This was a dual timeline between the Mitford sisters and today’s Lucy St. Claire, a book curator. The book centers on Nancy Mitford and her struggles through life at the beginning of WWII. The story is of Nancy emerging as an author while her personal life is falling apart. Nancy finds a new life after taking a job at Heywood Hill bookstore to make ends meet. Lucy has a first edition of Nancy’s with a mysterious message to Iris. Lucy is determined to find who Iris is, thus the mystery of the book. Lucy enters Heywood Hill where Nancy’s and Lucy’s lives become intertwined.
Thanks to Book Club Girl, Net Galley and Harper Collins for the early ARC!

The Mayfair Bookshop is an average dual narrative involving Nancy Mitford (famous author and member of the infamous Mitford family), and Lucy St. Clair (a present-day American who is a special library curator on assignment at the Heywood Hill bookshop in Mayfair where Nancy Mitford worked, and is obsessed with Nancy Mitford's friendship with a woman named "Iris" not otherwise identified in her correspondence), The overarching theme of the novel is how each woman ultimately pursued happiness on her own. The Nancy Mitford chapters were riveting and well written, and the book made me want to read more about her family and to read her novel The Pursuit of Love. The Lucy St. Clair character, however, was poorly developed and neither she nor her story held my interest in comparison.

Thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins for gifting me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.




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This dual-narrative historical fiction novel. The novel follows Nancy Mitford (of the notorious Mitford sisters) during her years as one of the “bright young things” and follows her through her budding career as a novelist and into WWII. The second story, set in the current time, tells the story of Lucy St. Clair who has come to England to curate rare books for a collector. Their stories merge at the Heywood Hill bookshop in London where Nancy worked during WWII while her marriage was falling apart. Lucy has a second motivation for her work at the bookstore; she possesses a copy of Nancy Mitford’s novel “The Pursuit of Love” with an inscription to Iris. Lucy wants to solve the mystery of who Iris was and what her connection was to Nancy.

The most compelling part of this novel is Nancy’s story. The scandalous lives of the Mitford sisters, Nancy’s evolution from an unfocused debutante to a famous novelist, the many literary heavy weights who frequent to bookshop jump off the page, bringing alive the life and times of Nancy. Lucy’s story however seems like an afterthought. While the mystery is interesting, it doesn’t seem necessary to move the first story along. Still, this is an engrossing novel and one that will appeal to fans of WWII historical fiction, those interested in the Mitford sisters and those looking for a story about fascinating women.

When I started this book I didn't know very much about the Mitford sisters, except that at least one of them had ties to Hitler, and one was connected to Truman Capote. I did a little research and fell into a rabbit hole before getting even halfway with the book. There's just so much to unpack with that family. I think Ms. Knight did a very good job of tying the present day characters into Nancy's past, For some reason this book just didn't grab me the way I thought it would. All the right pieces, I just couldn't find myself sympathizing with any of the Mitfords.

Two stories run in parallel as book curator Lucy St. Clair tracks down the elusive Lily, a person who appears to have featured strongly in the life of Nancy Mitford. Lucy's research leads her to London, an English country estate, and WWII museums, all in the quest for answers to an inscription found in a book belonging to her mother. A combination of extracts of letters and Nancy's story written in the first person, the novel brings to life the heartache, pain, and drama that epitomized the Mitford family, divided by war and ideology. With names of well-known characters from the era being drawn into the story, one receives a fresh perspective of the reality of life in wartime London. Certainly, I found that I was unable to put the book down once I started reading, and at times I felt as if my heart was being torn out of my chest. I received a copy of this semi-biographical novel as a prize in a charity drive to support the current Ukraine War, and I feel privileged to have been able to read this advance copy from the author, received through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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 as part of the Bright Young Things was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, Peter Rodd, 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.
A well written book with two timelines, which I enjoyed , I loved the mix of fact & fiction & the author did a very good job marrying the two. I enjoyed Nancy’s story more than Lucy's but I did become engrossed in Lucy's quest to find Iris & how she delved into Nancy's life. An interesting read which took me a little while to get into but once I got past the first ten percent I was hooked. A different era for the author.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This dual time-line novel was a transportIve experience and definitely worth the read.

I did feel that Nancy's storyline was the stronger of the two. She was a fascinating woman with an interesting family. Much of her life (and therefore her storyline) was sad, so I appreciated that the author left her at a happier place at the end of the book. Given how important her family was to her, though, I couldn't help wishing there had been a bit more focus on how and even whether she was able to connect with them after the war.

Lucy had a sweet story in the present day time-line as she tried to find answers about a part of Nancy's life. I wouldn't have minded one more chapter for her at the end.

Also, I would have loved an author's note at the end as I always enjoy reading about the author's inspiration.

I recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for the early read.

A great story going back and forth in time with the Mitford sisters and their involvement in World War II and to the current time an American librarian and historian trying to find out a family mystery involving Nancy Mitford.

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.

The Mitford sisters have provided a rich vein of material for writers of both fiction and non-fiction. This new fictionalized account of Nancy Mitford is loosely organized around her work at the London bookstore Heywood Hill. The dual timeline story has a modern bibliophile on temporary assignment at the bookstore tracking down acquisitions for American customers, and following a personal quest to track down a mysterious friend of Mitford’s.

This book will probably appeal to Mitford enthusiasts. I thought is was a bit slow and lacking in action in the modern segment. I always have a problem wondering what part of a historical fictionalization is true, and what the author made up. That problem was compounded here by Nancy’s story being told largely in letters (fact?).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was very excited to read this book, as I am temporarily located in London. In fact, I hope to stop into Heywood Hill Books now that I have read this book. There is something delightful to me about being able to visit the places that you read about in real life.

Unfortunately, The Mayfair Bookshop was at best an okay read for me, but I don’t think that will be true for everyone. This book reminded me of The Lost Apothecary, and in my opinion, The Mayfair Bookshop is much better executed than The Lost Apothecary, which I hated, was. The many people who loved The Lost Apothecary will probably also love The Mayfair Bookshop.

This is also clearly a meticulously researched book. If you love Nancy Mitford, I definitely think you would enjoy the insight into her life found in this story. As someone who was unfamiliar with Mitford’s work before starting this book, I came away feeling like I really got a glimpse of her life, even if bits of it were fictionalized.

That said, this book has serious pacing issues. From a narrative that often jumps time with little to no warning, leaving the reader confused as to where Nancy is in time, to an uneven dual timeline, this book often drags its feet. This results in Nancy’s story being bogged down in detail that feels unnecessary, while Lucy’s modern day timeline feels rushed and shallow, like an afterthought. This is especially off-putting, since Lucy’s sleuthing and her connection to Heywood Hill, which is more of a sidenote in Nancy’s story, seem like they should be driving the plot.

The lack of balance makes everything about Lucy’s story feel anticlimactic, and this is worsened by an unnecessary romance. The ending strikes a balance between the two heroines, but it absolutely could have been done without Lucy’s love interest. Since Lucy already doesn’t have enough page time to fully develop, the romance feels very rushed and out of place, and it creates an odd dissonance with the often unlucky-in-love Nancy.

Finally, (a me problem) I started reading this book right around the time that Russia invaded Ukraine. The book’s heavy reliance on Nancy’s life during WWII made it less enticing to pick this book up again after a break.

All of this said, I think this book will do very well among a certain audience. Unfortunately, that audience wasn’t me. I hope those readers mentioned at the beginning of this review will give it a try.

Thank you to #netgalley and #williammorrowbooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A cute easy read. Would be a great book to take on the plane or read over vacation. I enjoyed reading about developing personal libraries - I didn’t know it could be a profession. Loved reading those parts. I really enjoy reading books that teach me something new, and this book delivered.

I finished The Mayfair Bookshop this morning and it was so good! I enjoyed learning about the lives of Nancy Mitford and her sisters. I had heard of the “Mitford Sisters” before, but knew absolutely nothing about them. I found myself googling for more information as I read this wonderful novel by Eliza Knight. I am so grateful to @netgalley for sending me an early ebook copy! This book releases on April 12 and I highly recommend it! A five star read for me!

I spent most of the afternoon. Immersed in this story about a woman who loved books and dealt on books for a living. It’s also historical fiction about the oldest Mitford daughter, Nancy, arguably the most likable out of all the sisters. Eliza Knight brings a fresh voice to Mitford: her marriage woes, the constant turmoil with her family, and her own disappointments. I came to know Nancy much better.
I really enjoyed this book and think other readers will thoroughly enjoy it as well.

I did not realize until I read the Acknowledgments that Nancy Mitford was a real person. I liked how the storyline switched between Nancy’s life in the 1930’s and 40’s and Lucy St. Clair’s modern day visit to London to curate a collection of books for a client back in Washington DC and to solve the mystery of a note found in a Nancy Mitford book that her mother had bought many years ago.

Learning more about the history of England during this period was interesting, but Nancy’s life did not pull me in. I preferred reading the Lucy chapters. I am happy with how the book ended.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

The Mayfair Bookshop, by Eliza Knight, is an interesting look at the life of socialite Nancy Mitford, a member of the Bright Young Things in the 1930s, and her growing maturity during WWII and afterward as an intelligent woman and author.
The alternate timeline in this book centers on Lucy St. Clair in present day. She is an engaging character who becomes caught up in learning more about Mitford via a first edition book she researches at the Heywood Hill Bookshop.
This novel provides a nice glimpse into the atmosphere of prewar Europe and the lifestyles of the bored wealthy of that era.
It is a well written story that will appeal to readers of literary historical fiction and the generation affected by WWII.

Thank you to Book Club Girl and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review

This story is emotional, engaging and deep at times. It’s a book about a complicated British woman, Nancy Mitford, who feels like a failure: as a sister, a wife, a writer, a lecturer and someone desperately trying to become a mother. She said, “happiness must be an illusion.” There are two timetables that are woven together: Nancy’s life right before and after WWII in London and Lucy’s special assignment as a library curator in the present time for Emerald Books in DC.

The beginning was slow for me as I wasn’t as familiar with Nancy Mitford and her most famous book, “The Pursuit of Love,” published in 1945. The author starts with her life in 1931 with a book launch of her first novel “Highland Fling” which is hosted by her sister, Diana. Nancy was searching for someone to love at the party with unlimited champagne and “bohemian aristocrats.” Her life was followed with complications from love, money, family issues and the harsh effects of the war.

The other part picks up with Lucy who was headed in the present time from DC to London to search for a collection of rare and amazing books for a client. She is going to one of the oldest book shops, Heywood Hill, where Nancy years ago worked. Once there, it seems Lucy was more obsessed by her, the eldest of the Mitford sisters. She is on a mission to find Nancy’s mysterious friend, Iris. In her search, she discovered some surprises.

The author included letters that Nancy wrote from the early 1930s to the mid 1940s which gave it a personal touch. It showed that there was a lot of research that was done to create this story. The book aroused my interest of Nancy Mitford and after reading this, I googled to find pages of photos, books and more about this complex family. I wasn’t as enthused with Lucy’s part. However, Nancy’s story was thought provoking and would make a good discussion especially as it relates to today’s state of affairs with the war.

My thanks to Eliza Knight, HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this copy with the expected release date of April 12, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley for and arc of this book.
Unfortunately it was rather a miss for me. I was not able to get into it and seemed to take too long for a plot to develop.
The writing style was good and the characters were well developed.

The Mayfair Bookshop
by Eliza Knight
Pub Date: April 12, 2022
William Morrow & Custom House
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I do love good historical fiction with a dual timeline. I learned so much about the fascinating life of London socialite, Nancy Mitford, whose storyline takes place in the 1930s and beyond.
I did not enjoy the present-day timeline story as much.
In fact, I really had a hard time getting involved in this book. It was not a good fit for me.
3 stars

I enjoyed this historical fiction book about Nancy Mitford. She was a great, strong character who doubts herself like the rest of us do making her relatable. She finds her joy in her friendships and books and helping people during the war. Her family is a mix of personalities and very interesting as well as full of drama. It was a little slow in places but overall an enjoyable read.