London, 1918: the world is being torn apart by war, but for the girls of London’s Foyles bookshop, where there is friendship, there is hope… Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke and Elaine Everest.
Ellen Beckford and her sister Mary are living under their father’s shadow. Before their beloved mother died, they had dreamed of bright futures, but torn apart by grief, Harold Beckford barely lets his daughters out of his sight. Then Harold is injured during a break-in at his office at London’s docklands, and can no longer work. And with prices rising and food scarce, Ellen has no choice but to defy her father’s rules and seek employment. She finds a position at London’s renowned Foyles bookshop, and the other shop girls quickly take her under their wing.
But there are dark times ahead. Ellen’s father is accused of gathering intelligence from the docklands for the enemy, and the police seem determined to see him shot for spying. With the help of her new friends, can Ellen clear her father’s name and save her family from destitution?
Kindle Edition
283 pages
Published 21st February 2024
(Boldwood Books)
First Impressions
A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls is set in the 3rd person with alternate viewpoints of 6 characters.
The reader is introduced to the action straight away with a prologue, in the year 1914 by Ellen Beckford. Ellen and her younger sister, Mary are leaning over the railings of Westminster Bridge waving at the boats as they pass underneath. They then are taken to Foyles bookshop before being taken home by her grandmother, so her mother can do some shopping…only to find an hour later, when they return home that her mother had been killed in an accident…
I am looking forward to reading A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls and can’t wait to find out what happens next!
I would recommend reading The Foyles Bookshop Girls series in order, starting with the first book, The Foyles Bookshop Girls. This will help to gain some understanding of the characters and setting.
A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls is a detailed fast paced story that has a slow revealing plot. Although the story opens in the year 1914, the plot looks at London in 1918.
Roberts has researched the society, customs and lifestyles of the working class people of Britain as WW1 slowly comes to an end. Women’s rights, suffragettes, rations, air raids are mentioned, adding to the authentic feel of the plot. The writing style has a mixture of dialogue and description with a small amount of repetitive points. There were also some scenes that were predictable…
The character development of A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls gives the reader a brief background. The characters are realistic and interesting with their own personalities and mannerisms.
Ellen‘s traditionalist father has become isolated since the death of his wife 4 years prior. When he is accused of theft at work then later has an accident Ellen finds work at the bookshop to help with the household bills much to the dislike of her father…
Molly works at Foyles bookshop, even though she is a married woman….
Alan works as a photographer at the local paper. He is searching for a big story… although there is something highly suspicious about him…
Overall I feel that A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls gives an interesting look into the events of the war. I thoroughly enjoyed the bookshop side of things. As I am yet to read the series from the start little lost in what was happening at times. Ellen’s story is seen more, the other characters’ viewpoints tend to be more of a background.
I would suggest reading A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls to people who enjoy reading historical fiction and sagas based around the end WW1, as it is a character driven story about hardship, friendship and family, as well as a deep sense of community…
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