The Mayfair Bookshop

Eliza Knight

Publication date: April 12, 2022 by William Morrow

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life.

Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can’t get on the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it’s a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy’s work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop—a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways.

My thoughts:

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.