Dual timeline story of novelist and Mitford sister Nancy Mitford and fictional rare books dealer, Lucy.

Lucy is on an extended buying trip to London, based in Heywood Hill bookstore. While buying books for a client in the US, she is trying to solve a personal mystery concerning a book inscribed from Nancy Mitford to Iris.

Alternating between Nancy Mitford's and Lucy's points of view, the novel evokes early-mid twentieth century England and early twenty-first century England and Europe.

Nancy Mitford's story is by far the more interesting one. Although I had some basic knowledge of her, I did not know much about her love life and personal struggles, and the extent to which they defined her. Lucy is a far less compelling character and I found her part of the story unrealistic and overly sentimental (and as someone who has worked in a rare books-adjacent field for decades, I winced every time she had food or drink around her books). A must-read for those with an interest in twentieth century history. #TheMayfairBookshop #NancyMitford #NetGalley

A well written and researched, historical fiction novel that jumps between the 1930’s (Nancy Mitford, a socialite) and present day (Lucy, a library curator). I loved reading about Nancy’s remarkable life, including all of the ups and downs. I also enjoyed Lucy’s character; her love story, career and how she solved the mystery of Iris. Definitely worth a read!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital arc of this novel.

Lucy is so excited! She has landed her dream job as a book curator. She is headed to the famous Haywood Hill book store. This store is full of all kinds of history, especially about Nancy Mitford. Lucy is also on a personal hunt. Her mother had a copy of a mysteriously personalized book signed by Nancy Mitford. Lucy is determined to find out about this book and the story behind the inscription.

This story is told in two separate time periods. I actually enjoyed the present day better than the historical. This is unusual for me. I found the historical section a bit slow. However, I did enjoy learning about Nancy and her family. The present day section with Lucy and her job and being surround by books…well, this is perfect for this bibliophile. Plus, when they visited Chatsworth house…I was hooked. That is on my to do list.

Need an all around good story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

"Time again and again, friends have been my saving grace, the people who raise me up and motivate me to go on."

A dual timeline story set during the 1938's and present 'The Mayfair Bookshop' is a historical fiction about the life of Nancy Mitford and her siblings. The present timeline revolves around a book curator Lucy who is in London trying to solve a mystery involving Nancy Mitford.
The story takes us through the life of Nancy Mitford who though born as an aristocrat has to live a life where money is always an issue and happiness is an illusion. She is a writer who has to struggle for fame, a wife whose husband is unfaithful, and a family where some support Fascsits and Hitler. But she is more than that. Through her letters to her friends her friendships come to life in the book.
Nancy's story tugs your heart. She is flawed but at the same time endearing. Her pain and guilt at the actions of her family makes you hurt for her. This historical fiction gives us a glimpse of the people called as the Bright Young Things.
Trigger Warnings: Miscarriages, Child death

Not a fan of this one. The whole thing felt monotone and miserable and I argued with myself multiple times to keep going and finish it rather than shelve it.

There were aspects of Nancy Mitford’s life that were really interesting that could have taken the focus like her work spying with the French or taking care of the refugees. But the entire book was about her awful marriage and equally awful family, with a small bit of her love life at the end. And it went from one event to the next fluidly without much emotion or feeling, but with *loads* of inconsequential detail that just dragged on and in for me. I don’t understand why the book kept saying she stayed in her marriage because Peter wouldn’t give her a divorce when post 1937 England, women themselves could file in cases for infidelity.

There was a dual timeline with Lucy but her part was so short and stilted it felt more like an afterthought than really part of the story.

After awhile it just felt miserable with how much the book revolves around Nancy’s loveless marriage and her refusal to end it no matter how much Peter cheated on her, or how completely unhappy that made her.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't pick up this book because of the synopsis. I had no idea who Nancy Mitford was nor do I much care about British socialites. I picked this book up because of the author and the title. Having read several of Eliza Knight's books I know and love her writing style. I knew that any story Knight felt passionate enough to write about was going to be worth my time.
This one started a little slow for me but I believe that simply was due to the fact that I wasn't knowledgeable of the main character. Despite that fact, I was inclined to continue. Knight did a stupendous job of moving the story along and making me WANT to read. I LOVED the dual timeline and felt that Lucy's story balanced out Nancy's perfectly. As each story evolved the complexities of Nancy's life were unraveled, both literally and figuratively. Due to Nancy being the socialite she was there are a lot of characters. That was a bit overwhelming. What struck me most was how Nancy persevered. Because of her family and her connections, Nancy could have consistently put herself first but she didn't. By the end I found I empathized with Nancy greatly. A refreshing take on a complex time period.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

A Well-Crafted Women’s Fiction Book

The lives of two women are separated by time and distance, but books connected them. Eliza Knight is famous for her historical romance books, but I could not resist reading this Women’s fiction tale. It is a dramatic departure from what she normally writes, but it is a very well-crafted book, nevertheless. Nancy’s life struck me as heartbreaking, but she is a strong woman who keeps on going despite her travails. She lived at a time of turmoil and endured much. A modern woman admired her and her stories, and she wanted to solve a mystery in Nancy’s life. Nancy referred to a woman called “Iris.” Just who was iris, and could Lucy find her? If you like women’s fiction books, written in the form of letters and a fictional biography, you might enjoy this book.

This book follows two women and two timelines. One storyline starts in 1938 and follows Nancy Mitford as she navigates her failing marriage, her budding career as a novelist, and her ultimate arrive at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair. The second storyline is set in modern day and follows book curator Lucy St. Clair who has just landed a gig working at Heywood Hill. An avid fan of Nancy's work, Lucy arrives with a first edition of Nancy’s work with a mysterious inscription from the author inside.

I did not know about Nancy before I read this book and didn't realize that it was based on a real person so I read it as fiction. However, this did not take away from the story at all. I found both women to be likeable characters and both storylines very compelling.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me this ARC!

Eliza Knight’s “The Mayfair Bookshop: A Novel of Nancy Mitford and the Pursuit of Happiness” is such a wonderful must read!

I have immensely enjoyed Ms. Knight’s Highlander and medieval romances and was thrilled to read this story. Curious about Nancy and even more curious about her sisters ties to the Socialism and Nazi ideals and how their political differences affected their lives. We all know that in large families especially, not everyone agrees on all things.

Nancy Mitford, the fascinating, oldest of the Mitford sisters was regarded as one of England’s Bright Young Things, a nickname given to a group of Bohemian young aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London. Eliza Knight has skillfully brought her to life in this wonderful story that centers around her extraordinary life and the Mayfair bookshop. Nancy worked at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair during the second half of WWII and being the writer she was, found herself at home there. This wonderful novel humanizes the Nancy beautifully as a relatable young woman seeking fulfillment and happiness, a woman saddened and tormented by infertility and an unfaithful husband.

In a duel timeline we are also introduced to Lucy, a rare book expert from Washington who’s come to London seeking to find a rare collection of books and find much more. It is through Lucy’s research we see Nancy’s story unfold.

I thoroughly enjoyed this must read story! Eliza Knight presents the story with heart and soul as she unwraps the layers of personality, passion, wit, intrigue exasperation, and even sadness that was Nancy’s life and search for happiness and belonging. Her writing was outstanding! Her imagery was so vivid and sharp that I could easily imagine myself in the midst.

Thank you so much Ms. Knight for this engrossing tale of one woman’s pursuit of happiness!

This book will introduce a whole new generation to the scandalous and intriguing lives of the infamous Mitford sisters, whose lives differed in more than just politics. I'm always up for a story about a bookshop, which is why I requested this one. I think had the book focused more on the actual bookshop, I might have enjoyed it more. In reality, this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

Readers who are fascinated by the Mitford family and the aristocratic turbulence of the first half of the twentieth century will enjoy this one. I am not one to enjoy reading about infidelity, which is why this book was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to William Morrow for an advanced copy of The Mayfair Bookshop.

I've had a non-fiction book about the Mitford Sisters on my library holds for forever since the 6 sisters are absolutely fascinating so I was interested in reading a historical fiction about Nancy Mitford.

This is a dual timeline historical fiction. We see Nancy from the 1930s in her early writing career and as one ofthe top socialites to her working at Heywood Hill bookshop during World War II. In the modern day we meet Lucy who is a book curator and has a first edition of one of Nancy's novels with a curious inscription. She's able to go to Heywood Hill to work for a few weeks and try to learn more about her favorite author.

I liked reading the Nancy Mitford storyline more especially the relationships with her sisters and everything that happens there. The author's note at the end was fascinating especially because there is a lot already out there about the sisters so it was interesting to see how she wove this into a historical fiction. All I know is next time I'm in London I want to go to Heywood Hills bookshop!

3.5 stars rounded up.

This was an interesting and saddening look into the life of Nancy Mitford, yes, THAT Nancy Mitford Nancy Mitford: A Biography. This book is written in a dual-narrative. It is mostly told by Nancy herself; a slightly fictional one I assume, told during the '30s to the '40's, and a side story told during this century, by Lucy St. Clair a visitor to London and working in the same bookshop that Nancy and her writer friends used as a salon.

Reading this book encouraged me to read some more about the fantastical life of Nancy and her family. To have two sisters and a Mother that were Nazi sympathizers, a husband who couldn't keep it in his pants, and a suicide wish...well, what a life. But I digress.

I really did like this book, and I would have loved this book had it not had the second storyline. However, this storyline felt like it was almost thrown in as an afterthought, and I felt that it did not mesh well with the rest of the book.

*ARC provided by HarperCollins, The author, and NetGalley.

I was so excited to read The Mayfair Bookshop, and while I've tried many times to read it, I unfortunately could not get into it. One of the issues I had is the inclusion of suicide. There were no trigger warnings or indication in the synopsis that one of the main characters would be suicidal or had a suicide attempt. I am not in the right frame of mind to read about this subject right now, so already that was something I was struggling with. Then, I had an issue connecting with the characters. The story seemed interesting, and while I do think I'll pick it up at some point in the future, I just couldn't get into it now.

I will say that I was not very familiar with Nancy Mitford before beginning this story. That could be why I wasn't expecting some things to happen, so I'll definitely be doing some research on her if I ever decide to try to pick it up again.

I'm so sad this one wasn't working for me, but I'm sure it will work for others, and I hope they're able to find this book!

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

I received an ARC of The Mayfair Bookshop in exchange for an honest review.

Prior to reading this novel, I was completely unaware of the Mitford family and enjoyed delving into their world and lives.

The story focuses on two timelines. One is about Nancy Mitford during her years as a “Bright Young Thing,” her development as and a novelist and her world during WWII. Nancy is a fascinating character and despite her wealth and opulence, really struggles to see herself as truly happy. Plus, her entire family brings unique depth to the story, especially two of her sisters who have a very close and unique relationships with high-ranking officials in the Nazi party, all the way to the very top.

The second story is set in the current day with Lucy St. Clair, who has come to England as a curator of rare books for clients. Lucy and her mother, who has passed away have a fascination with Nancy and Lucy is on a quest to solve a mystery regarding a note in one of Nancy’s books that references Iris. Through Lucy’s quest, we start to fill in some of the gaps in Nancy’s story.

Nancy was an interesting character and had a very colorful life – including working in a bookshop that becomes one of the key focal points of the book. Her and her family brought lots of scandal to the story that truly kept me engaged. Lucy’s story isn’t as fascinating as Nancy’s but did provide some interesting connection points in the story. Plus, Lucy’s desire to be happy points back to the struggles that Nancy’s had despite her wealth and advantages in life.

This was a dual timeline between the Mitford sisters and today’s Lucy St. Claire, a book curator. The book centers on Nancy Mitford and her struggles through life at the beginning of WWII. The story is of Nancy emerging as an author while her personal life is falling apart. Nancy finds a new life after taking a job at Heywood Hill bookstore to make ends meet. Lucy has a first edition of Nancy’s with a mysterious message to Iris. Lucy is determined to find who Iris is, thus the mystery of the book. Lucy enters Heywood Hill where Nancy’s and Lucy’s lives become intertwined.
Thanks to Book Club Girl, Net Galley and Harper Collins for the early ARC!

The Mayfair Bookshop is an average dual narrative involving Nancy Mitford (famous author and member of the infamous Mitford family), and Lucy St. Clair (a present-day American who is a special library curator on assignment at the Heywood Hill bookshop in Mayfair where Nancy Mitford worked, and is obsessed with Nancy Mitford's friendship with a woman named "Iris" not otherwise identified in her correspondence), The overarching theme of the novel is how each woman ultimately pursued happiness on her own. The Nancy Mitford chapters were riveting and well written, and the book made me want to read more about her family and to read her novel The Pursuit of Love. The Lucy St. Clair character, however, was poorly developed and neither she nor her story held my interest in comparison.

Thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins for gifting me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.




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This dual-narrative historical fiction novel. The novel follows Nancy Mitford (of the notorious Mitford sisters) during her years as one of the “bright young things” and follows her through her budding career as a novelist and into WWII. The second story, set in the current time, tells the story of Lucy St. Clair who has come to England to curate rare books for a collector. Their stories merge at the Heywood Hill bookshop in London where Nancy worked during WWII while her marriage was falling apart. Lucy has a second motivation for her work at the bookstore; she possesses a copy of Nancy Mitford’s novel “The Pursuit of Love” with an inscription to Iris. Lucy wants to solve the mystery of who Iris was and what her connection was to Nancy.

The most compelling part of this novel is Nancy’s story. The scandalous lives of the Mitford sisters, Nancy’s evolution from an unfocused debutante to a famous novelist, the many literary heavy weights who frequent to bookshop jump off the page, bringing alive the life and times of Nancy. Lucy’s story however seems like an afterthought. While the mystery is interesting, it doesn’t seem necessary to move the first story along. Still, this is an engrossing novel and one that will appeal to fans of WWII historical fiction, those interested in the Mitford sisters and those looking for a story about fascinating women.

When I started this book I didn't know very much about the Mitford sisters, except that at least one of them had ties to Hitler, and one was connected to Truman Capote. I did a little research and fell into a rabbit hole before getting even halfway with the book. There's just so much to unpack with that family. I think Ms. Knight did a very good job of tying the present day characters into Nancy's past, For some reason this book just didn't grab me the way I thought it would. All the right pieces, I just couldn't find myself sympathizing with any of the Mitfords.

Two stories run in parallel as book curator Lucy St. Clair tracks down the elusive Lily, a person who appears to have featured strongly in the life of Nancy Mitford. Lucy's research leads her to London, an English country estate, and WWII museums, all in the quest for answers to an inscription found in a book belonging to her mother. A combination of extracts of letters and Nancy's story written in the first person, the novel brings to life the heartache, pain, and drama that epitomized the Mitford family, divided by war and ideology. With names of well-known characters from the era being drawn into the story, one receives a fresh perspective of the reality of life in wartime London. Certainly, I found that I was unable to put the book down once I started reading, and at times I felt as if my heart was being torn out of my chest. I received a copy of this semi-biographical novel as a prize in a charity drive to support the current Ukraine War, and I feel privileged to have been able to read this advance copy from the author, received through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.