In WWII Britian, three very different young women are brought together by their mutual love of reading, and they soon join efforts to save their local library and help their community by bringing books to the underground subway station. In the process, they discover their own strengths and find love.

Jennifer Ryan has written a touching, impactful historical novel that follows three women and their connection to the library during wartime.

Sofie, a German Jew is being forced to leave her home and has become a housekeeper for a widower in London. Due to affluent u bringing, Sofie is learning how to keep a home, cook and is unsure of her expectations but she finds solace in the local library during this transition and afterward.

Juliet is young woman with aspirations to do more than just be a housewife. She loves books, the company that they give her and the stories inside. When the war forces the male librarians to serve, Juliet takes a position as a deputy librarian. Juliet is very excited to start her new life, to prove to herself and her family that she is capable of this job and more.

Katie works in the same library Juliet is employed. Her beloved, Christopher, has gone off to fight in the war and she becomes Juliet’s first friend.

The novel goes on to tell of the attack on London, and how these ladies brought so many together during this time.. It touches on women in the workforce, discrimination, wartime attacks and more.

Written with depth and beauty, this novel is both touching and impactful. I will never, not love stories of women in wartime, especially the great world wars. They give us such a beautiful view of our history.

London is being bombed, and we meet three women with troubles of their own who want to save the library and its beloved books.

Juliet is in charge of the library.

Katie works in the library and has a secret.

Sophie is a refugee employed as a housekeeper in the home of an awful man, finds solace in the library, and is trying to find out information about her family left behind.

Books are a comfort for all three women, and they make books the comfort of those who are sheltering during the bombings by moving the books from the bombed Bethnal Green Library to the Underground.

What a wonderful way to use the Undergrounds - this is based on a true event.

THE UNDERGROUND LIBRARY is another lovely, heartwarming read by Ms. Ryan as we follow the three women and see that books are the saving grace for many during these dark times.

The book also focused more on the library and its importance to keep up morale and friendships instead of the war.

You will love the characters and will miss them when the book ends.

They all helped and supported each other and were characters you would have loved to be with. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

I’m not usually a huge fan of historical fiction. This one caught my attention with ‘library’ in the title. What I didn’t expect was to become emotionally invested in this, and I sure did.

The novel starts with Sofie. A German Jew being forced to leave her affluent home and become a housekeeper for a widower in London. Her father refuses to leave Germany, and her sister was unable to get a working visa for the UK, so Sofie is about to make this journey on her own. Never having kept house, never having cooked, and not knowing what to expect, Sofie boards a train to leave her homeland for supposed safety in England.

Then comes Juliet. A young woman with aspirations to do more than just be a married housewife. She loves books. They are her best company. So when the war claims all the male librarians, and a position opens in a large library in London, Juliet is very excited to start her new life as a deputy librarian, proving to herself and her family that she is capable of so much more.

Katie works in the library where Juliet will soon be employed. Her beloved, Christopher, has gone off to fight in the war. She will become Juliet’s first friend and teach her ways to get around their staunchy male head librarian.

These woman are simply the central characters to this amazing story that goes on to tell of the attack on London, and how simple people brought so many together during a very hard time in the past. A time when women were just joining the workforce. When discrimination existed due to a foreign accent or look. People being subjugated to experiences they never anticipated in their lifetimes.

Written with depth and beauty, this is a novel to be treasured. I loved the connections these women made with one another and others. I loved learning about this period in the past. The historical value of this novel is great. I strongly recommend it.

Based on the true events of the Bethnal Green Library during the London Blitz, this is a wonderful story of brave women and their fight not only to survive the German bombings, but to bring their community together! This is the first book I’ve read depicting the move of libraries to the train tunnels that were used as bomb shelters. The author did a wonderful job of showing the way these women all supported one another, no matter the differences in their backgrounds.

The Underground Library is a novel by Jennifer Ryan, who also wrote The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. The novel is a historical fiction genre, and it is inspired by real events that happened in London during World War II. The novel follows the lives of three young women who work at a library that is targeted by the German bombs. The novel shows how they cope with the challenges of war, and how they find strength, friendship, love, and hope through books.

The Underground Library is a novel for book lovers, history enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys stories of resilience and survival. The novel has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, and it is available at libraries and bookstores. The novel is a compelling and emotional read, that will take you to a different era and location, and that will make you value the books and the people in your life.

This book started out really slow to me. I had a hard time getting invested in the characters and their stories. About halfway through I started to like it more, but the writing style felt more like a romance than historical fiction. Overall, it was still a good read though.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This author is one of my favorites and have read many of her novels. I enjoyed this WWII historical fiction. As usual, the characters were delightful, the research superb and the plot fantastic. I love how books brought people together. Well done and would definitely recommend.

In "The Underground Library" Jennifer Ryan has returned to familiar themes of the Homefront in WW2 Britain. Weaving together the communities formed when taking shelter in the London Underground, the bombing of the Bethnal Green Library and the Women's Institute, she introduces themes of suppression of culture, the manipulation of thinking by eradicating opposing views, and women's inequality in society.
By skillfully building out the stories of three young women growing in confidence while coping with the ravages of war and their own struggles for personal independence, Ryan points reader to the obvious parallels with these crises of the 1940s to major issues of our 21st century.
Elevating the community of women and children to positions of strength and solidarity in times of need, we are uplifted across time by our mutual love of books and reading, as well as the healing power in the camaraderie of community.

I was hesitant to read another book about World War II as I have read so many before. They are all heart-wrenching and I have trouble getting my head around how the Nazi mentality became so pervasive that it created a world war. Such a nightmare! I encourage you to read the author's note at the end explaining where the story comes from and the many elements of truth in the writing.

This book is a great piece of historic fiction. It was truly well-researched and incorporated so many things that truly happened during World War II in London, England. The story focuses on the underground library in Bethnal Green where the bombings caused the library to move to an underground tube station. The story showcases how the community pulled together and supported each other during the war - basically living underground every night as the bombings took place. It also shows how women were affected by the war and, with so many men gone off to fight, how they stepped up to fill jobs and take on more responsibilities and care for themselves and each other. T

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication on March 12, 2024.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love historical fiction and this book was no different. The story follows the lives of three women in WWII.

Juliet is the new deputy librarian just transferred to London. She is excited to make the library a safe and fun place for residents to visit.

Sofie is a young Jewish girl who leaves her family behind to come to London on a work visa. She employer is not a very nice person.

Katie is the receptionist at the library and is excited to go off to college until she find herself with child after her fiancé was killed in the war.

When the library is bombed and destroyed, Juliet decides to move the library to the underground tube station. She makes is an amazing community where people can relax and enjoy the books. I loved how the story weaved the lives of the women together.

Based on a true story, this is going to be a must read book. I know I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end.

I have read all of Jennifer Ryan’s books and have loved them all. Her books have all taken place in World War II England. They center on the homefront; how ordinary people deal with living their lives during a war. This one is based on a true story of a library in the underground system of London. The story is told in alternating chapters by Juliet, Sofie, and Katie. Heartwarming would be the best way to describe how this book makes you feel. Each character has problems, but they all help each other to resolve them. Highly recommend!

An Amazing and heartwarming story no one will want to put down even after it’s finished. I hope there’s more to come, since this story only covered the first part of the Blitz.

Set during the London Blitz of WWII, the story tells how three young women, Katie, Julie, and Sofie, help save the library and even start a school in the underground tube stations of the city. When German bombs crashed through the roof of Bethnal Green Library, it was moved underground, providing books and a safe place for Londoners during air raids. Jennifer Ryan has provided another great novel about friendship, community, and survival based on facts from WWII. Thanks to the author, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Yes, this is another WWII book, but I learned new things (the Isle of Man, underground library, tube stations as shelters). It centers around the Bethnal Green Library during the London Blitz, with three women connected through this community hub.

Historical fiction set in London during WW II about three young women: a unwed mother to be, a librarian whose fiance disappeared when he deserted the army, and a German-Jewish refugee. Their three stories intertwine around the library, that, after the building was bombed, was moved down into the underground transportation tunnels where residents sheltered at night during air raids. Lovely story of friendship and community.

A poignant tale with a narrative rich with depth and emotion. The characters leap off the page with their relatable struggles and unwavering determination, while the setting of the beloved library serves as a poignant symbol of resilience amidst adversity. This compelling novel captivates from start to finish, offering a stirring portrayal of courage and community in the face of unimaginable challenges.

The story is set in London where three young women - Sofie, Katie, and Julie - share the stories of their lives as the war has begun. They meet at the Library, which opened in October of 1922, but it isn’t long before the German bombs destroy the roof. When they are forced to seek shelter underground, they decide to bring the library underground, as well. This novel is an ode to books, libraries, and librarians. It is also a story that shares the hardships of the times and the toll it took on everyone. It also shows the willingness to step outside of their comfort zones and help one another, while also covering some of the issues of the times, and what some people had to endure.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-arc.*

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I've read both "The Kitchen Front" and "The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle" by Jennifer Ryan, and I do think this is one of her stronger works. You could say it's because I love "books about books" AND WWII historical fiction, and you'd probably be right, but I also thought the plot and characters were a bit more compelling in this most recent work of hers. I was drawn in different ways to the stories of Juliet, Katie and Sofie, who all had struggles surrounding the themes of identity, family, loss and a woman finding her place in the world, but in ways that were manifested very differently. I appreciated that overall I felt like each plot thread was as strong as the other. Some minor critiques would be the VERY tidy ending to each of the plot lines, and a few moments where moments of dialogue that took me out of the story because either the historical context was explained a little to narratively or densely by one of the characters (a bit too much "tell" and not "show"), or there was a little bit of a heavy handedness to the "lessons" being taught or learned by the characters. But overall, a gripping read, and I definitely enjoyed it! 4 stars!

The Underground Library
Jennifer Ryan

Late last year, I swore off World War II novels because there have been so many. But I had read Jennifer Ryan’s previous novel, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle and loved it, so I decided to make an exception. Ryan is a fine writer and meticulous researcher. Her characters are well-drawn and easy to picture. She writes with a hint of humor which means her books are never dull.

One of Ryan’s strongest gifts is her ability to make her characters come to life. The handful of primary characters in The Underground Library have a variety of issues and challenges they are dealing with in addition to the issues of war. I wondered if I wanted to know what would happen to the young unwed pregnant woman who was being bullied by her parents. But, yes, I did. I quickly learned to have confidence that Ryan’s characters were going to work together to make sure everyone not just survived, but thrived as best one can in a war.

Anyone reading this book should be aware that some of the scenes Ryan paints are quite realistic and graphic. They might be disturbing to some. This book will warm your heart but it will break it as well. Nevertheless it's well worth reading. At the end of the novel, Ryan offers a look at the real history on which the story is based.