By Kelly Bridgewater
In 1942, an impulsive
promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis
Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine.
Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to
close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open. The women
she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn't be more different--a wealthy
spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a
fresh start, and a determined young war worker.
At first, the
struggles of the home front are all the club members have in common, but over
time, the books they choose become more than an escape from the hardships of
life and the fear of the U-boat battles that rage just past their shores. As
the women face personal challenges and band together in the face of danger,
they find they have more in common than they think. But when their growing
friendships are tested by secrets of the past and present, they must decide whether
depending on each other is worth the cost.
My
Thoughts:
The Blackout Book
Club by Amy Lynn Green is an exciting viewpoint of a book club that meets
during World War II. Green does a wonderful job at crafting a novel that takes
readers through the normal life of the women and certain men who are left
behind as they run the American factories and wives of the soldiers. It was
nice to see her attention to detail as the story showed a different side to the
warfront. The characters were handled nicely with many hurts as they adjusted
to life during this time with Blackout curtains and not allowed to be out after
a certain time. Even raising kids during this time was difficult. The plot is
told through the eyes of the characters and the pages of the “minutes” of the
Blackout Book Club as they form a bond that comes to the rescue near the
climactic moment near the end of the novel. Overall, The Blackout Book Club by
Amy Lynn Green is definitely a different World War II story than what I am used
to reading because it takes place stateside, which I liked a lot. A nice book
to add to any World War II fans’ collection.
I received a
complimentary copy of The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green from Bethany
House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.
My
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase The Blackout Book Club
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