  
One of the jobs she takes up is in The Bermondsey bookshop where people can pick up books cheaply and learn to read.  After befriending the owner she doesn't look back. Her world opens up and she meets all manner of people from the different classes.
Such a lovely warm book, I really felt Kate's sadness and struggles to keep herself alive.
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book x