Author: Eliza Knight
Started: Apr. 4, 2022
Finished: Apr. 10, 2022
Thanks to Eliza Knight, William Morrow Paperbacks, and Netgalley for the chance to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on April 12, 2022, and can be pre-ordered by clicking on the cover.
Lucy St. Clair has recently suffered the loss of her mother and a business trip to London seems to be the ticket to help her heal. As a library curator, Lucy settles into Heywood Hill, a well-known bookshop, to look for books her employer desires. She is also a huge Nancy Mitford fan who has a personal goal - to discover who "Iris" as that Mitford left a book for when she went abroad.
Nancy Mitford was one of Britain's Bright Young Things; a set of young socialites who were known for their partying ways and their lives being photographed for the newspapers. The Mitford family was also a family of infamy - two of the Mitford daughters are known Fascists who willingly back Hitler and his Nazi Regime while the rest of the family understood the evil it represented. As the world watches Hitler's power spread across the region, Nancy steps up to do her part. She volunteers with the local Air Raids Precaution (ARP) unit to ensure the safety of others. As the war wages on, Nancy takes a job at the Mayfair Bookshop where she finds her life changed when she discovers she is wonderful at selling books and meets someone who makes her feel again.
The story of Nancy Mitford appears to be all the rage these days so it was lovely to read something about her life and what could have happened from her point of view. Eliza Knight writes a wonderful story and I would enjoy reading more from her.