Quick and Dirty
-WWII historical fiction
-dual POV
-intense friendship story
-small tight-knit community

What Worked
When I heard that Kate Thompson had written a new book, I nearly screamed; that’s how much I loved her last, The Little Wartime Library. It was a personal favorite last year and a great example of homefront fiction, one of my favorite subgenres of WWII novels. Picking up The Wartime Book Club was like slipping on a favorite pair of jeans. I instantly fell in love with the characters and setting. She has a way of drawing you into the lives of her characters, sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings. Once again, we have a beautiful homefront story about two British best friends whose lives are torn apart by the war; this time, however, they live in occupied Britain. Yup, you heard right. Several of the British Chanel Islands were occupied by the Nazis for much of WWII. The hardships Thompson describes in this book are not as stark as other occupation stories, but they are impactful, nonetheless. Imagine neighbors turning on neighbors in hopes of food, breaking bonds that run generations back. The small island community is ripped apart, and the two best friends, Grace and Bea, are doing what they can to hold it together. Like her last book, this one is for book lovers, with reading being at the heart of what soothes the souls of many of the islanders. I loved getting lost in this story and think most WWII novel lovers will, too.

What Didn’t Work
Nothing. I adored everything about this one, from the tense encounters with Nazis to the beautiful love stories (both romantic and familial). Sometimes, it’s slow, but you’re so caught up in the drama you barely notice.

It’s amazing how so many of my 5 🌟books start off with me not liking them!! This books was intense right from the beginning and I had a deep dislike for one of the main characters. I was physically annoyed with her. The fact that the author could draw that much emotion out of me in the first 17% of the book told me all I needed to know and I continued. This is not your average WWII historical fiction. It is a story of bravery, courage, friendship and love. It will simultaneously lift you up and break your heart.
In the end, I was rooting for that same main character I so deeply disliked in the beginning and that is the mark of an amazing book and author.

WOW! A 5 Star Plus! Hats off to the exquisite writing and research by Kate Thompson. This will definitely be a top favourite of the year for me!

I enjoyed Kate Thompson's last book, "The Little Wartime Library" (and loved the quick mention of those characters in this book) but I loved this one even more!

Essentially about a friendship and the hardships of war. This story is about the German occupation of the Channel Islands in the British Isles and focuses on the island of Jersey. Grace and Bea are the best of friends and live in Jersey and the Germans have just taken occupation of the country. Grace is a librarian and Bea is a postmistress. It follows their friendship and lives throughout the war. Grace begins to hide banned books and distributes them to local islanders while Bea begins to intercept letters from local spies "snitching" on the Islanders to the Germans.

This story is captivating from the very first page all the way to the last. It's filled with pain and loss but also hopes and dreams. The author's notes are a must read! There is a lot of extra research and information provided and my favourite part was finding out that some of the characters were real life people.

If you are a wartime historical fiction fan this one is not to be missed!!

In this fantastic historical fiction novel, readers travel to the occupied Channel Islands, specifically the island of Jersey, where librarian Grace and her best friend Bea live. With the Germans occupying their town and taking control over everything, the two friends do their best to subvert the occupation by supporting downed pilots and diverting mail, warning people of surprise inspections and passing around banned books. When Grace’s brother and Bea’s fiance Jimmy dies trying to escape the island, Grace begins a book club and an illicit relationship with Red, an American pilot stranded on Jersey. As the war and occupation continue, the Nazis begin to crack down on Jersey, bringing Grace, Bea, and their friends into the crossfire, forcing them to make difficult choices. Inspired by real experiences of British citizens in the Channel Islands living under German occupation in World War II, Thompson brings lives of the occupied and of captured resistors to life in this incredibly detailed and emotional novel. Balancing the perspectives of two different characters over the novel, Thompson gives both Grace and Bea equal page time and places their stories parallel to each other and makes them of equal importance in this excellent World War II historical fiction novel.

This book was not for me. I could not get into it. It took a long time for me to finish this title. So therefore I cannot recommend

This book had a Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society vibe about it. I loved reading about ways best friends Grace and Bea and others on the island worked together to defy the Germans that occupied their small island. The descriptions of the Germans’ abuse were at times very gruesome and brutal to read. However, the characters felt like dear friends and I found myself tearing up at times of tender moments. The book mentions several banned books by the Germans and why they found it offensive which I found quite interesting. The book also contains discussion questions at the end which is helpful for book groups.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Kate Thompson has done it again with another touching, beautiful, realistic historical romance. This story is set in a once close, neighborly community but the WW2 German occupation wrecks havoc on the communities people.

The island towns librarian, Grace is directed to destroy books by the Nazis but elects to secretly hide them instead. She and her best friend want to fight back against the Nazis and create the Wartime Book Club which brings the Islanders together, providing an escape from their current situation.

Eventually their resistance to the occupation becomes more risky as tensions turn violent and they must face the consequences of their actions of opposition.

Based on a true story, the Wartime Book Club is an impactful, meaningful, and frankly daring story of what 1 or 2 people can do to aid their community during the war as well as for generations to come.

World War II. Books. The Channel Islands.

What else could we ask for? Kate Thompson delivered a wonderfully crafted story of family, love, betrayal and hope. The character development made me feel as though I were talking to friends. I especially loved how this book didn't end when the occupation ended. I loved learning more about what happened after for those key characters. This should go on every historical fiction readers list!

🤗Thank you so much @readforeverpub for the gifted ARC!

📖Title: The Wartime Book Club
✍️Author: Kate Thompson
📅Pub date: April 9, 2024

📖This book truly was deep and layered and beautiful from start to finish!

📚I feel like a broken record saying that I don't read much historical fiction and then recommending historical fiction picks left and right! There are a SELECT few historical fiction authors that I trust to never bore me (which is my biggest issue with HF) and they are : Kristin Hannah, Kate Quinn and Kate Thompson is now officially on that list after I've loved two of her books 📚❤️

📖This was so much more than just another war story. There was romance, family drama, book drama (!!!), war struggles, deep themes of friendship, etc. etc.

📚It was told in dual perspective from friends Beau, the local post woman who has a mind of her own, and Grace who runs the library! I loved both of their voices and characters equally!

This was a great historical fiction read! The story telling was well done. WWII is one of my favorite genres and this is a great addition. The characters had me hooked and the pages practically turned themselves.

I love Kate Thompson's historical fiction - this is the second one that I have read so far and I am a fan.

I like how she doesn't shield her characters from hardship and preserving them for the sake of the story. In a sense it is nice to know that I know her two main characters won't perish but they still overcome their fair share of hardship and death.

Reading a WW2 book you expect there to be unnecessary blood shed and gross human actions in terms of unnecessary blood shed but Kate delicately balanced the line with what was real and what was necessary without being a gorey book. I especially love the epilogue so you can see where the characters went and how the characters continue to be intertwined after the conclusion of the war.

Also Red is my favorite character

I was very excited when I found that Kate Thompson wrote another book about books and WWII. (I raved over her previous book here: https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/01/upcoming-fiction-releases.html). Her Facebook page is full of fascinating interviews and history, as his her podcast, “From the Library with Love.”

This time, the book is set in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. These islands are in an odd geopolitical situation: They aren’t exactly “owned” by England, but they are “Crown Dependencies,” dependent upon Britain, while having their own governing bodies. Local languages are heavily influenced by their proximity to France. These islands were taken over by the Germans during WWII, leading to extreme rationing, and, near the end of the war, near starvation.

This is the setting for this book. Mild-mannered Grace, the assistant librarian, protects the books the Nazis have banned, subtly fighting the Germans via using the library to keep spirits up. Her best friend, Bea, works for the post office, and lures Grace into warning people who are being reported to the Germans as Grace delivers library books.

Grace also hides an American soldier, with whom she falls in love, despite the man obstacles they face.

Eventually, Grace and Bea, and others who have subverted German control, are arrested and imprisoned. They each have their own way of getting out of the clutches of the Germans, and are reunited after the war ends.

I love Kate Thompson’s storytelling. She writes beautifully, with a great eye for description, character, and dialogue. But just as much attention is given to the narrative. Look at this absolutely gorgeous bit of alliteration: “…the brutal, bloody, beautiful business of birth.” Wow.

I gave Thompson’s previous book as a Christmas present to my teammates at school last year. I suspect I will end up doing the same with this one.

There are extensive end notes about the real people and actions this book is based on, as well as book club questions, other reading, and a guide to places to visit in Jersey. And now I really want to go there.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Unwed sex/pregnancy. Drinking. Smoking. Descriptions of war and its effects. Hunger. Neighbors betraying neighbors. Deception—though in a good cause. Cursing, including a couple of instances of the “f” word.

Who Might Like this Book:
Those who like books, WWII stories. If you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, you will for sure want to give this one a try.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2024/04/wwii-books-about-books.html

Kate Thompson never misses. Another beautiful historical fiction novel centered on books (with a teensy easter egg callback to the previous title). I thoroughly enjoyed this trek through Jersey. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Rich, absorbing, and sincere!

The Wartime Book Club is a poignant, immersive tale set on the Isle of Jersey during 1943 that takes you into the lives of Grace La Mottée, a resilient, kindhearted librarian and her best friend and local postal worker Beatrice Gold as they do whatever they can to entertain, protect, and fight back against the Nazi Germans who invade and occupy their homeland during WWII.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are brave, tormented, and determined. And the plot is an exceptionally touching tale about life, loss, family, secrets, separation, desperation, tragedy, survival, love, the horrors of war, and the power of literature.

Overall, The Wartime Book Club is a moving, emotional, beautifully written tale by Thompson inspired by real-life events that reminds us that survival of any kind often involves heartbreaking choices, moral dilemmas, action, spirit, extreme loss, and beyond all else, unimaginable courage and sacrifice.

Generally when a book takes me more than 3 or 4 days to read it’s because it didn’t hold my interest, but that’s not a wasn’t the case with this one. I’ve been so busy deep cleaning all areas of my house that I’ve only had about an hour or two to read a day and I actually did a lot of middle of the night reading since this book was so fascinating.
Taking place on Jersey, the largest island of the Channel Islands between England and France, during the Nazi occupation, this is a story about resilience, defiance, and how books truly can help people conquer even the worst moments.
Bea and Grace are the best of friends; Bea is the local postwoman and Grace is the head librarian at the only library. Life is hard given the fact that Nazis are at every turn, but both women find a way to persevere.
Bea, always brazen, finds ways of standing up to and defying the Nazis, including stealing their letters they were meant to mail home for Christmas. When Bea’s antics get Grace imprisoned and sent to France she begins to think it wasn’t worth it, until Liberation Day when she sees how many people her ploy actually saved.
Kate Thompson has written another beautiful historical fiction revolving around a truth that not too many people know. A set of brothers really did steal letters written by the Nazis and hid them for over 50 years. When he rediscovered them all those years later he realized it was a foolish and immature thing to do and he set out to try to return them to the descendants of their proper owners. Proving near impossible, the letters now reside in a museum in Jersey.
The stolen letters play such a small part in this book and the fact that Ms. Thompson included them along with weaving stories of those who actually lived in the area during the occupation makes this book beyond special.
I love how Ms. Thompson puts her journalistic skills to use in her writing and I truly hope she has more books coming. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced copy of this. The Wartime Book Club hit the shelves on April 9th.

Quite an enjoyable read. A tale of Grace and Bea and how they lived their lives with love, life, laughs and losses during the German occupation of Jersey in WW2. So well written, I felt as if I really knew them and was there with them.

Just when you think everything has been written about WWII and the Nazi Occupation, along comes @katethompsonauthor , who not only introduces her readers to a unique story, but also a completely new corner of the world that was affected by the tragedy that was WWII.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but I truly knew nothing about Jersey, one of the self-governing Channel Islands of the UK, which were the only British territories to be occupied by Germany in WWII. I actually had to look it up while reading, as it became abundantly clear that the author was not referring to a state in the US. Don't judge me🙈.

But I digress... this novel was so smartly written; I absolutely love how banned books were featured at the beginning of each chapter. If you're unaware, I am a huge opponent of book banning, specifically because I have learned so much from WWII history and how this became a purposeful method of controlling the population. This novel delves into the concept of books as both a source of wisdom and refuge, and highlights the strength of the human spirit.

I quickly fell in love with the protagonists, Bea and Grace, for both their unending courage, as well as their devotion to the community. I always love a story told from dual perspectives, and this one was brilliantly written. The side characters were also integral to the story and very well fleshed out.

What was uniquely fascinating was the author's note. As this novel was based on true events, it was inspiring to learn the level of commitment Ms. Thompson had to her subject. It is evident that she truly did her homework prior to writing this story.

Many thanks to partners, @readforeverpub and @netgalley for this #gifted novel! What a treasure!

Alternating between two best friend’s perspectives, The Wartime Book Club tells the story of Grace and Bea who live on an occupied English island during WWII.

Grace, the librarian, does what she can to save the books the Nazis deem inappropriate, by hiding them before the end up on a burn pile. She hand delivers books to her patrons all over the island to help boost morale, including several “verboten” ones that should have been turned in. She does not consider herself a rebel, but inadvertently becomes one when her best friend includes her in her schemes to thwart their occupiers.

Bea, always the feisty one, loves her job as a postal worker. She gets to visit people all over the island, often bringing news of loved ones, who fled to the mainland before the occupation. Eventually Bea realizes several of the letters she carries are actually informers handing over information for a few reichsmarks. Disappointed in her neighbors, Bea enlists Grace to help her give a heads up to those who will be persecuted by their local Nazi leader—the Wolf.

What begins as an inconvenient occupation, quickly turns more desperate in the last months of war as the Germans face their demise. Bea and Graces’ sacrifices are angerous, but they had no idea how much so until the Wolf is backed up against a wall. Their friendship and loyalty are inspiring, and the town seems like such a close-knit community. If you liked the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, then you will definitely like this book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and the author Kate Thompson for the advanced copy of the book. The Wartime Book Club is out now. All opinions are my own.

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson
Historical fiction. WWII in the Isle of Jersey. Stand-alone.
Bea Rose and Grace Le Motte are best friends in the early 1940’s on the Isle of Jersey. Bea works at the post office while Grace is the local librarian. When their island is occupied in 1940, they are forced to comply with German force restrictions which includes rations, curfews, prison camps and bicycles with modified tires. Life is difficult.
After losing her finance to the Nazis and the ocean, Bea starts to intercept letters to German officials that put her neighbors in jeopardy. Grace was emotionally wounded when so many books were burned when their island was first occupied that she’s now found a hidden place in her office to hide books that might be found offensive to the leaders. Grace agrees to help Bea in warning the people in the letters that Bea has stolen. It’s a dangerous game they play as the war continues and food gets scarce.

The story follows the two friends and their lives as change and suffering conditions continue. Based on true events, it’s stories that need to be shared. It’s also a love letter to books and bookclubs and how the power of the written word can change lives.
It’s sad, and poignant, it’s brave and admirable. For me, it reinforces how brave and determined my ancestors were. Life and times were much harder and we need to respect their sheer strength that brought them through whatever they faced.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
4.5
Bookclub Kit, extensive notes and references included.

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson
This book is inspired by true events of WWII. It follows Grace and Bea along their journey of the way on the Channel Islands. They are the best of friends in the worst of times. The book club brings everyone together to find an escape from the war. Both girls, holding their own secrets, are fighting back against the Nazis to help their community. This is a great read of love, loss, survival, endurance and above all, friendship!